November

Weston was involved in a lot of scout activities this week.  He went to his first Pow Wow and was able to get some badges--one was Citizenship and he was able to go to the State Capitol and have a tour.  Then he went to a Court of Honor where he received his Tenderfoot and 2nd Class.  He and Aidan have been taking swimming lessons so he can finish up the last of his swimming merit badge as well.  And, though it is hard to believe, he went to Priesthood Preview.  I can't believe he will be turning 12 in 6 months!

Aidan had another piano recital and did a marvelous job.  You can view the piece on YouTube.  He has been very busy with homework, studying geology in science (yea!) and medieval times in history.  He has done so well on his tests.  At his school if you get below a B on a test you retake it until you do better.  He had three tests this month and was one of a few that didn't have to retake them.  In math, he was the ONLY one who didn't have to retake it!  I am proud of his hard work.  He also sang a little one line solo in the Primary Program.  This was the first and last time I would have all four kids in the Primary Program.

Elise has had an unfortunate month.  We went to church and she was supposed to give a talk, but she started to act very sick (with a cold), so I told her we were going to go home.  She was so mad and wanted to stay and give her talk (threw a fit), so I took her in and had her go up to give her talk.  But she chickened out and wouldn't!  We took her home to get a much needed nap.  With the cold, her mouth and throat were hurting her.  Or at least I thought that is what it was, but she kept saying her tooth hurt.  I thought it was sinus problems.  It was a terrible infection in her tooth!  Two teeth actually.  They were so bad she had to have them removed (terrible mom for not brushing her teeth better...).  She now has some spacers where her teeth were.  She did get a note from the tooth fairy urging her to brush her teeth more often and not eat as much candy.  And now we use Anti-Cavity mouthwash in our family (I hear it is very helpful).  

Brennan's big news is that he is seven!  His friend birthday party was a Lego themed party, complete with little chocolate lego men.  I made a lego pinata and the kids hit it open and inside were bags of lego shaped candy and lego car kit.  Each boy made his car and then we had a race.  They also made their own paper lego heads and pinned the head on the lego man.  They ate cupcakes with chocolate lego men on them and opened presents.  For his family party, I made a little lego cake and some brownies. For presents, he got.... legos!  And a beautiful new bike.  He is such a fun kid and so good!  I am proud of him for what he is growing up to be.

We decided to take a little family getaway into the mountains and went to a nice hotel for a few days. The hotel had a pool.  But there was a slight problem.  It was outdoors.  Why???  We still braved it and the water was actually really warm, but didn't last too long.  We did have a hot tub on our balcony, so we used that a few times.  I took up all my Christmas projects (neighbor gifts and Christmas cards, etc) to work on as we watched shows.  We also attempted sledding, but that was a total bust.  We went shopping at the outlets and went out to eat.  It was a nice, relaxing trip without many cares.  

Thanksgiving was fun at the Daw's.  I was in charge of rolls, again.  I made 96.  We always eat so many of them, this time I wanted to make sure we had enough.  We had leftovers....  But, that is fine.  This year we divided everything out after so everyone could have leftovers of each thing--turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and rolls.  Yippee.  I love leftover Thanksgiving Dinner.  We played some games and just sat around.  It was fun to have a few days off of school and just hang with the kids.  Scott's sister Lauren was in town, so we got to spend some time with them.  Since everyone was in town, we also did family photos with the whole Daw family.  After we went downtown to see the lights at temple square.  We also took time to put up all the Christmas decor.  And now we are ready for Christmas (right?).

Scott and I are busy with normal life.  I am jazzing it up at Jazzercise, helping out at the school, running here and there, and doing family history with Uncle Adam.  I wish I had more time to do it--it is getting addicting.  Scott is working out a lot (nice weather still to go biking) and working hard.  We went on a really fun date with some friends.  It was similar to the Amazing Race, but just in downtown Salt Lake.  You had to use clues to find things and then go on to the next place.  We went with three other couples and made it a race.  It was so much fun.  See if there is one near you: http://urbanadventurequest.com/  

I hope you all have a marvelous Christmas!

October 2014

I was so lucky to have Omi come to visit for a week to do Family History.  We set up again in my living room with all the gear we needed and then got to work.  We had scanned in tons of photos before, but we hadn't tagged them.  We uploaded them to familysearch.org and then tagged who was in the photo.  We did more than 100 photos and 25 documents.  And now you may all see them by going to familysearch.org because they are YOUR relatives, too!  It was really fun to go over things, hear stories from mom, and feel like I am accomplishing something with family history!  Mom and I had a great time as well, Costco shopping and just hanging out. 

The next week Bren and Aidan didn't have school so we took the opportunity to go play.  We went to the new aquarium and loved it.  There is an area that has birds that just fly around the whole area (funny because it is an aquarium... but still fun).  Then we went to the curiosity museum and it is such a cool place.  There are several different rooms with themes and we didn't get to even half of them.  One is like a giant jungle gym--ropes, slides, etc.  They spent a lot of time there.  Then there is a room with water/wind, etc.  We spent time in the outdoor kids garden as well. 

Brennan started a Karate class at the local rec center.  He is pretty much adorable.  He is always showing us his cool kicks and tricks.  He has also all of the sudden really taken a great interest in the piano and is mastering his Let's Play Music songs--and even going ahead in the book.  Daily I find him tinkering around on the piano.  I love his happy face!  He got to go on a "date with dad" and he chose a movie (Dolphin Tale 2) and then out to ice cream.  He is looking forward to his "date with mom" next month.

Scott also took Weston on a date--they went to a movie as well and out to dinner (we have tons of "free kids meal" coupons from school awards, etc, and are trying to use them all before they expire).  He is done with soccer for the season and just did wonderful, of course.  He has been doing a lot of writing for school and wrote a book report on the book "Deathwatch" which I made him read.  I had read it when I was in 5th grade (actually Mr. Hathaway read it to the class) and I knew Weston would enjoy it.  He also had an assignment to cook a meal using three types of cooking methods (convection, conduction and radiation).  He made spaghetti noodles (convection), meat and sauce (convection) and garlic toast (radiation). 

I took Aidan on a date to Sizzler and then to the curiosity museum to the special Ropes Course.  I don't know what I was thinking.  I totally freaked out!  I did the first walk and then seized up!  He freaked out, too, but the worker guy came and helped him.  I just sat back and talked with the worker girl (pretending like I was just giving Aidan a chance to master it on his own, but really it was because I was way too scared to go out again!).  The worker girl (Jenny) was actually really sweet and I gave her number to my brother in law to ask her out (hopefully he does...).  In any case, Aidan and I had a grand time.  He is a sweet and special boy.

I took Elise to a cute little princess party at the library.  Elsa came and read a story and took photos with the kids.  I am so glad to get a lot of use out of that princess dress!  And of course that is what she dressed up as for Halloween.  Whenever anyone said something about her being a princess, she said, "I'm pink Elsa".  At least she wasn't like the 2,000 other blue Elsa's in the neighborhood...  ;)

Brennan was the cowboy this year and loved it!  He went trick or treating with his friend Luke and Luke's dad.  I took Elise and her friend Halle.  They both lasted about an hour and of course got more candy than they ever need.  These ages are so much fun!

Aidan dressed as a zombie.  He went with a bunch of boys (and a dad of one of them) and came back with FIVE POUNDS of candy!!  What?  And boy he is happy (best Halloween ever!).  Weston went with his friends as well dressed as Westley from the Princess Bride.  He came up with the idea and it was a perfect idea!  He looked great.  Time is winding down for him to be  able to go trick or treating, so it was fun for him to be able to go with his friends --no parents...

We have been talking about doing this for awhile, but this year we finally made a spook alley.  I remember that we had done this when I was a kid and it was so fun, so I told Aidan and Brennan and they recruited some friends to help out.  I was the welcome witch--as people came down our outside basement stairs, I would let them in in groups of 2 or 3 and then direct them where to go.  We had a bunch of huge cardboard boxes and we made them into a big long tunnel.  We added a little flashing light into it and Brennan would reach his hands in one of the cracks and grab the kids as they crawled through.  Then, as they came out, we had Luke scaring them with a ghost which was an old bed sheet with a ball for a head.  We tied a rope around the neck and then looped that over a pipe in the ceiling.  Luke would pull the rope up and down so the ghost was moving around.  Aidan was dressed as a zombie hiding in the corner.  Sometimes he was in one of those boingy IKEA tunnels and would pop his head out of it.  Then the kids would move to the bottom of the inside stairs where we had hung a black sheet in the doorway.  Lincoln (backdoor neighbor) was dressed as a scary dude and would pop out of it as they turned the corner and yell "This is the end of it for you" or words to that effect.   Then the kids proceeded up the stairs and through a black curtain and onto our garage where they met two beautiful princesses (Elise and Halle) and received a cookie.  We had people come anytime in a two hour period (too long...  The kids were don't helping after an hour or so...) on the afternoon of Halloween.  We probably had 30 kids come, and several went through quite a few times.  Although I didn't think it was too scary, there were 4-5 kids that were too scared to go through in the dark, so we would turn on the light for them.  I thought it was really fun and cool, and I think the kids really enjoyed it as well. 

September 2014

School is in full swing.  Which just means that we are all in a busy schedule.  Piano and music lessons, scouts, soccer, and Elise has started tumbling.  She takes with her best friend Halle and they are so fun together.  Elise has a dancer body, so now she just needs to get stronger.  She is so girlie this is something perfect for her.  She has been really funny lately--everything is so cute to her and so she kisses cute things.  Well, we were in the school restroom and there was a cute little toilet (just her size).  Yep, she kissed it.  Ew gross.  She was licking her flip flop the other day when she dropped some food on it.  Hm.  Is this helping her boost her immunities or just making her sick?  She is wonderful though. 

Weston and Aidan are in soccer.  Weston is doing great, as always and loves his teammates and coach.  He really understands the game and is very athletic (odd, given his DNA).  He really is enjoying watching football with his dad and uncles (go Utes).  He is such a smart and responsible kid.  He also had a job a thon and ran about 2.4 miles in 20 minutes (he will be an amazing runner if he keeps this up). 

Aidan's soccer coach is his dad.  Yippee.  No one would volunteer to coach and if there wasn't a coach, they wouldn't be able to play.  So Scott stepped up and is coaching something he doesn't know a whole lot about.  But he must be doing something right because the team is doing great.  Aidan has really improved and makes a point almost every game.  He also attended a Cub-O-Ree and earned so many awards.

Bren decided not to do soccer, but he will be starting Karate in October.  He has adjusted well to being in school all day.  He lost both his front teeth and has the cutest smile.  He is enjoying Let's Play Music, and is really tuning his ears. 

We did get to go through the Ogden Temple Open House and that was beautiful.  I am glad we get these opportunities so often.  My friend Sonya went with the family she is staying with and she really loved it as well.  I have loved having her be here with me.  I especially love shopping at Walmart with her.  It was so nice to have someone to talk to anytime and the kids just adored her.  She went to Texas to settle down and she will be missed.  But, we plan on visiting her and having her here again.

Disneyland!!  Scott's mom loves Disneyland and oddly enough, she has never come with us when we have gone.  So, she called me up and basically planned a trip to DL for our family.  Since DL is such a busy place, we tried to plan it during a less busy time (btw, there is no "non" busy time there), so we actually pulled the kids out of school to go.  We left mid day on a Wednesday and drove all the way until we ran out of gas (almost...) and then filled up and ate, and then went on arriving around 9:30.  Our hotel was within close walking distance to DL and was nice enough.  Scott's parents and his brother, Cameron arrived as well.  We spent the entire first day at DL.  Scott's mom knows this park better than anyone and she knows how to work it to our advantage.  We would get the fast passes and then go on other rides as we waited for our turn to go.  I am not much of a fan of rides... so a lot of the time I would take Elise on other fun but younger rides while the big kids went on their rides.  Their favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain were some of their favorites.  I was so proud of all the boys for trying each ride and being so brave--and really they liked them once they tried them! 

The second day we spent the day at California Adventure and their favorite rides there were California Screamer, Soaring over California and the River Run.  They even went on Tower of Terror (though Aidan wasn't a fan of that...).  We stopped for treats about every hour... ate a lot of ice cream, fried foods, sugary foods and lots that were both fried and sugary. 

On Saturday, Scott's sister Lauren and her husband and their kids joined us.  We went to DL first and ran all the fun rides again and did more rides in CA.  It was so much fun, but for me, and Elise, the funnest part was seeing the Princesses!  We met Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White (twice), and we met Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Rapunzel.  Then we stood in line for 30 minutes to get a Fast Pass in order to meet Ana and Elsa.  Then once it was time to go meet them, we stood in line for another 30 minutes.  And finally, the moment--we met the much loved princesses.  Elise had been dressed in her amazing princess dress that Scott's mom made.  Elise wanted to dress like Elsa, but she wears a blue dress.  So, we convinced her this is one of Elsa's other dresses and it is pink!!!!!!  She looked stunning and acted just like a princess.  And of course she got so many comments about how great she looked.  Mom Daw is very talented and the dress really is amazing.  Elise will wear the dress for Halloween and then it will go in the costume bucket for the next grand daughter.

We all went to dinner at a sports place so the boys could watch the Utah game.  After, I took Elise and Brennan and Scott took the big boys and they went on big kid rides while I took the littles a few more kid rides.  Our favorite is Mater's Junkyard.  We lasted so long and then I took the kids back to the hotel, but Scott and the bigs stayed until almost midnight.  They were able to go on Splash Mountain over and over again, just staying on the ride because no one else was there.  Sunday morning, we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left.  We made it home by evening.  Then the next day, back to normal life!  But what a way to end September.

August 2014

We had so many trips at the beginning of summer that we needed to cram all the other stuff at the end of summer.  We bought passes to the local swim park (Cowabunga Bay) and we went weekly.  Basically any time it wasn't raining.  For some reason it was a very wet August.  On Wednesdays the kids were able to get free pizza so we really tried to go on Wednesdays...  It was a bit chillier some days, but that means no one was there and so we had the park to ourselves.  One day we went and we were the first ones there and pretty much only about 15 other people were there.  The kids became much braver this year and both Aidan and Weston went on all the rides (several times) and Brennan went on lots of the big ones.  Elise and I hung out at the shallow pool or the kids area.  Which is nice because the water is so much warmer there.  My goal of this expensive activity for the kids was to get them more used to playing in water and not scared of it (goal met!) and now next year I think swimming lessons will be successful.  We are looking into a pass at a rec center for next summer so the kids will now play in the pool, not just slides and lazy river...  Also, I got a nice tan.  :)

A lot of times during the summer I send the kids to summer camps, but this year we didn't do anything like that.  Instead, Aidan did his own "rock camp" for neighborhood kids (Weston was going to do soccer and Brennan a cookie camp, but we will do them next year instead).  Seven kids signed up (and two other sisters who came just on one day) and they had a blast!  The first day they talked about igneous rocks, made a volcano and ate pop rocks.  The second day was metamorphic rocks and they made their own metamorphic candy rock out of two starbursts that morphed together.  So cute.  They also looked at rocks under Aidan's cool digital microscope.  The third day they talked about sedimentary rocks.  They panned for gold and rocks (some of Aidan's own rocks) and ate sedimentary wafer cookies.  I had found mini microscopes for 2.50 on Amazon, so each kid got their own one.  He charged them 8$ for the week and made some money while having fun and sharing his knowledge. 

Our neighborhood is great about things like that--all the kids sell lemonade and rocks, etc and all the parents are fine with it--and supportive.  Two girls down the street (Molly and Emma Wadsworth) did a summer preschool every Tuesday and Thursday for 1 1/2 hours each day the whole summer.  Elise went with some friends and loved it.  The girls even did a fun program the last day where the kids sang their songs and showed off their knowledge.  They got to buy toys/treats with the tokens they had earned over the summer.  The girls did a great job and Elise loved it! 

And now Elise has started preschool with Mrs. Jean and is loving it.  Mrs. Jean is the greatest, so sweet and loving.  Elise has made some friends and loves putting on her princess backpack and saying, "Be nice to everyone" as she skips into school.  (I ask my kids every day as they leave to school, "What's the most important thing?")  She is also doing an online preschool, so she is getting it a lot of academics!

Although I didn't put the kids in summer camps, we did go to the Library for a Mad Science presentation and it was really cool.  The scientist used lots of gasses and liquids that created booms, pops, fizzes and vapors.  We also went with some friends to Sub Zero, an ice cream place that makes ice cream immediately with nitrogen.  The owner did a little presentation about what nitrogen can do (in balloons, combined with water, etc).  It was so cool!  And, truly, the ice cream was the best I have ever tasted.  They pour the cream and flavorings into a metal bowl, mix it around and then spray nitrogen into it and constantly stir it.  So good (and interesting).  We took Opa there for a treat while he was visiting us.

Our cousins the Lamberts were here for a few days while the mom was at youth conference.  The kids loved having them to play with all day.  Everyone got along marvelously and they played with every single toy we own.  It was fun to have them, but it reminded me why I only have four kids...  I feel bad because I was kind of a grump and was sick of cleaning up the house after them!  Seven kids make a mess pretty quickly. 

Because the house has been messy, we took this last Saturday and cleaned ALL day.  Started at 9 am.  We would all work together for one hour, and then we had a 15 minute break.  Then another hour of cleaning, then a 15 minute break and so forth.  Until 3 pm.  We got everything dusted, vacuumed, glass cleaned, floors swept, toys organized, books reshelved, beds cleaned under, bedside tables cleaned, and even the closets cleaned!  What a good feeling.  We did something to make it fun--after each hour, they each got a key to a code.  I had made a sentence with numbers, and they would get a letter that went to that number.  At the end they got to find out what the sentence said, which was "We are going to Disneyland on September 23rd".  It actually should have said 24th... but oh well.  They loved it.  We are planning on a quick trip there, just two days at the parks with Grandma and Grandpa.  It is also nice because I said before we go, the house has to be cleaned up, so I have signs all over saying, "keep things clean so we can go to Disneyland", etc... :) 

This has been Scott's big month.  He has been training for months and months now for his half iron man.  He did a shorter race--the Herriman Triathlon, so prepare him and did so well!  Last year he came in 54th overall, this year he came in 16th!  What an improvement--he cut off 8 1/2 minutes!  I am so proud of him!  It has been a fun tradition for our family to be a part of that triathlon.  I take the kids up to a park and we eat breakfast as we wait for him to ride by on his bike and we make and hold up signs for him.  (Fortunately) I don't think Scott will make a half iron man a tradition...  He did so well, but what a race!  He swam 1.25 miles, biked 56 miles, and then ran 13.1 miles!  Crazy but amazing guy!  He did it in 5 hours and 19 minutes which is amazing!  Especially for his first one.  Scott's mom, dad, and brother came to cheer him on with us.  We made big signs that said, "Go Dawminator", etc...  And Brennan made a sign that said, "You are Iron Man" and wore his iron man mask.  We were able to see him go by as he was finishing his bike, then saw him run by us four times.  We cheered him on as he crossed the finish line (and Dad Daw ran with him the last four miles).   He is in great shape and knows how to set and obtain a goal.  He is my iron man and such a great guy!

Cousin Jennie Stephens did a fundraiser at Texas Roadhouse in Lehi, and since I have two sister in laws who live there, I thought it would be fun to invite them (and my other sis in law and mom in law).  So, there were 13 kids and 5 adults.  And it was crazy.  Seriously crazy.  But, yummy and pretty cheap, so we were able to help her out (she is raising money to buy a therapy dog for her son Porter).  After, we went swimming with the cousins, and that was fun--the kids had a blast!

Kyle and Linzi and family came into town so we celebrated!  We had a movie on the back of our house and they came, along with about 40 people from the neighborhood.  People brought homemade ice cream or treats to share and we watched "Honey, I shrunk the kids".  It was a good turn out and a fun evening.  I wish we could have had more time to just chat with Ky and Linzi, but fortunately, we did a Brown family and friend party the next week.  Scott's dad's stake has some awesome land that has playground, pavilion, baseball field, and lots of parking.  We had everyone bring their own dinners, but we brought drinks and desserts.  It was successful, plus, more time with the Italian Browns!  And we even got to have breakfast with them the next day.  I made pancakes and they brought fruit salad.  Linda and Willy came and we all had a good time talking.  Elise loved playing with her girl cousins and they all love Beckett, but particularly Weston.  He is so good with kids and really loves his cousins.  They formed a special bond.  I wish we lived closer, but, hopefully we can get a chance to visit!

While Omi and Opa were down for that, we were able to spend time with them and had a lovely dinner out to Olive Garden.  While Omi went off to rescue Ali, Opa stayed here and helped Hilary and then went geocaching with the boys.  We love spending time with family!

We have a new museum at Thanksgiving Point called the Curiosity Museum and it is so cool!  Brennan was invited to a party of his cousin there, so we all went and everyone had a good time.  We could have spent lots of time there, there is so much to do.  Each room has something new--water, wind, pretend play, jungle, science, etc. When any of you visit, we will need to go together.  On Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point, you can get into each venue for 2$.  Every year I take the kids to the gardens (anything else is extremely busy and not worth it to me, but the gardens are awesome).  The kids didn't want to go this year, and so I took Sonya and Elise (while the boys were in school).  It was great.  So calm and beautiful.  I am tempted to get a yearly pass so I can go to the gardens and the curiosity museum over and over again.

Well, now that summer is winding down, soccer has started for Weston and will for Aidan, and Let's Play Music for Brennan, but most important, school has started.  The first day was pretty rough.  Weston wouldn't go to APA.  So I had him clean all day (got a lot done), and I pondered and got feedback from friends.  In the end, we decided that it is nice that we can customize schooling depending on the child and he can go to Southland (local school) with stipulations.  He will be doing extra school work--math, spelling, typing, etc.  We formed a contract and it is signed and will be followed.  Education is a hard subject for me and I really struggle knowing if what I am doing is best for the kids.  We will see how things turn out, and just pray for the best.

Last thing is a crazy story of something that happened to us.  We had stopped at Maverick to get a movie at the Redbox and I saw a guy kind of stumble out of his car and go into the store.  He looked drunk or stoned, so I was worried.  Even more so when he came out and I got a good look at him.  His eyes were droopy and there was obviously something wrong with him.  I asked him if he was ok and he said (after a pause..) "Yes, why?"  I said he looked sad (which he did, but he mostly looked drunk).  He got in his car, so I called the sherriff and we followed him for six miles until he ran a red light and we wouldn't do that.  They had me give info so the cops could look for him, but he was weaving and driving fast and then slow, it was crazy!  I don't know what has happened, if they got him or not, but hopefully everyone was safe!

And hopefully you are all safe and happy, love to you all!

July 2014

Once girls camp ended at the beginning of July, there really wasn't a break.  We got home on a Thursday; I picked up the kids from the places they stayed (they had a marvelous time without us and were sad to go home....) and did loads and loads of laundry.  That night we went to the Riverton Parade and got loads of candy and then we joined our neighborhood for the annual "Cul-de-sac of Fire!" celebration.  Each family brings one firework, and there are maybe 40 families that come, so that is a lot of fireworks!  Then the men that think they are cool, go light them.  They set up a nice perimeter around the area where they light them, so it is nice and safe (though a newbie didn't know and set one off and it went around the circle and frightened us...  he was cussed out by the protective moms and now everyone knows the rules...).  It is a fun activity because so many people come, they bring treats and just all have a good time together. 

The next day we packed up everything to go camping.  We went up to Scott's parents' stake property for a Daw Family Reunion.  Every single child of Grandma and Grandpa Daw were there, and all but ONE grandchild!  Amazing.  We set up tents and then just sat around talking until dinner.  Then we had a fun magician come and it was great fun for the kids. 

The next day we had a nice breakfast and then packed up.  One of Scott's cousins had their family (the Kammereths and Bates) and the next stake property over and they invited us to join them.  So we went with them and there was a little lake.  Canoes, tubes, and life jackets were there for anyone to use.  We hopped in a canoe and took a fun trip around the lake, but then the kids just played around on the shore and in the tubes.  We spent several hours there, and could have spent more!  The funnest part was a zip line that went out over the lake.  Scott and Weston went on it over and over again.  Aidan didn't want to do that, but he did jump off the ledge into the lake and I am proud of my boys doing big kid things!  We hadn't brought food for lunch, but the Kammereths had, so they shared (lovely people!).  It made the trip so much more fun to be able to hang out there.  I loved it so much, we are going to try and have girls camp there next year!

Once we got home from that, I could have traveled up to Idaho again for my 20 year High School Reunion, but life had just been too busy, so I skipped it.  But I cannot believe I have been out of High School that long!  Wowsers!

And so that I wouldn't be missing the mountains, I got to go up with Aidan to cub camp the next weekend.  He had such a great time and got to do so many fun things: bb guns, panning for gold, going on a hike, crafts, and an obstacle course.  I was so proud of him--there was a rope wall he had to climb and it was really hard to do, but with some help the first and second time, then he was able to do it on his own and he rocked it! 

Eighteen years ago, I met Sonya Gartner at Cliff Lake in Montana when I worked with her at that resort.  It has been fourteen year since I have seen her and she is finally in town!  Since I don't have a guest room, she is staying at our friends the Philips.  They get along grand and she is a lovely guest.  She comes over daily and the kids cannot get enough of her.  We tried to get her to teach us about Australia... and we made Lammingtons (a traditional treat).  She is waiting for her fiancé to get back into the states and then she will be able to be with him.  I have been taking her to Young Women's and the girls LOVE her!  And I think she is really good for the girls--she has been a great example to them.  She likes to walk in the evenings, so she asked one of the girls (Kailey) to go with her and the girl and Sonya both love it.  It has been a lot of fun and we are happy she will be around for awhile.

Weston got to attend a soccer camp with friends from his soccer team for a week.  He had a good time and got in some good practice.  He enjoys it so much that he and his friend Gideon are going to put on a soccer camp for neighborhood kids. 

Our big summer vacation was to Lava Hot Springs.  Although I grew up in Idaho, I have never been there!  We left Wednesday morning and arrived just after lunch.  I couldn't find a campground, so we spent a few more dollars and found a cute bungalow.  It had two queen beds and two futons, so it could fit at least 8.  It had a nice fully stocked kitchen and a nice bathroom.  It really was a fantastic place run by very nice people.  We were located right behind a tube rental shop, so we hopped right over and got two triple tubes and then walked down to the river and jumped in.  The first time down, we really didn't know what we were doing and so we got a few bumps and bruises, but then we were pros.  We had rented it for two hours and by the second time down, most kids were done, but we dragged them one time more.  Then Weston went with Scott once.  It isn't a long run, maybe 20 minutes, and then a 10 minute walk back to the beginning of the run.  It has a few bumpy places where you have to hang on, but really is pretty friendly.  Then we found one of the few places in town to eat (a pizzeria) and then watched movies. 

The next day we went to their famous swimming pool and that was nice--the water was not cold!  One of the reasons I don't love swimming is because I am always cold, but this had nice water!  We didn't spend the money to go over to the hot pools--I am the only person who would have enjoyed that (oh, and how I would have enjoyed that!!!), but they did have a little hot pool which I reveled in for a bit.  They had four slides, two that were "too scary" (but not for Scott, he went down several times) and the older boys braved the easier ones.  They had a fun play area for the kids--we spent most of the time in the shallow pool area.  We just walked back to our house for lunch (you can't be too far away in Lava . . .)  and then walked back.  Our total time in the pools was about 4 hours.  Then we went to a burger joint and then I got to go on a mini date with each kid.  Aidan and I went to a rock shop, Weston went into an Indian shop, Brennan and I went into various places, and Elise and I went shopping in girls stores. :)  Mostly I loved just holding their hands and walking and talking.  Then we watched another show (I read). 

Friday Weston, Aidan, and Scott went zip lining!  I wish I would have gone and taken the other kids as well--it would have been awesome.  They had such a great time and I am proud of all of them (well, mostly Weston and Aidan) for being so brave!  They got to go down two different zip lines two times each.  Then they did a little obstacle course and of course Scott was chosen to do the hardest part.  He was an American Ninja Warrior!  We know now that we all want to do it next time.  I just hung out with my littles while they were gone and then we all went back down the river.  This time we tried a six seater, but that was a little too mild for us.  We got the triples again and went down a few more times.  Then we met up with some friends who were camping down there and had fun dinner with them.  The kids played games and had a great time.  Elise made a new friend (Mya) and the boys ran and played and got dirty!

Saturday morning we slept in, packed up, and lazily drove home.  We stopped at the Brigham City Temple and ate a lunch.  We made it home in time to get everything unpacked and Scott and I even went out for a nice anniversary dinner.  It really was a very relaxing and fun trip.

Our anniversary was a pleasant day.  We announced to the kids that they were going to make dinner for us and they really took that seriously.  It was WONDERFUL!  I don't know why we don't have them do it more often (well, there was a mess to clean up--though they tried to clean up).  They made chicken (Weston made it all by himself!), carrots, cherries, and garlic bread.  Everybody did their part and would not let us lift a finger!  So Scott and I just sat around and enjoyed it all.  We had a marvelous time together and even had brownies for dessert. 

To top off the month, Omi and Opa came down for a few days and they got there in time to see Weston perform at his piano recital.  Weston has really been practicing well and did a marvelous job.  I am so proud of him and his accomplishments.  It was nice to have Omi and Opa for a bit--Mom and I went shopping and had a great time (nice jeans mom!) and she bought me a darling shirt (love it!).  They are good grandparents and the kids adore them. 

Just to share a funny:  Scott was putting Elise down to bed and she wanted him to stay with her.  He said no, why don't you sleep with this teddy bear?  To which she replied, "No, I want a human to sleep with me!"  She is always making us laugh.  And Brennan makes us laugh as well.  We have always said he looks like Teddy Ruxpin, and for awhile he hasn't liked that, but recently he said he wanted to change his name to "Teddy".  It would fit him! 

Love to you all!

June

Since we have a few longer breaks throughout the year, we don't get out of school until the second week of June.  Most of the other school were out a week or two before us, so the kids were anxious to get going on summer (as was I!). 

The last weeks of school kept us plenty busy.  Weston's birthday was a full day.  They had to go to school, but Scott made it fun by dropping off a donut for him at lunch time.  Then we ran home after school just to quickly get ready and head to dinner at Goodwood.  Grandma and Grandpa met us there, as well as Grandma Nancy, and fortunately, Omi and Opa made it too!  We followed that by his choir concert and culmination activity.  His choir director is amazing and they do such a great job!  The kids were great!  It didn't last too long (fortunately) and we headed to the house for presents and cake--which was actually homemade fried ice cream (YUM!!!!).  He got a lot of fun presents--hdyration pack and camping gear, books, soccer ball, clothes, Captain America poster, and a pellet gun target.  It is harder to get presents for older kids!!  But, he had a great time.  He had a fun party with some friends watching a movie and hanging out.  It is crazy to think that in one year he will be 12!  I feel like this is my last year with him as a child!

Aidan has his culmination activity as well--it is what they called the big "show what you know".  They shared things that they learned over the year and he was darling.  Omi and Opa were able to be here and enjoy the shows.  Then Opa picked up their friend from China and we were able to have him here for a bit.

Brennan "graduated" from Kindergarten and it was a fun little ceremony.  What a doll!  One of the things that has been weird about his class is that if they ever have a party, no one plans it.  It is kind of a free for all thing.  We were asked to bring some things (ice cream and pizza etc), but no one brought an ice cream scoop, so I sat there dishing ice cream with plastic spoons.  It was rather strange, but hopefully things will be better next year with "parties"... 

Aidan had his friend birthday party with water as the theme.  They had a huge water fight, slide down the slip and slide, played with water balloons, and had ice cream sundaes.  On his birthday, we went out to a pizza place and opened presents with the grandparents (Omi and Opa were able to be there again!).  For his "cake", I made cookies, but in muffin tins.  They sunk in the middle and made a perfect little cup for ice cream to sit!  They were fun to have (and different, right?).  He got some really fun gifts--a microscope (that takes digital photos), books, legos, and a water gun that attaches to a bike.  He is growing up so much.  He had such a great birthday, and he recorded everything in his journal (cutie pie). 

Our first week out of school we just played around, spent time together and with friends.  We have a lot of activities planned for the summer, and we did go to the Hutchings Museum, which was a fun little museum for the kids.  Aidan had gone before on a field trip and learned about Atl Atls.  This time they actually threw one for us.  Pretty cool.

Now that Weston is 11, he has joined the boy scouts!  Scott is the 11 year old leader, and so they went on their first camp out!  They had a great time, and good practice for the next camping trip when all the boys went on the Father's and Son's campout.  That is probably the most anticipated and exciting event of the whole year.  They have so much fun!  It was right before Father's day, so it was a great weekend for Scott.  He was able to do so many fun father things.  We made him a nice dinner, though it was steak, so he actually cooked up the steak...  He got a new lawn mower (he is sooooo happy) and some other little presents. 

So many birthdays in June!  My birthday was the best--my kids and husband really went out of their way to make it fun and relaxing for me.  It was especially nice that it was on a Sunday and I got to spend the whole day with my husband and kids.  They let me sleep in, made breakfast for me, and made tiki masala for dinner (YUMMMMMMM!).  I got an awesome bike and a new crock pot, as well as little gifts from the kids.  I absolutely LOVED my birthday.

The next morning, we packed up and left for Jackson.  It was an enjoyable ride because we listened to books on tape and the kids sat mesmerized.  We arrived in time to do some walking around the central square and of course find a candy shop and a rock shop.  The guy at the rock shop was so helpful and he brought a piece of wulfenite from his personal collection for Aidan to buy.  Then we went over to the Bar J.  The rest of the family caught up with us there and we had a lovely time watching those fun entertainers and eatin' good food!  A big thanks to Ali and Scott for providing the funnest cabin to stay in.  It was so strange, yet totally cool.  The kids loved it (especially the ping pong table)!  The next morning we decided to go back to Jackson and others met us there.  We really figured out the best way to do it--one person stayed at the kids museum with the children and the rest walked around.  The kids didn't want to walk around, and we needed a rest from walking, so it was perfect.  And thanks to Opa who took the older kids to Ripley's Believe it or Not.  They were happy to be there and not with the littles or the adults!  We had pizza for dinner and a fun evening hanging out.  The next day we went west.  I am sure Ali will tell the story of what happened to her car, but I also have a car story...  We drove all the way to Spencer, Idaho, which is in the middle of ... nothing...  We got out and went in, but Weston wanted to get something from the car, so he grabbed the keys from me and then somehow locked them in the car.  The guy, Kirk, who worked there happened to be a mechanic, so he took a look and tried to get it open but he was afraid he would damage the car too much.  The closest locksmith was probably an hour away, so he called the .... local... sheriff.  They sent a deputy out, which took an hour or so, but that is ok, we weren't going anywhere.  They were so kind to do that for us--everyone there was just great!

The kids loved looking for opals and just playing around together.  Weston and Aidan really got some good rocks.  It is fun to go to rock shows, but there is something cool about getting them ourselves.  Once we figured out our car situation and had a good lunch (which had been packed in the car) we headed back to Rexburg to go to Bear World.  Since we had already been there once, we didn't want to pay to go through, but they let us do 1/2 off and go to the kiddie play area and petting zoo.  That was way fun and everyone was having such a great time.  The baby deer was probably the highlight.  It was great weather as well--not too hot.  And not like last year when it poured down rain.  We went to Applebees for dinner and then back to Driggs.  We got up in the morning, cleaned the cabin and went back to Utah.

It was just in time to do loads of laundry and tried to do some cleaning up of the house.  We had a ward breakfast/party on Saturday and Stake Conference that night and the next day.  I packed everything back up for the kids and dropped Aidan and Weston off at cousins and Elise and Brennan at Norma and Elaine's.  Then I went to Girls Camp.  It was actually a lot of fun and the girls had a great time (which is what matters, right)?  The stake chose the theme GNOMES (God Needs Obedient Missionaries, Especially Sisters) and I was in charge of doing some type of prank, so I made up Gned the Traveling Gnome.  It turned out really cute and everyone loved it.  It works similar to being Booed at Halloween, but Gned was moved around from ward to ward. 

I will fill you all in on the rest of our travels, activities, etc next time, as now we have spilled over into July.  Love to you all!

Cuz Chron June

Brennan for Cuz Chron:
I learned a lot at Kindergarten.  I learned 5 things.  I learned cursive and math and reading. 


Weston for Cuz Chron:

At our Daw family reunion my cousins and I were whittling.  I made a sword and two knives.  The two knives are my favorite because they were really hard and they look really nice.  They both have lines that are deeply cut for the handles.  My cousin Collin made a really cool knife, too.  It was really fun whittling.

Aidan for Cuz Chron:

We went to the Opal mines in Spencer, Idaho. There was a big pile of rocks and dirt from the mine that we could look through for opals.  The opal has rainbows in them.  I got a blue opal with stripes in it.  I really liked it.