Jumping Into Summer

Dear Summer: If you were drizzled in melt-proof chocolate, I would gobble you up. You are beautiful and hot and you smell good. You make my skin tingle. You make me sweat. And aside from a few slow-burning British actors, that doesn't happen very often. Please don't tell the others, but you are my favorite. And even though I know we'll have to part ways someday, let's live in the moment and enjoy every second we have together.

P.S. I love you.

***

I am a summer girl. I married a summer boy. We made summer-loving babies. Summer is officially the start of party season at the Amonett house. Forget the pine trees and tinsel. Bring on the palm trees and coconuts. ♫"Aw, coconuts...Aw, coconuts..."♫ Sorry, Disney's pint-size pirates are interrupting my train of thought. Where was I?

Oh, yes. Party season. Marked by lingering snow on the mountaintops, the last bit of cold has finally faded into the canyons. Down in the valley, American flags adorn yard and home in honor of Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Amerika's Day. (That's my birthday, in case you didn't know.) There are so many things to celebrate about summer. Freedom, liberty, flip flops.

Xavier's birthday rounds out our packed party month of July. A child after my own heart, he has been telling me for months that he wants a blue birthday. I'm not really sure what that means, but I better stock up on blue food coloring and throw in a few flags for good measure. Fortunately, Xavier's special day falls during the annual Fiesta Days revelry in downtown Spanish Fork so we get to celebrate with music and fireworks in the park. Thaus and I wanted to surprise our little guy with a trampoline this year, yet we wanted him to have the whole summer to enjoy it. After searching online and comparing prices with our local Sam's Club, Thaus found a great deal at a store in Logan, Utah. We had been storing the box in a corner of our garage, but as soon as Xavier found it, he was ready to set it up. He even took the lead and supervised our efforts.



You may not notice upon first glance, but the right frame is actually two separate pictures. I wanted to capture the gleaming star of light in the sky to document the arrival of summer. We were beginning to think the old girl had made reservations elsewhere. However, as with most social events in life, it is better to arrive late than to never arrive at all.

Xavier showed us his mad transportation skills pushing and pulling the loads of materials. Since the two men appeared to have everything under control, Emer and I hung out courtside, enjoying the gentle breeze and soaking up the sun's warming rays. Emer had quite the set-up as we placed his toy mat inside the pack-n-play, loosely securing tablecloths (via banana hair clips) over the top to act as a sun shield. You can say it out loud, but sometimes my skills of improv amaze even me.



All supervisors know that it is best to read the manual before beginning a project. Xavier went page by page instructing his dad on the finer points of trampoline assembly. "You need this and this and this and this...See, Dad?" How did we ever accomplish a task without this kid?



Xavier pulled down his shades and went right to work, matching parts A and B. As every good contractor knows, when wrestling with metal poles and stubborn joints, the most important thing to remember is to look cool.



And when appearances cease to get the job done, grab a block of wood and a hammer. Thanks for the tip, Dad.



After the springs have been attached and every string tied tight, the next step of assembly is inspection. Under Daddy's watchful eye, Xavier tested the durability of construction by showing off his freestyle moves. Moments later, the sun faded behind the clouds and the rains began to pour. It rained so much that we had to wait a few days before attaching the enclosure. Now that Xavier's aerials come with bounce back protection, let's all jump into summer!