Ruth often gets on the computer and does writing or has also taken time looking at universities and scholarship opportunities. Recently she had a poem chosen to be published in a teen poetry book, she didn’t win that scholarship though, but it is an opportunity to say she has been published. Ruth goes to work around noon on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and works all afternoon. Ruth has enjoyed getting together with friends to sit in a park and eat and visit. She likes to read and has checked out some history books from the library. It is nice to hear about what she is reading, so we are all learning a little history.
Andrew likes to work on his models. He does a lot with his trains. He also works on electrical things, like a RC car, to keep it running. He is working for a few neighbors doing yard work and likes earning some money.
Spencer does LEGO. He has his little work area set up and is always in a creative mood and making new and interesting things. He also likes to read and watch LEGO videos.
Caleb likes to read. This summer he has gotten into the Percy Jackson series. Often he will sit in the bedroom and read out loud to Spencer while he is doing his LEGO. Caleb also likes to do some with LEGO. The boys have their LEGO houses and like to make little cars and do stories about them. Caleb is also writing a story on the computer. He wants to write novels, like Ruth. He also likes playing computer games and will do that as much as he can get away with. Caleb did some swim lessons with a friend in their back yard pool and is doing much better with his confidence in water and can even swim a little. He also likes to play the piano often and has learned some fun songs this summer.
Neal works from home and has made the spare bedroom his office area. He is there all day working and keeps busy with everything he does. He has done some hiking and camping with the boys. He also does bike riding with a group of friends. They go on some long rides.
This summer I decided we needed a project to work on and got the kids to work with me. We have refinished the cabinet fronts and doors in the kitchen and bathrooms. It was a bigger project than I first thought it might be. It took us a lot of time. The kids were logging their time for me and together the four of them worked about 60 hours. I figure I worked about as much since I did a lot of the staining and varnishing on my own and also worked with them as we all were doing the sanding of the wood. I still want to do the cabinets above the washer and dryer, but am taking a break this week. I also have worked in the yard keeping things looking nice there. I do family history work and scan old pictures when I can fit it in.
Here are a few pictures from our project. It is hard to see a big difference, but it is a BIG difference.
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| work in progress |
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| After we are done |
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| before |
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| before |
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At the end of June we took a family trip to Indiana. Neal’s brother, Dallin, moved there last year and we wanted to go see them. We drove to Kansas City the first day and then went on to Indianapolis the second day. Neal’s mom flew from Utah and met us there. We had a week at Dallin’s home visiting with family and having fun. The kids enjoyed playing with their little cousins at the house, the park and in a swimming pool. Neal and Dallin worked on a home improvement project, with some help from Andrew and Spencer. The kids all enjoyed the networked play of Minecraft they were able to do. It was a nice break from being at home all the time. The trip went well and we were able to get back home safely.
Last Saturday we decided to go for a drive and picnic. We drove north and then turned east and drove around the Sandia mountains. We stopped at the Sandia Cave. It was a half mile hike from the parking lot to go to the cave and that was a fun adventure. The boys all climbed back into the cave and got to the very back. Ruth and I just went into the entrance. It is a beautiful mountain on the east side. I am always amazed at how different it looks over there from the dessert we have on the west side. We found a picnic spot and enjoyed our dinner. Then we drove to the summit of the mountain and got there at sun set. It was pretty, windy and cold. It was a fun family time together.
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| I took this picture from our yard, showing the west side of the mountain |
Now the summer is coming to an end and we are starting to think about going back to school. The school district announced that we will be going back as on line school and at home learning. Not what we would like, but understandable with all that is going on with the virus. Andrew had all his summer band activities canceled. He wont be so busy this fall since there isn’t marching band happening. We are trying hard to stay positive and working hard to learn things all the time. I hope everything is going well at home for you too.
