Welcome to our World

Back away slowly: we now have a student in every grade of middle school!  Lol. It’s time for Kate to rule the school as an 8th grader. This (hopefully) will bring opportunities she has been waiting for such as playing on the middle school volleyball team.  Only 8th graders are allowed to play against other schools in games so Kate wanted to wait until 8th to feel like it was worth the time commitment. I hope they are able to have a volleyball season and that she will make many great memories.  Danny was excited to see friends again but was sad to say goodbye to summertime. The day before 7th grade he finished memorizing all 50 states!  All three of my middle schoolers took me up on the offer that if they did so I would pay them $50. I also said they could earn another $50 by memorizing all 50 capitols but no one took me up on that. Maybe next summer? Our newest middle schooler was so excited she was awake at 6:30am and just waiting to be let out the door for 6th grad...

When we decided to go to the Colorado Renaissance Festival I was expecting white canopy tents and a few hundred people but we showed up to one of the biggest Renaissance Festivals around with so much to see and do we only got around to about half of it!  We saw Dragonfore, Cydeshow Cy, Craic (our favorite) and Celtic Legacy.  We saw jousting and a little of the Living Fountain and The Reelin’ Rogues.  We ate meat on sticks for lunch and snacked on delicious kettle corn and the girls even got ice cream sandwiches. Note: Kate and Danny were both invited but Kate opted to go to P’s house and my mom and dad took care of Danny so he could go to baseball tryouts (more on that later).  I think Danny would have loved it and we’ve got him convinced he needs to come with us next year.  I could just see him throwing knives and practicing his archery skills and looking at all the neat shops along with watching the shows like we did. Pretty sure we won’t be able to get him t...

 I have never in my life seen such wonderful pictures of a boys trip.  These leaders definitely went above and beyond the call of duty for these 10 boys.  I am so grateful to them for sharing their time and talents so that my son can have a wonderful time with other children his same age and gender and religion.  I think this week will not only have an impact on these Deacons for now but will impact them for a long time. Here are some of my favorite pictures.  These boys got to sleep in tents but eat cafeteria food.  They got to hike, play pickle ball, pool, air hockey, fuse ball, chess and Apples to Apples.  They got to go tubing, rock wall climbing, mini golfing, and walk on stilts.  Even with zip lining getting rained out they got to have s'mores, tie dye shirts, use stilts, and do archery.  They whittled with pocket knives, played basketball, provide service  and had scripture study.  I am so glad my son got to go along and have...

One thing the pandemic taught me was the value in not being over scheduled.  I made sure there were weeks when we had nothing much to do. We have enjoyed swimming and water fights, baking, puzzles, games, the Olympics, and of course, hanging out with friends. Kate has had so many friends spend the night here and she has spent the night at so many friend's houses I would be hard pressed to supply all their names, let alone the details!  She has also enjoyed shopping and getting her nails done with her friends most recently.  No photographic evidence since I'm still not supposed to take pictures.  Speaking of no photos, Michelle set up and hosted a book club for A Wrinkle in Time . After they talked about the book it was so fun to see six girls ready for middle school watching a movie together in our new theater chairs.  Afterwards, when it was time for the parents to come pick them up, the girls were literally tied up in knots because they were playing the game T...

  After watching a Rix Road Trips video where they went ATVing I told Hubby we HAD to go the next time we were in Florida so he found a way for us to go try in the mountains near home.  My mom babysat and Hubby took the day off work so we could have an adventure for our 18th anniversary.   I was so nervous that I was more than happy to go right behind our guide and then Hubby followed me.  Behind him was a college age woman and then a father and son duo from Massachusettes.  It was actually easier than I thought it would be and soon I was feeling grateful for childhood horseback riding lessons because I automatically moved the way I needed to, such as leaning while going uphill.  The best part was what they called a "playground."  It was kind of like an obstacle course the guide took you through and was crazy exhilarating and an absolute blast.  That's when wearing clothes that we didn't care about came in handy.  The...

Our annual summer Activity Days for Girls movie watching party turned into a drive in movie to watch The Little Rascals this year.  That's what happens when you buy new basement furniture and take out the old sofa and ottomans before the new items arrive.   It turned out great.  I loved Michelle's school bus and Natalie's vintage convertible they made beforehand so we could see what was most effective and then my girls helped the other girls make their cars at the party. Three hours can fly by when you're having fun! Another day we had a wonderful time at the ward Primary picnic playing at the park, eating popsicles, and chatting. Danny, Michelle, Natalie and I had a great time at our favorite outdoor pool with C. family and H. family from our ward and even a baseball friend, Aiden, who happened to arrive at the same time we did.  (Kate was busy with volleyball day camp at CU.)  It was great to see Natalie have a great time in the water and feel more confident ...

Happy birthday to the wildly talented and brilliant K!  She had very simple requests this year.  Seen here is the shirt Hubby bought her because I refused (lol) and one of the French pastries we purchased at a bakery together instead of birthday cake for when my parents came over to celebrate.  The next day E, A, A, & I came over to wish Kate a happy birthday and ate (freshly fetched from across town) Dunkin' Donuts instead of birthday cake.  Is birthday cake no longer teenager approved?  Not pictured: the Air Pods she knew she was getting but we wouldn't admit to until she opened them.  I wish you the best 365 days yet, K!  May 14 years old be everything you want it to be. Most of the fun my oldest has had this summer there is no photographic evidence for but once in a while I get lucky to have someone else take a picture or at least suggest it. The first one is so precious to me. We had a wonderful time meeting this young man and his mom by eatin...