Why isn't there more time to BLOG?

Whew!
I can't believe it is August already. Where has the summer gone?
We are already into football practice 5 nights a week (London), Chinese Day Camp for the past 2 weeks (Bode), Art Classes (London) and waiting for soccer season to start (Bode). Also, I am running a half marathon in a couple of weeks. My training runs have hit 12 miles and I will be running 13-14 this Saturday.

This is what we have been up to this summer, thus not much time for blogging.

JUNE~
Our summer didn't technically start until July 2, my kids last day of school.
But, other than homework and the usual end of school year festivities, the month of June for us consisted of:

• Baseball games for London and Bode

• Carter had Youth Conference, and a birthday... 39!!!
  

• Stella completed her 2nd round of puppy classes - of which Carter thinks was a total waste of time and money.

• Carter and I snuck away on a couples only trip to Lake Powell with some good friends. It was heavenly! (Thanks mom for watching the kids.)

• I ran 3+ days a week and hit the gym 2-3 x per week.

• My friend Kellie & I threw a going away party for Jeff Colemere who was deployed to Iraq for 1 year. It was great to see so much support for him & his family (Amanda & their 6 kids). Thank you for your service Captain Colemere.

• 3rd Grade Talent Show: London performed a sweet dance with his friend Danni to Michael Jackson's Black or White. Michael passed away that very day. Weird! London is a HUGE fan of his and listens to his music daily. Click the link below to see it.
  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC_3LtKE7Oo

JULY~
Tony & Monique arrived for their annual summer vacation. Tony was only here for a few days but Monique & the kids stayed the entire month. We were busy having a lot of fun and the kids loved catching up and hanging out together. It was a constant party! We LOVED it! I didn't clean the house or do laundry much, so I am paying the price now, but it was all worth it. Tony & Monique - we are SO glad you all came. We miss you already!

Here is what we were up to:
Bees Game & Fireworks, Swimming, Temple Open House, Movies, Making t-shirts, More Swimming, Making Taffy, Bowling, Slip & Slide, Rollerskating, Making Jalepeno Jelly, Mimi's house, More Fireworks, Listening to Music, Midway, BBQs, and LOTS of Sleepovers with not so much "sleep".


Here is what I discovered:
Running at 6 am on 3 hrs of sleep doesn't work, Feeding 8 kids is a full time job - they sure do eat a lot!, Brinlee is an awesome babysitter!, Ryder is Gavin's nemisis, 8 (unattended) kids can easily destroy a basement in under 10 minutes, Excel spreadsheets can make life easier, it is nearly impossible to get 8 kids to agree on a movie, Ryder will use cans from my food storage for ammunition if necesary - watch out!, Gracen loves her mommy, Braxton loves his dog - and so does his mom (this was a surprise to us all), Potty Training still bites - pull ups are so worth it!, 3 adults and 8 kids REQUIRE the entire row at church, penny + wii = broken wii, kids like blueberry pancakes better than chocolate chip - but whipped cream on either is a must, Macey & Ryder loved swimming in the lake, Flip flops cannot be left unattended with Stella around, Beyond Glazed Donuts (thanks a lot Julie!), FRESH Dunford Chocolate Chocolate Donuts are still the ultimate treat (thanks a lot mom!), Utah corn on the cob is still one of the best things about summer.

I will post some pics when I have more time, hopefully it will still be August by then.