Hello!
The last two weeks of summer completely slipped through my fingers. Geez! And now the kids already have one week of school under their belt. We packed the last of summer full of fun, here's the highlights...
*Lagoon Days: The kids and I were able to do Lagoon twice during the last two weeks of the summer. One time, we took Marshall's friend, Johnny, with us. Those two just ventured out on their own and only texted me to ask where I was when they wanted food and water. We discovered that Johnny loves spinning rides, so he opened Marshall's world to several new rides he had never done. And, thanks to Dramamine, Marshall loved them all and never got sick! They did Rock-O-Planes, Centennial Screamer, Samurai, and Air Race. That same day, our wonderful friends, the Atkinsons, also met up with us. They could only stay for two hours, but we made the most of it. Bridget and Avery had a ball doing every ride together their heart desired. Charlie and Gretchen were the absolute cutest together and were able to do several rides with each other. After we said good-bye to the Atkinsons, we headed right to Rattlesnake Rapids to cool off. Always a highlight. By the time we were off of that, it was after 3:00 pm and all of us were beat, so we called it a day. We made one more trip to Lagoon last week. This time we took Cambria with us. Bridget was super brave and rode Wicked! She had been toying with this for just a few days, and early on that day she went on it with Marshall and me. She LOVED it and within an hour had talked Cambria into trying it too. Cambria was scared to death, but we finally got her on there. She rode in between Bridget and me, and also loved it! Yay! I also did two new rides that day with Marshall: Rock-O-Planes and Samurai. My word, Samurai is nuts. I closed my eyes 90% of the time and just tried to tell myself that I was peacefully flying through the air. Sometimes it felt like that, but other times I literally felt like I was a rag doll being flung back and forth and I could tell the only thing keeping me from falling to my death was one restraint! It was at those times I was yelling Marshall's name! It was crazy! By about 2:30, everyone but Bridget and Cambria were hot, exhausted, and slightly motion sick-it had been quite the day! Thankfully, Lagoon is still open on the weekends through October, so we will keep having fun there.
*Braces for Marshall! Marshall got braces on his top teeth on Wednesday, August 10th. He has been such a good sport about it. It took me about two days to be able to look at him without chuckling each time. The braces make him look older, as well as just a quintessential teenager-I love it. He took Tylenol a couple of times a day for about the first four or five days, and he used the wax a couple of times. But he has adjusted well. In a few months he will get the bottom braces on, and all in all, it will be about 18 months-lucky him. :)
*Fun weekend: All the way back on August 11-14 Richard finally had four days off where we had nothing going on, so we planned some fun things to do. :) On that first day, Richard and I declared it a friend day for all of the kids, and they took full advantage. Marshall played up at Cooper's for six hours, came home for a bit, and then Johnny came over five hours-it was SO good for Marshall. Bridget and Cambria spent about seven hours at Lagoon. And Rachel and Gretchen invited Sara and Kenzie over. It was a fun day for all, and a rather relaxing day for Richard and me! Win! The next morning, Rachel had a primary activity, which was swimming at the Cutler's pool. She had been looking forward to this activity for weeks and was thrilled the day had finally come! Once she got home, we had a quick lunch, loaded the van, dropped Ziggy off at doggy day care, and set out for a little weekend excursion. Our first stop was the outlets in Lehi. We were hoping to pound out all our back to school shopping, but in the end, we only got some of it done, but still progress. :) After that, we had a much more successful shopping trip at the BYU Bookstore. :) New BYU clothes for all! After shopping, we went to a little Italian restaurant in Provo and the kids were good eaters. Win again! We did take the leftovers with us, and later that night at the hotel the kids finished eating all the food. This never happens, and is nothing short of a small miracle in this family! We stayed at a hotel in Orem for the night and had a ball. As soon as we checked in, the kids were in swim suits and ready to swim. We didn't last super long in the pool, but still a good 45 minutes. After quick showers, we grabbed Culver's custard for dessert. The little girls ate custard and watched Studio C while the rest of us ate custard and played Play 9. Everyone went to bed well that night, despite the extremely thin hide-a-bed mattress Rachel and Gretchen were sleeping on-bless them. We all slept in that morning, but eventually packed up and got going, we were all wearing our new BYU apparel. :) We went to Waffle Love for breakfast, which is always a hit, and then we made our way to BYU. Richard's dreams are slowly coming true and we have now donated enough money to the Cougar Club that we are moving our way up, though if you ask me, there are still not enough perks for the amount of money we have put in! Ha! But, that Saturday was one of those perks. We had been invited to a football scrimmage at the stadium and lunch was also provided, mind you, we still had to pay $10 a person! Anyway, when we got the invite a couple of weeks ago, we thought this would be a great opportunity to take all of us and have a relatively inexpensive trial run to see if we are at the point where our whole family could go to a football game. The result...not quite yet! Ha! But it was still a lot of fun. We got there about 30 minutes early and snagged some seats on the third row on the 40 yard line. We were able to watch the team warm up, and that was honestly really cool. We were so close, and they are big! By the time the scrimmage actually started, Rachel had had it. She was hot (it was in the high 70s, low 80s) and she just resorted to whining and laying all over me, which I tried to tell her was only making her more hot. :) Gretchen, surprisingly, created her own fun playing with leaves she was finding on the ground, she could have been occupied for hours I think! So, the answer to our trial run, not ready quite yet to take on a whole football game. :) The Cougar Club did provide lunch from J Dawgs, and most of us enjoyed that. :) After the scrimmage was over, we made our way home and had a couple hours of downtime in the afternoon. That night, Richard and I went out to dinner with the lovely Katie and Ricky. We ate at Caffe Molise, always delicious and loved catching up with them. I don't think we had been out with them as a couple since December and there was much to catch up on. The kids enjoyed a low-key evening at home. Our Sunday was spent with church and church meetings for Richard, but then the rest of the day was just relaxing and wonderful. It was a good, good weekend.
*Marshall and planes: I am not sure if I have written about Marshall's intense love of planes. This started in May of this year and since then he has become obsessed. He has an app on his phone that helps him track planes and it has become his favorite thing to do. During the summer Richard and I, individually, take each of our kids out on a date. The week before school started, I took Marshall on his. We ate dinner at Cubby's and then drove up to Tunnel Springs Park at the top of North Salt Lake with the intention to have a good view of the airport and watch planes coming and going while tracking them with the app. We realized on the way up that we forgot Marshall's binoculars, but we continued on, knowing we would still have a good time. Our plan was to find a bench or table at the edge of the park to sit and watch, but once we got there, we realized that the sand quarry sticks out too far, so it completely blocked our view of the airport if we stayed at the park. So, we hiked! The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is right there and just south of the manicured park, is just wildland up on the mountainside. We followed trails and came up against barbed wire fences, but despite all the turning around and problem solving we had to do, Marshall never got discouraged. Finally, after about 30 minutes of walking, we got to the perfect outlook. We were literally on top of the sand quarry, only feet from where there were warning signs of mines and more barbed wire, but nothing was obstructing our view! Marshall was seriously thrilled. We had been on a path, and as soon as we saw that this place was open to us, he took off running exclaiming, "This is perfect!" His excitement was palpable. As I was walking out to where he was, in sandals, I was just terrified of encountering a rattlesnake! Marshall later admitted he was worried about finding a tarantula! Thankfully, we encountered nothing like that and just had the best time looking at planes. He and I sat on two rocks and watched planes and talked for over an hour. He was just in heaven and so, so happy. It was a true treasure to get to experience that with him. When we finally left our outlook, and were walking back to the trail, he said, "That was so great. I am just so relaxed and so happy." Bless his little soul. I was so happy for him! We actually went up there as a family just a few days later, and this time we remembered the binoculars! The younger girls just played at the park the whole time with Richard, but Bridget and I went out with Marshall. It was really cool with the binoculars. When planes landed you could see smoke coming out of them! A wonderful little adventure.
*Rachel's birthday outing: Rachel got a real treat for her birthday outing this year with my parents. They picked her up, along with Jaxon, on a Wednesday afternoon and went straight to the Hale Theatre to see Singing in the Rain. After the play, they did dinner at Olive Garden and then went back to my parents' house for games and a sleepover. After breakfast and playtime the next morning, my mom brought her home. Talk about a birthday outing! Rachel loved seeing the musical live and was so impressed that they were able to make it rain on stage! The week after the birthday outing we were baby-sitting Danny's boys and Jaxon and Rachel walked around singing, "Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously..." It was completely delightful to listen to those two.
*County goat showing: We are back into goat shows again. If it weren't for shaving those darn animals this would be very loved by me, but the hours it takes to shave them and then being covered in goat hair ranks very, very low on my list of things I love to do. :) Fortunately, for Bridget, she loves it all! The county show was on Thursday, August 18th, up in Ogden. Last year, this was her very first show and I was a stress ball, and it also poured rain the entire time, making it even more eventful. This year was very different, and in such a positive way. I woke up at 5:15 that morning, got Bridget up at 5:45 and we were out the door at 6:15, picked up Cambria and drove up to Ogden. It was a beautiful day and we caught the most beautiful sunrise coming up over the mountains in Ogden. I knew exactly where to go when we got to the fairgrounds and we even beat the goats! Once the goats arrived, it was time to bathe all of them and that is always an undertaking. Once all the goats were clean, the girls all changed into their show clothes. Once again, Bridget was able to wear her prized belt buckle, she just loves it. :) My mom was so helpful and wonderful that morning. She was able to pick up the rest of my kids and come up to Ogden so they could all watch. They got there just as we were bringing the goats into the arena. Bridget was so happy that they were all able to come. The weekend of the state fair is so nuts for us that I don't think we can get any of our other kids there, so this was a real win to have them all there. Showmanship was the first event and Bridget was in the last group, so we were able to watch three groups before her. When it was finally Bridget's turn she walked so confidently into the ring and Luv Bug did just great. She made a mistake on one body part, but it was a bit of a confusing question, and now she knows! Sometimes during showmanship, the judge will ask the participants to switch goats to see how they handle a goat they are not familiar with. Bridget got stuck with a goat who only wanted to eat her! It was crazy, I even got some of it on video. :) She stayed so composed the entire time and did her absolute best to keep that goat in line! In the end, she placed 3rd in showmanship, but she did win a camp chair, and she is honestly obsessed with it. :) The next round of judging is all focused on the goats. Luv Bug is a small goat and never places well, so Bridget was not at all surprised by that. But, she also got to show a doe born earlier this year. This was the same doe Bridget showed in Logan, named Lottie, and she was a pain. Bridget was actually supposed to show Ellie this time around and had spent a good amount of time working with her. Ellie had proven to be such a mild mannered and good goat, but the day before the show we got word that poor Ellie was constipated! I am sure we can all relate to how this goat was feeling! So, Bridget got stuck with Lottie again, which she was not thrilled about. However, Lottie was much, much better behaved and placed second in her division and then took fifth in the grand champion round! Bridget got a big ribbon for that second place finish and was so proud of Lottie. Now we will just cross our fingers that as Lottie and Ellie grow up they keep their fine goat stature and they could be bringing in many ribbons. :) The show ended just before 1:00 and we were home by 2:00. Bridget came home so happy, and we are so proud of her hard work once again!
*Last summer weekend: We sent summer out in a wonderful way last weekend. Rachel and I kicked it off bright and early last Saturday morning with a dance meeting at 8:00 am. :) It was actually very helpful as they laid out the next 11 months for us. When we got home, the girls and I got ready for my Mom's third annual tea party. My girls LOVE this event, and so do I! We got all fancied up, donned our fascinators, and headed out! As we were turning out of our cul-de-sac, we had two windows rolled down and we passed some neighborhood boys who had a clear view of our fancy hair and flowery fascinators and we heard them exclaim, "Where are they going?!" My girls got the biggest kick out of it! The tea party was a smashing success. My Mom is the most excellent hostess, and Jeeves (my Dad) once again, proved to be the BEST butler! My sister-in-laws really get the credit for leveling up the tea party because they walk in in full-English character-it is really quite amazing! Accents and phrases and it is completely delightful. We started off the tea party by tying two fleece blankets for an organization who will send them to Ukraine. It was quick and easy and simple enough that Gretchen, Emily, and Eliza were all able to help too. It was perfect. After that was done, we moved upstairs for our lunch and tea and it was delightful and delicious. When we were done eating, all the girls went off to play, and that gave us adults hours to talk. It was the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We finally pulled ourselves away at 3:30, after being there for over four hours. While we were gone, Richard and Marshall went to the temple to do baptisms. I had a goal to get Marshall to the temple each month this summer, and we succeeded, plus he got a bonus temple trip in Vernal with the young men. I am so glad we were able to make that happen. Once we were all home, Richard's Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom came by for a visit and for Uncle Tom to give us some architecture and design knowledge. It was really great catching up with them. When they left, we piled in the car, ate dinner at Apollo Burger, and then drove up to Tunnel Springs Park for more plane watching, which I already wrote about. Sunday was a very relaxing day, which is exactly what we needed the day before school started. Richard didn't have any meetings after church, which the kids are always so happy about. After lunch, Richard gave everyone blessings, including me. It was wonderful. After that I had each of the kids come snuggle me in bed for a few minutes. I have done this twice before on Mother's Days, and I love it, and they love it too. We just snuggle and talk and a couple of days before I had the idea to do it on Sunday. It was good for my soul, and for each of them. We had a relaxing evening and FHE and then Bob and Becky came while we were eating scones for Marshall's treat so they got to join in. We got the kids to bed early and they all went to bed well, which honestly completely shocked me. Richard and I loved visiting more with his parents and it was just a great Sunday.
This email is so incredibly long, so I am just going to give a quick recap on the first week of school...
Marshall: not overly thrilled about going back to school, but he has done well. He is loving his U.S. History class and teacher. He was terrified about his Honors English teacher, but after I met her at Back to School NIght I told him he would love this class. So much reading, some writing, and only five minutes of grammar a day! She is quirky and has purple hair, but I knew she would be so engaging, and I was absolutely right. He has loved that class so far. His math class is 8th and 9th graders and things are going well in there. He has first lunch both days, and is navigating that. He suffered through 35 minutes of the school dance on Friday afternoon before texting saying he was ready to come home. He made it 35 minutes longer than he did last year!
Bridget: loving the school life. Her class is a 5th/6th grade split, meaning half 5th graders and half 6th graders. She and I both had reservations going into this, but so far, she is really enjoying it. She had some student council responsibilities last week and has more this week and she is loving that. After a three week hiatus of working on the farm, she and Cambria worked Thursday night and they were so happy to be there it was like pulling teeth to get them to stay focused and actually finish the chores. It was a long night for me, but they were in heaven.
Rachel: also loving the school life. She loves her teacher and has a lot of friends in her class. She is busy after school, but with one week down, she is handling it well.
Gretchen: got one more week at home with me and kindergarten officially starts tomorrow. She is SO excited, and I have absolutely no idea how I am going to feel tomorrow. Her excitement, so far, I feel is tempering my sad feelings. Gretchen also started Let's Play Music last Monday, the same three year music program Rachel just finished. I had a ball going with her and she LOVED it. She has been listening to those songs daily since then. I am so excited to send her through this program. Tomorrow she goes by herself! Funny Gretchen story from a couple of weeks ago...I was having my near daily conversation with Gretchen about keeping her small and she looked at me matter of factly and said, "You have to talk to God about that." I was a bit taken aback, so I asked for clarification and she said, "You have to talk to God about me staying small. I prayed to God if you could stay alive forever and Jesus told me yes." The sweetest. Bless her.
Richard and I are alive. Richard is loving the earlier school year bedtimes for the kids. Ironically though, his work shift this weekend is 8:00 pm-3:00 am. :) He is not loving that. But, something he is loving, is a couple of weeks ago he read an image on his first BYU athlete. Ha! His group covers an outpatient imaging center in Orem and this athlete went there for an MRI. Richard was on Cloud 9!
I am hoping to settle into a routine here in the next couple of weeks. I might have some peaceful and quieter school days, but my afternoons are proving to be bananas, even with carpools. Last Tuesday I was in the car from 4:15 until 6:15 straight...STRAIGHT. Just driving back and forth from kids activities in Farmington and Centerville.
This was too much to catch up on, and took me days! Better luck next week, but maybe not, because we are headed into birthday week! Ah! Gretchen on the 1st, Richard on the 4th and Marshall on the 5th. Send me energy.
Love each of you.
Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)
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