The summer is flying by and we are having a blast! Here's just a sampling of what we have been up to:

We were able to sneak in a fun trip to Lagoon. We were lucky enough to go on a day when the weather was not terribly hot which was great. Brinn was so excited to finally be tall enough to ride a few of the bigger rides. Here she is about to take off on 'Bat' - kind of a dumb ride if you ask me, but to a 5 year old it was the best ever (it always helps when you are in the front seat)!

I had not been to Lagoon in years and I was surprised at all the new rides. It was fun to try some of the new attractions and just as fun to ride the ones from my childhood. We all had a great day.

Lauryn had her piano recital and she was thrilled that Nana and Papa were able to stop on their way through town to see her perform. She played "The Dance" and "Supercalifragilistic". She did a great job and this year tied another student for the most perfect songs. She is determined to not share that title again next year.

The kids have been pretty good at playing with each other and keeping each other entertained. Tay really does love to be around his sisters. They are a big help to me!

For one week Lauryn was enrolled in Rad Kids which is a child safety/self defense class. She loved it and performed really well in the simulated abduction. We have some great video of her yelling, kicking, headbutting, etc. her principal from school (he was playing the 'bad guy'). It was a great class and we highly recommend it to all kids.

For the 4th of July, my parents ward had their traditional bike parade and breakfast. The kids love decorating their bikes and throwing candy to those watching. Almost all the cousins were in town and we had a great time spending the rest of the day with them.

In the evening we went to the Airmet gathering. It was great to see most of my cousins from the Airmet side - it has been a long time since we have all been together. Everyone had a great time talking, creating new sports (soccer volleyball), and driving my uncles vintage car. We always have a great time whenever we are with them!

Then it was off to watch fireworks. No big ones in the park this year :-( But, since it was quite chilly, it was a great excuse to snuggle with my squirrels! :D
This is one of Camerons favorite things about summer - lighting off fireworks. He (and Adam) put on a great show for us all.

Tay is now 6 months and just had his doctors appointment -(my pediatrician in California gave us this great little booklet that they would record all the kids stats and info in... here they just scribble it on a piece of paper that inevitably gets thrown into the black hole that is the diaper bag never to resurface... So I am putting them on here so there is some record of them). He weighed in at just a little over 20 pounds (90th percentile) and 28 inches tall (95th percentile). He is healthy and strong and cute as ever!

Hope everyone is having a great summer too!

May

Here's what went down in May:

Not really - Tay did not go down. This picture actually cracks me up - Cam was only pretending to be asleep and Tay really looks like he is about to fall off his lap! The timing on that shot was perfect! But there was no time for napping because May was busy, busy...

Tay is growing and growing and so darn cute if I don't say so myself. He is rolling all over the place and is getting so close to sitting by himself. He loves ice water and if you have some you had better be willing to share.

Brinn graduated from Preschool. She will miss her preschool friends - none of them are going to the same school next year - bummer. She knows all 50 states, the Preamble of the Constitution, and she is getting really good at reading and math. I think she is more than ready for Kindergarten.

The girls had their dance recitals - kind of. They take dance at a small studio and I guess there were too many kids that were going to be out of town for the big recital, so they cancelled it and just performed for the parents the last day of class. Kind of a bummer for the girls, but it saved me $150 in costumes. :D I feel a little bad because I guess we never got any still shots of Lauryn's performance - just video. They both did a great job!

Lauryn was a swan in the 2nd grade's production of 'The Ugly Duckling'. The smile on her face says it all - she was SO excited for this play - talked about it for weeks, woke up an hour early the days of the rehearsal and the shows. She had to have 'special' breakfasts those days (blueberry pancakes, eggs, toast... all her favorites on the special plate, of course) so she could perform well. She had one line: "The animals stay clear of that weird guy!" and she was in the special swan dance. She did great, and of course talked about it for days after.

We had a fundraiser auction for the youth programs in our ward - they had a karaoke machine and you could bid to have a youth leader or member of the bishopric perform. Cam had to sing 'You're So Vain' - it was great! I wish they would have paid more so he would have had do dance too. This will be the only time you will hear me say it, but I was so glad that I was released! (I guess everyone there should be glad that I was released too!) He was a good sport about it and in the end came home with a round of golf, a photo session, and some yummy giant cookies.

The weather has been horrible (the furnace was on last weekend) and we need it to change quick! We are looking forward to swimming lessons, picnics, camping (maybe) and lots of nice relaxing days... we just need summer to come!

Till We Meet Again

Last week, we buried my sweet Grandma Maxfield. She was the only Grandma I ever knew, and there are so many things I will miss about her - her smile, her laugh, her stories, her food, and how she always had a kiss hello and goodbye for me. She was a special lady, and I was proud to call her Grandma. Our whole family will miss our "Grandma Max" and our visits to her. I love you Grandma- you will be missed greatly!

Her obituary:

VIRGINIA MAXFIELD

Virginia Mackay Maxfield 1929 ~ 2010 Virginia Mackay Maxfield passed away, surrounded by her family, on Saturday, May 29, 2010. Virginia was born on November 19, 1929, in Murray, Utah to Harold Moses Mackay and Ruth Hintze Mackay. She was the youngest of six children. She was raised in Bennion/ Taylorsville, Utah. She attended Granite High School and the University of Utah. She married Shirley Lewis Maxfield on April 28, 1948, in the Salt Lake Temple. They were the parents of three children and settled in Murray, Utah, where they resided for over 40 years. In 1995 they moved to Star Valley, Wyoming, where they enjoyed some of the happiest years of their lives. When Shirl passed away in 1999, Virginia moved to Midvale, Utah, to be near her family. Virginia was beautiful, intelligent, and talented. She excelled in her love of oil painting, quilting, sewing, and gardening. She had a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing in Church choirs and productions. She loved reading and thoroughly enjoyed watching movies. She had a fun sense of humor and loved to laugh. Virginia will most be remembered, however, for her excellent cooking skills -through which she showed her love to dear ones. She was famous for her excellent homemade pies, rolls, and chocolate chip cookies. Virginia worked in the Murray School District school lunch program for many years. She later worked for AT&T from 1976-1986. She served in church organizations and in the Salt Lake County Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary. She was president of the Western Fire Chiefs Association Ladies Auxiliary. Virginia is survived by her three children: Linda (Dave) Airmet, Sandy; R. Jeffery (Kathy) Maxfield, Draper; and Sharon (Lee) Westover, Murray. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grand-children, (with one more on the way), and one sister, Evelyn (Allen) Frandsen, Centerfield, Utah. Preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers Gordon, Harold, Everett, and sister Donna McGarry. Virginia will be interred at the Murray City Cemetery. Virginia's family would like to express their appreciation to the Wentworth Assisted Living Center at Willow Creek for their tender, loving care. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 S. State St. Viewing Wed. evening from 6-8:00 p.m. and Thurs. from 10-10:45 a.m. at the Mortuary. Interment Murray City Cemetery.

"Happy Mothers Day You Moron"

Nice title I know, and I don't really mean it. Well, the Happy Mothers Day part I do - not the moron part. I am NOT calling all the moms out there 'morons'. Promise. I am not really sure where it came from or why we say it, but everyone in my family has been saying that phrase every Mothers Day for years. (Oh, and you have to say it with a thick Boston accent). If anyone in the family would like to enlighten me about this tradition, please feel free.

I had a wonderful mothers day- thanks to my 3 little sweeties and a great husband. I was spoiled with breakfast in bed, gifts, and lots of hugs and kisses! Everyone made my day so special! Thank you, thank you!

Earlier this week, I was reading a blog of a mother of teens who was writing about some of the struggles she is facing raising her kids. My heart was breaking for her, she was trying so hard and seemed to be making no progress. It made me reflect on my own kids, and what a wonderful stage of motherhood I am in right now - Lauryn is so eager to help and learn, and she will talk and tell me everything. Brinn will still come snuggle in my lap, pick me flowers, and always has a smile and a kiss for me. They both are constantly making me cards and love notes or pictures drawn in my favorite colors. They are not embarrassed by me (yet!) and really want to be with me. They are so excited to surprise Cam and I, or please us in any way. They are trying so hard to be good. Tay will give me giant smiles whenever I go get him out of bed and the way he holds on to my fingers when I feed him melts my heart. I really am blessed beyond words. I don't want this stage to end! I don't know how much longer it will last, but I am going to try and enjoy every minute of it. Thank you squirrels for making me so happy - for making me a mom!