:summer wrap-up:

With October right around the corner, I think it's official... summer is over.  I love the summer, but I love the fall even more:)  Here's an idea of what went on at the Cutler house to wrap up the summer.

We hit up the Indiana State Fair.  Haven't passed that up since we settled down here:)  We went with our friends, the Toblers and the Stanleys.  It was a blast!

Jaden's favorite part was definitely all the tractors!  He hopped on as many as he could get his hands on.

He also liked "spending a day at the farm." 

(milking cows, collecting seeds, riding the tractor, etc.)

Every fair highlights the animals, right?

Thanks to Catie for all the pics!

Summer wouldn't be summer without soaking up some sun.  Jaden spent a lot of time on his slide and scooting around in his car.

Jaden also learned how to wash the car... (even though he spent most the time trying to eat the bubbles)!

Barbeques for sure!

Best part: kiddie pool and s'mores.

Group date nights are the bomb:)

It's been birthday season around here the past few months.  Jaden LOVED dressing up like a prince for Kenzie's princess party.  It was adorable.

As much fun as it is to cook for the missionaries, we thought we'd mix things up and have the Elders cook for us!  Elder Phillips is quite the chef and specializes in Asian dishes.  He whipped up a divine Thai soup.

When picking up some of the ingredients, I was a bit nervous how much we'd all like it... but I must say, it was absolutely delicious!

Ice cream is a MUST during the hot summer months.

We worked on the yard a bit too.  Well, Cody and Casey did.  They replaced the mulch with gravel and turned our fountain into a rock waterfall sort of thing. 

Here are some of the "after" shots.  I like it a lot:)  Thanks for the surprise, babe!

Our summer would not have been complete without these little yummies.  We made cinnamon rolls more times than I can count.  Ooo, they were good.  Thank you Kimber and bread maker:)

Which reminds me, Jaden misses these two like crazy.  They were his very best friends all summer.

Pool time, picnic in the backyard, pillow wrestling, bedtime stories, human train... how could he not miss them?!?

Thanks to Kimber's creativity, we completed a bunch of projects throughout the summer, including these beauties.  It's amazing what a coat of paint can do!

My students practiced like crazy this summer with one goal in mind... ICE CREAM!  We ended the summer with a family ice cream party.  Super fun.

By the way... Jaden still loves his dear bears.  They join him for meal time and sleepy time on a regular basis.  Jaden will also prop them up to watch a show with him now and then:)

We took a trip to the zoo with the Goff's on Labor Day.  It was a bit chilly but a lot of fun.

The baby elephant was adorable!

train ride

Thank you to the Goff's for a fun day at the zoo!  We ended the day with some burgers at Five Guys.  So good.

 

Well that sums up our last bit of summer.  Here's to upcoming fall festivities!

We went to Utah!

I missed my family.  Jaden missed his grandparents.

So we made a last-minute surprise trip to Utah to see the Moons!

Cody was busy in clinics.  I can't say I wasn't nervous to be flying alone for the first time.

Jaden did great!  Perfectly content with his books, toy cars/trains, favorite snacks, and his personal DVD player:)

He was a charmer and won everybody over in no time.  He is one social boy.  During our lap-sitter flights, he rotated himself between me and whoever else would take him:)

Jaden was very excited to get on the plane!

Just chillin' in his seat... doesn't he look thrilled to be getting his picture taken?

To keep the surprise from the grandparents, my brother (Keith) picked us up from the airport.  We spent a day with his cute family.

Jaden was cracking up at Parker.  They jumped in the pack-n-play and read stories.  Too funny!

Jen hurt her ankle the morning before we arrived and was a total trooper!  You rock, Jen!

Parker and Jaden both love Lighting McQueen.  Parker let Jaden borrow his slippers for the day:)
He LOVED them.

Parker, Mailey, and Jaden had a blast together!

We went to the Museum of Ancient Life.  Seriously cool.

Jaden had fun checking out all the "notion of motion" special exhibit stuff.

The dinosaurs and other ancient life were fascinating!

:lots of hands-on stuff to explore:

we ended our museum visit by bidding farewell to this fella...

The chillins hung out in the pool for a little while before we headed to my parents house for the big surprise!

Well, it was definitely a surprise!  I think I might have given them minor heart attacks;)

Jaden quickly discovered the swings in the backyard...

and Grandma Moon's sunhat collection:)

I was glad I had the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with each of my parents.

My mom and I went to an early morning temple session.  A Samoan session actually!

My dad and I went to see the musical, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."  Very delightful.

Thank you for babysitting Jaden!  I'm sure he loved the one-on-one time:)

My sister and her family recently moved back to Utah, so I got to see them too!  Thank you for making the drive out to see me!

We spent some time at the park visiting some old friends who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! (they were too cute)

I have the cutest and sweetest nieces and nephews.

Sunday was lovely.  My sweet grandmother came out to see us:)

There's nothing like a traditional Sunday dinner with your fam.  Not to mention, my dad makes amazing green salads.  Pretty good looking too if you ask me!

My little brother flew home from Michigan Sunday night!  It was great to see him!

(Don't ask about our random blanket fiasco.)

We spent our last day in Salt Lake City.

My dad showed me his new office and gave me a little tour of some of the new renovations at the Capital building.

Can you tell Jaden liked climbing all over the marble?

We visited my sweet grandma.  Jaden liked playing with the toy bucket and couldn't get enough of her stuffed bear.

We had lunch at one of my favorites... The Lion House.

We walked around Temple Square.  The flowers and landscaping were as gorgeous as ever.

Jaden always gets excited about the temple... "Temple!  Temple! Temple!"  (over and over)

We hit up the new church history museum on Temple Square.

Jaden had a blast in the kid's area!

:discovering chicken eggs, gardening, and puppets:

:fishing on Nephi's ship:

Jaden made a friend who showed him the tricks of the trade;)

We learned a little Mexican dance and even dressed the part.

We viewed some of the historical exhibits at the museum and then made our last stop at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  They had displays set up in recognition of the building's 100th anniversary.

:cute moments with Jaden and his grandparents:

A huge thank you to my folks for letting us come stay with you (esp. with absolutely NO notice)!  Jaden loved spending time with his grandma and grandpa Moon.
We both had a wonderful time:)