2017 Summer Highlights!

Since I go back to work on Tuesday, I thought it would be fun to do a blog post highlighting our summer!  The last two months have been really busy, but we won’t soon forget all the memories we made!

The first major event of the summer was Sammy turning one!  I am not a party planner and probably spent way too much time organizing his first birthday bash, but it was so worth it!  We ended up celebrating his birthday not once, not twice, but THREE times!  He had a lot of family that wanted to be involved, so we had a party here in Orem, one in PA, and one in Idaho.  I hope Sammy knows how loved he is!

Sammy's favorite thing about celebrating was the cake! Three cakes all to himself... what more could he ask for? He would eat cake everyday if we let him! 

  

  

The second major event of the summer was our two week trip to PA.  It was really awesome because Sammy recognized my family right off the bat! Thanks FaceTime!  He LOVED all the attention so much that he had a really hard time when we came home.  He was super clingy and refused to play or do anything by himself.  I enjoyed this trip a lot because I felt like we got good quality time with everyone that we wanted to see.  It’s always hard to leave, but coming back wasn’t as difficult as it’s been in the past.  I’m incredibly grateful for Bruno and his family for making Utah my home.  I NEVER wanted to live here, but it’s been such a great place for us, especially since our family, friends, and my job here are amazing! 

Watching Grandma with her horse!  

Swimming in Kimmy's parents' pool!

Hershey Park Happy! Sammy wasn't a huge fan of the rides, except the Coal Cracker - but only because he wanted to get in the water.  

He's a miniature!  He'll probably be a Hershey Kiss the next time we get to go!

We had such a blast this day.  I love amusement parks, so I especially loved getting on the new roller coasters that have been added since I was last here. 

Our quick trip to Palmyra, New York!

Trying to keep up with Sammy on top of Hill Commorah!

Again, trying to keep with him... this time in The Sacred Grove.

Some other summer highlights:

Bruno and I made a goal to go to the temple more often now that Sammy is older and I’m more comfortable leaving him for a little while.  I wanted to post this because we went to two very different temples recently!  It was kind of cool to go to Payson, Utah one month and then go all the way to Palmyra, NY the next!  I’m glad we made the trip to NY while we were back east.  I knew Bruno would enjoy all the church history there!

 

I feel like we never get to go swimming as much as I hope to, but we still got to go a few times.  Sammy really loves being in the water, so I think swim lessons are in the near future.

                  

  

While he loves being in the pool, he does NOT love splash pads. At all!

Orem Summerfest is a tradition we always look forward to!  Sammy was in his first parade, although he didn’t really enjoy it and fell asleep shortly after it started.

                                  

Another first for Sammy was the zoo!  We went with my NWA friends – Kelsey, Chelsea, and her baby Natalie!  I can’t say enough about Kelsey & Chelsea.  Working with them was so fun and it just hasn’t been the same since they left!  I hate that they both had to move, but so happy about where life is taking them. 

             

   

Bruno and I celebrated 4 years of marriage!  I feel like it’s more of an accomplishment for him because he has to put up with me. :P When I try to think about what we’ve done in the last year, the only thing I can think of is that we kept Sammy alive and well. Ha!  This last year has definitely revolved around him and I wouldn’t have it any other way.   Bruno finished another year of school and is so close to being done!  This next year will be exciting because he will graduate and hopefully find a teaching job for the 2018-19 school year.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that he’ll be able to find something in Utah so we can still live in the area.  Anyway, I am so excited for him.  I feel like a lot will change by next summer, but I’m really looking forward to see how it all pans out!

                     

 

I cut my hair!  I donated my hair once three years ago and decided I wanted to donate as often as I could.  I guess my next cut will be in 2020!  I also want to put a plug in for Children With Hair Loss.  This is an awesome organization because they don't charge families for hair pieces.  The certificate and cute tee shirt were an added bonus! I highly recommend donating your hair to them!

Sammy turned 13 months!  I'm still stuck on doing monthly pictures!  I don't think I'll be able to stop anytime soon because he is growing so fast and we can hardly keep up!  I think we've seen the most growth between 12-13 months because he is starting to imitate us a lot more and is learning how to do new things every day.  We are so proud of him!

I have enjoyed my time home this summer and it's going to be a hard transition when I can't be with Bruno and Sammy all day!  But, I'm grateful to have a job I enjoy and one that gives me good vacation time in the summer and throughout the year!