The Dreaded Task is Done and Now I Can Pick Back Up

I am alive and have been stalking my friends and family through facebook and blogs, but have not let them have a glimpse into my glamorous life.  I didn't want them to be too jealous.  Well the time has come for me to sit back down to the computer and quickly lay out what we have done.  Mostly it will be told through pictures since my memory is terrible and can sometimes be helped with pictures.

Favorite quote that I can remember from the summer was given to us by Macy.  At my parents she was eating the candy "Nerds".  She starts singing "Nerds, nerds. I'm a nerd".

Favorite song to dance to: "All the Single Ladies" but Macy sings it "I'm a single lady. I'm a single lady."  Because of my sisters the girls know most of the words.

In July Brian's family went to a cabin for the weekend.  We played games.



Saw lots of animals.  We weren't there the first night, but Brian's parents said they saw 8 moose, a porcupine, a fox and deer.

The girls played with their cousins.

Of course they had to ride the 4 wheelers anytime they could.

We even took an afternoon rafting trip.  The water was chilly, but Macy and I got off the raft and swam a bit.  Nobody else did.

In July we stopped by my grandma's house to pick raspberries one last time.  The girls loved this so much last year.  Sadly the sprinklers had broken sometime and without the water the pickings were slim.  That and the neighbor boy would come through the fence while playing and eat the berries as soon as some would ripen.

In August the kids and I went up to Cherry Hill for my mom's family's annual gathering.  I don't have pictures because I forgot to take them.  My mom took lots but I keep forgeting to get them from her (which has been my excuse for not doing this post).  One day I will add the pictures.  We stayed Wednesday through Saturday in the motorhome with grandma.  I really enjoyed it and enjoyed spending time with my Aunt Dru and Uncle Mat.  They stayed up there the entire time too.  The others came and went throughout the week.  Macy loved playing with my cousins kids.  She got to be a big girl and ran off with anyone that would take her down the slides.  She loved the freedom and feeling big.  She had a great time with Isaac and Olivia.  Isaac and Olivia had so much fun that they convinced their mom to come up a second day so Macy wouldn't be sad.

In August we moved out of Brian's parents house into a home that is way too large.  I hate cleaning it.  However there is plenty of room to spread things out so it feels less cluttered.  The day we moved also had record rainfall.  Believe me I know.  I got stuck in the back of the moving truck for 30 minutes waiting for it to pass at the storage unit.  If I had gotten out I would have immediately been soaked.  When the fridge slipped down the loading ramp the moving guys said they better reschedule for the next day.  Needless to say we are settled (except the computer room, I am sitting amongst boxes that I just don't have a desire to unpack).  We like our ward and have met some great people.  Macy has a new friend right next door that is in her school class.  He comes over everyday because he is so excited to have a friend next door.

August also brought the first day of school.  Of course I didn't get a picture of Macy's first day of school, nor the second day or the third.  After the first week I said bag it.  She really enjoys riding the bus (mom likes this too).  She doesn't like hot lunch.  The second day of school she begged for hot lunch.  I paid for 10 lunches.  She comes home that day and says she hates hot lunch.  She also loves recess.  One day she claimed to have 6 of them.  She then changed the story to 3.  I think she is including PE as recess.

Kelsey started preschool the day after Labor Day.  She is enrolled in the Granite District's program.  I love it because it is 4 days a week for 3 hours.  She loves it because it is something to do.  Life without Macy or the circle full of friends is boring.  She has really grown up recently.  She is still shy but is growing out of it.  There was no problems leaving her at school and she has gone to a new friend's house without hesitation.

September came and we went to Swiss Days for the first time ever.  It was really crowded and I don't recommend taking your kids to it, especially if one of them is in a stroller.  We made it to the parade and saw lots of tractors and lots of people campaigning. The kids were excited to get a lot of candy.  I did buy some of the best fruit syrup and jam.  Delicious.

In September we also visited Sandy City's Healing Field.  Ever since 9/11 the city has stuck up thousands of flags in honor of those victims and those killed in the Iraq/Afghanistan war.  I tried for a family photo op thinking it would be neat with all those flags.  It didn't turn out.  The kids were a mess and the camera didn't cooperate and then I saw my hair.  I feel like I always have a problem with my hair in pictures.  This was the best shot.  Not Christmas card quality, but if we don't get anything worthy soon it might be the default.

Here is Macy being cooool.



Up next: the State Fair

Summer fun and the Fourth of July

Let's see.  What have we been up to?

My sister Calee got married at the end of June.  Braden was the ring bearer and he did make it down the isle with a little bit of prodding to leave the plants alone (the wedding was outdoor in a garden).  Macy and Kelsey were the flower girls.  They all looked magnificent, but of course I left my camera at home.  I know plenty of others who remembered their cameras so I am safe.  I just don't have them today.  Calee and her husband moved into an apartment with a pool.  One day Macy asks Calee if she will be home tomorrow.  Unknowingly Calee says she will be.  Macy then replies "Oh good.  We can come to your house to swim tomorrow."  She cornered Calee.

The day after the wedding my family needed to unwind so those of us who were around drove up to the lake.  My brother was dying because it was the first outing of the season and June was almost over.  He couldn't blame it all on the wedding because the weather wasn't too warm in June.

Macy finished up kindergarten on July 2.  She did outstanding so they recommended her for first grade.  Before school let out the school had an egg drop.  Macy wanted to participate.  I was planning on it but then forgot to work on the project the day before.  Morning came and Macy remembered all about the event.  So I had to whip up a container that would protect an egg from cracking when dropped from the roof of the school.  Of course we woke up late that morning too so I had all of 10 minutes.  Luckily the angels were with me that morning I figured something out.  When Macy got home that day she was so excited because her egg was the only one in kindergarten that didn't break.  Way to go me!  Not the precedence I wanted to start with mom doing her school projects but she was only in kindergarten.

Macy also gave her first report.  It was to chose an animal, make a picture and present 3 facts.  She chose a parrot.  Somehow the note for this assignment never made it to me.  One day Macy makes the diorama saying it is for her report.  She did it all by herself.  I don't even know how she came up with idea.  She must have seen it at school.  She chose a parrot and below is a picture of her display.  I did help her find her three facts about parrots.

We celebrated the Fourth of July all weekend long.  Saturday we met up with our friends, the Cranes, at Provo's Freedom Festival.  We met them in Arizona, but right now they live in Virgina while Bret is getting his Ph.D.  We had a great time catching up, riding rides, and making crafts in the kids area.  We couldn't have asked for better weather for the day.  Now at night I could have asked for a little warmer temps for the fireworks.

That night we came back to the circle we live in and had a BBQ with the neighbors.  Luckily they purchased fireworks to light when it got dark.  We originally planned on heading out for fireworks but the little man had been up all day and I felt guilty for making him stay up until 10 PM to see fireworks.  Maybe next year.

Sunday was dinner at my parents home.  We played backyard games and lit more fireworks.

Monday we started to crossover to Pioneer Day which is a Utah holiday that falls on July 24.  We went to This is the Place State Park.  The park has old homes and replicas of homes used by the early settlers of Utah.  They even had a small area for the Native Americans who called Utah home before the pioneers called it such.  In these areas they have activities and information about these early settlers.  If you haven't been in awhile and want to know about the olden days, make sure you stop by.  They have added so much since I was last there (10+ years ago).  We didn't see everything.  We did get to see some mutton bustin'.  The park had a little kids rodeo going on that day to let city dwelling kids get a taste of being a cowboy.

At one building the kids made bald eagle puppets and learned that Benjamin Franklin originally wanted the National bird to be the turkey.

Here the girls are learning how the pioneers washed clothes.  They learned some pioneer games and got to try out some of the chores back then.

We went to the school and learned the rules and punishments used back then.  Macy forgot her homework that day and had to wear the dunce cap.  We also learned about the Deseret Alphabet and how to write our name using it.
The day did not end there.  After the park the kids wanted to go swimming so off we went to my sister Emily's pool.

And finally we get to yesterday.  My family went on their second boating trip of the season.  We couldn't have asked for a better day.  Good water, no other boats, a tremendous wakeboarding run, and an exhilarating water ski.  If only we weren't low on gas and maybe I could have taken another run.  But then again my arms may not have made it.  I am a little weak in the arms.

Above Macy thought she was so cool because she got to hang out with my brother and his friends.

New life jackets for the girls.

And the little man enjoying the day.  He is so good about wearing his hat and life jacket.  His hair is still a little sparse so I worry about burning his scalp.

My Big Surprise

Saturday morning I woke up and heard happy whispers coming from Macy and Kelsey's room.  I let them be because there was no blood curdling screams coming from behind the door.  They soon emerged dressed and said they had a surprise.  They opened the door to show me.  They had dressed themselves, made their beds, picked up their room and put their pajamas away without me asking!  That was the greatest surprise to wake up to.

Many Faces of Braden (and other camping faces)

Happy

I want that.

Ewww!

Fun House Mirror

Huh?

sad

GQ

Excited/showing off

Give me food or I eat you

Holy (she lost another tooth while camping)

Hairy

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

Memorial Day Weekend can always be iffy weather, so this camping trip we opted to borrow my grandmother's RV.  Boy is it nice to go camping in an RV with full hook-ups (sewer, water, electricity).  I highly recommend it.  Some of our neighbors joined us along with my mom.  The rest of my family joined us for the day on Sunday.

Of course Brian took up his parent's ATV and his brother's ATV.  Macy was always begging to go.  We camped at Wasatch State Park near Midway (an old family tradition for me) so we had to drive the four wheelers to trails.

We didn't think about a helmet for the little man, so he had to use a slightly too large helmet.  Check it out.  Doesn't he look like a character from Star Wars?  Braden had to ride with Brian so Brian could help hold all the weight on Braden's little neck.

We cooked our first ever dutch oven dinner in a dutch oven we have owned for over 9 years.  It was delicious.  My brother-in-law helped us figure things out before we went.  We a rosemary roast with potatoes, hot buttery rolls and chocolate cherry dump cake (thinking about that cake right now is making me crave it, yummy).

We played a little ball at the park near by.  The kids rode bikes all day long.  We took a nature hike (didn't make it to the end because we had to turn around for the bathrooms).

Of course games were played.

And Braden sucked on plenty of rocks, ate dirt, consumed tons of sugar and played with lots of sticks.  He was a mess by the end.

Well all of us consumed lots of sugar.  There were plenty of campfire desserts; peach cobbler with ice cream, smores, campfire eclairs, and campfire banana boats.  That doesn't even include all the other snacky stuff throughout the day.  I think I should cut back next time and not bring up so many treats.

We even went to the 11 AM church in Midway (yes we showered first).  It was like attending a stake conference it was so full.  The man conducting mentioned that last year they had 1500 people in attendance for the 11 o'clock hour.  I don't know how many were there that morning.

Lastly there was plenty of time around the campfire.  The amount of laundry I did when we returned proved that.

End of the Year Events

May is the month for many activities.  Macy had her first ballet recital.  I don't think it will be last because this gal is super busy.  I think she is going to take tap and ballet next year, partly because I am a mean mom and told her we are not going to start cheer until she is older and taken some dance.

Blurry picture but flash photos were not allowed and if you zoom too far on our camera the pictures are not the best.

We also had her kindergarten performance.  I felt like a loser mom because I sent her to school in the elementary school colors and jeans (I thought that is what I read in the note sent home).  All the other kids (with the exception of like 2 others) came dressed in their Sunday best/prom dress.  I was baffled and wanted to slide down in my seat.  I went straight home and looked at the note.  No mention of dresses and dress shirts.  Please wear the school colors: black, red, or white.  I followed directions.  What is up with everyone else?

By the way she did a great job, remembered her part and sang cute songs.  My parents taped the performance and when Macy watched it on TV she asked why the kids were all shouting.  Yes they also sang loud like they were told.

Torturing the Children aka chores

The girls have chores that they are supposed to do weekly and daily.  Each day they are to comb their hair, brush their teeth in the morning and night, make their beds and pick up their room.  Weekly they are supposed to clean the bathroom, dust,  and pick up the family room.  There is definitely room for improvement when it comes to these things being done.  We are far better at these tasks when Macy is out of school.

Well today I did I made them clean.  I even but Braden to work.  They were all happy with this so I was happy with this.

 Here is the little man doing his part.  Milk was spilled so I could not procrastinate the mopping any longer.  Braden also happened to be awake at this time.  Have you ever tried sweeping and mopping with a 14 month old around?  Near impossible to keep them out of the piles of dirt and off the wet floor.  He found the broom and I let him stay in his corner while I cleaned the rest.