This summer was full of fun. I drove up to Salt Lake (4 hours north) five times since May. It has been so incredible sharing time with family. I have been feeling a little sentimental this morning and I just wanted to share a little of how our summer went. Lately I have been trying to decide what to share on this blog and what not to share. I know a lot of you follow me for my quilting pictures, but the truth is - I am much more than just a quilter. I am a daughter of God, a wife, mother to four beautiful kids and I am a sister and friend. I feel so blessed in my life and I feel like it's time I got over the fear of not letting you see the best parts of my life.
You can see my monkey of a daughter in the above photo with her cousin Mitch. She has such a zest for life and is full of adventure - even though half the time I am yelling,"be careful!" because I am such a worry wart.
Thanks to our wonderful neighbor letting us use his pool, Micah can finally jump in the deep end of the pool and swim to the other side. I can't believe he's so big! This was a huge accomplishment for him since he has been a little afraid of the water.
The 4th of July was amazing. The temperature down here in the desert was incredible. We were able to enjoy a barbeque and family fireworks. You can ask Clint how I handled having the kids right next to him as he lit off the fireworks. I was a total champ ;-) or at least this picture makes it seem like I am totally chill about it.
At the beginning of the summer I took the kids up for a week to spend with my family and we made it to Temple Square in Salt Lake. It is such a beautiful place and I love walking around there and sharing it with our kids.
Clint and I took the older kids to hike Mount Timpanogos and had a fabulous time. Even when I fainted in the cave and had to lie down for a minute and get totally dirty. It was worth it. A couple of doctor visits later and I was treated for vertigo and I am doing better. Crazy times.
Back at home I braved my own fears and took Jonah, Lili, and Micah to Dixie Rock. It's a rock that has no fence and is a total drop off. I have a hard time going there because I worry so much, but I faced my fears this year and we had a wonderful time. The view is spectacular and it makes me feel so blessed to live where I do.
As many of you know, I love clouds and sunsets. This particular picture is one that I had to capture. It's never as good in the picture as it is in real life, but the picture helps me keep the memory of these moments. Lili looked at the sky and said, "Mom, it looks like heaven." She was right. I know that God wants us to have heaven here on earth and that is why He blesses us with His beautiful creations.
We also put in half the yard this year. The kids have a place to play and we have plants that bloom. I love the color of this beautiful Crepe Myrtle. We have lots of them in our yard and I think they are gorgeous.
The hardest part of this summer was saying goodbye to Jessie. She decided to move back to Salt Lake, she got a job really fast and before we knew it - she was gone. She has been with us for two years, so it has been a tough change for us.
So, I discovered that I can watch the sunset from my roof. I have an easy access out of one of my studio windows and I spent a lot of nights out on the roof pondering about a lot of things. The view is always amazing and you never see the same show twice.
Our last trip to Salt Lake included a Trax trip to the city and the kids enjoyed it. I spent my time keeping the kids in line and they spent the time discovering. Micah is catching rain drops in the above picture. Oh, to be a kid again and have no care in the world!
We also made it to the Zoo. These three...I am in for it, nothing but trouble ;-) but they have a way of keeping me smile.
We had a camp out in my parents back yard. It was the first time the boys can remember sleeping in a tent, so we had a wonderful time.
To finish off the summer we had a surprise party for my sister Amy who turned 40. Best part of the party was when the Hippity Hops were pulled out and we played soccer, duck duck goose and chase. It was hilarious. All the adults got in on the action and it will be a party I won't forget.
On Monday the kids went to school. It was a sad day for me. They make me crazy in so many ways, but I love when they are home. I know I will be able to get a little more work done now that they are in school, but I have a 3 year old who's pretty lonely without these three.
I spend a lot of my time worrying about things that I can not control, but I am so happy to have my family around me who love me despite my craziness. My sister reminded me last week that I need to live in the present and not worry about what "could" happen in the future. I pray I can heed that advice and remember to cherish each moment.
This was a summer to remember!
27 comments:
I'm so jealous of your crepe myrtles! We had some in my yard growing up in MD, but now I live too far north in OR for them to survive. Love all the pics today!
What a great blog post. I enjoyed every word and every picture! Thank you! Turn your worries over to God, he can handle them..
Judi, love seeing pictures of your kids and the things that make you you. I love your quilting, but am so glad you had such a great summer with the family-you have to catch those moments when you can because it goes so fast. God bless and thanks for all the wonderful art you share with us.
Thanks for sharing this with us. It's nice to see the person behind the quilts. You have a beautiful family!
Ahhh Judi, such a lovely blog post. I love your non quilty blog posts just as much as your quilty blog posts. You are a gem x
I love that you share your family posts along with your quilting it seems more personable. You have darling children.
Thanks for sharing "the rest" of you. I also struggled with posting things dedicated to just one topic, but decided its my blog and I will put what I want there. Great pics of a fun summer!
What lovely photos!
I like your choice to share. I have your book and see you are a supremely creative person that I'd love to know better.
One way to help relieve worry is to be prepared. Taking a first aid course may help.
This is a lovely post. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family.
Great Post. I enjoyed it all. Our Grandkids and their parents just had a camp out in a tent in our backyard here on the farm, so it was fun seeing yours.
Judy, I read every word and enjoyed every picture!! Yes, we enjoy your (beyond) amazing quilts, but you have many friends out in blog land, and we love to see your little family and the scenes around where you live. Keep sharing the sunsets!! I grew up with amazing sunsets (and of course, didn't appreciate them as a child!), and now I live with so many houses close to me that I rarely see them, so to see yours is a wonderful treat!! I got to go up to dixie rock in April when I was up there to take a class from Sherri McConnell, and it is just beautiful (even though the wind was COLD that day!!) So sorry that your kids are back in school already!! Too soon!! Hopefully there will be a few more days after school for you all to enjoy your friends pool and other summer activities!! Hugs, H in Healdsburg
Thank you for being a beautiful gift!
Lovely post. You are a true lover of your family.
Great memories! We loved the hoppers when we were kids too - great to see we are not too old to still enjoy them!!
I love these posts BEST!
So very well put! We are more than just a one dimentional creature! I love blogs that are well rounded! I like to know you as well as your talent! It makes me more 'vested' in the blog! Even if you do not know me I call y'all my bloggy friends! Thank you ever so much to sharing you with us!!
Your family is just so beautiful and I'm so glad you share pix....I smile every time I see your kids playing. I couldn't be any happier for you and Clint....your doing a wonderful job of keeping your priorities balanced (or so I think)!
Smiles and Hugs,
Kelly
I love it when you share personal stories on your blog. I feel like the quilt bloggers form a kind of international virtual quilt guild, serving a lot of the same functions of an in-the-flesh guild by inspiring and encouraging one another. It's nice to learn a little bit about the quilter behind the blog, and I can really relate to the mommy stuff, too. I took my 10 year old son to a quilting group at our church over the summer and he was not happy to discover that all the other quilters were old ladies except him. But one of the highlights of OUR summer was seeing one of YOUR gorgeous quilts in person at the AQS Charlotte Quilt Week! My 13-year-old son scared the daylights out of the people at the Gammill booth when he started reprogramming their computerized longarm machine. No fear, these sons of quilters! Everything is connected to everything else, and you wouldn't quilt the way you do if you weren't that mother/sister/wife/Christian/sunset fanatic. I'm glad you had a great summer and wish you and your family all the best in the new school year. You deserve it!
I loved reading about your beautiful family this morning! Living in the moment is a good reminder. This weekend, we will be taking my youngest to college for his freshman year. I cherish the memories of my boys when they were younger and I love being 'in the moment' these last few days before my baby starts the next stage of his life!
Thank you for being brave ands sharing the other side of you with us. Your kids are adorable and I do understand the duality with having them at home and away at school - my 15yr old have spent much part of the summer with his gaming laptop at the dinner table, byút on Tuesday he will be back in school. It's going to be peaceful and empty at the same time.
Thank you for sharing this with us. You have been blessed in many ways! Keep your beautiful smile and your love for life, for everyone and everything it has for you!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us :)
One of my favorite sayings about worry is "When you rock the Worry Chair, it gives you something to do, but you don't get very far."
Of course, as Mom of three (grown) daughters, I know how hard it is not to worry! ((hugs))
I love your blog and I too have a blog and struggle with my posting contents. I think that our blogs are kind of a diary of our life. Most of my post are on quilting but I need more of what truly matters like my sweet family. Your summer ending post made me cry because in 1 week my 8 year old will be starting 3rd grade and my baby will be starting Kindergarten. I am also growing and will be starting a part time job at a longarm quilting studio. I can't wait but I also want to treasure every moment this last summer week. I also find myself worrying about things that are out of my hands. I have been working on Trusting God and handing my worries over to him and I find peace when I Let Go. You make me a better quilter:)
Looks like you had a wonderful summer. I always dreaded giving my daughter up to school at the end of the summer vacation. We used to have so much fun.
Looks like a great summer. and all the memories and photos are to be cherished. Enjoy your time - it really does seem so fast doesn't it?
Great post, great blog.
I live by one rule in my blogging: "It's MY blog and I'll post whatever I want." I recommend it--it's very freeing. Others can do what they want with their blogs, too!
Glad you are over the vertigo; the proof is in the hike to Dixie Rock. Glad you had a great summer, too!
Elizabeth
opquilt.com
Thank you for sharing.
I think your work is amazing and now that I learn you have four kids I am amazed at your feats
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