The Swimmer

She loves swimming. She has no fear. I just wish she had a bit of caution and/or skill. She is now taking those "survival" type swim lessons that teach her how to roll on to her back and float by herself. So, at least if she does go barreling into a pool by herself, we have a few seconds to respond.

Caught Up

Finally. I found a free moment to blog about all of our happenings over the past month. It has been a whirlwind lately. Enjoy the pictures. The posts from today and yesterday cover the past month, from late June until mid-July.

It is Never Easy to Say Goodbye

Our friends and neighbors, Michaela & Martin Braun, moved back to Germany this week, after living here in the states for three and a half years. We took advantage of their departure to have lots of BBQs, breakfasts, and parties together. Here is a picture of an impromptu Sunday breakfast we enjoyed on the deck recently.

Carolyn tried her best to get Viktoria and Konstantin to like Wizard of Oz before they moved, but they thought it was too scary.

We thorougly enjoyed hosting a "hot stone" dinner party for them and the Shields (Dave & Elle), while all of the kids enjoyed a "kid party" up at their house. Thank you to the Shield girls for babysitting.

They hosted a BBQ at their house, as a final farewell, the night before the packers came.

They stayed with us their final night in town, since their house was empty and all of their belongings were loaded into a container (to be shipped to Germany within the next 4-6 weeks). Here is the scene at the airport when we dropped them off. They had a serious amount of luggage. It took two cars, packed completely full, to get them there.

It was certainly sad to see them go, and I know they were heartbroken to be leaving, which made it even sadder. We will miss the good meals together, the friendly visits in the neighborhood, and our ski days, but look forward to their visits. They have already booked their flights for a Christmas trip, and will be staying with us for a few days over New Year's Eve. I am sure we will make it back to Germany sooner or later, as well.

Summer Time is Red Butte Time

One of the true treasure of Salt Lake City is "Red Butte Gardens"

In the summer, we spend quite a bit of time there. We go to concerts and family-nights, and often take picnics just to enjoy the scenery. Here are a few pictures of us at recent concerts. So far this summer, Steve saw "Cake," I went to "Pink Martini," and the whole family went to "Michael Franti" All shows were great. It is such a treat to sit in the grassy lawn, finding friends we have made in the past 7 years.

This year, we also decided to go to Red Butte's "Family Camp-Out." Like the concerts, Red Butte provided awesome scenery, good people, and such a great way to spend a night as a family. It was on a Friday. It was limited to only 25-30 families. You could enter the gardens at 5pm to set-up tents and picnic. Then, at 7, there was a hike. At 8, there was a story teller. At 830, there was a campfire for s'mores. At dark, there was a "Star Party" which consisted of a guy from Clark Planetarium telling interesting stories about the constellations and bringing in several high-powered telescopes so we could all see Mars and the moon. Then, at 1030, they showed a movie, which was projected inside a large party tent with chairs and blankets. Carolyn, the night owl, was one of the few kids that walked back to our tent, rather than being carried back sound asleep. In the morning, they provided a big catered breakfast. We will go again next year, for sure.

Last Day, First Day .... School Transitions

Last Day First Day

Carolyn spent her last day at Bright Horizon Child Development Center, right before we left for vacation. In fact, I picked her up for the last time and went straight to the airport. I was pretty emotional leaving that day, especially when her teachers gave us gifts and started crying too. She had three very special teachers: Neusa, Regina, and Amanda. All cared for her deeply, and played such an important role in Carolyn's and our lives. We cannot thank these individual enough for the positive influence they have had on Carolyn. Carolyn began at Bright Horizon when she was around 10 months old, and she left right after she turned three.

Carolyn will certainly miss her friends from Bright Horizon.

But, fortunately, she has already been invited for playdates with several of them. We are in a babysitting co-op with some Bright Horizon families too, so I know we will continue to see a lot of them.

As soon as we returned from vacation, Carolyn started at the new school, Montessori Community School. The transition was smooth - well, except for a bunch of pee-drenched clothes that were sent home with us for the first few days. Apparently, she did not know where the bathroom was and was too shy to ask for help. After those first few days, she got the hang it, and learned where the bathroom was. She loves walking to and from school, and carrying her backpack and lunchbag. So far, we are enjoying the school too. We appreciate the diversity they have in the students (diversity is not something you get in Utah, typically), and Carolyn really seems to enjoy the Montessori curriculumn. She tells us all about the "projects" she gets to work on each day. I am confident that this will be a great school for her, for at least the next few years.

Oh, and I should mention, Carolyn already has a boyfriend at her new school. A little guy, Justin, often says "I just love you, Carolyn." Actually, he may call her Dorothy. She introduced herself to all of her new friends and teachers as Dorothy. I told you her love for "Wizard of Oz" might be a bit obsessive.

Family Photo Challenge

I actually have two photos this month where all three of us are in the same frame.

Ohio Trip, Part 2 (Dayton)

Part 2 of summer vacation.

The second half of our vacation was spent in Dayton with the Utz clan.

Events to note include another parade and fireworks show. This one for the fourth of July.

After the parade, there was a street festival, with plenty of activities for the kids, including a petting zoo, pony rides, and lots of bounce houses.

After the street fair, we came home and took naps because there was a fourth of july party at my parents' later in the evening. Everything is BIG at the Utz's, and this party was no exception. Thanks to a wedding they hosted the weekend before, there was a huge party tent set-up. And that made for a huge party, where we got to see so much family and lots of friends.

Our visit to Ohio was more than just the 4th of July, though that was worth the price of admission in and of itself. A big thank you to Kristin Kuehn, who made the trip from Chicago to see us. She and I met Gretchen in Oxford, and reminisced about our college years. Miami is truly a beautiful campus.

Also, a thank you to Joerg and Ann Berger who made the trip from Ann Arbor to spend some time with us. Oliver and Carolyn enjoyed a day of fishing together, and there was a serious cornhole tournament that happened too.

We even got to see the other Kristin, who stopped in with her family too. The kids enjoyed playing together.

One night, we camped out in my parents' backyard. We set-up tents, went on snipe hunts, and cooked s'mores over a campfire.

We got to spend a lot of time with Jason, Heather, Addie, and Emerson. One night, the adults even went out for dinner by ourselves. A highlight was seeing Addie and Emerson at their swim and dive meets, and to swim with them at Dunsinane.

The other day, I asked Carolyn what she liked about our trip to Dayton. She said she loved Grandma Lynn & Grandpa Mike's bed with all of the pillows, and the big white swing. Oh yeah, and "Sadie the Licker" too.

ALTOGETHER (PARTS 1 & 2), IT WAS AN AWESOME TRIP. WE ABSOLUTELY CHERISH OUR TIMES WITH FAMILY. SAYING GOODBYE IS HARD. WE MISS YOU ALL MORE THAN WE CAN EVEN EXPRESS.