Glimpses

I'd like to think that our summer could be defined solely by this picture of a chicken. You know, kinda crazy, a little unexpected, but likable all the same.

However, I suppose it could be defined by all of the following pictures as well. :)

Grace spent most of her summer looking more or less like this. That kid sweats like nobody's business. This picture was probably taken after she did something exceptionally strenuous---like walk from her bedroom to the living room. Seriously.

She may or may not have inherited this from her mom.

One of the highest points of our summer was definitely our trip to Utah. We spent the first few days in Moab with the Bardsleys. Grace was in heaven because our campsite looked like this:

One, gigantic sandbox. She enjoyed all the cousin time, too.

We went on some hikes, swam in a little creek,

AND I saved Jacob from a rattlesnake.

This little guy was surprisingly friendly. Spencer...
We had such a good time and look forward to the next Bardsley family adventure!

While there, Grace and I (Spencer had gone back to Ohio by then) also got to meet Jacob and Whitney's new little boy, Taylor. Grace loved him.

She'll make a really great older sister in five years... :)

Grace and I also stayed with my family for a week but accomplished only one picture since I left my camera in Provo. Which is shameful.

But we also had a great time with them and can't wait to go back.

Jacob and Whitney's friendly backyard horse.

Another highlight was our visit to the Ohio State Fair. You can thank this trip

for the chicken at the top of this post. And then you can thank Sunny 95 for sending us to the Fair for free! Woo-hoo! It'd been a long time since either Spencer or I had won a radio contest, and it was HIGH time.

Grace went on her first "ride" of any kind and loved it.

Mostly she loved giving her ticket to the attendant.

The rest of the ride kind of terrified her. She wouldn't let go of my arm at all and pretty much just stared at the floor. But once it was done she said, "Again!"

Weird kid.

Spencer and I, however, had a blast. You know, there are a lot of things that become much

harder when you have children: eating, sleeping, going anywhere, shopping, etc. But, there are some things that become exponentially more fun. Like State Fairs. And zoos. And parks. And holidays. The list goes on and on. With this idea in mind, we've come up with a business idea which I will now pitch to you:

"Rent-a-Toddler."

Just imagine the possibilities. You set up a booth at the front gate of the zoo, fair, etc., and hand 'em out like candy---for a small fee, of course. It'd be fabulous. :)

The rest of the summer looked a lot like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

And a lot of this.

Grace got really good at kite flying:

Though she was already pretty good back at nine months:

And we enjoyed a really amusing Fourth of July Parade, replete with high school reunion floats and these ladies.

And now you have glimpsed a bit of the Bardsleys' summer.