Summer circa 2013

Amidst the craziness that has been this summer for the Nutt House we have managed to find time for family and fun.

Family is key in the lives of the Nutt House whether that’s our little Nutt-y family, with grandparents, or with cousins.  Nothing beats the time we have with family and this summer we were blessed to have lots of family time.  The Nutt House did manage to sneak in some grandparent time where bonding and fun were always priority one.

Cuddles to get warm after swimming

Luckily enough, we managed to have time with some cousins this summer where they came and enjoyed a couple weeks in our Nutt House.  We packed as many activities into the days they were here as we possibly could.

 We spent time making meals and learning how to cook.  Whether it was individual pizza's, apple pie, lasagna, hamburgers, cookies, pancakes, or many of the other yummy foods we ate, it was always a group effort putting them together.

 We took a couple trips downtown to the Science Center.  Fun times were had at each exhibit both times we went.  The water play was a hit, as were the electronic exhibits.  However, a lesson learned is to not let little girls spin quickly on metal by themselves without someone there to catch them as they dizzily try to walk off.

 In the eyes of teens and pre-teens, is a summer complete without electronics?  At least, they did include Kara and Grandma in their fun!

The simple moments and simple activities are the ones that create the memories that I hope we all hold on to the most.

 We love to see the temple and the Nutt House eagerly awaits to open house of the Gilbert, Arizona temple.  We bask in the opportunity to share our love of the temple with any and all that may come to visit.

 In the Nutt-y brain that is mine, I thought a trip to the zoo would be fun in +100 degree weather.  (At least feeding the giraffes and some of the other exhibits helped distract us from the heat!)

Of course, the Nutt House managed to spend some quality time with just our little Nutt-y family.

With fun and glee in our hearts as if we were four little Nutts (not two adult and two child Nutts) the Nutt House went to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - the Greatest Show on Earth!  What fun we had!!!!  

The Nutt House enjoyed the pre-show with dress up opportunities, circus tattoos, and mini shows.  The fun of the pre-show was only made better by the joy that the circus itself was!  The Nutt House discovered during the circus how badly Kara wants to ride the big animals as she tried to leave her seat to go ride an elephant and at another time, pet a tiger. 

 Kaden was in on the fun bouncing and bopping along to the music, lights, and excitement level of the circus.

 Of course, the bonus hit to the circus was the cotton candy that the Nutt House devoured at the blink of an eye.

Not to be outdone by the circus, the Science Center opened their "The Body by Sesame Street" exhibit the next day.  It is hard to say which was funner for the little nutts.  I think the circus won out on excitement with the Science Center winning out on educational value.

Learning the difference between hot and cold

Dressing Elmo for his vacation

Learning how the lungs work (please don't ask for a picture of the digestive track - it was eweey {as was the nose})

Daddy Nutt having fun in the electronic exhibit

Dance, dance, dance away Kara

Hello Mr. Grumpy Nutt!!

Not only did we have fun this summer, but we worked on some of our skills.  The art of putting on make-up was a skill lots of time was spent on, especially by Kara.

 Practice makes perfect!!

Kara even got Doc and daddy in on the fun!

A more beautiful princess, there never was!!

You can’t have summer without swimming and the Nutt House has definitely become a family of fish over the course of the summer.  Kara is well on her way to becoming captain of the swim team by the age of 5!!!

The cutest swimmer ever to be!

The bond between brother and sister is a strong one, especially in the Nutt House.  That bond and love has been dominate over the course of our summer.

 A good time is always had at the botanical gardens

Musical instruments ALWAYS increase fun exponentially!

 Best Friends (hopefully forever!)

 The shade of a tree can mask the heat of even the hot days of a Phoenix summer and bring smiles to faces!

What summer, especially a summer with a toddler is complete without some mess and mischief?  Definitely not the summer at the Nutt House!

 At least it was yummy to the tummy (and to the hands, shirt, face, chair, etc)

 There is a reason why child locks were invented!  And many, many blessings to the person who did invent them!!

At the beginning of the summer we saw our big Nutt celebrate his birthday, of course, kids were in tow to help with all present unwrapping duties.

Our big Nutt was treated to Doctor Who birthday Rice Krispie Treats in lieu of a traditional birthday cake

Even with the chaos and excitement that was our Nutt House summer, some quiet, reflective times were had.

Cherry Jam from Strawberry Shortcake has nothin on Kara!

No better exists to fall asleep reading!

Now that's the spirit!

In a nut shell, this is the summer of the Nutt House circa 2013.  We hope your summer has been as fun and love filled as ours!  

We look forward to new routines, new normal, and hopefully more timely posts as time goes on...