The Parade

Yaking Scofield 2011

Miss Pleasant Valley Days Pagent

Book Club

Our first meeting of the summer book club.

Our June book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Everyone LOVED it, and Miriam finally agreed to watch the movie (she was traumatized by an accidental viewing of it when she was little).

We toured a local chocolate factory, of course sampling the chocolate, and then had lunch and discussion at a park.

Next up: Indian in the Cupboard

We Bounced Back!

Lagoon on a Monday @ 11:00 am

Pretty sweet, but it didn't last long, by 1:00 things were getting crowded.

We took the morning to ride everything Bub's little heart desired.

Went home for Soren's nap and waited out the heat of the day till Dad came home.

Miriam and I retured that evening. She was determined to face her roller coaster fears.

She wanted it documented that she rode:

The Bat

Bombora (a zillion times)

The White Roller Coaster

The Screamer

The Lady Bug Bop (twice)

The Swings

Tidal Wave

Wild Mouse

and my personal favorite The Flying Aces

We were there til the park lights started to turn off!

She is a thrill ride lover just like her mom.

Thanks again Mom and Dad, we wouldn't have bounced without you!

Girls Camp #3

As a Young Women's presidency, this was our year. The first year that no one was pregnant or had a newborn baby. The first year the WHOLE presidency could come together!

There was SO MUCH to take pictures of but when I don't have to keep track of our darling children and diaper bag (with diapers, sunscreen, water, treats, sunglasses, bandaids etc etc) I tend to not pack ANYTHING. Including my camera. So, the only thing I have a picture of is the Jedi braid my Beehive President tied for me.

Lovely eh? I also came home with a friendship bracelet or two and orange toe nails.

I didn't take pictures of jumping off the pier into freezing cold water, canoeing, kayaking, extreme water ballooning, zen sneaker yoga, leather working, Vanilla Ice impressions, a lingerie display, stargazing, dough boys, good night tent checks, campfire chats, a lost fingernail (not mine) and happy testimony tears.

For any future Camp Directors out there...Our theme was PJ'S

Prayer, Journals and Scripture Study. The girls got matching pajama bottoms and decorated pillowcases. Each night we had a campfire devotional about P...J...and S.

Father's Day

The awesome tie!

Our church was full of them since the primary kids made them for their Dads.

Pink feathers, googly eyes, pom-poms....it was great!

We tried to show Darin how much we love him by shining his shoes, letting him sleep in and then bringing him breakfast in bed (M was ready to start it at 6:45 but I held her off till 8:30), a fish taco dinner (recipe from Chez Moi...amazing as always), and then some dress shirts for work. Nothing says we appreciate how hard you work like more clothes to go do that work in!

He is our tower of strength around here. Our patient voice of reason with a very FORGIVING heart.

We've Been Lagooned!

Lagoon is a noun but if you've been there, you know its a verb too.

It's the act of making yourself dizzy and light headed seeking that tummy flipping sensation.

It's feeling your heart pound as you run from ride to ride to wait in a line which intensifies the anticipation you already feel because you can hear the screams of others before you.

It's also a day long people watching event. A fashion show of the strange and sometimes inappropriate.

It's the astonishment at being asked to pay $5 for a pop.

This is what being "Lagooned" looks like.

My parents hosted a family Lagoon Day.

Everyone had a blast, the kids haven't stopped talking about it!

Durring the day we all broke up into dare devil level groups, meeting up between rides. We gathered together at the end of the day to do Rattle Snake Rapids as a family.

Dad's Boat (I get a kick out of Kelly and her hair protecting hoodie)

Mom's Boat

Darin trying valiantly to protect Bub from a soaking.

This is Bub's least favorite ride because, in his words, "YOU GET FREAKING WET!"

Bub was in heaven riding the kiddie rides with his cousins. Miriam braved some big kid rides with her cousin Ali (Tidal Wave, Turn of the Century, Wild Mouse). She has promised if we do the bounce back (return within 10 days for a cheaper rate) she will do roller coasters.

Darin and I had fun riding a few rides, but mostly watched the kids and cousins enjoy themselves. We could have called it a great day just having done that, BUT we left at dinnertime, put the kids to bed with a babysitter, and came back to do the trill rides ourselves!

I wondered if I would even like amusement rides anymore....it's been a loooong time since I have ridden any.

I was relieved to realize I still LOVE THEM! I was wonderfully terrified all over again. It made me feel young and giddy.

THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!!

What It Looks Like When Mom is Sick

It looks pretty cute,

and it's not a bad life....

wear what you want,

watch tons of Netflix,

make up your own crafts,

play with water in the back yard,

eat tons of Popsicles,

drink lots of juice

pizza for dinner.

(except when Fiona brought us an amazing, nourishing dinner complete with homemade chocolate chip cookies THANK YOU FI!)

The party is over my friends, Mom's back and her summer schedule has begun.

Piano Recital

How cute are my Mom and Dad?

I know, SUPER cute.

And, how great is Darin for loading all the kids up to go to M's recital?

I KNOW! He's SUPER great.

This little guy is SUPER CUTE as well.

Can you see the Grandpa resemblance?

Ballet Promotion

Waaay back before I got sick (should I refer to that time as BP, as in before pneumonia, and all things now AP?) M had her Ballet Promotion. They put on their play back in February so this is just an end of year review of what they learned. I had to run after Soren most of the time, but was there when her teacher pointed out her very flexible ankles and lovely feet. Like most girls her age, M loves to perform but doesn't love the bar work.

Miriam wants to be in toe shoes so bad she can taste it! I have no plans or aspirations for Miriam as a dancer, I just want her to stay in long enough to learn how to walk into a crowded room with grace. I want her to feel comfortable in her curvy little body and know how to suck in that stinger!

*I have to thank my own mother for slapping my behind every now and again saying "suck it in honey".

Back post - Joy School

The day before I was hit with a flu semi truck we hosted Joy School.

Our theme was Healthy Bodies

First we had to review our number of the day (we finished the alphabet) which was 10.

So we traced our hands and numbered the fingers to 10.

Then we read The Busy Body Book which is a fantastic introduction to how the body works and what it needs to be healthy.

We stopped after the bones part and sang "I'm all Made of Hinges" and felt the bones in our elbows and knees.

We stopped after the muscle part to do some push ups and feel the muscles under our skin.

We stopped after the circulatory part to run around to music and then feel our hearts beating.

We ended with the digestion part and stopped for our healthy snack of apples celery and peanut butter.

Then we went outside to draw our healthy chalk bodies.

I traced everyone and they added the details, including their hearts and lungs.

I was going to play some soccer with the crew but they wanted to play on their own so this was an EASY one. I didn't have to buy or make anything!!

I have loved doing Joy School this year. It was all easy and breasy, the moms were great, the kids for the most part, got along. I feel like it created a net of safety for Byron, he has 3 other Moms who live so close that he would feel comfortable asking for help or going to with a problem. He also got a different teaching style and learning emphasis from each Mom. Jamie was so good to play lots of games, Stacie introduced lots of culture, Kim did the cutest crafts!

THANKS STACIE JAMIE and KIM!

Memorial Day 2011

These pictures reminded me that I forgot to go back before June 6th to pick up the flowers we brought. They throw them all away, unless some Relief Society president goes to get them to use at an activity. If you ever need flowers the week after Memorial Day go to a cemetery....they are going to throw them all away anyway!

It's a tradition, go visit the graves and then stop by the park.

Looking at these pictures reminds me how good I felt just a week or so ago.

Two days later I came down with a horrible flu.

5 days.....did you get that?

5 DAYS of body chills, 103 temps, severe all over body aches, pounding and swooshing in my ear drums.

I have never been sick so long in my life. I haven't had the flu for over 4 years, and never had it for longer than 3 days.

And then.....just when I had purged myself and thought it was over, I got pneumonia.

PNEUMONIA!!!

What is wrong with the world when I, Mrs. Hardly Ever Sick gets pneumonia in June?

You should see the state my house is in, and my moral was worse. Thats why I am now at my Mom's house trying to rest where the clutter isn't mine to pick up, and the kids are running wild with cousins.

I've got to lick this thing by Monday.

Thats when Summer really begins and I don't have time for pneumonia.

Norma's 90

Norma is my last living connection with my paternal Grandpa. I am sure there are other relatives out there, but as far as relatives I would recognize on the street, she is my last. Norma is my Grandpa's only sister-in-law. We met at his funeral and have been Christmas card friends ever since.

She is a sweet woman with lots of spunk. She was a professional working woman back when that was the exception rather than the rule.

(I love using my kids as a "picture shield")

The kids played happily in a strangers backyard all afternoon!

(the party was thrown by the other side of the family)

Life is so busy it's hard to get to these little events, but I have never regretted taking time to make connections with my family history. The regret always come from doing less.

Last Day of School!

I had such plans for this day. A tie-dye party, snow cones, maybe a banner to run through....

but I have had the longest 4 days of my life. I have been knocked on my kiester by a flu virus. Right this minute Miriam is playing in her piano recital and I am home with a pounding headache and the sound of my heartbeat swooshing in my ear drums. I can't wait to get back to normal....to clean my house....to feel happy again.

The boys stayed just like this all day long.

Miriam worked really hard writing an 8 chapter book for her teacher with these fairy illustrations. She has adored her teacher this year, she is going to miss her dearly.

This picture is for Julia. The "hair bow". This post took me waaaay to long to write and made my headache worse this is as good as it gets.