Just some fun pictures

Not too much has been going on at the Mauss home in the last few weeks. Just enjoying the summer and watching Walker grow up so fast. He is all over the place - crawling that is - and had finally mastered pulling himself up to his feet. We have been enjoying activities close to home, like the Murray Pool, Hogle Zoo and This Is The Place park. (and I always seem to forget my camera) I can hardly believe that summer is almost coming to an end. Here are a few pictures of just hanging out at home:)

He found a napkin and then destroyed it! He loves to pull himself up to the side table and look through the photo album He loves suckers. But of course, after he is done EVERYTHING he has touched is sticky!

Walker and I at This Is The Place - he looks really sad but he had a great time. He loves getting close to the animals!

I'm so grateful for...

Just the other night Jake and I were watching Sportscenter (the standard at our house) and the news story came on about Andrew Bogut and his contract he just signed for something crazy like $80 million dollars! $80 million dollars - hello?! Just signing that knowing that you are "set for life". So I started asking Jake what is the first thing he would do once he signed the contract and left the building? As I was knitting a blanket I was telling him that I would buy new cars (a white Range Rover), pay off mine and Jake's families homes, buy them cars, take them on trips, buy a new house "not a huge one but like 9000 sq feet" (hello that is HUGE), buy a vacation home in Newport, a loft in NYC, hire a nanny for a few hours a day, put some in savings, and of course SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!! Jake just looked at me and said "pay your tithing." After I listed a few more items he said in a nice way"stop talking about that, be grateful for what we have." How grateful I am for Jake and his ways of thinking. After he said that I have been thinking about it all week. I know that there is like a .0001% chance that either Jake or I would sign any contracts for $80 million dollars. It is fun to dream, but I really need to be grateful for what I have in my life right now. I am so lucky to have a home, family, a car, a job, food in the fridge, and the gospel in my life. I find myself complaining about what I "don't have" and dreaming of all the things I want in the future. I decided that each day I am going to write down 2 items that I am grateful for. So today Sunday July 13 I am grateful for: Extended Family: I love getting together on Sunday's with family to enjoy dinner and hang out with everyone. I am so lucky to have them so close. Walker has the best time crawling around trying to keep up with all the kiddos that can walk. My House: I love living in Sugarhouse. Most of the time I am complaining about how small it is or the fact that I don't have a pantry - but I really need to realize that as times in the world get harder for everyone I am so lucky to even have a house. I am sure everyone has heard this great quote from Sister Hinckley, but it is one I think of often when I get in these "ruts" of "I wish I had this, or why can't I have that"- "I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived." Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley I am trying to remind myself everyday how lucky I am and I don't need $80 million dollars to make my life great!

4th of July!

I love the 4th of July! I always look forward to it every year. Usually we have a BBQ in our yard and enjoy watching the fireworks that Sugar House park puts on , but this year it just didn't work out for most of the party so no BBQ- But we still had a great day!

We started off with a parade in our neighborhood. We decorated Walker's wagon and took him out for the ride. He enjoyed it - but we didn't last too long because it was his nap time. It was still fun to see all the kids in our neighborhood and all their decorated bikes.

We enjoyed a realxing day together as a family and then met up with Dan, Mare and Dottie for dinner. After dinner we put Walker down for the night and played the family favorite "Scrabble" with Dan and Mare and waited for the fireworks. At 10:00 we enjoyed the fireworks - Sugarhouse Park does a great job. They had a whole 20 minutes of fireworks! We love watching the fireworks from our yard because there are not any huge trees back there so you have a perfect view of them. Around 9:30 a lot of the neighbors come and "set up" their chairs in our yard to see the fireworks. We don't mind - they have been doing it for years now and that tradition kinda came with the home. We had a great relaxing day and look forward to more fireworks on the 24th.

He never looks at the camera - he is so funny!

Anyone up for fireworks on the 24th - you know where we will be:)

Enjoying the summer weather!

Oh - are you just loving the summer weather or what! Took long enough to get here! I love watching the news and seeing the 7 day forcast - 90 and above all week! Jake isn't too fond of it because it is killing our lawn. But we sure do enjoy being out in it. Here are a few pictures of enjoying the sun! Hope ya'll are doing the same!

I took Walker to Lagoon - first time! I put him on a kiddie ride and he hated it! Thanks to Ellie for sitting with him and holding on. Poor guy. At least he liked the train!! Thanks Alder's for the invite to Lagoon day - we really enjoyed it! I forgot how much I really like Lagoon. I came home and told Jake that we need to go and ride the new rides. Anyone in?

"I'd prefer sitting in the stroller and eating a sucker" No more rides for him!

We decided to do a "pool party" for the kiddos. I got together with some of my friends and we set up the kiddie pool and the slide and let them go to town. They loved it! Ashton loves the slide!

Walker loves that little pool. I highly recommend getting one. He could stay in there all day. I don't mind getting a tan while he is enjoying the water!

And finally - a little visitor from the North Pole came to our neighborhood this week. We pulled into our drive way and our neighbor was out side with her camera and said there was a deer walking down our street. We followed it and got this picture in our neighbors yard. It finally ended up crossing the street to the golf course - stay safe buddy!