Books and Beaches

All the kids now have their own library cards, and the number of books the libraries here will let you check out at once is awesome (though I try to keep the numbers down with the younger kids) so we have been to the library many times this week.  Monday, Eileen came home with this stack - she has been working her way through it this week.  James has read his way through all the Naruto manga that they have and David just loves getting to check out and get new books.  

Tuesday, Sandi needed some help with getting Kai after her dance camp in the morning, So David and James and I went to pick her up and then we went to a park near Sandi's house.  It was a huge place with walking trails, a beach for swimming at and a playground for playing on.  They had a great time until Sandi came and got Kai and we had to head home.  

Our house has been the scene of much gymnastic-ing.  Evelyn spends a good chunk of her time at home practicing her hand stands and making up little routines with David and James.  

On Wednesday after dinner, while I was getting David to bed, Dan took Anna down to the church parking lot and began to teach her how to drive.  She was so excited!!!!  

Thursday, Aaron and Dan headed out on a campout with the young men from the ward.  Dan had to come back for meetings on Friday, but Aaron had a great time up there with friends.  

Friday, I took the kids out to the coast to go to the beach.  The weather was sunny and beautiful, but a bit cold for most of us to want to be in the water long.  Anna had a blast building a sand castle, Eileen explored looking for shells and sea glass.  The kids had fun splashing around and climbing on the rock formations and of course, playing in the sand.  

 

Saturday was mostly spent doing some clean up around the house (and the car!) and another trip to the library and then we got to have the sister missionaries over for dinner!  

Sunday was a beautiful Sabbath day.  Eileen, Aaron, Evelyn and I sang a musical number while Anna accompanied and it went well.  I subbed for the music director and had fun in primary with the kids!  Our afternoon was nice and easy - talking to family, playing games and crafting.  

Pools? We don't need no stinkin' pools!

We've had a fun week.  Anna had cross country practices, on Monday and Wednesday.  Sandi needed babysitters during the day all week, so Eileen or Anna was there each day this week.  Evelyn and Aaron had their Summer Camp classes through the middle school and David and James and I kept busy around the house and at the library and at parks.  Friday, we planned to go with some friends to a nearby aquatic center that Caleb's dad had told us about.  Turns out they charge you more than what is usually a day-pass price for a 45 minute time slot and you can only use this small little pool that is all less than 4 feet deep.  The kids had fun, but I don't think we will be doing that again - I'd rather go to the lake or the beach!  

Friday night, Sandi was supposed to be going out with Jon and Julianne to a comedy club, but Jon wasn't feeling well, so I went as Sandi's date.  It was mostly funny and I was fun to be out with them!  

Saturday was kinda crazy!  The older kids had a youth activity - they all had a blast and while they did that, Dan took James on a lunch outing, and I took David on a lunch outing.  James wanted Panda Express and David wanted a hamburger.  He was so cute about making his choice.  They both had a fun time! 

In the afternoon, some people from the ward were meeting up at the lake for swimming and paddle boarding and fun.  We all had a great time with friends.  Dan's company has a lot going on right now, and he is swamped with work and was feeling really stressed, so I told him to stay home and work while I took the kids to the lake so that he could have a mostly stress free Sunday with family.  So he got a lot of work done, and the kids and I had fun hanging out with friends at the lake.  The kids had fun having a junk food dinner and they almost all had friends there to hang out with.  Anna had a couple guy friends from the ward who were there, one of whom is a friend that she spends a lot of time chatting/flirting with.  So of course, Evelyn has started teasing her about him.  

Today was a busy day, Dan had early morning bishopric meetings, then we all got in the car to go to John and Melissa's ward.  Jacob is back from his mission and was speaking in his ward.  He gave a wonderful talk and we had a wonderful lesson in Sunday School.  It's amazing to see how much he has grown up in the last 2 years!  After, we all (and by all, I mean all the close Jones' family, including Dan's parents, and all of Melissa's close family) got together at John and Melissa's house for lunch and baby blessings and birthday celebrations and time together.  It was wonderful - it's been fun living close to John and Melissa - not just because we get to see more of them and their kids, but also it's been wonderful getting to see Melissa's family too!  

In the evening, we took it easy and had a lazy dinner.  I finally remembered a birthday present my parents had sent to him awhile ago and got it down for him - he opened it and was loving playing with them - he didn't want to stop playing with them to go to sleep, so I let him take them into his room to play a bit longer.  

Home at Last!

Monday morning, we made a quick stop at the grocery store for some snacks for the rest of the trip home, then we headed to BYU to get Anna dropped off for EFY.  We walked around the campus for a bit and I showed the kids around a bit (while I marveled at how much had changed) Then we got Anna checked in and in her room, then we went to eat lunch at the Wilkenson Center (which sadly only has lame chain fast food places now).  We stopped in the BYU bookstore, and I let the kids each choose one of the t-shirts that were on sale.  Then we left Anna to her week of fun and headed up to Idaho.  I tried to stop at Beto's for nachos - because I LOVED them in college, but they were our of nachos!!!!  :(  

We stopped for gas at a fun little place in the middle of nowhere - called "the middle of nowhere."  It had lamas and donkeys and goats.  They had a little food dispenser, so I scrounged up a few quarters and let the kids feed the animals.  They also had a fun little store with lots of quirky, silly little things to see - the kids loved it!  Plus it was nice to get out of the car!!! 

We got in late, but of course, Gene and Anna had an amazing dinner waiting for us, then we got littles off to bed and played a couple games before heading to bed early.  

Tuesday morning, we headed back to Oregon, we hit traffic before Multnomah falls (yes, again - there has been traffic or construction problems that slowed us down on EVERY leg of this journey it feels like!)  We finally got back home in time for dinner, then unpacked the basics and headed to bed!!!  

The rest of the week has been unpacking and laundry and friends and walks and fun.  On Saturday, Dan smoked a huge brisket, so we invited a couple families over to help us eat and we had a great time chatting with them and the kids had a blast playing together.  Eileen decided to learn how to do wire wrapping, so Saturday afternoon, I took her out to find some inexpensive supplies, and she has been making them almost non-stop - then she had fun making them with the girls who came over for dinner!  I think almost everyone left with a new necklace.  :)  They are beautiful though, so I'm glad she's having fun! 

Sunday we got to go back to church with out a mask on for the first time in well over a year!  It was wonderful!  We also got to have our second hour meetings in person - I had a blast teaching the primary kids!  David was so excited to get to go to primary in person and sit with his teachers!  In the afternoon, we had the Blanchards over for dinner.  They had gotten in late Saturday night (having brought their girls and Anna home from EFY) so we thought they might like to not have to stress about figuring out dinner.  They came over for waffles and bacon and eggs and fruit and stayed for games.  We had a great time, then had a great scripture reading/discussion before getting the kids (followed quickly by Dan) to bed.  Now that I've got all my kids home, I'm ready to start getting into our regularly scheduled summer! 

Homeward Bound

This week has been amazing!  Monday, we had plans to go horseback riding, but we weren't sure we would be able to go since the forecast was for rain all morning.  The weather held and we were able to go ride for our full 2 hour block.  The kids had a BLAST!  James and Evelyn have been asking when they can go again ever since!  Eileen was bouncing around - as excited as she was for the whale watching, and she also loved it!  The riding bothered Anna's knees, so it wasn't her favorite activity and Aaron didn't seem all that excited about it - but the rest of us loved it!  Though most of us over the age of 12 were sore the next day!  The rain held off until just as we were pulling out of the horseback riding place in our car.  

 

Grandpa had planned some activities around the cabin for the kids, and Sandi had some things she wanted to do with the kids, so we were hoping and praying that the weather would allow for all the activities, so when the rain cleared up for a bit in the afternoon, we decided that it was the perfect time for the scavenger hunt!  The kids divided up into teams and went on a hunt for things on a list.  They all had a great time, and had fun getting a bit creative on some of the harder to find things!  Once again, the rain held off until after we were done before pouring all evening.  

Later that evening, most of us were hanging out at the upper cabin when Eileen got a message from Anna that there was a bat in the lower cabin and she wanted help.  So Sandi, Eileen, Aaron and I ran down to see!  Sure enough, there was a little bat flying around the cabin.  Eileen fearlessly caught it while safely keeping it's mouth out of biting range.  It made noises at her for awhile, as we took pictures and oohed and aahed over it, then Eileen released it outside.  

Tuesday morning, we headed over to Breckenridge for the morning.  We stopped at the Continental Divide for a fun (and somewhat muddy) picture on our way.  We had fun checking out the shops and the kids had fun playing on a playground.  We walked up and down main street for a couple hours before heading back.  

We had been hoping for a clear evening to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.  Thankfully, Tuesday evening was just such a beautiful night and Grandpa started a fire and the kids had fun making and eating s'mores!  

And of course, there was time for some exploring the mine and looking for cool rocks! 

One thing that is always connected to the cabin in my mind is cross stitching.  So of course, I brought mine, Sandi brought one to work on and brought a couple small easy kits for her kids.  Evelyn expressed and interest and Sandi had an extra one she could use.  Eileen and Anna haven't really had any interest when I've tried to teach them, but Evelyn really picked it up quickly and had her piece almost finished when her needle broke.  We will have to finish it at home - but it was neat to see her get so excited about it! 

Wednesday morning, we had planned to go down to Fairplay to go through the South Park city old town.  The kids had a blast - especially playing on the old train (which has always been a favorite with my kids)  We had a beautiful morning to see and do everything, then we headed back to the cabin for lunch where we found that it had been hailing - less than 20 minutes away and they had gotten hail while we had a beautiful clear morning!  

We then had a perfect clear afternoon for Grandpa's final activity he planned for the kids - he tasked the kids with finding flowers and identifying them and then did a little quiz for the kids.  They had fun looking for unusual flowers and learning about them and drawing them - Kai turned out to be an amazing little artist and drew the flowers really well!  It reminded me of when Sandi and I were kids and Grandpa would teach us about the flowers around the cabin and we would press the flowers and keep them with handwritten info on the flowers in little scrapbooks.  

Grandpa enlisted the boys help in replenishing the supply of wood for the cabin.  First he taught them how to use a chain saw and cut the dead tree into chunks, then he taught them to use the axe to cut the larger pieces into smaller pieces for burning.  They had a great time and worked hard!  I'm so grateful for a Grandpa who helps teach my sons how to work hard and how to be polite and considerate - he was always reminding Aaron to help me with things!  <3

Thursday, we headed down to Denver to get Sandi and the kids to the airport for their trip to UT and then my mom headed on her way back to Texas, then Grandpa and my kids and I headed back up to the cabin for a few more days!   Our last few days were much less busy - the kids and I have been up there much more often and I was glad to just enjoy the cabin and the hiking and the fun times together.  We did some more trips up to the mine and more time with Grandpa and of course, getting some laundry done.  

On Sunday, we headed to Utah.  There were road issues on the normal way, so we ended up going a longer way, so we got in a little later than I'd hoped, but the drive was otherwise uneventful.  Since it was Sunday, I would only let the kids watch Veggie Tales or Church movies, but we all had a blast singing along to the Veggie Tales!  We got in to Utah in time for a YUMMY dinner with Paul and Candace and fam, followed by getting the two youngest to bed.  Then when it finally got dark an hour later, the fun started.  Paul and Candace have neighbors who go ALL OUT when it come to fireworks on the 4th, so we had fun sitting in the driveway and watching the kids set off fireworks in the cul-de-sac and seeing the amazing stuff set off by their neighbors all around.  David and James slept straight through it, but the rest of the kids had a great time!  

Colorado Here We Come

 Monday morning, we took the kids to a local community pool to swim and play for a couple hours before going to Collin and Bailey's wedding.  The kids had a blast - they loved the water slides and the lazy river area.  And once the diving boards were open, they had fun there too.  

After, we headed up to Collin and Bailey's wedding - they are having a civil wedding now, because Bailey's dad is a mission president in Germany and couldn't come back to the states for the wedding, so they had a beautiful outdoor civil wedding now, then once they can get over to Europe, they will be sealed.   The ceremony was beautiful with sweet words spoken by both fathers.  Then there was a lovely reception that we enjoyed while we could stay.  Then we had to go to get the kids to bed.  

Tuesday, we headed out to Colorado and Dan headed home to Oregon.  We went the right direction - the weather has been beautiful here - cool and a bit rainy sometimes, but not so much as to stop us from enjoying out time there.  While in Oregon this week, they have hit record breaking temperature highs.  We got into Denver just in time to meet up with the family at Stuart and Rebecca's new house.  It's totally different in style to their old house, but still beautiful!  We had a fun time chatting and playing and eating.  

After the dinner party, we headed out and dropped Anna off at Nevaeh's house, then headed to our air bnb.  The house was big with lots of rooms, so we parceled out rooms and crashed.  

Wednesday, I took the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion and we had a great time looking at butterflies and and all the other creatures in there.  The kids were excited to get to hold Rosie the Tarantula again.  

Then we headed out to meet up with Kay and Reggie for dinner and Rosie's diner.  We had a fun time together, it was so great to see them!  

Thursday was a bit crazy.  I took Eileen up to meet up with her friends Mel and Felix, then later, we went to the Whale of a Used Book Sale and grabbed some fun reading stuff.  Finally, we headed to Becca and Jeremiah's house for dinner and hanging out.  It was wonderful.  I just wish I could collect all my favorite people into one wonderful place.  Sandi and the kids got in late on Thursday, so we got everyone settled in and crashed hard!  

Friday, Sandi and I had some planning and preparing to do for our trip up to the cabin.  Then in the evening, Eileen and I met up with Becky for a craft night.  We had a great time watching Emma and crafting together.  Then Eileen and I needed to get up a bit early so we could head down and get checked out of the air bnb by 10.  So we got everyone packed up and then headed up to pick up Anna before heading out towards to cabin.  

We stopped for some fun at Tiny Town on the way.  We rode the train, meandered around the houses and played at the play ground - letting the kids get out and stretch their legs.  We had fun, then we headed out to grab lunch before heading to the cabin for real.  

The cabin has been great, though most of us are still adjusting to the altitude, and I am dealing with allergies, but it's beautiful and cool up here!  The boys have had fun burning stuff with Grandpa and playing with Mark and exploring and playing up here.  Of course everything is better with cousins!  

This afternoon, during a break in the rain, Grandpa organized a scavenger hunt for the kids.  They split up into 3 teams and had fun running around and finding everything on the list - some things were harder than others.  But they all seemed to have a good time!  

On the move!

 It's been an insane week!  We started out with all the craziness of trying to get everything ready for the trip and trying to get all the kids school stuff done before we left.  The kids enjoyed their last couple days of school and we packed up and got stuff ready to go.  

Wednesday morning, we headed out to Idaho.  We found ourselves stuck in traffic outside of town and passed a semi that had been burnt to a crisp that had been the cause of it.  That put us back about an hour, but we still got there in time to see Jessica and her cute little girl and have dinner with them and then do a little birthday cake and ice cream and presents for Anna and David.  

Thursday, we made the drive down into Utah, once again hitting traffic, this time due to an bad accident.  We got in and had dinner with Paul and Candace and family before heading to the air bnb and to bed to get ready for an early morning for the girls!

Friday morning, bright and early, the girls and I headed to Spanish Fork Stadium for rehearsals for the MCO concert.  I realized that I had an old friend in the Soprano section with me - one of the girls from the dorms freshman year at BYU was standing in the row in front of me!  It was fun to see her again, and I'm hoping this can prompt another reunion with those amazing ladies! 

After the morning rehearsal at the stadium, we had another rehearsal at the new Provo High auditorium - it was inside an air conditioned building, so it started out cooler, but it did not end up that way once we had hundreds of people packed into it.  Then a quick dinner break to get dressed and ready for our concert.  We headed back to the stadium for another quick sound check with David Archuleta (I can now say that David Archuleta has said it was an honor to sing with me) then it was performance time.  It was an incredible concert and a wonderful night!  We were all a bit tired by the end - especially Evelyn who was up way past her bed time.  We headed home and crashed!

Since we had the van, Dan was mostly stuck at home with the boys all day.  The air bnb has a trampoline that they had fun on, they played in the sprinklers a bit, and they had some fun watching a movie together because it was miserably hot outside!  (lol - we are already sounding like spoiled Portland residents who whine when it gets over 90!)

Saturday the girls and I mostly slept in a bit to recover from the night before, then in the afternoon, we took the kids to a nickel arcade that Bianca told us about.  The kids mostly had a great time and came home with some fun little prizes.  

Then after dinner, we did scriptures and prayers with the kids, then the girls and I got ready and headed out for our second concert.  Grandma and Grandpa Jones and Uncle Paul and Aunt Candace came to this one!  It was wonderful again!  

Once again, we had a late night, and we had a bit of a scare with picking up Evelyn after, the Youth Chorus kids had to be checked out, but there were so many people there and so much going on, and she and I must have just missed each other a couple times, It wasn't until it started clearing out and I started getting worried that they let me in to go look for her and I was able to find her and take her home - but by that time she was tired and a bit worried.  :(  She did such an amazing job, but two late nights in a row for her was rough.  

Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa Jones came down and had lunch with us and watched church with us.  Then in the afternoon we headed up to Paul and Candace's house.  We had fun playing games, and doing more birthday with David and Anna, then the party started!  Candace's family came over, plus all the Jones family who was in town for the wedding, and we got to meet some of Bailey's family (Collin's fiancée) It was great to meet them and we are all excited about the wedding tomorrow!!  

We had David and Anna's presents shipped to Paul and Candace's house so we could do a little birthday with them with the whole family together since Dan will be back in OR and we will be in CO on their birthdays.  David got a stuffed sloth and he LOVES it - it is now called "Sloth-y" and he has told us multiple times today just how much he loves it!  Anna got a ton of colored shoe laces so she can now have fun mixing and matching and coordinating and having fun with them - she immediately went and changed her laces to match her current outfit and she was practically giddy with excitement and plans for her laces - especially the light up laces.  :)