Ruth enjoyed going to girls camp the first week of June. She certified as a 4th year and did a back packing for two nights at the beginning of the week. She enjoyed doing it but it was a challenge for her. She enjoyed being with her friends for six days camping.
Ruth when she came home from camp.
Below is Ruth with the 4th years.
Ruth and Andrew signed up to volunteer at the city library. They have enjoyed going in and helping people with the summer reading program. I think it is good for them to have some independence as they ride their bikes there and back. We have gone into the library often for the kids to get books to read and to go to their summer activities. We enjoyed seeing a circus clown do tricks, a bubble blowing/juggling man perform and a performance from an opera company telling the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk. We also enjoyed their activity/craft day to start off the summer. Since the theme this year is about music Andrew brought his trombone to the kick off activity and played for kids and let them see his instrument. There were a few other instruments there too. I am glad that there are fun activities for us at the library.
The boys did swimming lessons at the beginning of June. Andrew had some good instruction to help him learn some different strokes and was getting good time for practicing his skills. Spencer and Caleb were still working on the basics. Spencer is improving and doing much better. Caleb is still very awkward in water but at least isn’t scared of it any more. We went to the pool once just to play and they enjoyed that.
We are involved in the Bear Canyon Academy again this year. This is the co-op group with church members in our area to teach classes to the kids. I did a bread making class at the first of June. It was fun to do different breads each day with the kids. This week I did a sewing class and we made pillow cases. My boys have gone to some fun classes with games, activities and fun with friends. Spencer enjoyed learning how to make a piñata. Andrew did a farm day and got to ride a horse. I am glad that others want to do things like this and the kids can have fun activities through the summer time.
Caleb and Spencer playing with the broken pieces of piñata.
The kids got a picture of me
Caleb and Spencer enjoying the pillow cases they made
Neal and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on June 6th. We went out to eat a steak dinner and enjoyed it. That weekend we went to the city “Shakespeare on the Plaza” and watched the two plays they were performing this year. We went Friday and saw one and enjoyed it enough to go back Saturday and see the second play. Saturday we took Ruth with us. She had just got home from girls camp and we enjoyed spending time with her and hearing about camp before the play started.
Andrew and a group of friends are doing a biking group this summer. They named themselves the Goat Head Magnets, after the thorny plant that gets their bike tires. They get together twice a week to go riding on the dirt trails in the foothills and open space. Andrew loves bike riding. In June Andrew did the cinematography merit badge with his troop and had fun making a short movie with his friends.
Spencer enjoyed working on a science NOVA award in Cub Scouts. They did a field trip to a gem museum and he was excited to come home with a few little rock treasures. He has finished everything in cub scouts and has earned his Arrow of Light, but hasn’t been awarded it yet. He is excited to start Boy Scouts in August.
Ruth enjoyed going to a birthday party for her friend Hailey Abbott. Andrew had fun hanging out with his friend Aiden all day last Monday. Today Caleb has his friend Charlie over. Spencer had some play times with his friend Jonathan in June. It is good they have friends.
I have been doing gardening and yard work. Our garden is doing well and starting to produce. I enjoyed a fresh tomato on a sandwich today. We have a lot of squash growing that will be fun to eat. I am working on helping the roses do better. It has been a hot, dry summer and they are struggling.
the butternut squash has over taken the garden!
The roses are struggling
The front yard flower bed is looking good and the crepe myrtles finally bloomed.
The three small ones must have been planted at a later time than the first two.
One day I decided I wanted to change up the arrangement of our front room and got the kids to help me. It was fun actually because I just directed and they did all the moving. We all like the new arrangement. We rolled up the area rug we had out and today, with help from the boys, we managed to get it stored under the long bunk bed. We want to keep it for when we put tile in our family room and then we already have an area rug to use in there.
A couple of weeks ago our oven decided to stop working. At first it was a random thing, sometimes it would come on and sometimes it wouldn’t. Then both ovens acted up, it is double oven range. We need to figure out exactly what went wrong and get it fixed. It is probably something with the electric control panel. Last Sunday we used our Sun Oven to try baking some muffins. It worked fine, it just took a long time because it only held 6 muffins at a time and it took about 40 minutes to cook each batch. We need to get the oven working again.
We took a trip to Utah (the oven went out two days before our trip and now we are back and need to fix it, so I really haven’t gone without an oven for very long.) We drove to Utah on June 21st. We went to the Hubbard’s home in West Jordan. It was nice to see them and spend time there. The kids were happy to play with the Lego’s there too. On Friday the 22nd Neal took Andrew and Spencer to a N-scale train show in Salt Lake City. They had fun looking at the displays and getting ideas.
The boys enjoyed the train show, Andrew even got to run a train
Saturday the 23rd Neal took Ruth and Andrew to an air show at the Hill Air Force Base. They enjoyed seeing the planes and tricks some of them did in the air. I had three of my sisters, Susan, Jeanie and Mandy meet up with me and we went out to lunch together. I enjoyed visiting with them and spending time with sisters. That evening our family drove to North Salt Lake and met up with three families of friends from USU. It was fun to get together with the West’s, Beutler’s and Taylor’s. We enjoyed visiting, eating dinner and watching the kids play. It was a nice evening.
Sunday we went to church with the Hubbard’s. That evening we went over to Dallin and May Bo’s home. They had moved into a new place Saturday and it was fun to go see it. It is a rental house that May Bo’s mom owns and they will live in it until they know where Dallin is going for his residency. Sunday we just looked around and visited. On the following Thursday we went over and helped with things. I helped in the yard and pulled weeds and trimmed some bushes. It was good to help out.
Monday the 25th we were hanging out at the Hubbard’s home. Neal was working on the sprinkler system for them. The kids started some water play with neighbor kids and enjoyed that. I visited with the neighbor, Sister Johnson, and Grandma while we watched the kids play. It was a nice day just to relax and visit. We had a lot of that while we were there and that was good.
Playing at Hubbard's house
Spencer enjoyed time with his little cousin
Tuesday evening we went up Big Cottonwood Canyon for a picnic dinner. It was nice to hang out with Dallin’s family again there too. We met Neal’s friends Dan and Andrea Talbot and their family and enjoyed a nice evening with everyone. It was good to have some time in the mountains, even though we didn’t camp on this trip.
Wednesday the 27th Neal, Andrew, Dallin and Dallin’s friend, hiked Lone Peak mountain. It was a rough hike and took them all day and they didn’t get home until into the evening. I thought it was good that Andrew made it with them. I just hung out at the house with the other kids visiting Grandparents and playing games. May Bo came over with the kids too. It is nice that they are so close now and easy for them to come over when we were there.
Thursday the 28th Neal, Ruth, Andrew, Dallin, and Grandma went to the temple. It was good that Andrew and Ruth could help with so many baptism, they did 30 each! While they were there May Bo and I took the rest of the kids to a bounce house and they had a blast playing on all the inflatables. Then that afternoon, as mentioned, we worked at Dallin’s house to help with them moving in and cleaning things.
Friday the 29th we said good bye to the Hubbard’s and went south. We stopped at Thanksgiving Point and played at the Museum of Natural Curiosities. We met Mandy and her boys there and had fun visiting with them. It was a fun day. That evening we went to Mom Hancock’s house and enjoyed being with her for a week.
Everyone, even Neal, had fun climbing around at Thanksgiving Point
Saturday the 30th we did a lot of driving but it was good. We drove to Elko Nevada to see Neal’s Grandma Johnson for her 93rd birthday. The family met at a park and had a fun picnic together. Grandma was doing well and enjoyed seeing everyone. We went to Neal’s aunt and uncles home in Elko and continued our visit into the early evening. Uncle Doug showed us some of his gun collection and we enjoyed seeing their pretty birds they have. It was a nice day. We got back a little late but were thankful for a good day.
visiting with Grandma Johnson
We stopped to see the salt flats as we drove across western Utah
Sunday was a relaxing day with Mom and going to church. In the evening Mandy and Susan came over to visit. It is always good to see family. Monday July 2nd our family drove to Fountain Green Utah with Mom. We visited the city park and it was fun to remember other picnics there. Then we went to the cemetery and visited the graves of my grandparents and great-grandparents and other relatives there. I wanted to take the kids there since they hadn’t been there, except for Ruth when she was about 2. I also wanted to see the new grave marker for my grandparents that had been placed this spring. I am glad that we went.
Tuesday July 3rd we went to the SCERA park in Orem for a Colonial Days celebration. It was fun to see all the booths and information about that time period. The kids enjoyed playing some of the old time games. Caleb enjoyed the big play ground until he fell and hit his lower lip/chin on a platform and cut the inside of his mouth bad. He is okay now, it healed up fine.
On July 4th Neal and Andrew, with Neal’s friend, Dan Talbot, hiked Mount Nebo. They enjoyed going up there and had a good hike. It wasn’t as long as the hike the week before and they were home by the mid afternoon. Andrew loved going on another mountain. I took the rest of the kids, Mom, Rachel, and Mandy’s kids, George and Grace, to the Provo Freedom Festival parade. We had a fun time watching the parade and eating the donuts Rachel brought to share. It was a fun atmosphere and we enjoyed it. After the parade we stopped at the Orem Cemetery to visit Dad’s grave. Then we went back to Mom’s house for the afternoon. We made home made ice cream and had a hamburger grilled. Susan’s family came over to join us and the rest of Mandy’s family. We had a good visiting time. That evening Neal took Spencer, Andrew and Ruth to a fire works display in Pleasant Grove. Caleb, Mom and I enjoyed watching the fireworks the neighbors were doing. It was a fun ending of a fun day.
Andrew and Neal hiking on Mount Nebo
Andrew on the summit, he played a little with the rocks
At the parade and then later at Grandma's house with cousins
Me and my mom
On July 5th Mandy’s kids came over to play and we walked over to the Windsor Park to play. Mom and I sat and talked while the kids played. In the afternoon I took my kids to the Lindon City Pool to play and enjoyed that time in the water. It was a fun day.
Friday the 6th of July we drove home. I was thankful to find all well here and to just get back to my own space. It was good to see so many of the family and enjoy time sitting and visiting with them.
Well, this did get long. I am thankful for family and the time I can spend with them. Ruth is at a Multi-Stake Youth Conference this week. I am thankful that her job at Kumon learning center is so flexible this summer so she can take time off for activities. She enjoys working there and it has been a good thing for her. I hope she enjoys youth conference. They are at a Stake center and school in Rio Rancho, which is northwest of Albuquerque. She will come home for sleeping but be gone from 7am-9pm for the next couple of days.
I hope everyone is having a great summer!
