it's an attempt to kind of catch up around here

So instead of saying too much, we'll just dump a bunch of pictures in a post.

Sound good?

We had a little party for our co-op preschool I've been doing with Adam.

Adam, Elsie, Ainsley, and Wrigley

Dallin's kindergarten celebration.  He (we) loved his teacher, Mrs. Brown.  She was very attentive to her individual students and made sure to give Dallin what he needed to grow and learn this last year.

In order to make sure we schedule in enough fun this summer, the boys and I came up with this summer checklist:

Here are the items:

Play kick the can, go to Amazing Jakes, summer reading program, swimming at a cool pool (City pool), splash pad, Dallin started writing 'go to Legoland' but I made him scratch that one out, go see a movie, go bowling, go to Bass Pro Shop (their summer kids camp activities), road trip, farmers market (at Superstition Farms), Hot Wheels races, lemonade stand, rock selling (Dallin wants to paint rocks and sell them), make popsicles, go to Golden Hills Park (brand new Mesa park with shaded playground), and play at the Salt River.

These pictures below are out of order, but it's too much work to shuffle them around.  Here are Owen and Adam at their 'toddler time' at Westwood basketball camp.  Dallin did basketball camp, but I missed getting his photo. 

Playing in the water

 Oh look, basketball again.  This is owen dreaming big:

Homemade rasberry pudding pops:

 It makes me happy--and proud--to see my little guy in a Westwood shirt.  We might have to move back to west Mesa someday. 

 These pictures were from our debt-free celebration dinner at Waldo's BBQ.  We are happy to announce we have paid off our last loan and for the first time in our marriage we have no consumer debt.  Although we didn't have a mortgage when we got married and now we do, so are we really better off than we were eight years ago?  Anyway, we've worked really hard and have also seen HUGE blessings come our way as we've committed ourselves to getting out of debt.  Yay!  Also, we left the waitress a $20 tip that night, and it felt good. 

Adam at Golden Hills Park.  (It's shaded, see?)  You CAN go to a park in the summertime around here if you go early enough.

This is Mr. T.  He stares at us from the floor in our bedroom because he knows he should be up on the wall in Mark's office.  Mark's best friend Coy gave this print to him and Mark has had it up in his office.  When he switched jobs he took it down, and just hasn't gotten the courage to hang Mr. T. back up in the new office for everyone to see.  

We went to downtown Mesa and here is proof.  Gotta love the Ghostbuster guys.

...and Queen's Pizzeria...

 ...and fresh peaches from the Backyard Farmer (he delivers to your door)...

  

 The annual Skousen trip to the cemetery for Memorial Day.  This year breakfast was at our house.  We had a good 60+ people over here that morning.  Here's Adam and Dallin by my grandpa Pete Skousen's grave:

Eating dinner at the Superstition farmers market.  The food was really good by the way.  The president of Mesa's chamber of commerce was there to do a ribbon cutting ceremony for the market.  He saw us eating and asked me if I was from I Heart Mesa.  I was flattered and pretty surprised, that he'd recognized me.  He's the only one that has as far as I know.

Dallin at the petting zoo at the farm:



Hey, it looks like I'm out of pictures.  I guess that's all for now.