Hello Again! July 24, 2016

Our new computer has been working great.  Our days have been busy and hard and wonderful and exhausting.  Before I knew it, almost 5 months had passed by without a single blog post. I've been trying to work up the motivation to get out from under the back log of pictures and posts that need to be remembered and recorded.  I just couldn't find it. Then I was asked to teach a lesson on family history last Sunday and I was hit with the overwhelming feeling that I need to get this life record going again. So I will write what we've done this past week and then try to fill in the holes from March until now.

 The girls got some cute exercise clothes as part of their school shopping with Puna.  They have been waiting for an opportunity to wear them.  Apparently a quiet Monday morning was just the right occasion. Every day this summer the kids have a checklist they need to complete before they can play with friends.  If they want to have screen time, there is another list of tasks to finish.  Some days they love doing their checklists, other days, we struggle.  One task is to exercise for at least 20 minutes.  The girls decided to hold a dance party in my bedroom to count toward their exercise time.

 As you can see.....we take our dance parties very seriously.  The boys even got in on the fun once they heard all the giggles coming from my room.

 It was just what we needed to start our week of on the right foot.  And they ended up dancing for almost an hour. I wish I had taken video too.  It was a great way to start the day.

 Monday afternoon the kids had their dental appointments.  This was Tommy's first time in the chair.  he was very nervous.  Mommy had to lay in the chair with him for a couple of minutes - until he realized there was a television on the ceiling.  He warmed up to the hygienist pretty fast and we were able to do a cleaning.  He really struggles with new situations. We were all so proud of him for relaxing and being brave. Great job Tommy.  And a big HOORAY for three cavity free kids!

 For Family Home Evening we went to Rexburg Rapids with our neighbors. It was a little stressful trying to keep four kids safe in the water. None of them wanted to be in the same place at the same time so we felt pulled in all directions. Next time everybody will wear a life jacket and we will have to go with more adult help.

 Whew! What a Monday.  Add in a home appraisal inspection on top of everything - which meant keeping the house as clean as possible - and I was one tired Mommy on Tuesday.  We had a low key day at home until the power went out. Around 4 in the afternoon, while trying to get laundry done and figure out dinner, we lost power. It was out for only three hours but it felt like half the day since so much family life happens between 4 and 7 p.m.  Due to the heat, we opted for a dinner of cold cereal and fruit.  It seemed easier and cooler than grilling something.  Then we had a family berry picking challenge. The winner received $1.00 for picking the most berries. It was a close one but Lily was the champion. We were so happy to come inside after berry picking and have electricity again.

Lily found a fun idea online to make colored ice and try to build an ice palace.  We colored some water blue and filled up as many containers as we could find.  We had trouble building a castle because the ice blocks weren't straight and they were really slick.  The girls had fun anyway.

 While the girls worked on their castle, Tommy and his buddy Kamden had a pool party.  Joey wisely stayed out of the water.  The big boys were too splashy.

 Jeremy had the day off on Friday so we beat the heat by going to Rigby Lake.  It was such a great day.  The boys mostly stayed on shore and played in the sand.

 I love Joey's kissy face and sandy body.  He liked chewing on the sand shovels more than anything else that day.

 The girls were fearless in the water.  The water was cold but refreshing.  We would swim for a few minutes, come back to shore and warm up, and jump in again.

 Lily and her friend Claire tried to give Annie a sandy mermaid tail and seashell bra. They spent a long time on it.  Annie was the only one brave enough to swim out to the floating dock and go down the slide.  Mommy went out with her to catch her at the bottom.  

After a few hours of sun, swimming, and snacking we were tired and ready to go home. We are so luck to have such a lovely place right in our little town.

 Friday night we had a lazy man's campout.  We had a campfire with our next door neighbors. Annie wanted s'mores with cold, untoasted marshmallows, Tommy wanted s'mores without marshmallows or graham crackers, Joey wanted s'mores without chocolate or marshmallows, and Lily didn't want s'mores at all...but then she changed her mind at the last moment. Crazy kids!  It was a beautiful night.  Tommy loved playing with his bud Kamden. They had a silly face contest. We all ate way too much sugar and had a wonderful time.

 After our campfire, we set up camp in our backyard and slept in the tent.  Even Tommy was excited to be in the tent.  It was past 10 p.m. before we were all asleep but the cool outside air felt great.  And it is so nice to have a bathroom just steps away.

Our stake holds a Pioneer Day activity every year.  There is a 5k run, a 1k run/walk for kids, a Primary parade, a pancake breakfast, and a generational relay.  It is a big event.  In the past Jeremy has always been assigned to cook part of the breakfast, but this year, he got to stay with the family and just enjoy.

 We turned our stroller into a covered wagon for the parade.  A little packaging wrap and contact paper did the trick.

 Joey liked being in the wagon for about 5 minutes.  That's ok.  It still looked cute in the parade.

 Lily and Annie got to be the sign holders for the parade. I think next year we will give the job to someone else.  The girls spent the entire parade bickering and bossing each other around.

 Joey says, "Roll along, roll along, covered wagons! Take us safely to our new home."

 These were the only kids from our ward to show up for the parade.  We have one of the largest primaries in the stake, but for some reason, only 7 kids were able to come this year.  Other than the girls' constant nagging on each other about the sign, the parade was a success.

We are so thankful for the pioneers who sacrificed so much to travel to Utah and build Zion.  Then leave everything behind again and bravely take assignments to settle parts of Idaho.

What a busy summer week.  Hopefully we'll have more of our adventures and shenanigans up soon!