January 2015

The weather has been so strange this year.  For some reason there was a lot of talk that it was going to be this horrendous winter, and it started cold, and snow came.  But then it has just warmed up!  We got a free ski pass for Weston, once to each ski resort, but because there hasn't been much snow, they have only been able to go twice!  I hope they will get a few more times in!  Soott was able to take both Aidan and Weston though and they are getting better and better (and they enjoy it).

Scott took the vacation time to do some "improvements" on the house.  And he did a marvelous job!  Since our lightbulbs are so high and our fire alarm in unreachable, we rented scaffolding so we could change the lightbulbs and battery (we put in a lithium battery which should last 10 years...), we figured we should make it worth the money to rent it, so we put up some decorations on our tall walls.  We ended up putting a dividing board and above it put three big boxes (of board) and in each box put a pretty metal decoration.  We also put up the same thing on the wall above our dining room.  I think it is different, without being strange, and it really helps out our big blank walls... Not so boring.  I am so proud that I have such a handy husband. 

After a nice and relaxing Christmas break (for me at least...), we had to get back to school. Aidan has been studying the middle ages, and so they got to have a medieval market where they made objects and sold them to each other.  He made paper swords and hats.  Then they had a feast and got to dress up like a knights, etc.  He looked very regal and took the shield that Weston had used years ago for his King Arthur presentation (I love to reuse!).  They got to eat chicken on the bone and have some other fun activities.  Aidan has also been studying for his AIM (Achievement in Music) test coming up.  As the teacher teaches him the theory, I sit at their feet and learn as well.  I am loving it and really expanding my knowledge of the hows and whys of piano (I can now tell you what key a song it written in!).  He will do marvelous.

Brennan has been studying about the body and can name several bones.  He is also becoming a whiz at math and reading.  He loves to read nightly and has been reading a lot of Little Critter and Curious George books.  Because he read so many books in December and upped his reading level he received the prestigious award in Reading University at the school.  It was so fun to see him receive his award.  I am proud of his hard work.  He is also rocking Karate class and loves to practice with his friend Luke at home.

Elise also practicing Tumbling with Halle and is finally able to do an "arch up" and keep her head off the ground for 10 seconds.  She has passed off handstand as well.  Of course her big news this month is that she is FIVE YEARS OLD!  And it wasn't just one day of celebration, it went on and on.  We started with a friend party that may have gotten out of hand...  She chose the theme La La Loopsy.  Don't know what it is?  Neither did I!  They are dolls that are "sewn" and have button eyes--really cute actually.  So I tried to think of ideas for activities for the girls and settled on felt dolls.  It really wasn't that hard, but it did take some trial and error.  I cut out a beige colored outline of a doll, and then made a bunch of different dresses that the girls could choose (they got to choose three each).  Then I had some ribbon, rickrack, buttons, flowers, etc that they could choose to decorated the dresses.  They could also choose hair--several different tops of head in multiple colors and then different add ons to the hair--braids, curls, etc.  Every single doll was different.  They even got shoes for feet and bows for hair.  While I glued everything together, a cute clown entertained them.  He is BoBo the Clown and he is a 9 year old that lives nearby.  He was so much fun.  He made a giant balloon hat for Elise and then made each kid a balloon animal.  He did some magic tricks and read them a fun book. He even rode the unicycle for them. So cute and the kids loved it.  Then the girls broke a pinata and ate button cupcakes and opened presents. Ah, what a fun day!

We then had a family party for her and went out to eat at Culvers.  I made a giant cookie (which was divine if you want the recipe or just google "swig cookie recipe", but I add almond flavoring).  Norma and Elaine joined us and gave her a giant pink unicorn which has quickly become the favorite toy.  Mom Daw had come earlier and got her a Barbie car (she loves it... of course!).  And she got some cute clothes from me (target sale!) and other fun toys.  I can't believe how quickly she grows up, and yet stays the same silly girl.

Scott also had a birthday and mostly he got things to finish the basement (yea, it is getting finished!).  But, I also got him a inside grill which will be nice.  I would have taken him snowshoeing but I hurt my neck (big surprise) and their isn't much snow in the mountains.  It is nice to be the same age as he, if only for a few months.

Weston started reading the Book of Mormon again and wants to finish it (again) by the time he turns twelve.  He also has the goal to read the New Testament.  He has also been reading the Chronicles of Prydain and loves them.  It is fun because his teacher doesn't know about them (??? Can you believe it???) and so he gets to tell his teacher all about them.  He has had several papers that he has been working on: Pisces constellation, Russian Religion, and Gerald Ford.  He is getting ready to move into Junior High!  He also got a kendama (they are all the rage right now) and although it broke after a day, he became very good at it.  Hopefully he will replace it soon.

I have been busy with normal everyday life (I think I say that every month).  I did get a visit from an "old friend", Karen Gray Rowe.  We were friends when I lived at Janets.  She is a wonderful friend, and she happens to know Kim and Val as well!  She lived in their ward in Germany for awhile.  (Small world!)  I have signed up to take a class on Health Nutrition, and I am studying piano with Aidan...  so we are all trying to improve ourselves!  One month down of the year, doing well, I'd say!

December 2014

December is always full of parties and fun.  Our ward Christmas party was quite an affair.  The theme was The Polar Express.  I was given the task of putting the book into power point so we could project it up on the wall while someone read the book.  The person in charge did a phenomenal job.  She got a humongous train printed--6-8 feet tall and longer than half the gym.  Santa even came to visit.  The kids loved it.

We started a new tradition called "Giving Gloves".  We saw some people outside in the cold without gloves so we went and bought a bunch and then put cute tags on them (thanks so Omi's help) and gave them away to people who looked like they needed them.  It was fun to have the kids be looking for people in need and finding ways to help. (Although because of the unusally warm winter, it isn't as successful as we had hoped).

We also had our annual "Christmas Sing-A-Long" with neighbors and friends.  It has been a fun way for us to invite people we might not know well and celebrate Christmas in a very sweet and joyful way.

The kids have been busy with all their normal routines, school, activities, etc.  It has made the month fly by (with all the other activities in there as well)!  And Christmas came quickly.  And now the kids are already counting down to the next Christmas!  It was especially fun for Elise, she is at the perfect age for this.  The kids love to give gifts to each other.  They usually make their own gifts, out of paper, etc, and we get to each open several "love" gifts.  It makes my heart soar to see them love each other so much.

Weston and Aidan took swimming lessons this month so that Weston could pass off some scout thing.  He doesn't love it, but he worked hard.  Aidan is trying really hard as well and wants to take a Junior iTri class.  He was also the "Virtue Boy" in his class at school and we got to make a fun poster about him and all the kids in his class wrote letters to him.

All of the kids (and Scott and I) finished reading the Book of Mormon before Christmas.  We had set the goal to read it back in August and pretty much stayed on target!  It is fun to be able to read it the same time as the kids.

Brennan is studying different religions at school and it has been very good for him to realize his relationship to religions.  Now he knows he is Christian.  It has been difficult to explain that Jews an Christians came from the same line and that there are some Christians who were "Jews"...

My body just doesn't work the same way it used to, and I have to be careful or I hurt my back.  Well, a few days before Christmas I hurt my neck and so I decided to go to the doctor to see if he could shoot me with something (I didn't want to be stiff and sore for Christmas).  While there, the doctor told me to change into a gown.  Elise got so excited, but then when I put on the "hospital" gown and not a "ball gown", she didn't think I looked as pretty as she expected.  She is such a funny and fun girl!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

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!