Adios, Summer of 2011!

Now that Labor Day has happened, summer of 2011 is officially over. I'm rather sad about summer ending this year. Now that I work for the school, I wanted to treasure every summer moment, and I wanted it to last forever! But, alas, the kids are back to school now and so am I, and my favorite season is upon us: fall!!! So before I can fully welcome the fall, I want to bid farewell to this past summer with my Top Ten list:

1. Vacation for a week with the Perkins' in Utah.
It turned out to be a 10-day vacation instead, and it was our big trip of the summer! We saw lots of family, and visited lots of attractions, and we were happy to go, and worn out by the time we got home!

2. Celebrate July 4th with the Tolman's in Salmon.
We did all the things we like to do over the 4th with family: go to the parade, watch fireworks, eat BBQ dinners outside, play in the yard with cousins, and go to the demolition derby.

3. Attend the Tolman Reunion in Raft River.
We had such a grand time at this 1-day reunion on the waterslides, and with the candy cannon, and eating dinner, and spending time with extended family!

4. Watch Jonah, Micah, and Kanyon participate in swimming lessons.
The boys each did so well during their swimming lessons this year. Even though none of them passed off all the goals in the levels they were learning, I was so proud of them for trying their best!

5. Take Ammon to compete in Jr. Golf tournaments.
In June and July, Ammon competed in 4 tournaments at different golf courses in Idaho. At the first tournament, he tied for 4th with a score of 54. At the last tournament, he tied for 2nd with a score of 49!! He really improved his game! Great job, Ammon!

6. Float the Salmon River.
This was on my bucket list, and I gifted it to myself for my birthday in August. I reserved spots for Josh and I, and friends Amanda and John to go on a day-rafting trip down the Salmon. It was one of the highlights of my summer! I absolutely loved it and now I want to go again and again!

7. Go camping at least 3 times.
We managed to complete this task by going camping twice in August and once over Labor Day. I'm glad we squeezed it all in! We love going camping! Especially since we live in such beautiful country that we don't have to go far to do it!

8. Host a barbecue with friends.
After the deck was built in July, we had two barbecues: one for my Sunday School class and their families and over 30 people were there and one for Kathy's birthday on September 2 and we had just over a dozen people present. Both barbecues were nice, and I enjoyed having people over at my house spending time in the outdoors!

9. Play in the ditch.
Throughout the summer, the boys played in the ditch in our backyard with their friends and cousins. This is one of their favorite activities in the summer! Sadly, though, I only took ONE photo of it this year!

10. Relax outside and enjoy the sunshine!
This is usually one of my favorite parts about summer, and I spend a lot of time just laying on the grass in the sun. But for some reason, I didn't do a lot of it this year. I only really remember doing it 3 or 4 times. The first time was my favorite--when we were visiting Redfish Lake in Stanley in June and I layed in the sun for over an hour while the kids played in the water and sand!