2014 Family Pictures

Brian did an awesome job with our family pictures this year! It looks like it should be so easy...just to get one shot with everybody looking! Our family picture turned out wonderful, but it's been photo shopped! Head swaps, body swaps, corrections....

On top of that there are outfits to coordinate, a location to pick, time of day that works well for kids and light, settings on the camera, etc, etc, etc. Family Pictures are so much work. The behind the scenes work was hours and hours of this stuff. Brian is a special man to put up with it! ha ha!

Our family changes so fast, we have to update our wall hanging regularly. We don't have a recent one with Isaac so it was time to  update again! This is one reason I haven't paid to have a professional do it! Maybe in the future when the picture can stay up for a few years, I might be more willing to fork out the dough :)

This year, we chose Utah Lake to capture a different style and scene than what we've done in the past. The light was perfect for the photo shoot, but as soon as the sun went down, the mosquitoes came out in force! We got eaten alive! The poor kids had so many bites all over their bodies (and we were wearing bug spray)! I am still wearing pants to hide my bite marks and it's been a week! We ran out of time to capture a beach scene picture with Isaac, so we settled for the froth yard... 

oh well! It'll work :)

First Day of School

I always worry about how the kids do at school and if they are enjoying their teacher, classmates, etc. I hope people are nice to them and vice versa. It's always a great experience to listen to their back to school blessings. We had a special one on one time with each child as we talked about their concerns and Brian gave them a blessing. It was very special. Eli giggled through his and afterwords we asked "What does it feel like?" and he said "A tickle. I could feel it start in my head and go all the way to my heart. " We knew he felt the Spirit. It was neat.

Jackson is starting 2nd grade and Zoey is starting kindergarten! 

They both got into John Hancock charter school this year! We are super excited for them. It was an unexpected change for us, but we welcome it. I think they will really enjoy their experience there, although it'll be a bit of a challenge at first. They are teaching a year ahead of the public school system, so Jackson is learning 3rd grade material and Zoey will be expected to know 1st grade stuff by the end of the year. They are well prepared for it. They are smart kiddos and we have been learning at home all summer long!

They wear uniforms. I think they look nice, but Zoey wishes she could look "cute." Zoey picked a Hello Kitty Backpack, Jackson is using his ninja turtle backpack again, but he's excited about his new lunchbox (he purchased it from "mom store" this summer and has an ice pack to keep his food cold)! 

Eli started Pre-School Musical. He has been looking forward to this day for a long time! He wishes he could go every day! He's very social and enjoys the school experience. 

 I can't believe I have 3 kids in some form of school! Twice a week I only have 2 kids at home until noon. Usually Isaac is sleeping, so it's a nice chance to get some one on one time with Calvin. He hasn't had that experience yet. It's nice for the both of us!

Hidden Gem

Utah Lake has a bad rep for being dirty and stinky....and it can be. BUT most of the time it's really rather nice. We recently found a nice beach that has always been there in our own backyard by the Lindon boat harbor.... and it's very underused! We have had fun swimming there a couple of times this summer. Grandma Gray joined us on this trip! I usually get the are-you-kidding-me? "look" when I invite others to join us...

 

 It's perfect for several reasons: it's free, it's shallow, it's warm, it's close, and it's not crowded with people! For us...the lake has beat the pool this summer on favorite places to swim.  But shhh! Don't tell anyone our secret! It's very kid friendly and we love it!

Summer Fun

On top of our usual daily routine of morning chores, devotionals, school work, journal writing, and quiet time, we tried to have a little fun each day. Something to look forward to and let the summer boredoms pass. I have to say, we had a pretty kick-butt summer! Jackson said "Let's stop having fun everyday. Let's just do something fun once or twice  a week so Summer will slow down and last longer!" I wish it worked that way! It went way too fast. 

Mondays :
Mom store Monday: the kids could buy cheap trinkets, toys, school clothes, etc. with the tickets they earned from doing chores throughout the week.
Make something Monday: We also tried to incorporate a craft. We made masks, colored salt-art jars, pet rocks, jelly fish, pine cone bird feeders, airplanes, spiders, snakes, owls...all kinds of stuff!

 Tuesdays:
Take a trip Tuesdays: We went on outings to swim lessons, the park, feeding the fish up the canyon, picnics, feeding the ducks, kids summer clubs with friends, the movie theater to watch "How to train Your Dragon2", and Grandma's house to visit Bruno. Grandma helped on special outings when I needed extra hands and was a great help plus fun  to be with!

Wednesdays:

Wet and Wild Wednesdays: We played in the sprinklers, had water gun fights, slip-n-slide parties, visited splash pads, Lindon pool on free swim day, and Utah Lake, and sometimes we just played in the water whenever we felt like it...like boating in Boise and other times for fun. 

Thursdays:
Thinking Thursdays: We had fun with science projects like creating "snot", volcanoes, play dough, silly puddy, and Coke and Mentos explosions. We also learned about whatever the kids had questions about like how to make gum, how to build a boat, who is Helen Keller, Why does the Earth look flat when it's really round, is Pluto a planet....they had tons of questions and we found the answers! It was fun to light the fire of their curiosity.

Fridays:
Fabulous Fun Fridays! This was always looked forward to! We did special things like PJ parties with a rented movie, friends over for a pizza party, neighborhood kickball, went out to lunch for happy meals, checked out free local events. Lots of fun stuff. It was a great summer!

Lindon Days

We went to the Lindon pool for free swim day! It was crazy busy and we had to wait for some to leave before we were admitted because the pool and reached its maximum capacity! We made it in time to see the duck race. Jackson was so kind to make sure Calvin didn't fall in the lazy river. They participated in a dime dive, but each got trampled and got a little scared. They were all on the younger side of the age groups, and the masses of people made it kinda scary for them! but the free swim after, and just playing the the pool was a fun. 

  We went the the kids fair. Seeing life flight land was a highlight for the boys. They got to make a home-depot craft (Jackson made a wood plane, Eli made a tool box, Calvin made a boat, and Zoey made a heart box). They each made a tie-die shirt, got their faces painted, loaded up with trinkets and prizes from various tents, enjoyed a shaved ice, and got a close look at the fire truck and helicopter. It was a HOT but fun outing with the kids.

Isaac is 8 months today!

It always takes me by surprise the first time I walk into the baby's room and find them standing looking back at me! It happened again just yesterday with Isaac! He's 8 months old today. He is crawling, starting to pull up on furniture, and learning how to feed himself with real food like cheerios, fruit, and bread. He loves food! He doesn't have teeth yet, but I think they're coming soon. He is also enjoying his voice and makes baby sounds so loudly! I think he will either be like Calvin who just has a loud voice, or he's trying to be heard over all the other noise! He can throw a pretty good fit if he wants to! I love him dearly!

Little Red Hen

I have to hand it to Brian for being the one who takes charge of the garden. Even more so for tagging the kids alongside! He teaches them to plow straight rows....

He shows them how to plants seeds. This year we are growing several varieties of tomatoes, corn, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, jalapenos, onions, beets, chard, butternut squash green beans and pumpkins).  Jackson planted all our corn and was very proud of himself! The  kids always love to watch pumpkins grow.

He teaches them about watering, weeding, and where to step carefully in the garden... 

And he always shares the benefits of his sowing! He and the kids have spent countless hours in the garden making it look beautiful, but mostly it's Brian's efforts! We have enjoyed many meals of fresh organic, home-grown produce. My favorite time of year! I love making a meal with veggies that have only been off the vine a few minutes!

Jackson, Zoey and Eli get to use the excess and earn money, selling them to neighbors. Jackson is the most ambitious about this venture and will go take the wheelbarrow around the neighborhood and knock doors! When the other kids are hot and tired and ready to quit, he just keep on going! He loves the sound of change jingling in his jar :)

Their favorite thing to do is hold the annual garden and bake sale. They earn lots of money from generous neighbors, family and friends. Jackson helped make no bake cookies, Zoey helped with the lemon bars, Eli helped with brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I made Zucchini bread. Jackson painted the sign and picked and washed all the vegetables. I let them deal with the costumers all on their own and handle the money all by themselves! It's a good lesson on dealing with adults and also teaches them how to manage money. They get to buy a toy after putting a percentage away for tithing and savings. They were pretty excited about their profits and days work! They each made about $15.