July

 This kid has been standing up!  All month and all day long.  She's busting out of her pack and play but we are dragging our feet about moving Emery to the big girl room, so for now this chick stays put.

 This is a reminder of a super crappy day. Emery had pretty much broken  my spirit by this hour of the day.  I was so done.  And yet she looks so happy and sweet here "talking" to Ivy.

The next picture she actually WAS being sweet.  She was talking softly to Ivy and staring at her while she napped.

 I took a week off from the gym for girls camp and the Williams trip.  When I came back and began lifting again, my hands took a beating.

I took advantage of an amazon local deal and bought passes to Big Surf, thinking it would be fun to take the big girls out for a day before school started.  This chick wore herself out!  She refused to slide on the slides or ride any rides, but she loved the kiddie pool.  Sage was UNSTOPPABLE on the rides!  She wore me out so bad.

  I mean.  This kid is unreal.

 Most mornings, one or two chicks make their way to my bed for a while.  Such a fun view to wake up to.

 Standing baby!!!!

 I'm a sucker for free food.  Or free anything, for that matter.  

So when Chick-Fil-A had their annual "dress like a cow, get free food" day, we took full advantage.  Apparently, Charlotte is terrified of humans dressed as animals.  She actually said those exact words.  I almost died!  She really hated everything about this trip.

 Ivy couldn't have cared less about the cow.  

But she was digging her first ice-cream cone!

 Meet the teacher day!

How it's possible for our summer to be almost over is beyond me.  

These two were so cute walking in to their school holding hands.  More on that later, though.

 A teensy-tiny haircut was so traumatizing. 

Visiting the new QC splash pad!!  The girls love it.

 

snuggling with these two each morning is rad.

Grand Canyon

 On our way out of town we decided to detour to the Grand Canyon.  It was a bit chaotic, but the girls had fun hiking around and it was well worth the extra time it took.  It really is a majestic sight.

 

Our trip home was pretty crappy.  There was a really bad accident on the 10 and we were at a stand still for about three hours.  Thankfully Emery was happy watching movies, Sage and Charlotte were happy with me shoved in between their seats, and Miss Ivy was completely enthralled with my bubble gum blowing.  She would wait with this look of terror on her face until I blew and popped my gum then she would bust up laughing.  It was the BEST.

Terror on the left, big laughs on the right.

{4th of JULY}

 WEDDING day!  

The announcement of Monte's wedding was quite a shock.  Like, no one believed him.  :)  He was the brother who was never getting married, didn't really believe in the idea of marriage, etc.  So we basically planned on his being a solo guy for forever.  We are SO GLAD he fooled us!  Kasey is the perfect fit for him and I'm excited to get to know her better as my sister.  

Their wedding venue was at a saloon in Williams, with BBQ, dancing, and lots of fun.  The girls had a ball and so did we.

 

Side note:

Sage and Charlotte slept with grandma and grandpa in their hotel room, so Clint had a bed, I shared with little Em, and Ivy slept in her pack and play.  And also did a lot of playing with mom in the middle of the night.

 

Weekend in Williams

Clint's brother, Monte, got married in Williams over the 4th of July weekend, so we had a nice reprieve from the heat and spent a few days playing.  It was nice and relaxing and very much needed!  Our first day in town, we met up with everyone for pizza and yummy food at a super nice cabin.  We thought it was a good omen to see double rainbows!
The following day, the 4th, we walked around main street and played at the park the first half of the day before heading back to the hotel to change for the wedding.