Summer 2014: Week 4

I am in love with this swim team photo that I didn't take. Andrew is somewhere in this group.

(This week I decided to write these one day at a time, because I can only remember that much. More detail).

M--We got Bryn ready for girls camp. Her first girls camp. (I still remember mine). She got herself ready. Most impressive was the time she took to make gifts for her secret sister. Saw two other moms while I was out shopping for the last minute flashlight we needed--out getting their girls ready, too. FHE was about what makes a successful missionary & chocolate dipped pretzels that were a girls camp fundraiser.

T--Bryn left for camp.
Housesitting for a friend.
Spent the day in the car again. Swim team, soccer camp for Diana M-FR this week, football camp for Andrew.
Read books to C, D for 45 minutes, only 30 for E. (He needs his space in the summer b/c he gets it all school year long). We read Mr. Lincoln's Way, which Caitlin recommended to me. It's worth a read if your library has it.
Caitlin and I spent some time alone. We talked, laughed, lectured, listened, and cried. Only one of us cried. Then, we played a couple rounds of Spot It, alone. I think she will forget the former and remember the latter.
I decided when my older kids have something big that takes them away that I am really going to focus on those who are home. So far, I love it.
Activity days talent show. Caitlin played Fur Elise & did a great job.
Lightning/hail storm just as we were going to bed.

W
Swim meet, soccer camp, taking care of neighbor's house, football camp, baseball game.
Meanwhile, Nathan drove 4 hours to go to Girls Camp with Bryn. I don't have pictures but might in the future. Nathan said it was beautiful.

TH
In addition to the regular run of swimming & soccer, we also had out of town friends visit for dinner. They are moving from UT and are good friends from our TX days. We hosted them for dinner and a few minutes at the park before they had to leave. Nathan was home in time for scripture study--much earlier than my worst fears. Also the end of football camp.

FR
Today was the last day of soccer camp for Diana. Another baseball game. It was a loss, but they tried harder. Andrew played well. He walked to first, which was all he needed. He stole bases & ran home. Meanwhile, Nathan stayed home and mowed the lawn. Exciting times.

SA
Nathan hosted the scouts for a "Pioneering" experience at the church. They built a monkey bridge and timed each other racing over it. The kid who came home with the gash from the re-bar? Our very own.
We skipped the swim meet in favor of prepping for the family reunion. We bought over 20 lbs of meat to cook for it! (And, some other more exciting ingredients for family fun). Bryn came home from girls camp and had time to start her first load of laundry before running off to babysit for the evening.

4 down, 7 to go.

Summer: Week 3

This week:

M: Is always laundry day. We made 7 pints of Strawberry & Blueberry freezer jam, one of our favorite flavors. One pint was gone by Wednesday.

T: Andrew skipped his Young Men's activity to go to an 8:00pm baseball game. After a streak of disappointing losses, this time they won!
I took Caitlin, Diana, and Ed to the old fashioned candy store in old town. The girls complained about the $.50 price ceiling I gave them, but eventually found something they wanted. Ed chose pixie sticks, (2 so he could give one to Andrew) and the girls picked out taffy.

W: Swim meet. Very windy but OK. We brought SPOT IT, a game we learned at the Neuffer's last summer. I left in the middle to go to a different pool for lessons for the littlest among us. Friends commented on our children's progress in the pool, that felt good. Our friends came over for lunch.

TH: What happened TH? Maybe this was the day I asked Bryn to braid my hair?

It was taking a long time . . . and then I realized she'd done fishtail braids . . . and it all made sense. But I think it was Wednesday.

Now I remember TH night. My parents came to see our new furniture.

FR: Nathan took the girls camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. A dad in our ward said he was going with his girls. It turned into 10 + families of dads & daughters. They came home the long way and saw a lot of wildlife.

Nathan thought this campground can accommodate 1000 people.

Beautiful girls, beautiful scenery

The boys and I went to a local pizza restaurant (where they hand toss--so fun to watch). Then, we did our duty and helped clean the church. The next morning we went on a long walk together. Very pleasant time with my boys. We may have also had a sewing machine lesson . . . but I was not allowed to take photos. Baseball practice and more shopping. The day ended with Monsters University from Red box, which Ed and I hadn't seen. Very cute show.

3 weeks down, 8 more.

Sidenote about life in CO:
One of Andrew's friends was at snowboarding camp this week. They keep it open until August . . . then the snow is done for the season. Can't believe it.

This week (summer edition)

 

1) I finished a mini quilt. It's to give away to a stranger . . . I am going to receive one in the mail from another stranger. Strange, isn't it? I love the colors & hope she'll like them too.

2) First swim meet. My kids were excited to compete and get ribbons.

3) Diana & Ed started swimming lessons. We are at the pool from 7:15 until 11 am.
I like to knit or sew poolside. . . my kids have played at the park while siblings swim . . . or play UNO. I love summer mornings.

4)We drove 100 miles to buy some living room furniture I'd seen on Craiglist. We have enough couch space to seat our family! This necessitated attaching a U-Haul trailer to our car. I am not stretching the truth when I tell you finding it was an answer to prayer. They match and are clean and look fairly new.

5) Neighborhood garage sale. We made $51. It will start Diana's savings account.

6) No one would pay $ for our old couch. But when we listed it as FREE on Craigslist, it was gone within the hour.

The first piece of furniture we bought together . . . Adios

   
7)The only trips to the library this week happened on bicycle.

8)FR night date to Andrew's baseball game. It was a bad game but a fun date.

9)One of our favorite sister missionaries moved on . . . and her second cousin with the same last name moved in.

10) Gave Ed an apron for Future Father's Day and he doesn't love it yet. (He needs a new one).
"Why did you give me an apron? I wanted a toy." 

Have a good week.
Two weeks of summer vacation gone.
(We loved this article about a father of 8 sons).

This week

Two trips to the library
3 piano lessons
At least 10 trips back and forth from the pool
3 kids on swim team, 2 for the first time
1 very encouraging coach
4 corn plants leveled to the ground by our garden bunnies
5 seeds planted that will soon be mowed down by said bunnies
(Why didn't they eat the plant starts until we planted them in the garden)?
4 new families at church
(our ward is exploding . . . due largely to the digging that's proceeding on the temple)
Innumerable legos



Two baseball games
2 river otters spotted
1 up in the rafters


National Doughnut day celebrated (one day late)

Pony riding class = one happy Caitlin

 

11 weeks of summer vacation, 1 down

Sportsmanship Award

Andrew played flag football again this year. He was delighted to make it on the team he's been wanting to play on for the past 2 spring seasons. It is the same coach he had for 3 years of tackle, and the boys he's known since arriving.

The team had a rough season but Andrew made a lot of progress in his game. He was catching balls and pulling flags with more confidence than we'd seen in years past. He scored 7 or 8 touchdowns, including one in the final (heartbreaking) tournament game, against the top seeded team. He worked really hard, walking straight from track practice to flag football. Track started right after school ended until 5pm, flag from 5:30 to 7pm. You can imagine the nights that he had Scouts at 7pm following that were long, long days.

His team won the Sportsmanship award, which was a free dinner at a local burger restaurant, a nice way to end the season.

/ch/

Once there were chronicles
about a chunky Chinese chinchilla
he ate too much cholesterol
so he had to chop
and churn chlorine
he ate chocolate for Christmas
instead of cholesterol


This is one of Caitlin's assignments from the school year. She was attempting to use alliteration. SUCCESS!!!

(We are going through school papers today and have a very full recycling bin). Trying to find our kitchen island again.

Happy Mother's Day

I have a great mom. She is creative, supportive, and has a wealth of experience & knowledge. She has taught me how to learn, how to sew, and how to cook. From her we learned to appreciate city life, fine restaurants and art. I appreciate having her involved in my children's lives on a frequent basis.

Nathan has a great mother. She taught him how to work and helped him become an excellent father for our children.  She also taught him how to sew--which is a skill that has benefited both of us. She is a master at using her resources wisely. She is passionate about our country and her family.

We both have wonderful grandmothers. They've lived exemplary lives and brought our parents to the gospel. We are deeply indebted to these wonderful women.

There have been other mothers: teachers, mission companions, friends, visiting teachers & teachees, and supporters who have nurtured our growth at many points in our journeys. We appreciate the righteous influence of women who go about doing good in the world. 

Happy Mother's day!

The following is a transcript from a speech given by Ezra Taft Benson titled " To the Mothers in Zion." It is not easy to find, but this section was quoted HERE. I try to remember to read it each mother's day.

“1. Take time to always be at the crossroads in the lives of your children, whether they be six or sixteen.

"2. Take time to be a real friend to your children.

“3. Take time to read to your children. …

“4. Take time to pray with your children.

“5. Take time to have a meaningful weekly home evening. Make this one of your great family traditions.

“6. Take time to be together at mealtimes as often as possible.

“7. Take time daily to read the scriptures together as a family.

“8. Take time to do things together as a family.

“9. Take time to teach your children.

“10. Take the time to truly love your children.”
Ezra Taft Benson
To the Mothers in Zion