Summer Stuff

I don't know where the summer is going (oh, wait--strep four times (me 2x, Mel, Anna), company, house cleaning, three vampire books, swimming lessons, pudding and pirate parties at Becky's). Here are just some of the random shots from the last month. I've haven't posted for a while--I usually opt for sleep or reading these days. I'm almost done with the last vampire book, and I'm sure Great Expectations, which I have to reread before school begins, won't be quite the same draw.

Sunbathing at Grandma's with cousins
Our cool dude with his new shades!
This is one of the many reasons I love Mel. He is a great dad. He and Anna slept out in the tent the other night, and it was Mel's idea! He didn't think they would make it all night, but they did. Of course they had stocked up on treats and Anna had that darn plug!
We went to the inside parade today. All the floats from Days of '47 Parade are on exhibit at the Expo Center right behind our neighborhood. The air-conditioned Expo Center sure beats the hot pavement and three hours of misery! Anna's favorite was Noah's Ark.

Annie after her dance concert with her flowers.

We Love Company from Canada

Mel's two sisters and their families came from Canada for the Fourth of July. They found out last year how much fun fireworks were, so they came again. All fireworks are illegal in Canada, so the boys (including the dads) had too much fun with the "Cul-de-Sac of Fire II." ( My parents have the Cul-de-Sac of Fire I every year.) I sort of missed out on the Fourth because I got strep for the second time, but everyone else had fun. The rest of the week was a blast. The week was our summer vacation as well, and Annie got to do all her favorite things: Park City Slides, Thanksgiving Point Farm, Kangaroo Zoo, The Bird Restaurant (The Mayan), swimming in the yard, and a Fourth of July water balloon fight ( I wasn't sad to miss that one). We sure love having the family here, and they are always welcome! Here are a few highlights.

Anna and her cousin--the only Canada cousin close to her age!
Kangaroo Zoo
The Canadians LOVE Cafe Rio!
All the girl cousins on the Oppermann side. Tessa (16) even stayed here with us an extra two weeks. She just left, and we miss her! The kids loved having her here. Thys walked around hollering for her every day!
Park City Roller Coaster (Anna, Tessa, and Mel in the back)
Mel took the willing ones on a one-day trip to Moab. It was a long day and very hot, but they had a blast. The sane ones (the ones with little kids and sense) stayed home and went to the farm.
The Mayan--Mel's nephew, niece, and brother-in-law

Finally Finished

So in one of my first blogs I showed the table I was refinishing. That was back in October. Well, I'm proud to say that at the beginning of the summer I finally finished the last two chairs. After doing the first two chairs in December, I had little motivation for the last two--until I was getting company and people from the ward for bookclub. Then I decided it would look nice if I had all the same colored chairs. I don't think I'll ever repaint spindle chairs again!


I also showed an unfinished sandbox a while back. Mel doesn't take anywhere near as long as I do to finish a project, and this sandbox has been done for months, but I just wanted to show how cute it turned out!

The Ballerina

Anna's big ballet show is tomorrow, but no pics allowed, so here are the pics from the dress rehearsal today. Her show is Aladdin, and she is a parrot. We're really grateful that Anna and I got strep when we did so that we were at least not contagious this afternoon--a bit tired and woozy, but not contagious. Getting ready at home--who is that big little girl? It doesn't even look like Annie to me!
A little too much excitement and a bit too far from home (the U)
In front of Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah where her performance will be tomorrow night. Honestly, I don't know who is more excited, Anna or me. I can't wait to see her on stage. She is sooooo excited and when her little class is up there, they just look so little and cute swinging their little tutus around.

The Start of Summer

Doesn't everyone have a picture like this? I love it! Nevermind that it was a Sunday afternoon and only 75 degrees--it's summer, right? (They really weren't swimming--just saw the sprinklers on outside--and the rest was history.)
Friday was my first day of summer, and Anna has been asking for WEEKS to go to the zoo. I told her we would go when I was done with school, so Friday it was. It was a little chilly, as it has been lately, but a nice day for the zoo. Anna also remembered that months ago I told her that next time we went to the zoo we could take the wagon because we had the van. So, the wagon came to the zoo too. The only problem was that I let Thys out--and then in was a problem, as you can see. We went with the cousins, and they enjoyed the wagon ride since Thys didn't!
Yesterday we went to the "theater" to see Horton Hears a Who. Annie has been wanted to go to the theater for almost as long as she has been wanting to go to the zoo. She made it through the movie, but then it was all over. I guess that's what happens when you've been up creating an art museum the night before.

He's Growing Up!

Every day I am reminded that my baby is not a baby any more. Here are just a few of the lastest.

Thys loves books--especially the ones with flaps. He brings us books to read all the time, and lately he has been taking one to bed. I guess he reads for a bit before he goes to sleep?!?!?
Thysie's latest discovery is the Wiggles. It delights him. It is the first and only thing he has ever paid attention to on TV. He will only watch it in our room, which is convenient because he watches it in the mornings if I'm not ready yet when he gets up. Here he is enjoying the Wiggles. It's kind of funny that he loves lots of things that all sound the same when he says them: Wiggles, pickles, and popsicles (sicle). You have to guess which one he means by where he is heading.
Don 't ask me where he learned this trick. He's never seen me do it . . . maybe someone else in the family!?!?!?

Anna's Art

Anna's program at Becky's was a week ago--or so. They sang the cutest songs, and Anna actually sang. Becky taught them a bunch of classic songs that I know Anna will sing the rest of her life: "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow," "Sing," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," etc. She already sings them all the time--while she's playing, in the car, etc. It is so cute to listen to!

A few nights ago, Anna came running in to get me to see her "art museum." Mel was planting flowers, and apparently, Anna had been drawing. I know these are just little kids pics for most of you, so just speed through, but for the grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles, here they are.
The Shapes (her titles)
The Sun, letter S for Sasha, and the moon


Our family--don't you love Mel's eyelashes and Thys's happy face?
Mom--this is my personal favorite. If you look closely, my hair flips up like it used to before I got it cut. She reminds me on a regular basis that she liked my hair "curly," and this pic was just one more reminder!