Due to an illness which has all but incapacitated Sam over the last few weeks, for which I accept partial responsibility, I have experienced what Sam's world is like during the many months I am gone: being a single mother. I said it before and I will say it again - being a mother is the hardest job on this planet.
Visiting the Station Park fountain
Taylor, Kate, and Grandma Coombs took Doogles for an afternoon at a children's museum and dinosaur park. Kate captured this video of Douglas doing a bit of rap on the way home.
We went up to Grandma's house to celebrate Spencer's birthday. Here is Douglas with his little cousin, Schofield (son of Spencer and Jori).
Singing Happy Birthday to Spencer.
Penny loves Grandma's kitten..........and every other animal she sees.
Only Grandma can do this to Douglas. We returned home from Grandma's house (in the early afternoon!) and Douglas crashed on the couch. He was too tired to remove his sunglasses and shoes.
Not too long after falling asleep on the couch he moved to our bed to continue his nap.
The influence of an older brother on his younger sibling. Penny watched Douglas repeatedly bury his face in the bed whenever we would prepare for our bedtime prayer. Then one night she decided to copy him, and she's been doing this often since that night.
I took the kids to the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point, where we met up with Sara and Gideon. That place is neat! We spent three hours there, but we only left because I wanted to beat the northbound traffic. We could easily have spent six hours there.
The earthquake simulator at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.
High winds simulator
I took the kids to Get Air trampoline park one day. Penny did things on the first try that took Douglas months to work up the courage to do. She has no fear.
Gideon spent a few days with us recently. Here he is reading to Douglas.
We drove north to spend a couple of days with Grandma. We visited the Cache Valley Fair on one of the days.
Penny and Grandma checking out the swine.
Penny, Grandma, Kate, Douglas, Gideon, and Sam looking at the birds and rabbits.
We brought the stroller for Penny. Douglas made himself comfortable.
Douglas and Gideon watching some of the kids show their animals. Douglas ate a blue snow cone prior to the show.
I imagine Penny will participate in the fair one day. Douglas? Perhaps not. We will attend his choir/band performances, piano recitals, science exhibits, and maybe see him explore space.
Douglas loved all the little rides, and he enjoyed having Gideon with him.
Douglas, Sam, Kate, Penny
Gideon pleaded with me to get him some cotton candy. I resisted for a while, but finally relented.
This boy is tough! He tried over and over to make it across Grandma's monkey bars. Eventually he succeeded, and he had the battle scars to prove it! Three blisters on the palms of his hands.
Penny woke up early the next morning at Grandma's house, so I put her in bed with me and she fell asleep again.
Washing the van with Gideon, Douglas, and Penny
I gave Penny some plain yoghurt with honey mixed into it. She took a few bites, then practiced painting.
We went to a cool trampoline park in Lindon on 13 August for Jude's birthday. Here is Douglas with his cousins, Maxwell, Gideon, Ari, and Jude.
Penny donned her sunglasses on the way back from the trampoline park.
Happy birthday, Jude! He is now 10 years old.
Penny smelling the flowers at the home of Granny and Grandpa Ogden.
