Band of Bross: July 2013

I'm slacking again, I know. But I have a good reason for it!

I started my Chem 1 class and the lab that accompanies it about 2 weeks ago. This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't also have 2 other classes I'm working on plus this is the summer semester which means I have approximately 7 weeks to go through an entire Chemistry class plus the lab plus my two other classes and get [at least] passing grades...plus be a mommy and a wifey and enjoy some summer and all that that entails. Whew ok, now that I've got that off my chest I can breathe and update you a bit. It will be mostly with pictures (theoretically) - I hope you don't mind!

Marilyn's birthday was the 16th of June and I thought it would be fun if we could go do something together instead of me just buying something for her. (For those of you who don't know, Marilyn has been my best friend since 5th grade and is also the namesake of my beautiful little girl. She's kinda special to me.) So we went to Color Me Mine! It was pretty sweet :) And it got even sweeter when Chris got off work early and surprised us with some Jamba Juice! What a great guy!
Afterwards we went to Decadence in Orem. I am in love with this place. It's a little café that makes coffee drinks out of cocoa beans instead of coffee beans. I'm a Mormon and therefore I don't drink coffee so this is an awesome alternative. Also, they have AMAZING sandwiches and desserts like gelato (some of the best I've ever tasted), gourmet cupcakes, and delicious gooey cookie/gelato incredibleness that Marilyn and I got when we went. If you're ever in the area call me up and we will go!
Also, here is a coupon from citydeals.com for them: http://www.citydeals.com/decadence-cafe-12-gift-certificate-deal.html?location=7112. You're welcome :)

at the café

I watched my friend Dana's little girl a few weeks ago while she and her husband biked 75 miles to train for LOTOJA in September. I have great respect for them; this is something I would never attempt.
Camryn is just 4 days younger than Lynlee so it was really fun to see all the similarities and differences in the way they behaved and played together. That's all I really have to say on that, please enjoy some adorable pictures :)

not 2 seconds before I snapped this Zoë was sniffing her nose
love the tiptoes

here they are in cahoots
obviously they didn't want me overhearing

I don't know what they were talking about but it sure was making them giggle...which made me giggle...which made one of them giggle harder, setting the other off in more giggles...yeah, that's the good life.

Lynlee runs around the house all the time yelling "daddy!" Have I mentioned how little kids voices just melt my heart?? This girl sure loves her daddy.

Speaking of daddy, here's how he now cuts onions in the Bross household.

not a tear in his eye afterwards!

Nicole has stayed the night a few times so far this summer. I love it when this girl comes over! We always have a blast (we are currently obsessed with the game Bohnanza). One night we took a trip up to the mountains and played with fire and yummy food. Also, my new gig as a photo-bomber took off without a hitch this weekend.

I gave her a marshmallow
it kept her busy for a bit

plus it was just adorable watching her munch on it

On June 22nd we got to go to the Princess Festival at Thanksgiving Point! We got some free tickets, courtesy of Marilyn (perks of having your best friend be an event coordinator (*sniffle* my best friend's all grown up!)). Nicole, Lynlee, and myself plus my sister Amanda and my two nieces, Olivia and Kelsey, all got to enjoy this cute event. The weather wasn't too hot and the girls had fun meeting all the princesses.

we got to ride in the princess carriage!

Lynlee was super cranky most of the morning

I LOVE this. Princess Cinderella and Prince Charming

Olivia and Captain Hook

she finally warmed up and started carrying her princess autograph book around

So that's what we've been up to so far this summer, not counting swimming adventures, play dates, homework, exploring outside, fireworks (Lynlee has a love/hate relationship with fireworks), homework, and the rest of everyday life. This summer is so great because the wee one is always wanting to discover new thins around her and I just love seeing that bright little spark in her eyes every time we do something new. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes to walk the normally 3 minute walk to the park because we pause to talk about plants or follow a bug on the sidewalk but that's ok, we enjoy taking the extra time to stop and smell the roses - of which there are plenty of on our way to the park.