August 9 through August 15

Sunday, Aug. 9




We don't usually have dessert after dinner, except on Sunday's. Summer dessert is sweet and simple...ice cream cones! You can see how much the kids loved them as they wore just as much on their faces as they put in their tummies!

Monday, Aug. 10



Natalie loves having friends over. Today she rediscovered our little baby wading pool and invited Rachel to come over and cool off. Silly girls posing for the camera!

Tuesday, Aug. 11




Thanksgiving Point has $2 Tuesday's in August. I decided to take Natalie down to visit their farm country but when we got there I was surprised to see incredibly long lines! We ended up at the Children's Discovery Gardens since it had the shortest line. We enjoyed it for the first little bit but then as the afternoon heated up, we were both ready to get out of the sun! The first picture was at the start of our visit but by the end, Natalie wasn't interested in smilng for any pictures not matter how beautiful the flowers were!

Wednesday, Aug. 12



We've been walking to school every morning. Ben and several of the other neighborhood kids ride their scooters and the Mom's follow behind and try to keep up. It can been a bit of craziness sometimes with all the bikes and scooters and Mom's with strollers heading down the main street to school. We often end up scraping a kid or two off the sidewalks some days but it's lots of fun most of the time!

Thursday, Aug. 13



A little harvesting...tomatoes, peppers, carrots, zuccinhi, and lemon squash.

Friday, Aug. 14



Just a random silly face on a Friday afternoon.

Saturday, Aug. 15


The kids ended up emptying Natalie's closet and carting it all downstairs to play while I worked in the basement and they tried to stay quiet while Daddy slept. Thank heavens for the toy organizers we have which makes cleaning up pretty easy!

August 2 through August 8

Sunday, Aug. 2



This year we planted some giant sunflowers in our garden and one of them bloomed today. They have grown to be quite tall...some of them tower over me and this bloom is the size of a dinner plate. They have been fun to watch grow. They definitely love the sun and I love watching them at different times of the day. In the morning the buds are facing the east, at noon they are straight up and in the evening they are facing west. I forget somtimes that they are living creatures and do what they need to feed, grow, reproduce, heal and fend off bugs. While these sunflowers have been fun to grow, I discovered that they attract all kinds of beetles, moths, bees, ladybugs and even squash bugs. Luckily I haven't had squash bugs this year but they have been eaten a little by the sunflower beetles. We'll see how they turn out...they may not be something I repeat on account of the bugs!

Monday, Aug. 3



Last spring we planted 3 fruit trees and this year the peach tree budded and produced some little peaches. I thinned them down quite a bit but let several grow to see how they turned out. Bryan picked them today and whilte they are small, they sure taste great!

Tuesday, Aug. 4



This is what happens when you mix poor table manners and grape Kool-aid! Natalie and Ben were being silly at dinner and playing with their drinks. In a fit of laughter, Natalie's mouthful of grape Koolaid exploded all over her...quickly putting an end to the laughter as you can see. While I hope she learned her lesson, I'm sure we haven't seen an end to poor table manners at the Peterson home!

Wednesday, Aug. 5



Natalie sure has missed her big brother since he started first grade...she loves when he finally comes home and is willing to give her some attendtion. After a long day for both of them, they snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie together...I wish every moment could be so sweet.

Thursday, Aug. 6



Haydn is one of Natalie's favorite playmates and she asks daily for him to come over and even insists on being the one to call him. They love to empty her closet and pretend all sorts of things. Lately they love to play "Disneyland" and dress up as the princesses to sign autograph books.

Friday, Aug. 7



My friend, Michelle, has sent me a few pictures this week from Kindergarten that she took. This one was from Mom's and Muffins Day last fall. It's funny how things in the past can seem like yesterday and like forever ago at the same time. It feels like I blinked and Kindergarten was over...Ben even looks so much younger in this picture. I guess it's like trying to hold onto a handful of water...eventually it trickles out between your fingers. Try as I might, I can't keep my kids from growing up...I just wish it didn't happen so fast!

Saturday, Aug. 8



As I mentioned last week, my kids love getting a hold of the camera and taking pictures. I now have many pictures in my photo gallery that look like this...maybe I need to sign them up for a photography class?

July 26th through August 1

Sunday, July 26th



Sunday means cute curls and bows and dresses for Natalie. It's the one day a week that I can get her to let me really do her hair. The rest of the week it's usually thrown together since she lacks the patience to let me fix it. The longer it gets the more it looks so messy. When she was younger it was curlier and easier to just put a bow in it. Now it's another story. I miss that 18 mo. old hair she had!

Monday, July 27th



The dog days of summer mean lots of popsicles at our house. They're even tastier when shared with cousins and friends!

Tuesday, July 28th



Today was Ben's first full day of 1st Grade. Yesterday he met his teacher, Mrs. Joffs and saw his classroom. He was a little nervous but did much better than I thought and tolerated everything pretty well. I was more worked up about than he was! It's a big step for a mother to send her oldest to school all day and know that someone else has more influence in his day than she does.

Wednesday, July 29th



My sister Jennie, and I signed up to be the PTA co presidents at school this year. Neither of us really wanted the job but since no one else would do it we thought we'd do it together. We went to the school work room today to make copies and Natalie and Haydn came along. Jennie took her picture out in the hall...she looks like she's not so sure about this assignment either!

Thursday, July 30th



Ben and Natalie have decided their new favorite toy is our camera and they are constantly grabbing it to take pictures. I have several pictures now stored on my computer o random, out of focus shots that they have taken. They love trying to take self-portraits. Here's Natalie's.

Friday, July 31st



Here's Ben's attempt at a self portrait.

Saturday, Aug. 1st

July 19th through July 25th

This week we spent time on a "Staycation" with Bryan's family. Each day we visited some local sites and enjoyed fun being together. It was a busy, fun week...but oh so hot. The heat definitely didn't bring out the best in all of us by the end of the day but we did manage to have lots of fun throughout the week.

Sunday, July 19th

Sunday dinners at one of the grandparents house is a week tradition. We enjoy getting together with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents for food, games, FHE, and catching up on each other lives. It's a great way to stay close as a family.

Monday, July 20th





Today we went to Casade Springs and toured the pools and scenery. We had a picnic in the canyon and then stopped off at Aspen Grove's BYU Creamery for some ice cream. On the way home, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls and cooled our feet in the ice cold water. It was fun to go to Casade Springs...I haven't been their for many years but remember going there as a child. I remember the smells of that park...similar to Yellowstone. I scanned a childhood picture of me and mom and younger sister there. Fun memories.

Tuesday, July 21st



Second on the Staycation schedule was boating at Pine View Reservior. This was my kids favorite day of the whole week I think. Ben loved playing in the sand and water and even went out on the tube that Uncle Shaun pulled behind his boat. He loved it and couldn't get enough! Natalie wasn't sure about any of it at first but we talked in to going in Grandpa's fishing boat and then the big boat. She even decided she try the tube too and loved it! It was fun day in the sun and we all came home tired and a little sunburned.


Wednesday, July 22nd



Today was a bit of a struggle for us. Still tired from a big day of boating, Ben and Natalie were a bit on the grumpy side. We visited the Children's Discovery Museum at the Gateway and then the Church History Museum at Temple Square. We cooled off with a drink from McDonald's as we watched some of the construction going on downtown. We then watched the Joseph Smith movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and ate dinner at the Lion House Pantry. The heat definitely got the best of us today but all in all we enjoyed the day.

Thursday, July 23rd



Today we enjoyed some cooler temperatures as we traveled up to Snowbird to ride the tram. At the top of the mountain it was about 20 degrees cooler than in the valley and it sure helped with yesterday's moodiness. If was beautiful scenery, there was even still some snow drifts still melting up that high. We hiked down a bit and rode the chair lift back down. I was nervous to ride with my 2 kids alone, but Grandma Cindy jumped on with us and my kids didn't think twice the height. Again, gorgeous views and a nice cool breeze. After a picnic lunch, we toured the Living Planet Aquarium and got to see their new addition with fish and frogs and snakes from South America.

Friday, July 24th





To celebrate Pioneer Day today, we had a family breakfast and Grandpa and Grandma Cindy's church bowery and then played some water relay races at their house. The kids loved the games and it was a fun morning. Later in the day with headed to Nana and Grandpa's to have a BBQ and fireworks with some other cousins.

Saturday, July 25th



For our final Stacation event, we went bowling at All Star Lanes and then out to lunch at Mountain Mike's Pizza Place. Everyone enjoyed bowling and eating pizza together. We even managed to get a few strikes and spares...Ben won the game of course!

July 12 through July 18th

Another theme for the week...places we frequent.

Sunday, July 12th



Church of course. We've lived out here for 7 years and have been in several wards and a couple of stakes and 3 different buildings. The rapid growth in Herriman meant frequent ward and stake splits or boundary changes. We've been in our current ward for a few years now and have been at this building for a couple of years. We love our ward and friends and neighbors.

Monday, July 13th



The local library. This is a temporary location until a full size library is built in Herriman. We usually make it here once a week for a fresh load of books, movies, and CD's.

Tuesday, July 14th



The grocery store. Herriman's growing by the minute and we're lucky to have a few more things close my. This is a neighborhood Smith's and we love to shop here. It's clean and organized, we usually see someone we know, and the produce is great! My kids love riding in the truck carts or pushing the mini carts around if we can find one.

Wednesday, July 15th



Target. It seems like we end up here at least once a week. I love the dollar section in the store and can usually find something great in it. The kids love checking out the toy aisles, and usually beg to buy something. Unfortuntely they often win!

Thursday, July 16th



The park. When weather and time permit, my kids love to make it to the park. There are several in the area and we rotate which one we visit. They love the parks with swings. We discovered a "secret park" last summer that's enclosed in some open space behind some house. You have to walk there and it's not visible from the road...hense the name "secret park". It's one of our favorites, however when the weather's hot we love the splash park!

Friday, July 17th



The neighborhood...we love our friends and neighbors and love hanging out in the front yard visiting with everyone hanging outside as well. It's great to live in a community with lots of great families around to rub shoulders with.

Saturday, July 18th

Nana and Grandpa's house...we clean an office building for extra money on Saturday's. Fortunately it's near my parents home and the kids can play there while Bryan and I clean. My kids can never get enough of Nana and Grandpa's house...there's always lots of toys, treats, juice, games, movies, jumping on the trampoline and time with Aunt Sissa!

July 5th through July 11th

When I began this 365 blog I thought it would be fun to have themes for some of my weeks but have yet to do any. So finally, now that it's July, I am having a theme week for my pics of the day. The theme this week is "Summer Favorites"!

Sunday, July 5th



Our first summer favorite of the week is summer clothes...sundresses, sandals, shorts, and swimsuits! Natalie loves skirts and sundresses and here she is in a super cute one...I love the yellow orange color. She's not always interested in dresses but when she wears them she's often twirling and dancing. If's she's not in a dress or skirt and the mood strikes her to dance, she'll ask to change clothes to accomodate the mood..."I need a skirt so I can dance, Mom!"

Monday, July 6th



2nd Summer Favorite...swimming pools and sprinklers! Today, I helped a friend clean and organize her pantry and kitchen cupboards. The kids were so good that when we finally got home about 4 hours later, I told them they could choose something fun to do. Our dinosaur swimming pool and slides was their choice and it was a perfect way to cool off and relax!

Tuesday, July 7th



3rd Summer Favorite...Snow Cones. Last summer we bought a little electric snow cone maker and a few flavored syrups and have enjoyed making homemade snowcones ever sinces. Natalie even asks for them in the winter if she sees the little machine in the cupboard. It was our bedtime snack after a hot day!

Wednesday, July 8th



4th Summer Favorite...playing outside after dinner and later bedtimes. "The sun's still awake Mommy, so why do we have to go to bed?" This is a frequent question at our house during the summer. We often head outside to play when it cools off a bit and it's hard to bring them in for a usual bedtime. Oh well...staying up later and meant a little bit of sleeping in which is also unusual at our house so I'll enjoy every minute I get!

Thursday, July 9th



5th Summer Favorite...family walks on "the path". If we're not playing outside then we're going for walks around the block or up the path...the path is a paved trail up a gully down the street. It's full of weeds and bugs and our kids love racing us up the hill...just watch our for barking dogs in the houses nearby! They love picking these giant dandelion type weeds and making big wishes!

Friday, July 10th



6th Summer Favorite...playing in the water. If it's not the pool it's the neighborhood splash park, squirt guns or even the hose is a favorite toy!

Saturday, July 11th



7th Summer Favorite...fresh fruit and garden veggies. We've had a slow start with our garden due the lots of rain, cool weather and hail. But we have enjoyed fresh lettuce and peas and are looking forward to tomatoes, zuccihni, pumpkins, and carrots. A friend and neighbor let us come over today and pick fresh raspberries. They were delicious! I loved just standing in their garden smelling the raspberries...very fragrant. I was a fun treat.

June 28th through July 4th

Sunday, June 28th




Sunday's are difficult days for me to remember or think of something to photograph for some reason. So I asked the kids to help me think of something to take a picture of for today...here's what they came up with...cute, huh? Actually they really are cute, sweet kids that I'm so thankful to have in my life!

Monday, June 29th



The kids decided to get out all our Little People stuff and make a Little People city. It was fun to watch them set it up and play...and sometimes fight! When I was a kid we had lots of Little People sets and played with them often. My Mom has even kept them all these years and the grandkids love playing with them at here house or checking them out and bringing them home.

Tuesday, June 30th



This is one of my kids favorite "non-toys" to play with...the laundry baskets. I have a pair of deep laundry baskets that I love...they're actually called "lampers". Anyway, Ben and Natalie both love using them as houses, boats, cars, ect. when they're not full of laundry.

Wednesday, July 1st


We invited Trent and Jamie and their kids to come to the splash park with us today. It was a hot day and they all had fun cooling off in the water and playing on the playground.

Thursday, July 2nd



Ben was in charge of the picture today...this is what he chose. He had been playing with his Star Wars costume earlier in the day and laid it out carefully then took a picture. He loves playing Star Wars alone or with friends and can sometimes get Natalie to play with him too.

Friday, July 3rd

The yard is making a nice comeback after the hailstorm about a month ago. I hopefull that we'll actually get to harvest something is the weather doesn't decide to provide any more catastrophe's!


Saturday, July 4th



We had a great 4th of July holiday today. We went swimming at Uncle Steve's pool in the afternoon and then headed over to Grandpa and Grandma Cindy's for a BBQ, S'mores, and fireworks. We had a fun day and were all tuckered out by the time we got home. The kids are usually in bed by the time fireworks start...this was the first year we actually let them stay up to watch them. We enjoyed seeing them go off all over the valley as we drove home that night. Natalie wasn't so sure about the fireworks at first...she asked me "Mommy, when is it going to get happy?". She wasn't so sure about the loud noises and bright lights but by the end of the night she was on the front row with the other kids.