August was full of joyful experiences for us in 2019!
We started out by trying some new things. We dried fruit for the first time in ages. Abigail played a big part in deciding which fruits we would dry (she tends to pick the more healthy options while the others go for sweets).
Bananas, strawberries and apples were all a hit! It was fun figuring out how to use the food drier (yay for not needing the oven to be on for hours at a time!) and we look forward to using it again soon.
Abby was involved in Drama Kids summer camp (she was very particular that she was the only sister allowed this time). They worked and played and put on a great showing of "The Jungle Book".
It was even more fun to do the show with her cousins! She got to play a monkey, part of Kaa the snake and part of the jungle crew (trees/plants/shrubbery, etc).
We had so much fun watching her and can't wait to see how she blooms with this continuing adventure.
Summer isn't complete without daily pool pictures. That might be a slight exaggeration. I'm sure we took a few days off here and there.
Elizabeth has mastered swimming without her floaties and loves to be in the deep end with the big kids.
The smiles just don't stop!
Sunshine, snacks, and water time make our days joyful.
Oliver turned 2!!
How can he be this big already? Well, big is a relative term since he's still teeny tiny. But he acts his age and is growing consistently so he's on his way. This little guy is a pure joy to have in our family. He brings out the giggles in us all with his fun antics.
He loves to play with toys (especially with his siblings). He loves to read books. He loves to snuggle. He just loves.
He might love chocolate more than anything.
Gpa and Gma Sagers came down to spend some time with the kids while Bryan and I went to Utah for a Downs family wedding. They got to come down a bit early so we could go over schedules and such. Of course, we had to make some time to play at the park!
We were having too much fun to take many pictures. Just enough to remember that it happened.
Back-to-School Fashion Show!
One of our favorite FHE activities of the year, for sure, is our annual fashion show. The kids love trying on and showing off their new clothes and we love watching them prance and dance around. A few highlights...
First Day of School! We were so lucky that Gpa and Gma were available to come get the kids off to school. I was super sad to miss this day. Zeb's first day of middle school felt like a pretty big deal (how is he old enough for this?!) and I really wanted to be there for him. Thank goodness for technology! We were able to see his joy in the morning and facetime in the evening to hear all about it.
Middle school turned out to be much less scary than Zeb had imagined. (He even went so far as to ask to be home schooled when he found out that PE required a change of clothes.) He loved finding friends in each of his classes and he really enjoys being able to have his own chrome book to do his school work.
Gpa got to ride bikes to school with Zeb for the first few days.
What a great way to bring joy!
Maggie had her first day of 1st grade. She was thrilled to move on to the "big kids playground" and jumping for joy to get back into the classroom.
She is growing so quickly and loves to bring joy to those around her.
Abigail is a big 3rd grader now and just can't wait to grow up even more.
She gets joy from learning new things and making new friends.
Bryan and I were able to trade places with Gpa and Gma Sagers so we could witness the sealing of Corinne and Parker! It is such a joyful experience to join together with family in the temple.
We were so thrilled to be a part of their special day!
Bryan took some time to find joy in nature with Jeremy while we were in Utah.
The original plan of hiking Mt. Timpanogos had to be adjusted (too much snow on the mountain) so they found a different hike. It turned out to be much more intense than they thought, but that's part of the fun, right?! Hearing their tales of adventure and near death from exhaustion brought joy to the wives.
Wearing Dad's hats bring joy to Oliver...
...and anyone who sees him.
We made a pillow tower for our scripture studies one night. I asked the kids to take the pillows from the couch -- meaning all the throw pillows. They took it a step further and used every single cushion possible.
The lesson might not be remembered today (nearly a year later), but the fun times are. The joy and giggles of playing together are the most important thing anyway.
Again with the smiles.
We tied ourselves up in knots to learn the important principle of working together and communicating. This activity (and discussion) is a regular occurrence for us as we grow together as a family.
Abby's teacher asked them to create a poster of their likes and interests.
So full of joy...this girl is!
Beach babies bring us so much joy!
Days at the beach never grow old and apparently our children growing older doesn't change their desire to be covered in sand. Oh well. It all brushes off eventually.
So much joy from a chocolate chip cookie.
I still have no idea how it got smeared all over her face on the drive home from Activity Days (it's only a 10 minute drive from the church building to our home).
The students in Abigail's class have to submit an essay on why they deserve and/or desire to be chosen for student of the month.
Pretty creative way for the teacher to motivate more writing...and to keep the kids interested in being chosen.
Seeing what the kids do in school brings us joy. They don't like to do projects or assignments when it comes from Mom and Dad...but they excel when it comes from the teachers.
"Once upon a time there was a family at the park. Then Bowser came and he took Princess Peach. Bowser left Peach's daughter alone. Bowser wanted to marry Peach." Sounds like a bit of Zeb's joy from video games is rubbing off on Maggie.
It sure is fun looking back and seeing all the little things that bring us joy throughout a month. Sometimes it's the daily activities. Sometimes it's the new things. Sometimes it's the only-happens-once things. Whatever it is that brings us joy, you can bet our family is involved somehow. They definitely bring us the most joy.
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