The Last of Summer and the First of School

I wrap up our summer adventures with a trip to Utah, some more action around home, and Paul's first day of school.

It was a wedding that prompted our trip, so congratulations to Jordan and Brittany Phillips! Our kids were only moderated naughty. Laszlo didn't go swimming in the pond or stick his fingers in the cake, so I say it was a success on our part! The important parts--the bride, groom, temple sealer, and marriage certificate--were all present, everything else seemed to go smoothly.

Paul stayed for the promise of ice cream.

A visit to Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave wouldn't be complete without a tractor ride and a pony ride. This was Laszlo's first time riding and Paul was nice enough to ride with him.

We got to visit Grandma Jamie and Pa Duane too, we played in the back yard, we went to Park City with cousins, we went to the Hogle Zoo with other cousins, we mostly just played with cousins.

In Park City we went to the wetlands eco-preserve. The museum part was cool, literally and figuratively. The actual wetlands were cool only figuratively so we didn't spend a lot of time out there.

It was pretty toasty at the zoo too, so we made sure to play in the splash area before seeing animals.

We found the Red Panda to be very friendly...

When we got back home we celebrated Lee's birthday. This included going to an escape room that was super cool, eating delicious desserts, a little exploration of the Long Beach Harbor, and some water slides at Soak City.

It was a sweeet escape room.

 We took Lee to the Aquarium of the Pacific, explored the touristy water front area, and took a short harbor cruise for the views, to rest our feet, and so Paul could pretend he was a pirate.

Last week Paul started school, it is getting off to a rocky start as none of us have any idea what to expect with Transitional Kindergarten, we are always learning how much we don't know about this school and it's procedures. It is not always easy to get a clear picture from a 4 year old of what he did today or whether he ate lunch or not...it'll be fine. There really needed to be a back to school night before school started, but sure. Have one 3 weeks into the semester. That'll be real helpful.

And on that awkward stuttering note, summer ends. We'll figure out our new routine and establish what is supposed to be going on and then it'll be...whatever it'll be.