The Wolfley Family: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

Some Silly Fun!

It sounds so cheesy, but that really sums up our weekend! It started with a fun family reunion. My Dad's side of the family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins ... even Grandpa and Grandma. Not quite everyone made it, but it I think we all had tons of fun.

We usually only see each other at Christmas and it is always so hectic. This time, we found out what happens when we all have a little bit of time, and a lot more space to move around. Basically, we just get silly! We had the reunion at the gym of an elementary school, and it looked a lot more like recess than a reunion. We flooded the place with all the kids' toys and just ran around like crazy. The only picture I could find that didn't turn out blurry is this one of Breje and her sweet cousin Courtney. They're the only ones that are old enough that they don't want to look stupid, but young enough to still care!

Most of the day was spent with kids attacking dads, and vice versa, and it ended with a rousing game of indoor baseball -- complete with moving bases and TONS of cheating!

Sunday afternoon was more relaxing, but just as silly. We got out Simon's slip n slide (who knew they still made those?!) and just laughed as the kids threw themselves through the sprinklers and across the lawn.

Okay, some of the kids didn't exactly throw themselves onto the slip n slide. It's OK Ady, I am living proof that you don't have to figure that dang thing out to be a happy adult!

As always, it was just fun to spend more time with the fam, and relaxing to pretend that we were kids again.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Happy Summer!

I just had to take a minute to celebrate the first day of summer. Is it just me, or is it a bit less relaxing than when we were kids?! T-ball, violin, swim lessons, camp outs, the garden, the yard work...the list just gets longer every day. I was just starting to get grumpy about how fast this summer is zooming by, when I noticed that my rosebush finally has it's first bloom. I was way worried about it when it didn't bloom in the spring, but I've been so busy that I hadn't even noticed that it has about a gazillion tiny buds! Today's lesson -- take a little time to stop and smell the roses! It's cheesy, but it really does help!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

So Jody spent hours and hours planting our enormous lawn and begging it to grow -- literally. Last spring he spent more time wandering our yard looking for grass than he did in the river looking for fish -- and then it grew. That's when we realized we were really in trouble. We still had our first lawnmower. The tiny, cheap one we bought to mow our first lawn at Vance AFB. That seriously was not gonna cut it! (pun soo intended!) The problem is that it is quite costly to grow as much grass as we have, and we really didn't have enough money left over to buy a shiny new riding mower to chop it all down. Our solution? We bought a really old mower that was on it's last leg and just hoped it would last a couple years. It didn't. It died right before vacation and this is what our lawn looked like when we got home!

Now, I guess Jody should just be immensely proud of how well the lawn is growing, but for some reason he thought we'd need to trim it before it grew long enough to completely hide Brielle. Even though the kids were having a blast playing in it, we decided it was time to mow. That's how Jody talked me into this bad boy.

I think the kids are going to miss their prairie grass, but they're now looking forward to learning how to drive the new toy!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day!

This is how my husband chose to spend his Father's Day weekend ...

He mowed the lawn -- the whole darn thing! Tilled the garden, tilled the spot for the pool, tilled around the trees. Helped me lay ground cover around the trees -twice! (don't even get me started about the wind in this dang town!) Watched a "chick flick" with me, took the entire crew to an airshow and then out to eat (kid's choice -- we ended up at IHOP!) Took the kids to Walmart (he actually asked them if they wanted to go with him! -- am I the only one who tries to sneak out while no one is paying attention so that I can go alone?!) Rented two kid movies and watched them with the kids. Hauled us all to church and back, then played with the kids on the trampoline instead of taking a nap!

If this weekend shouldn't earn him some kind of medal, I don't know what would! That's just the kind of dad he is -- he always chooses to put the kids first. He's always trying to think of new things for them to do and, if he actually does something he enjoys, it's usually just so that they can enjoy it with him. I am so grateful to him for all of the time he spends with us! I'm especially grateful that my kids will never question whether or not their Dad loves them -- he shows them all the time! You're the best dad ever --We love you!

I also have to send a special shout-out to my own dad. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have even known I could hope for my kids to have such a wonderful dad if I hadn't had one myself. He spent most of his spare time with us and always made sure we knew it was because he wanted to and not because he had to. He still makes sure we know how much he loves us and is always there for us if we need him! WE love you DAD!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Lake Powell

Lake Powell was definitely an adventure! We spent the whole week there and were able to grab some quality time with tons of family. We were able to swim, jet ski, water ski, slide off the boat into the water (ok, everyone but wimpy old me!), eat eat eat, play in the sand, and soak up tons of sun! My favorite part was definitely watching the kids reconnect with their many cousins. There was family there we haven't seen in over a year, but it was like they'd never been apart. It was entertaining to watch Brielle experience everything, and she enjoyed each moment to it's fullest! Needless to say, I am still exhausted, but all these smiling faces remind me that it's worth it!