July and August 2016

July and August were busy months.  We started July off with Hazel's third (!) eye surgery.  She was really brave, and we think this one may have actually worked!

 Here she is a week post-op:

 The kids wrapped up the summer swim season, and began their winter swim team.

Matt and Joely went to Scout Camp.  Unfortunately, all I have are pictures of Matt at Scout Camp.  Joely was there too, I promise!

 Matt enjoyed hanging out with one of his fellow scouts from his childhood, Jon Herbert. (See Bro Hansen in the background, Mom and Dad?)

Another huge thing that happened in the end of July/beginning of August was the Malone family beach vacation!

The kids loved being with Christian only two weeks before he left for his mission to Oregon!

Kate and Norah were fast friends.

We had a pool at the beach house this year.  It was perfect!

Norah and Hazel adore the Payne girls!

Henry and Molly?  Unlikely pair, but they got along really well!

Cute Baby Luke!

Norah was in heaven "riding the waves"!

The girls painted their nails "BYU"

Holden

Joely, Holden, and Joe doing hand stands

The older cousins

Grandma and Grandpa.  Thanks for the fun trip!

One day, we took our kids down to the Virginia Beach boardwalk.  We had so much fun riding a couple of different kinds of bikes, eating Ben and Jerry's, buying everybody sunglasses, getting Henna tattoos (Joel and Merr), and riding a couple of carnival rides.  It was a great day!

Jack and Holdie!

Fishing off the Sandbridge Pier

We came home to a garden that was finally producing!  I am so proud of my tomatoes!

Date night in Weston

And then school started!  It was the first time anyone had been to public school in four years, and they were all excited to go!  Merrody also had to go to seminary for the first time.

 She's in one of those "I can't smile normally" phases right now, but she's still really cute!

The other kids all left together.  They were super excited. 

Joely also started cross country.  He had his first meet last weekend, and he loved it!  There were over a thousand kids running in the meet--not all at the same time, of course!