Why We Escape To Utah All Summer: WATER!!!

My ideal summer day looks something like this: 

train with friends

eat lunch right out of the garden

spend the afternoon with the kids and friends at the pool or lake

eat dinner outside 

play games

And I am happy to report that they were quite a few days just like that this summer! Lucky me! The new Provo Rec Center is awesome! Love, love, love it! Makes me want to move back to our old condo which was right by it! 

it's always more fun with friends

my little fish

new goggles for completed swim lessons

being silly

warming up

lots of snacks are a must

sometimes a little rest is not a bad thing

The inside of the Rec Center is all new and fancy! Noah loved the climbing wall and jumping off the water fall. The waterfall was probably about 8-10 feet high. He was super excited about doing a flip off of it but then got a little scared. I told him I would give him a dollar if he did a flip. So he did. And again and again and again. Best dollar I ever spent! 

I also love BYU campus which is right by my in-law's house. So pretty, family friendly, and well taken care of. This is one of our favorite places right by the bell tower. 

We went there a couple of times during the day and one evening after dinner when it wasn't too late yet and the kids had some energy to spare, I took them there and we had a great time playing hide-and-seek with the sprinklers on. Good times! 

Don't worry. Max threw plenty of fits all summer long making sure we wouldn't be enjoying ourselves too much! That kid! 

Why We Escape To Utah All Summer: FRIENDS and FAMILY

Seeing how winter has arrived in Flagstaff, I figured it would be appropriate to tell you about our summer adventures! Well, not really, but things have calmed down a bit in the Jarvis household and I definitely don't want to miss posting pictures about our fun time in Utah! 

Stewart Falls 

We spent 5 weeks this summer in Utah and loved all of it! Here are some of the highlights. (Not including swimming and pool time. That is going to be a separate post.) If you know me, you know how much I love Utah! Family, friends, fun pools, lakes, mountains, great trails, awesome roads for biking... Although I am happy living in Flagstaff, I would move back in a heartbeat! 

Stewart Falls Hike 

with a small part of the Jarvis family

Although I wasn't able to go this time, I love this hike! Not too long, nice soft trail that doesn't get (too) boring for the kids, mostly shaded, and water at the end! I also love that it's still green although it's in the middle of the summer and hardly rains. 

The Jarvis Garden

One of the best things about living at grandma and grandpa's house is their enormous garden! They both spend hours in it every day and we try to help out as much as we can. That said, I have to admit I am not a huge help because they get it all done early in the morning when I am usually working out. Karl and (sometimes) the boys are much better helpers. One of grandpa's favorite saying is: The kids like to help until they can! Meaning: The kids are eager to help while they aren't of much use and once they are they don't want to anymore. Haha.

I am, however, extremely useful in making sure none of the garden goodies go to waste! Everything tastes so yummy is so healthy. I am looking forward to having my own (much smaller) garden sometime in the future! 

View from the back porch where we eat breakfast and dinner outside. LOVE it! 

Friends 

Eric and Rubie

Noah and Eric

Max and Rubie

We have known these kids since the day they were born and love them so much! It helps that their mom and I are great friends and like to hang out as well. This particular day I took them to the Children's Garden at Thanksgiving Point and they played so well I had plenty of time to snatch some pictures. 

They also had two sleepovers. One at the Wilson home and one at the Jarvis house. But I only got this one kinda lame picture. Too bad. 

The Back Yard 

I love having a backyard. And so do the kids. The only time I have ever had a backyard in my entire life was the 18 months we lived in this house while Karl's parents were on a mission. The rest of my 33 years on this earth - no backyard. Sad but true. I just figure once I have my own I am going to appreciate it that much more! But only if it has grass in it. Like nice grass that I want to lie down on. Which is the thing I miss most living in Flagstaff: green grass! 

Can't wait for next summer!!!

Max Turns 5 and Starts Kindergarten!

Wow! I still can't quite believe that both of my kids are going to school now! It's a change for sure! A nice change in my opinion. A little part of me is sad that I don't get to eat lunch with this cutie every day anymore but after 5 years of doing so I am happy to pack his lunch box and know that he is having a blast hanging out with his buddies at lunch time! 

ready to ride to school on the first day

I am sure you all figured this already: No, I did not cry on Max's first day of Kindergarten. Not exactly sure what I did but I am sure it involved riding my bike and running and enjoying myself and being stunned that I have made it this far as a mom! It certainly helps that Max has the best teacher ever! Here is a newspaper article about Miss Chris. I love that girl and so do Max, Noah, and Karl. The only bummer is that they only get to have her for one year... 

field trip time!

But if you know Max, you know that he is a handful! Not only is he too lazy and busy most days to make it to the bathroom in time, but he is also very physical. As in: If something doesn't go his way, he is not only going to throw a fit but also wrestle/punch/trip whoever comes his way. This has resulted in a few red faces in his agenda. (Green face = good day. Yellow face = not-so-good day. Red face = bad day.) We even had one double red face day. And within his first month of school he got sent to the principal's office. "I talked with Principal John Coe today!" Must've been a good talk because he has shaped up ever since. Only green faces in the last few weeks. Phew! 

about to get a sweet kiss... 

Besides the fact that every time I walk into the school to pick him up I am paranoid that he is either wearing different pants or his agenda shows a red face, I love to see the kid and enjoy spending the afternoons with him and Noah. I am definitely a better mom when I am not on duty 24/7. Quality over quantity! ;-)

A full day of Kindergarten is a long day and Max gets tired. Who wouldn't? So when I come to pick him and Noah up, sometimes he is less than thrilled to ride his bike back up the hill to our home. Nothing a few jelly beans can't fix! 

 eating yummy birthday cake

We celebrated Max's 5th birthday back at the beginning of August in Utah. It was a great day and although things apparently never go exactly the way Max envisions them in his little mind, he was happy (for the most part) and absolutely thrilled to finally be 5. 

First: He got to find and open and play with his presents. We always do presents first thing in the morning. There aren't that many anyway and how mean is it to make your kid wait all day to open his presents? 

Second: Homemade crepes (by Papa) with berries from the garden. Yum! Max obviously liked his breakfast. 

Then: We went to our favorite pool with our great friends Eric and Rubie. Just me and the kids. Good times! There is nothing I'd rather do in the summer than hang out at the pool and watch the kids have fun! 

After: We went back to the house to have pizza, cake, and ice cream. 

Last: Our kids went to the movie theater for the first time ever! Karl took them and their friends to see Despicable me 2. They loved it. 

So glad Max is part of our little family. He isn't the easiest kid but definitely one of the cutest, funniest, and most entertaining. Love him! 

Soccer and Red Ninjas

Soccer at the Summit Tournament in Flagstaff

Picture by Cristy Zeller

Let's just say it's rained A LOT in Flagstaff this summer. Even with being gone for most of the monsoon season (in July), I was sick of the rain after about 3.4 days back home. It's just annoying and keeps me from doing the things I love most. If I wanted it to rain every day then I would move back to Germany. I live in the desert for a reason! And even after an incredibly wet summer, people still get ridiculously excited when they see a dark cloud over the city, snap a picture, and then post it on Facebook. Really? I don't get it. 

Noah is back to practicing soccer most days and his team played in their first tournament of the season a few weeks ago. After the long and fairly unstructured summer, it took him a while to get back into the routine of school and soccer but now he is used to it and seems happy. The boys had been playing on wet and muddy fields in the rain quite a bit up here in Flagstaff and that weekend was no different. I got so wet and cold on Saturday afternoon that I fell sick that very day and now, two weeks later, I am still dealing with a head and chest cold. But it was worth it. Noah has developed into quite the player and has scored more goals in games so far this season than all of last year. Not that we are counting or anything, but I am pretty sure. It's fun to see him play well. He even got invited to go down to Phoenix with the U9 team to play league with them last weekend and he was thrilled! Neither Karl nor I shared that feeling, so we found him a ride with a friend. We love soccer and I feel we are pretty supportive but it was late notice and the Valley is still extremely hot and we simply had other plans. It worked out well and he had a great time! Nothing like a little independence! 

the siblings stay entertained while the big brothers play soccer

Max is wearing Noah's #15

Max played soccer (AYSO) as well in August and the beginning of September. We missed most of his season because we spent all of July in Utah but he still had a blast. His team was named the Red Ninjas and, boy, did they ever live up to that name! It was quite the good little team but they very much behaved like any group of 5-year-old boys would. Kudos to their coach, Tarah, who did a great job with these rascals! 

Noah played AYSO as well but never went to any of the practices. He was sad about it but it was on the other side of town on a night when he was already playing with his club team. His team happened to be the best team in their age group and they won all of their games. Some by a rather large margin. The boys loved it and felt like super stars! Quite the difference to playing tournaments on a club team down in the Valley. It was good for Noah's confidence. Not that he appears to be lacking any when it comes to his soccer skills...

beautiful Sedona

picture by Bethany Skelton

Today Noah got to go down to Sedona to play one of their teams. I will take any excuse to go there. I love Sedona! I mean: Look at that picture! Blue sky, red rocks, green grass. Heaven! It was a good morning. The boys won their game, I got to go for a little trail run while they hung out and played with friends on the field, and it felt like summer still! Flagstaff is below 30 at night and in the mornings now and I am not a fan. 75 degrees was perfect! Karl, who got called to be scout master a while ago, had to stay home and drag boy scouts up to the top of Mount Elden. I am sure it was fun but this was much better! 

Here is to many more soccer games in the sun!