Summer started with a bang here in Nashville. It’s been really hot. We keep reading emails from the family about snow in Wyoming or non-stop rain in the northeast. We wish some of it would come down this way. To keep cool, we’ve been running through sprinklers and playing in our friends’ neighborhood pool.
Our highlight for the past month was a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We rented a beach house with our friends the Edgertons and spent almost a week down there. It was even hotter down there – but we’d hit the beach in the morning, head back to the house for lunch/games/naps around noon, and then return to the beach when it’d cooled off in the late afternoon. Colby and Ashley loved playing in the sand. Colby was a great beach soccer player. And thankfully, Ashley was great at taking naps on the beach towel (on her stomach with her rear end stuck in the air). Sienna just loved playing with her friend Sally: boogie boards in the small waves, chasing crabs at night, building sand castles, … All of our kids are much more comfortable around the water now. Sienna took 2 weeks of swim lessons after we got back from the vacation. Kristen enjoyed making lunches for us, washing sand off kids, and carrying things back and forth from the beach house. She and I also enjoyed our boat ride watching 4-5 dolphins jumping in our boat’s wake. My favorite part of the beach was laying out and pumping iron. Anyway, it was a great trip.
Other events in June: Our bishop from Seattle, Dale Jenkins, had a business trip here in Nashville, so we spent a nice evening with him. Sienna and I had a Daddy-daughter date to see the movie “Up” and to get dinner afterwards at McDonalds. I don’t know anyone who gets so scared watching cartoon movies as Sienna, but overall she enjoyed it.
I ran in a few local track meets in June. I’ve been trying to run a mile in 4:59. I’m down to 5:07 – which means I still have a long 8 seconds to improve on – but I’m making progress. I’ll try again in a race in early August. Minus the pain, the track meets were a lot of fun. Sienna and Colby both ran in the kids 100 meters event. Colby ran the whole way with his tongue sticking out, and Sienna kept running after she’d passed the finish line – she couldn’t believe it was over already. Next year we’ll have to sign her up for the 400 meters. We’re still playing ultimate Frisbee every Wednesday. The kids are good sports on the sideline. And I go mountain biking early in the morning once a week with my friend Dale. Kristen even joined us last Saturday, and then the kids met us at a nearby creek afterwards for a picnic and snake catching.
Ashley is saying “Ah oh” (she’s been saying that for a long time), “Daddy,” “Mommy” (but it’s more of a whine than anything), “woof woof” (she’s been saying that for a long time too), “Meow,” and “Antidisestablishmentarianism.”
Well, that’s about it. Hope you all have a great month. Love,
Bryan, Kristen, Sienna, Colby, and Ashley
1 comment:
Hello Shepherd Family!
I'm not sure how I found your blog, but I've been lurking around not commenting for awhile. Sounds like you guys are just as cool as ever, and your family is beautiful. I'm jealous you saw Bishop Jenkins - tell him to say hi and look me up when he's in IF.
-Sarah
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