Summertime

I have a few photos I've wanted to post for a while...but my hands have felt a little bit full! Thanks to everyone for welcoming baby Max so warmly; he's already an irreplaceable part of our family. Here are a few photos that were taken around Easter, before Max arrived...

And here's the man himself at about a week old. What a sweetheart!

Here is Max on his one month birthday. Already done a lot of changing, don't you think? Since this photo was taken, Max has developed the WORST case of baby acne I have ever seen. Hopefully this is not an indication of how his teenage years will progress...

My parents gifted each of their children with a family vacation to Park City this past Christmas. We eagerly anticipated the dates of June 4-11 -- and finally, the time arrived! We had a great time. The swimming pool was a highlight for the kids, if you couldn't tell...

And here we all are...almost. My sister Lisa and her family moved to Pennsylvania for her husband's job just a few weeks before the Park City vacation was to take place (this move was not anticipated at the time the vacation was planned). I had pretty much given up hope that she would be able to come -- but she and her kids made it! Sadly, her husband Tyson was not able to take a whole week off from his new job. :( We'll have to try again to get the whole family together another time. I should probably just Photoshop Tyson into this picture...

Anyway, life goes on for us! Logan is currently at YW Camp -- and I'm not! It's rather strange; it's the first time in five years that I haven't been neck-deep in preparations for camp. I will have the opportunity to go up tomorrow night (if you're the wife of one of the bishops, you're invited to accompany your husband), so that will be great. Amanda starts kindergarten next month (people are always confused when I say her first day is July 20th; it's because her elementary school is on a year-round schedule). She is absolutely ecstatic and has made a countdown chain to keep track of how many days she has to wait until she can FINALLY go to school. Lily is very excited to start preschool in the fall (it's a neighborhood joyschool like the one I've done with Amanda for the past two years). She's thrilled to have something that is just for her. She finally feels like she IS the big kid instead of just tagging along after Amanda's class. She draws very cute pictures and is becoming quite proficient at sounding out and spelling words with the refrigerator magnets. Benson is as rough-and-tumble as ever. People always make comments like, "My, he's quite the little boy, isn't he?" or "That one's all boy!" or "Could he be any more boy?" These may seem like rather obvious statements (he is, in fact, a boy) -- but there is definitely some quality about him that makes his boyishness stand out. Anyway, he's cute as can be and talks a blue streak. I love his little voice! Max is a great baby and is doing pretty well at going for a six- or seven-hour stretch at night so his mom and dad can get some sleep. His siblings ADORE him (sometimes to the point of possible injury). Logan is on a schedule of working four ten-hour days in the summer. Hopefully this will give him some time on Fridays to work on his dissertation. He's already been so busy with church responsibilities the past couple of weeks, I'm dubious that it will actually work out -- but I really hope it will. I am trying to curb my natural penchant for killing plants (a trait I inherited from my mother; my sister used to call our house "the place where plants come to die") and endeavoring to stay on top of the ever-increasing mountain of laundry and dishes that a family of six creates. Good grief! How do people ever have more than four children...?

So there's the update!