Moments 07.2022

Posted Aug 02, 2022

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We settled into summer and never want it to leave! This month we spent most of our time at the pool and in the mountains, Ritch turned 40 and Zach started talking!

“I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.”

Welcome to “Moments” here on JoyFoodSunshine. At the end of every month I share a recap of our family’s favorite moments! Here’s a snapshot of our life from July 2022!

Life lately

This month we got into a routine of swim team, swim lessons, and playing at the pool and it was glorious. Ritch turned the big 4-0, Zach started talking and we enjoyed time in the mountains.

Baby Z

The most notable milestone that happened this month is that Zach actually started talking. To be fair, many of his words can only be deciphered by our family members, but he IS saying words that we understand. So far I’ve heard: Ball, Dog (which he says og (pronounced ah-g), Mara, outside (which is ou ou).

He also started sining “Hallelujah!” He makes the cutest face and says, “OOOOO aaaaa” and it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard!

He has also started using the sign language motion for “more” to basically mean “I want.” If he wants anything he just signs “more.” It’s so cute. But, these little steps towards better communication are very welcome, as I truly believe he will be a more content little person once he can tell us what he wants.

On that note – he is absolutely obsessed with Dogs. He stands out on our front porch and says “dog” over and over until one walks by, and I swear some nights he wills it to happen! It’s so interesting to me that this is one of his first “words” because Keilah’s first word was doggie (it actually sounded like doggie). We don’t even have a dog and don’t spend much time with dogs, but they just love them.

Z is making progress in his swim lessons and just loves being in the pool. He is 100% a water baby through and through.

He’s also a climber! If an object in our home can be used as a stool you can be sure Zach will do just that. He recently learned he can climb up onto our dining room table. He takes the kids’ booster seat off of the chair & puts it on the floor. He then uses the booster to climb onto the chair, then onto the table. It’s kind of hilarious but also dangers.

Swim team

The kids had another swim meet this month. I was thrilled that the team decided not to just give a ribbon to everyone, but instead actually go by the times and assign them accordingly. Both Bethany and Gabe chose to swim the butterfly races for their age group – and Gabe actually won his! Butterfly was not my stroke at all. I’m so proud of them for choosing to do something hard!

Ritch turns 40!

Ritch turned the big 4-0 this month. We celebrated him by making eclair cake, and roasted green beans, and smoking some ribs.

For about a year, he has told me that he would love to get a custom-tailored suit one day because he has a really hard time finding clothes that fit him well.

So, for his 40th birthday I set up an appointment with a local company Be Spoke Custom Clothing in Salt Lake City. I turned the whole thing into a long date day (coffee date, suit fitting, lunch).

Another pastor at our church filled up his schedule with fake meetings so he wouldn’t disappoint anyone with canceled plans. However, I am the worst liar and cannot do it without laughing uncontrollably. Ritch and I have a pact that we won’t throw each other a surprise party (not our “thing”), so when I asked him “What are you doing this week” which I do every Sunday, and then started smirking as he answered he knew something was up.

He kept telling me, “I have a totally packed day Tuesday, seriously” and listing off his meetings, which made me literally laugh so hard I cried. So when he opened his “gift” which was a certificate for the suit/date day, he was relieved!

He was also celebrated by the people at our church. He went shopping without me for the first time ever last month and came home with a peachy/pink shirt. He usually wears blue/flannel/plaid shirts so this one was notable.

He wore it to preach in and it cause a bit of an uproar because it was so out of the norm for him. So, for his birthday someone suggested all the men wear pink/peach shirts to church on Sunday. It was such a fun way to celebrate him!

Here are a few of the men who participated! 🙂

Mountain Time

We spent a handful of nights up in our favorite place in the mountains. We enjoyed the reservoir, making s’mores and just being together as a family. The weather was perfect and we had the best time.

We got to spend some with some of our friends on Thursday, and different friends on Friday, which really made our entire stay so much better. We just love sharing moments up here with the people we love!

The kids went fishing and Bethany caught a fish on her very first cast!

Church Camp Out

Our church did a family campout in one of the canyons this month. I stayed home with Z, but Ritch took the other FIVE kids (dad of the year). There were so many people from church and everyone had a great time. It was Keilah’s first time camping and she was a trooper!

Rainbows

We saw double rainbows three nights in a row this month! They were alway in the evening around bedtime and they were absolutely stunning.

Things I’m Loving

Vitamin C Face Cream. I recently switched to using Beauty By Earth products and am really loving them – especially this face cream. It smells like heaven but has zero artificial fragrances etc. I like this one because it’s thick and really moisturizing.
Tinted Sunscreen. I also love their tinted facial sunscreen. I got the light beige (for reference).
This Raft. We have a home near Pineview Reservoir and we have loved going up there this summer. I wasn’t ready to invest in many “toys” for the outdoors until we actually enjoyed it up here for an entire year’s worth of seasons. But I knew we needed something to play with on the water – and this raft has been perfect.