Justin had a little minor surgery on his head today. He has had a bump growing and growing for several years now. We had it cut off about 4 years ago and then again 2 years ago and again today. If they don't cut it all out, then it will grow back again. The problem is that everything looks like fat so, you can't tell the growth from the not-growth. If you are already getting squeemish, then here is your warning: don't read any further!

The kids all wanted to watch the dr. cut it out so when we had waited 45 minutes for the dr. to come in, I went out to the waiting room and got them. They all crowded around, across the table from the dr. and watched as he numbed up Justin's skin and then cut into the scalp. Kale was really the only one who watched from beginning to end. The rest of them would wander away for a second and then come back. It was kind of fun to watch him cut and pull at that thing that has plagued Justin's hairline for so long. The dr. thought it was a wart of some sort (no, the dr. wasn't Dr. Suess). Of course they'll send it off to be sure. The best part of all was the cut artery that squirted blood with every beat of Justin's heart. The dr. lifted the gauze long enough for all the kids to see a couple of good pulses and then he clamped it down and tied it up into the stitches. There were 4 stitches. Lots of fun!

After that, we went over to Justin's mom's house where we met her new husband. If you hadn't heard, she got married 3 weeks ago. None of us have ever met him so this was our chance. The kids were excited. So, we went for dinner. He seemed nice enough and we had a good time getting to know him a little bit. We are having lunch together tomorrow and then they are coming to our family New Year's Eve party on Thursday. After that, we won't see them again until March, maybe.

I had to put out a thank you again to whomever returned our original "Penguins Wanted" sign from the first of the month. It blew away a couple of days after we put it out. We went looking for it but never found it. It showed up on our doorstep today! Someone is really helping us have fun with our penguins. Who are you?

This video is for my brother and sister-in-law. I wanted them to be able to see the present they got for the boys. They love their cars! Really cool! Our walls aren't smooth enough to drive the cars but our counter cabinets are and the bedroom doors as well as the front bay window. Kale is driving so it's not a very smooth ride. But, they are plenty of fun. Thanks Brian and Meranda!

Newest arrivals

Look who showed up on our doorstep last night:












They are the cutest little penguin family we've ever seen! Much cuter than anything we would have made! It's a family of Mom, Dad, two boys, and two girls. The sign that they have posted reads, "Will werk fur fish". Too cute! We were so surprised and thrilled to see the newest arrivals to our community. We sure wish they could tell us where they came from!

Penguins Wanted

We decided this year to populate our front yard with penguins. We were hoping that some of our friends and neighbors would add to the collection, but so far, we've made them all. They have been fun and some of our friends drive by just to see the penguins. We took some to Kale's classroom this week and the kids liked them. They are made from plastic bottles with a styrofoam head.

We spent our Thanksgiving in Reno. We had a really great week with family.

On Friday, we went ice skating in Tri-Cities for a school outing. Hadley fell while ice skating and cut her chin open. We had to go for stitches. It took four of them to close it up. She was pretty upset about all of it but she got a new outfit and a lot of attention out of the whole deal. That made her feel better.

Today was Seila's birthday. Last night Justin and I checked her birth certificate to verify that our memories served us right. She was born at 3:26 am. So, Justin set his alarm for 3:25 am. When the alarm went off, he went downstairs and woke her up to tell her she was just born 14 years ago. It was kind of fun, not something we've ever done before, but Justin thought he might just do it every year for the rest of her life.

I can't believe she's already 14!

New You Tube Video

I just had to share the new You Tube video "In the Spirit of Thanksgiving". I thought it was perfect for this week. I also got around to changing my background to something more appropriate.

I wanted to share the lyrics to a song that the Young Women sang today in church. It was a beautiful song with a beautiful message. It's just what I have wanted Seila to learn all these years. I'm grateful for the Young Women's program and all that it teaches. It is a program truly inspired of Jesus Christ.

"To Become Like Him" by Jenny Phillips and Tyler Castleton

You look around you and you wonder if you'll ever measure up
In this world it seems you may never be enough
Don't let anyone convince you that it's true
So much beauty lives inside of you
And you are enough
Just look up

Chorus:
Remember you are greatest when you walk with God
When His light is in your eyes.
You are truly strong.
You don't have to prove your beauty
In the eyes of men
You are divine within
You were sent here to become like Him.

When you're uncertain of the place you hold and who you are inside
He will share with you your part in His design
Seek for His meekness Seek to emulate His life
And you will feel Him always by your side
You have his love
Just look up.

Holiness, love, good works, mercy
to be like Him
charity, hope, truth and wisdom
To be like Him

Chorus:
Remember you are greatest when you walk with God
When His light is in your eyes.
You are truly strong.
You don't have to prove your beauty
In the eyes of menYou are divine within
You were sent here to become like Him.

On Wednesday I took Hadley with me to the store. She asked me what the blue rectangle signs were in the parking lot. I explained to her what the handicap parking sign meant. Then she said, "Mom, I wish you were handicap so we could park close to the door."

I'm still laughing now, 2 days later, as I type. I told her I didn't mind walking the extra distance because I'm very thankful to have a body that works well. She said, "Oh, yeah, right. That's actually better." She was a little embarrassed about it.

So, the other day, Justin and I somehow ended up with about 8 cub scouts (no one ever counted for sure and no, we don't even have any cub scout age kids), 8 priests (16-18 y.o. boys; we don't even have any kids that age either), 3 kids who wander through our neighborhood every day, 2 of Kale's friends, 4 of Justin's friends, 2 cousins (we are absolutely thrilled to have cousins nearby!), 1 of Hadley's friends, and about 50 crawdads at our house. I was in the house teaching piano lessons. They were all outside playing (okay, not the crawdads, they were in the boiling pot). When our guests all left, I surveyed the damage. I think we really faired well. The only thing that might need to be replaced or fixed was the trampoline enclosure and I don't think it's as bad as the picture looks. Every time that I looked out the window, I had to laugh. I just haven't actually gotten up close to it to see yet. It was quite an afternoon and Justin and I laid in bed that night and laughed at how it all came about. We love having a house full of people! So, come on over, anytime!

I have just a minute that I can post a quick run down of what's been going on here at our house.

Seila got her hair cut about 2 weeks ago and she really loves it. It looks cute on her and makes her look older.

Kai played a musical number for Sacrament Meeting last week and did a really great job. He played a nice song out of one of his music books.

The primary had an activity on Tuesday about Indians (for Thanksgiving) and the kids had so much fun. Kale had to teach us the dance that he learned because it's really fun.

Wednesday was our Ward Harvest dinner and I'm the Activities Chairman so I was in charge and busy all day. It turned out so wonderful. We planned for 160 and we had about 170 show up. We actually ran out of tables and one of the bishopric member's family had to eat on classroom tables. I guess next year I'd better set up more tables. We had a guesstimate of 20 visitors so the rest were ward members. For the program we showed a video montage of Mormon Messages from YouTube. I thought it was a very nice evening with yummy food. We had smoked beef, baked potatoes, salad, corn, and homemade rolls. We had a potluck dessert. This is an annual event for our ward to celebrate the end of a bounteous harvest and all of the blessings that the Lord has given us.

Seila, Kai, and Hadley did school on Saturday the 7th as well as on Veterans Day so that they could take the 12th and 13th off because I was not going to be home.

I left Thursday morning for scrapbook camp again. I went last year and was able to put together 70 pages. All my scrapbooking friends appreciate it when I clarify that I make 8 1/2x11 pages, not the popular 12x12. Still, 70 pages in 3 days is pretty good. However, I did not finish all of my pictures last year. So, my goal this year was to finish all of my box of pictures. And I did. I ended up making 64 pages this year. I had less sleep this year and am feeling it today. It was a great weekend with friends and I am so thankful that Justin is so kind to let me go and not gripe and complain that he has to take care of the kids and house for me.

And last but not least, Justin won the election for Royal City Mayor again. It was a write in campaign and a very successful one. The people that had to count ballots in the county courthouse mentioned to him when he called the results that he ran a great write in campaign. Here is a picture of the signs that we put up around town and in people's yards:

Lifting Burdens

Lifting Burdens

Kindergarten Fall Festival

Today was the Kindergarten Fall Festival. I went to help this afternoon and had a good time with the kids. It was fun to see Kale playing and having a good time, and not needing me right there next to him.

Last night was so funny because he had to ask me what a Fall Festival was. I told him it meant like an Autumn Festival, to celebrate autumn time. He felt better about that. Mrs. Mueller told the class there would be all kinds of Fall games and he thought that meant fall over on the floor. He couldn't figure out why that was going to be so much fun.

New YouTube video

I watch looking at the church's web site this morning and found this new YouTube clip. I'm afraid I'm guilty of feeling overwhelmed and trying to accomplish more in a day and then neglecting the important things. Well, I'm going to change that today.

Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear was Kale's birthday wish and that's what he got. He had so much fun this morning at Build-A-Bear. He made a dog named "Zoom Dog" that wears a karate outfit, rides a skateboard, and fishes. He loves his new dog and had to pull it by the leash on the skateboard through the mall while we finished shopping. He enjoyed hearing people comment to each other about how cute the boy was with his skateboarding dog. His new friend rode home on his lap and when there was a scary part in "Monsters Inc.", I heard Kale apologize to Zoom Dog and ask if it was too scary for him.

Mary was the official photographer because I forgot my camera so I'll post pics when I get them from her.

WAVA outing

We just got back from a WAVA outing where we learned about the library and the resources that they have available. Honestly, it sounded quite boring and we were looking forward to the picnic in the park with other WAVA families. We were so wrong to think that we already knew about the library. I am so excited now about the library web site that I had to come home and blog and tell everyone all about what we learned. However, it took 1 1/2 hours for the demonstration so I don't think that I can cover it here. I'll tell you a few of the highlights and things that we were excited about.

1. You can chat with a librarian and tell him/her what you are looking for and they'll send you to the right web sites or books or whatever.

2. You can get a tutor for help with homework.

3. You can find books that are related to books that you already know of. For example, if you like the Magic Tree House series, you can look for other books with adventure and fantasy for children.

4. You can learn a foreign language through a link on the library's web site! She showed us an example and now we are all excited!

Okay, there you are, a few highlights.

Kale's birthday

I can't believe my baby is 6! How did that happen?

Kale's birthday was not exactly what he was hoping for. He had a fever last night so I kept him home from school today. Bummer for him. He was really looking forward to sharing his cheese and crackers with his class for his birthday treat. We'll have to take the treat another day. He was supposed to have cavities filled this morning, which he was actually excited about. I cancelled that appointment though because I just didn't want to risk him being sick in the dentist's chair. He has been feeling fine all day and we haven't had a fever yet. We'll see how this evening goes. This morning he unwrapped a new comforter for his bed and a race track. Last week he received a new truck and trailer with a 4-wheeler and motorcycle and people from my Mom. Of course, all the bday cards with money in the mail is always something each of the kids looks forward to. We didn't plan a special dinner for tonight because we are planning on taking him to Spokane this weekend to make a Build-A-Bear. That is something that he asked for and I think he will love. His "bear-man" needs a new outfit and I think that is what prompted his asking for a new one. If he's sick, we're going to have to postpone. Grandma Jenks is planning on going with us. That will be fun.

"SIXTEEN"

The teacher aid in Kale's classroom is a friend of mine and she called this evening to tell me about Kale today. He asked to use the bathroom and of course, the teacher let him go. The bathroom is just off the classroom but apparently, you can still hear the teacher while you are using the facility. While Mrs. Mueller was helping the class count past 15, she asked for the next number and from the bathroom they hear a little voice yell out "SIXTEEN!". As he came out of the bathroom he said, "Did you hear me?" They couldn't help but laugh.

My testimony today.

I just climbed out of bed to come blog. I couldn't sleep thinking about my day. I knew I wanted to record my thoughts and feelings and I couldn't sleep until I did. I apologize for the length of the post but I felt compelled to share.

Last night Justin and I went to the temple. It was one of my best friend's birthday and we were invited to go to dinner with a big group to celebrate. However, we chose to keep our appointment at the temple, which we could have easily changed to a different day and time. I was feeling a smidge guilty and when I later apologized to her, she reminded me that we chose to leave behind something good for something better. She is so great. Do you see why I call her one of my best friends? Anyway, I'm so glad that we made that small sacrifice because it really just prepared me for Sunday. I had a hard time staying focused in the temple. I just kept thinking about this one particular trial that has invaded our otherwise fairly peaceful lives this week. No, I'm not talking about the early freeze that has threatened a large percent of our apple crop. That pales in comparison to this. I'm not really going to say anything more about it other than this trial has left Justin and I feeling so very sad and hurt. So, I couldn't concentrate in the temple last night very well. However, when we got to the Celestial room, I could feel the Spirit there and I knew we had made the right choice to be there together. After we left the temple we went to dinner and then began a fast together.

This morning, Sacrament meeting was great and again I could feel the Spirit close by me. I was very emotional and many times had to wipe away the tears. I was still feeling sad and hurt. We practiced for the primary program for the last 2 hours of church and I felt like I had my emotions sitting on my sleeve through the whole thing. Fortunately, I play the piano and no one looks at me during the songs which is when I loose tears down my cheeks. But, by the end of church I was at least feeling better.

We had a nice afternoon together as a family and then Justin and I took Seila and Kai to Stake standards night. It's an evening meeting that is held once a year for the youth (12 and up) to remind them about how important it is that they keep their standards high and the blessings that come from that. Again, I felt the Holy Ghost close by and teared up several times throughout the talks but this time I felt different. I felt a calming feeling and a peace. I felt that my Father in Heaven loves me. I felt that my Savior loves me. I felt the sad and hurt leave my heart. I felt the atonement of Jesus Christ heal my heart.

I wasn't even fasting for myself or Justin today. I was fasting for someone else but I received blessings that I needed. I am deeply grateful for a loving Father above who is mindful of me and loves me and sends me what I need. I am also deeply grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and the atoning sacrifice that he made that allows my heart to heal when it is broken and allows me to repent and erase my sins and mistakes. I love the gift of the Holy Ghost and I hope and pray that I am always worthy of His presence in my life. He teaches me truth, guides me when I'm in the dark, comforts me when I sorrow, and fills my heart with love from heaven when I have run myself to empty. Again I am brought to tears. This time in gratitude. Gratitude for a working knowledge of our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. Gratitude for a loving husband who knows how to help me grow closer to my Father. Gratitude for parents who taught me faith in my Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement.

Our family on the boat.

I copied this picture from a friend's fishing blog. We were down on the river one night a few weeks ago and watched them catch a nice salmon. I took a couple of pictures of their family bringing him in and they took this one of our family. We don't have very many of these so I thought it was nice. For those of you who haven't seem us on our boat, here you go. Hadley's inside sitting in the passenger seat and I'm peeking over the canopy because there is no more room in the bow.

Halloween Decorations

Every year it seems that by the time I finally get out the fall decorations, Halloween's only 1 week away and just as soon as I get them up, it's time to take them down. So, this year I was determined to get them up at the beginning of the month. Yesterday, Hadley, Kale, and Kai helped me make some new ones. They turned out pretty neat so I thought I'd post them for everyone to see. The pumpkin face in the window was an idea from Family Fun and Seila pushed me to do it. I took a pic without the flash so you can see what it looks like from the street and then one with the flash so you can see how it fits the window.

The little spiders were an idea from Oriental Trading or something and I just bought my own supplies instead of buying their kit. It probably would have been cheaper to buy their kit. Hadley and Kale helped me put them together and we had fun. I had forgotten how much fun it is to work on a craft project with your kids. I might have to do this more often. Today my plan is to get the rest of the decorations out and get them up, 4 weeks ahead of Halloween!

Family Survivor Night

Tonight was "family survivor night" at the middle school. Seila and Kai were begging to go so we gave in after dinner and headed over. Kale was positive that he didn't want to play any of the games. I told him he didn't have to and then later Justin told him he had to. So, he started crying. If you tell him that he has to then the anxiety just overwhelms him. If you give him the choice, he'll almost always choose to participate in the end (okay, didn't work for Space Mountain). I reassured him that he didn't have to and yes, when directions were given and he understood the game, he chose to play. We all had a great time. We were on a team with 3 other families and we worked together at 3 different games to try and win the most point for the night.

Our team did a super great job and we came in 2nd place of about 8 teams. Justin and I felt our ages a bit when dinner tried coming back up. No worries, we held it down. We did come home with a few injuries though. Seila has two floor burns, I have one, and Justin has 3 nasty looking bruises on his legs (someone else's cowboy boots met his shin). We really had a great time! Mr. Barrett gave Kale a medal even though our team didn't win and Mr. Orth mentioned in the mic that Kale and his 4 year old daughter Kenya were MVP's on our team. Kale was pretty proud of that.

He was awfully disappointed to find that his scooter had been stolen while we were inside. The kids all rode their bikes and because Kale won't ride his, he took the scooter. It doesn't chain up very well and so it was just left there. It's not valuable at all. In fact, it is beat up and I'm surprised that it's still functional. However, it was Kale's mode of transportation and someone thought that they needed it more than he did. It's gone. Bummer. Maybe now he'll have to ride his bike.

Soccer

Today after school was Kale and Hadley's second soccer game. Last Wednesday was their first game. They are both really enjoying themselves. Kale loves soccer and even last Friday when we were watching football he said "All this football makes me want to play soccer!" There are a couple of kids on his team that are pretty good for their age and they are able to dominate the game so Kale hardly gets a foot in but he still loves it. He does ask for a lot of rests though and he loves to play defense so that he can just wait for the ball to come to him. He was able to score a goal in one of their practices and he was pretty excited about that. We have had hot weather still. Today was the coolest yet at 82 degrees. I took a picture of him after he got home from the first day of practice because his face was bright red!

Hadley is enjoying herself as well. She is aggressive when she needs to be and she stays back when she needs to. She is a team player and tries to make passes instead of hogging the ball all of the time. There is only one other team so they will just play each other over and over again. They lost their first game last Wednesday and won their game today.

Just a side note, in case you were wondering, our lizard is still alive but we can't figure out how to keep our crickets alive. They were just fine the first time we had to buy them but ever since then we can't seem to keep them alive for more than 2 days. Hmmm.

School's getting better

So school is going better so far this week. Kale has only asked once every morning if he has to go to school that day. He seems to have had pretty good days. He comes home so excited to tell us all about his day and all the things that they've done. He can't seem to stop talking. We've had him in bed by 7 every night and that must be making a difference. I can't believe how quickly 7:00 comes but he definitely ready for bed. He can't hardly keep his eyes open by then. He still doesn't like recess though and prefers to sit on the bench and watch the other kids play. He really doesn't like big goups. He plays great with his friends when he's one on one with them so I guess I don't mind. Actually, I really enjoy people-watching as well.

Soccer starts tomorrow for Hadley and for Kale. Neither of them wanted me to sign them up but I did anyway. They both need it. Justin helped them get their equipment out of storage today. Once the shin guards and cleats were one, we couldn't keep them in the house. All through dinner Kale kept saying how he thougth it would be fun if our whole family went outside and pretended that he was playing a game and we could watch him make a goal. He wouldn't let it go so we all ended up outside watching him dribble and kick a goal. He's pretty exicted. Hadley is too.

Well, since the last post we've been terribly busy trying to find our school routine and schedule. Why do I always think that we'll be more organized and not as crazy when school starts? That's just not true.

Kale started Kindergarten on August 31. He was able to go for an orientation day the week before but his official first day was the 31st. He had a pretty good first week, other than the playground was swarming with wasps and so it was off limits to the kids. That was pretty upsetting to Kale. He was really worried about the wasps. This week was okay for him. By Thursday he was whining in the mornings that he didn't want to go to school. He couldn't say why except that he thinks it's boring. Right now they are coloring alot and filling time with art project. He really doesn't like coloring. He does like painting, cutting, glueing, and everything else creative but coloring hurts his hand. At the end of each day however, he is happy and excited to tell me all about his day and show me all his papers. They don't start reading groups until October 1 so he'll have to wait a few more weeks before they really get into the good stuff.

Anyway, by Thursday night he was visibly tired. He got to bed at about 8, even though his bed time is 7:30, and went right to sleep. I decided to let him sleep as long as he needed in the morning because he had mentioned that he had wanted to take a nap at school Thursday but they didn't end up having rest time. He slept until Kai woke him up at about 8:20. He was obviously still tired because he was terribly whiny about going to school. He even almost started crying. I let him stay for a while and lay in my bed. Of course, he didn't fall back asleep. When I got home from playing basketball, he was watching a movie so I made him get up and go to school. Again, we had more tears so I agreed to go with him and watch him from across the room. We got to school a little bit before lunch time. I stayed through lunch and then recess. That was the agreement so he was fine when I left.

When he got home, he was happy and cheerful and showed me all of his papers and told me all about his afternoon. I asked if he was glad he went to school and he said yes so I think he was sleep deprived and we're going to really have to work on that. New bed time: 7pm.

In the meantime, Seila, Kai, and Hadley are doing their school work at home. They all seem to really enjoy it. Kai has a hard time staying focused some days. Hadley misses playing with all her friends at recess. They are doing well at getting their work done and being responsible. We are going to add jump rope lessons on Tuesdays with a friend who was on a team when she was a little girl. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out how to add Spanish lessons from a different friend. Hadley's Science course had led us to some fun experiments and learning opportunities already. She is learning about ecosystems. We now have a new compost bin in our backyard (Kai helped me build it) as well as a lizard in our kitchen (don't worry, he's in a cage). We named him Zoom and sometime you'll have to ask us why his name is Zoom.

Justin's cousin and his family are moving to Royal City soon and their boys went ahead and started school here. In June, he started building trusses here in Royal and his family was finally able to come last week. So, this last week we've had fun getting to know their family a little bit more each day. We're so excited for them to be here in Royal! They are actually living in Basin City right now until their rental house becomes available. He brings the kids to school every day when he drives out to work.

Pictures are in the previous post.

Picture update

Here is a picture of our new lizard "Zoom". The light was funny when I took this picture and I thought I'd mention that he is all green. However, he does, on occasion, turn brown.

Here are pictures of Kale on his first day of school, orientation day, August 27. We walked over with his friends Derek and Luke Bergeson. We had such a crazy morning that day that I almost forgot to take a pictures.

Kai got braces on Sept 1. He was pretty excited. I'm not sure why but he is. I know, he needs a haircut. 10 days later, he still needs a haircut. I'm hoping to get to that today. Since getting his braces on, he's lost 4 brackets already. He's following all the rules so it must just be the bite. Last time we went in, they put a bumper on one of the braces so it wouldn't fall off. It fell off anyway. So, we'll be making another trip in to the orthodontist office on Monday.

If you want to make pancakes for breakfast. . . . .

This is my version of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". It is a true story, just happened a few moments ago:



If you decide you want to make whole wheat pancakes for the kids for breakfast, you'll have to get out the mix from the freezer.

When you get the mix out, you'll see that you only have 1 cup of mix and you need 3 cups of mix. So, you'll have to make more mix.

When you try to get the wheat berries out of the cupboard to grind them up into flour, you'll discover that you don't have an open can. So, you'll have to go downstairs to get a new can.

When you turn the light on in the under-the-stairs storage closet, you remember that you didn't ever put away the new cans of white flour and now they are in your way. You can't even get to the wheat that is in the back of the closet. So, you'll have to put the cans of white flour away.

Once you've put the cans of white flour on the bottom of the stack so that the oldest are on top, you are able to climb on your hands and knees to the back of the closet to look for wheat.

Once you are crammed into the back of the closet and the wood from the staircase above is scratching your back, you discover that you cannot read the labels on the boxes because your head is blocking the light. You didn't bring a flashlight and you really really don't want to go get one so you just open the box that you think you are looking for and pull up one of the cans enough to see that it is not wheat but oats. You can't find the wheat so you'll have to back out of the closet.

As you back out, you see a stack of cans on your right, close to the front of the closet, where you can stand up and you remember that months ago when you got you wheat grinder, you decided to move the wheat to the front of the closet where it would be easily accessible. So, you get a can of wheat.

When you return to the kitchen with your can of wheat, you find that your kids got tired of waiting and are going to have cereal for breakfast. So, you'll just have to laugh about it or you'll start the day off wrong.

I hope it gets better from here.

Kai got home from his 50-mile hike yesterday. I really wasn't expecting him to be so dirty! For some reason I really truly thought that he would at least wash his face while he was gone. How could I have been so unrealistic? It was an easy remedy. We made him shower within minutes of returning home. I should have taken a picture first. He had a great time and after hearing all his stories, I think it was actually a vacation for him. They slept in until 9 or 10 every day he said. I never let him do that here at home. They also were able to fish alot and he loved the hiking part, although he did get tired of it by the end of the week. He said he was not tired of camping though. He thinks he could camp for months and be happy. Thankfully, there were no injuries or disasters, other than one horse had to come home early due to a stumble and the resulting cuts on his leg. There were a few close calls and of course many funny stories for him to tell.

Justin and I are grateful for good leaders who are dedicated to their callings in the church to lead and guide our son. We are also grateful for their willingness to undertake a project such as this so that he might have opportunities to learn and grow into a fine young man.

On Friday night, the rest of us went to Walla Walla to visit with the Perry's. We had missed them since they moved and we wanted to go see them. We had a great time with them! We went to a candy store and movie in the park on Friday night. Saturday we hit the farmer's market and just enjoyed the downtown area. It was fun to visit the Perry's and also see Walla Walla.

Big fish!

Saturday evening we went fishing with our friends. We caught a 30 pound salmon. It's always exciting to see the big ones come in. I didn't get sick this time! I think because I was busy with good conversation.

After having a fan on, blowing under the carpet for 3 days, I finally can find dry spots and maybe there is a light at the end of this "wet carpet" tunnel! The hallway is still wet though and I'm just now sure how to get it dry without pulling it up. The blower is sending enough air into the hallway to lift the carpet off the pad but it doesn't seem to be drying. We seriously don't want to pull up the hall carpet! Any suggestions?

Our weekend

So, Kale moved in to his new room downstairs last week and now we've moved him out. You might think he couldn't stand being away from his mommie at night but no, that wasn't it. His room flooded. Last Friday morning, before anyone woke up, in the wee hours of the morning, a sprinkler line came apart just outside of Kale's new window. It was a 1" line and must have broke as soon as the water came on because there was a ton of water and mud on Kale's carpet and out into the hall way. There is a water line inside of his window well that is about 3" above the 4" deep gravel. The dirt around the outside of the window well has settled several inches. It was a soggy mess. So, we had to take everything out of his room and move it somewhere else in order to lift the carpet and get fans underneath. Justin and I had just finished installing a closet organizer the evening before. Friday morning, we uninstalled the closet organizer. I was so excited to be almost done with his room and now we're starting over again, minus the painting.

On the upside, the girls and I went to Ikea Friday afternoon. We were going to pick out some dressers to replace the too small dressers they were using. When we got there we decided to buy a new wardrobe for each of them instead of dressers. This way they have room to hang their dresses and then close the doors so no one can see anything. They don't have a closet in their room so we've been hanging all their stuff on a portable hanging rack and it's been out in the open for all to see. They cost about the same as the two new dressers I was going to buy for each of them and still half as much as one dresser from the furniture store. We got home at about 9:30 Friday night and then Saturday morning we started putting them together. The first one took me about 4 hours (I took my time so as not to make mistakes) and the second took 1 1/2 hours (I hurried). Hadley brought down snacks and even made herself some microwave popcorn. Then draped herself over a chair and watched me put the first one together. By the time the first one was done, they were both gone to the TV room and I had to keep calling for helpers to hold this or bring me that. Now that they're done, both girls like them and I love that we don't have clothes hanging all over and falling out of too small drawers. We'll see how long the organization lasts.

The boys all went camping Friday night. It was a father/son ward activity. They had fun. Kale called me to tell me that he thought we should come join them because it was so much fun up there. They went to a place called Wishpush (sp?), above Cle Elum. Justin said the weather was just perfect and they all had a fun time. Kale got burned with the end of a stick Friday night and he was pretty upset about it but now there is barely any mark at all.

No More braces for Seila

Seila got her braces off this morning. She was pretty excited and couldn't stop rubbing her teeth with her tongue. The orthodontist gave her a bag of candies that have been forbidden. They didn't last long. She's driving me crazy with her retainer. She keeps playing with it, in and out, clicking it on her teeth. She has to wear it all the time for 2 weeks.

Last week we went crabbing off of Camano Island in the Puget Sound. We were there for 4 days/3 nights and we had a ton of fun. We were able to crab with friends from Royal, friends from Camano Island that we knew from Connell, more friends from Royal, and Justin took some of the mutual kids from the Othello Stake. The trip was offered to the mutual kids in the Stake who had either earned their Eagle Scout award or their Personal Progress award in the last year. It's always fun to take people who have never been before. We stayed at two different State Parks over on the island in some little cabins. It was a super fun trip. Justin said he thought it might be his altime favorite. We caught our limits every day and there was just a ton of crab. We figured that we kept about 300 crab between both boats (our friend had his boat there too)after the four days were up. Our best pot pulled 27 crab with 7 keepers and we actually managed to get a picture of it. Our friend pulled a pot with 30 crab.

We had a great time even though there were a few little hitches along the way. Somewhere along the highway, our boat window was shattered. I couldn't believe the weather either! We were hoping to get a break from the heat and then went right into record breaking temps in the Seattle area. On Wednesday, Seattle recorded a temp of 103. In the history or recording temps, Seattle has never been so hot. When you added in the humidity, it was a cooker! Thursday cooled off a little bit and the Friday and Saturday were just plain nice. We went home to 100+ temps on Saturday night.

We're always surprised when we pull something other than a crab in one of our pots. This year we pulled several sun stars (a variety of star fish), a small flounder, and a jellyfish. We kept finding jellyfish tentacles that were all stringy on our ropes as we would pull them. We discovered quickly that these were the stinging kind. If the stringy tentacles touched our skin, it burned for hours.

Kale's new room

Kale got his new room today. He chose the colors on Monday morning and I went to the hardware store and bought the paint. I finished the third coat of red this morning and we have been moving him in slowly thoughout the day. He loves it and is very excited to sleep downstairs tonight. He has been waiting for this all summer. Above are some pictures of his old train room which is upstairs and his new room downstairs. Now if he could just learn to tie his shoes, he'd really feel grown up, maybe he'd even ride his bike!

I thought I'd better let you all know what we've been up to this week. Tuesday and Wednesday were big swimming days. We had cousins visiting and we took them swimming. It's always more fun when cousins are around.

Last night was our Ward's 24th of July party at the church. We combined with the other ward here in Royal and that was nice. I am the Activities Chairman and so I worked with the other ward to plan. We really went low key and it turned out great! We had some people bring dutch oven dinners and then the rest was pot luck. We had crafts for the kids, a water slide down the hill, and a blow up water toy. After dinner we had a Royal 1st Ward vs. Royal 2nd Ward softball game. I heard someone say that the score was tied at the end of the game. It was a great evening and not much work for me.

Kale got bit by a bug before dinner started at the Ward party and then got bit by a mosquito when he was in bed after we got home. He is really not having good luck with biting or stinging bugs this summer and is now fighting a fear of those bugs. Some days, I have to make him go outside to play. He didn't want to stay at the Ward party last night either.

All week long we've been drying apricot fruit leather in our dehydrater. The kids love the fruit leather and if I let them, they will eat it before I can even get it put away. I'm sticking to my guns and I keep saying no so, we'll have quite a stash of it for the fall and winter months. Thanks to Jande for sharing her piles of apricots!

Fishing

Justin caught 2 fish on Monday and 3 fish on Tuesday evening. I went with him Tuesday morning and then again this evening after we got back from girls camp. I got motion-sick both times. I threw up both times. I think I'm done fishing with him on the river. I'm not happy about that. I actually like fishing. I don't like being sick. I don't like throwing up.

Girls camp was fun except for sleeping on the ground. We forgot to take our air mattress and the ground was extremely hard. At times, it was even painful. I really need to go to the chiropractor now. I pinched my neck during SummerFest last week and my lower back is sending pains down my leg. Justin said he slept alright so that's good. I don't like getting older. And I'm not really that old yet, I think. We cooked beef stew and cornbread in the dutch ovens and fruit cobbler for dessert. The girls liked the dinner and there was hardly any left-over. Sam and Shelli didn't stay for dinner. They headed to Ellensburg for a dinner alone without any kids. For breakfast this morning we did hard-boiled eggs in a paper cup, toasted bagels, and fresh fruit. It seemed to be a big hit as well. That's good. There's nothing worse that serving food that no one likes. We were able to stay for the hike, canoe races, and raft races. It really was a fun 24 hours (other than the sleeping part).

SummerFest, Braces, and New Countertops

So, SummerFest is over for another year. It's always such a crazy week for us. This year, besides being the chair for Friday night, our family decided to sell chicken and rice on Saturday. We are also in the parade every year and Kai runs in the Fun Run. It was quite a juggle to get all those things done but we managed pretty well. We couldn't have done it without help so I'd better say thanks to Justin's Mom for coming and staying with us and playing with Kale all day.

On Monday, Seila had an othodontist appt. She has done well with her braces and will get them off in 4 weeks, which is 2 months ahead of schedule! Unfortunately, we still have to make payments for another year. When we're done paying for Seila, it will be Kai's turn and then when he's done, Hadley. I figured we'll be paying Dr. Cacchiotti on a monthly basis for 6 years solid!

Seila left for girl's camp this week with our church. She loved last year's camp and could hardly wait to go this year. She got up at 5:40 this morning because she couldn't sleep anymore. She was sitting in the kitchen waiting for me when I walked through at 6 to get her up. Justin and I get to go up tonight (Ensign Ranch) with Worshams and cook dinner for the girls and then we have to stay and cook breakfast in the morning.

I got crazy yesterday and painted my laminate countertops! I found paint especially for laminate at Lowe's and I had to buy it. I don't want to spend money on new countertops so this was a great alternative. One can for $25 did all of them and I think I love the look. I'm not perfect at painting so there are bubbles and a few bumps here and there but it looks tons better than what it was! The counter was white with yellow marbling and now it is called "Wheat". Here are before and after pictures:

What a week.

After a great stay here at my Mom's house, we are heading home tomorrow. We've had a lot of fun and a few disappointments like being rained out and late fireworks but still a lot of fun. Here are just a few things that we were able to do while we were here:
tour Sweet's candy factory (quite interesting)
Hogle Zoo
Discovery Gateway
Alpine slide and coaster
Of course it's always great to just be with family, even if we aren't doing anything at all.

Justin and Kai had a great time in Philmont, NM and it is good to have them with us again last Friday.

Monday

 

We went to the park tonight to listen to a free concert by the Utah Symphony. They had fireworks too. It was pretty impressive to see the fireworks coordinate with the live music. We all enjoyed the music, even the kids.

On our way back to the car we had to walk along a canal road. The canal had trees hanging down into the water and there were lots of weeds growing in the water. He thought it looked like a swamp with alligators in it (he actually thought of this on our way in to the park). So as we started walking back to the car, he told me that he was creeped out. I reassured him that there were no alligators in the entire state of Utah or Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California (the only states he has really heard of). I told him that alligators were in Florida and Georgia. He paused for minute and then this is how the conversation went:

Kale: Mom, are there alligators in Spain?
Me: I don't think so Kale.
Kale: Good, 'cause I want to go on my mission to Spain. That's were Dad went on his mission.
Me: That sounds great buddy.
pause. . .
Kale: Spain, that sound like a funny name. (giggle, giggle) Spain (giggle, giggle)
Me: (giggle)
Kale: Did you just laugh?
Me: Yes.
Kale: What did you laugh about?
Me: You. You say funny things. I think it's funny that you think Spain is a funny name.
Kale: Yeah, it's funny that you think Spain is a funny name too.
Me: No, I said I think it's funny that you think Spain is funny.
Kale: You think it's. . funny. . .that I. . . never mind. I don't get it.

I talked to Justin today (he's in Philmont, NM at a boy scout training camp). He said he and Kai are having a good time. They ran into the Child's yesterday. Today they met a lot of people that he has common friends with. He estimated that there are about 500 people there and that they have met about 100 of them. He said he has met several people that once they get talking, realize they know someone in common. One guy came up to Justin and called him "Jenks". He asked if Justin knew Kevin and Jay. When Justin answered that they were his uncles, the guy said, "You must be John's son then." He told Justin how he had been a wrestler at USU after John had been there and John had left a reputation of hard work that no one could follow. He said the coach would tell them about John Jenks and how hard he worked. That would have been several years after John had attended USU. He said John was an incredible wrestler. He actually wrestled against Jay, who attend Ricks College.

Kai had a chance to help; out with a flag ceremony in his full scout uniform this morning. This afternoon had bow and arrow practice and rifle practice. He had a good time and was a good shot.

Kale got a superhero kit at our family reunion on Saturday and he has been dressing up in superhero attire every day since then. This morning our superhero made sure to get in his one lap on the treadmill. He is pretty proud of himself that he can do a lap on the treadmill. Seila and Hadley didn't want to miss out on exercising either so they each did their lap too. Kale also has a trusty side kick. It's a duck.

Yesterday I headed to Utah with Seila, Hadley and Kale. Kai left to go camping with his scout troop on Thursday evening. Today he'll get home and then turn around and leave with Justin. They are going to a football game to watch Jace Christensen and then they head to Seattle to catch a flight to Philmont, NM. They are going to a scout training facility for the week. I am excited for them because I've heard that it's a fantastic week. I hope they enjoy it. They'll meet us in Salt Lake on Friday. Then we'll drive home on the following Monday. Justin will be fishing that entire next week.

Too true, too true

Week in review

Here's our week in review:

We started swimming lessons in Quincy. We are driving 40 minutes one way every day. It's only for two weeks and I really needed Hadley and Kale to take lessons this summer. I also wanted to do it early in the summer so that they could practice what they learn.

Our new van doesn't have sound coming out of the speakers and hasn't had since before we went to San Diego. Last week I took it in to a dealer in Tri-Cities. They couldn't figure it out either and I have to take the van back to them tomorrow. They've talked to Nissan and need to check out a few more things. The good news is that for some reason the van has a 60K mile warranty on it instead of the usual 35K, and it transfers with ownership. No one seems to know why and I'm not complaining! We all just hope that they get it figured out before Thursday because Friday morning we leave for a road trip to Utah. 12 hours in the car with no radio might make me loose my mind! Funny how we get so used to little luxuries.

Justin went fishing on Friday at McNary Dam and caught 43 fish or something like that. We're not eating any of them. We're keeping them all for bait for crabbing at the end of July.

Father's Day was good. We had a really nice day. We didn't cook breakfast, I'm sorry Justin. I should have thought ahead better and done that. We did actually have a present for him though. We didn't wrap it in paper, we wrapped it in kids. The kids all did a group hug kind of thing and put the gift in the middle. Justin had to peel the kids off to find his gift. Church was great. Hadley gave a talk in primary and about how her Dad has blessed her life. After church, we headed to Justin's mom's house for dinner with Garrett's family. Justin really is a great Dad to our kids. He loves them so much and they know it. He has taught them well and sets a wonderful example for them to follow. He supports them in all they do and expects them to do their best. I couldn't ask for more! We all know it but I'll say it again, Justin is perfect!!