Mission Day One

Corey and I took a ride to the ruins today. We got back and went to wash off our bikes, and found a missionary in our back yard!

I think that is a great spot for her. She'll be safe from the noise in the house, and if kiddos do come out, she can direct them to the trampoline (which has gone from a kid sized hole to the whole thing being ripped in half yesterday, but they think it's really fun to jump across the gulf now!) So I guess this is her new work station as long as it doesn't get too hot. 

Today the high is only 90 but it's been in high 90s and even over 100 the past while. It's going to be 101 on Saturday, no fun! It was 107 this past Sunday, that's as bad as Las Vegas!

After we got home, we washed our bikes and locked them up, then I took out the trash, and on my way back in I saw a package on the front step - it was a package that I could tell was a knock off lego we ordered. I knew Owen would be awake, and he was, and I knew that he's be very excited to see this. Yes, Owen, it has come!

It's an ATAT set! I ordered this for his birthday last week. Hyrum has some connections and had his friend order this for us and it was only $60 bucks, compared to $160+. Owen is very very excited "let's go!!!"I liked how each of these photos captures his excited smile.

We were originally told it would not be here until next week, but then Hyrum's friend said it could get here as early as Tuesday (but I didn't tell Owen that) so this is really good. He's excited!

He got working on it right away.

Owen is our early riser and has gotten up regularly all summer long like at 7am. I'm glad that he'll have a companion in the mornings for the next two weeks since Abi will be getting up early too!

Hyrum came over from Wayne's house, looking for something that he left here before his mission, but he couldn't find it (a camoflauge jacket). I think I remember Abi wearing it to monster mash once. I'm guessing his sisters used it for a bit, then when they were done they put it in the donation pile, which happens often with clothes of mine that they borrow. After Hyrum gave up looking for it, he worked with Owen on the ATAT.

Now it's 7pm and Owen has been working on it all day, except for breaks for food (I hope?) not sure though... I've only seen him in the front room today.

It's 8:45 now. Corey is working late. Abi and I just got back from taking something to her friend in West Jordan who is leaving for college in Wyoming tomorrow. I brought her mom some starter. We took Peter and Katharine with us. LSN are back from YW now. Daniel left some blankets in the backyard yesterday when they were jumping through the trampoline. I was grateful that the sprinklers didn't come on last night and soak them. But I didn't bring them in and then it rained this evening, so now they are all soaked. Yay. 

I made sourdough last night, got up at 5:30 before our ride to shape them. 3 loaves were 500 grams of flour, one was 1 extra large, 750 gramps, that I split in half and I made two adorable mini loaves to give to ladies that Kathy and I visited today. The bread was so cute, it made me happy. Very pretty loaves too, all of them. The 3 loaves for us were eaten for lunch, snack, and dinner today. K, it's almost 9, gonna go help kids get ready for bed and we'll all go to bed early with our missionary. 10:30 is lights out time!

Abi Set Apart

Last night Abi went up the canyon to get some mission photos taken, because the hour of her mission is here!

She arranged all by herself to get these photos taken by a friend and with some friends. AND bought her own Panama flag somewhere!

I guess it was an event for her and her friends last night - one last time to take photos together. 

Well, they also had a "last" swim party today from 1-5. They probably took more pics there. I'll see if she sends me some of those. 

Looks like she took two different outfits to wear. This one looks very Maria Von Trapp to me. Abi is off to be a governess!

Abi and her bestie Tara.

Tara is assigned to Samoa & American Samoa for her mission. 

Friends saying goodbye - soon there will be an ocean between them.

So they are cute, good job getting cute photos taken Abi.

Ok, so there are all the pics that she sent me. Then after their swim party today, Corey picked her up (I dropped her off to get a ride with Tara so I could have the car and go to the rec center to swim). Abi came home to be set apart as a missionary at 7pm. The stake President gave some counsel and advice. 

Then she was set apart. I did voice to text for that, I haven't read it yet but I sent it to Abi if she wants it for her mission journal and personal records. Shaking hands with the men in the circle - Pres Salisbury, Corey, Corey's dad and my dad, Hyrum and Christian. 

Something cute - as the men were standing up before the blessing to set apart, Daniel stood up too and was stepping toward the circle to participate. You'll be there soon enough, but not yet Daniel. He smiled and sat back down. After Pres Salisbury left, we all ate some sourdough and visited. Crazy that the exciting day is finally here. So Abi will be doing Home MTC here (not at Wayne's, cause Hyrum is staying there. The plan is to be here unless it gets a bit impossible to work with interruptions from siblings, we'll see how it goes) and then she flies to Mexico on August 14 to attend the Mexico MTC and finish her training there for 6 - 8 weeks. Here are the entries of when the other kids were set apart: Joseph, Melodie, Ethan, Hyrum, and Wesley. 

So today we cleaned up so the house would be presentable for the stake president, and that was about it, other than me spending too much recreating. Sauna for 30 min, swim for 60 and some LeoMoves stuff. Oh, this morning Corey and I both went to the temple too. He went to Draper for a session at 7. I'm trying to get prepped for the school year, so I did 5am initiatories at Jordan River and then was going to go swim, but came home cause I grabbed my swim bag but my swimsuit wasn't in it. Then, instead of going to the gym, I drove up the canyon and went on a little hike up to the ruins where I spent an hour+ puttering around. I crossed the bridge and went to the top of the ridge there south of the ruins. It was steep. 

It was very pretty from the top, but I was a little nervous I'd come across some wild animals (moose, bear, or mountain lion) that thought they were safe from humans in that back valley, so I just looked and then turned around to come back down. It was fun. I'm working on making little piles of stones so I can cross the creek in an easier spot rather than climbing across the logs by the ruins. That's my little fun project up there that I worked on yesterday and today instead of resting and meditating at my secret spot. I'm moving rocks for no good reason, just playing. I guess I've got the same play in me that my dad has. Maybe kinda pointless, but it's fun and probably good for our souls to have some childlike play. I did have the thought that if my kids were up here working on making a path across the river, I'd think that was a great activity. So yeah, I'm just up there being a kid in my adult way. 

24th Parade

Today is a holiday in Utah. It's the 24th of July, also known as "The Days of '47". In 2024 our stake submitted a float into the parade and Abi and Lily were in it (I was thinking this morning that it was last year but then just looked it up on the blog to check and it was two... time is flying). After Corey and I got back from a ride to the ruins, we mentioned a parade and the kids were excited to go somewhere at the word. No, we're not going in person, but I turned on the tv so our children could be educated. The tv is still out from watching the World Cup, and it's sad but the first game I watched was Norway's quarterfinal against England. So we're there with the tv on and then Natalie borrowed my phone to search for something, and this moment soon followed ~

We thought that was funny. They are an overstimulated generation, as are their parents. They were watching videos of themselves on our youtube channel. I took back my phone, they all left and didn't watch the parade but Corey and I did, then he worked and I spent spare moments I have had this week preparing for a lesson a Relief Society on Sunday. I'll be leading a discussion on Elder Eyring's talk from April Conference Prayers for Peace. I've been listening to other talks and podcasts and reading stuff as I've been thinking about what I feel the main message of his talk is. One of the things that I listened to and then listened to again and started to write down was a BYU Devotional from this past Tuesday - Jeffrey Bednar message titled "To Those Enduring Trials with No End" - it is soooooo good. 

I fasted today and, as usually happens after fasting, I really enjoyed date night dinner. Bandits is one of our favorite restaurants. I always get the Farmer's Harvest Salad with an additional skewer of shrimp added on and dressing on the side. Yumm

Corey got the red trout. We enjoyed our veggies. After that dinner, we went to Handles and we got large dish of Chocolate ice cream to share. So we enjoy our desserts too! Corey has been taking photos of his breakfast and sending them to Ethan and Wes, hoping to encourage them to be healthier. 

I have been having a big bean salad for breakfast the past two weeks. It's good! I load it up with spring mix from Costco, pinto beans, pickled onions, banana peppers, cauliflower, kimchi, peppers, and sometimes also tomatoes or other veggies I see. Then (and this is where the magic is) Bitchen' chipotle almond sauce from Costco (I call it chipotle sauce, kids call it Itchin' sauce) Yesterday Natalie saw me eating my big salad and said "Oooh! Can I have some?" Surprised and pleased at her interest, I said yes, she took a bite and her eyes got big "That's GOOD!" and then she got a bowl and I gave her some, then she got seconds. She likes beans though, so she might be partial to it already. Corey said he felt some shame this morning as he cut up vegetables to grill. I saw him chopping and brought out mushrooms, which he had overlooked "Ooh thanks!" Then I added a tip to grill the mushrooms last, cause they cook faster, and he was like "Oh! ok!" Tonight he made me laugh saying "I always saw them (bell peppers) and knew they were there, but I didn't know what to do with them." He said that he's been feeling like a simp lately, and I asked for a definition and he sent me this:

Haha. I'm quite pleased with his food choices as of late, but it's not him being submissive to me, he's just listening to Dr. Alex. And I am very grateful for Dr. Alex's influence on him! He got a new subscriber in me, just to say thanks.

What other pics do I have from today... Daniel finally put away his fort, which he made on Monday or Tuesday. They've been sleeping in there everynight. 

Corey worked from home and thus made more coloring pages for the kids. He took this pic last night - 

Which Corey turned into this - 

Corey sent that to the college kids and Joseph asked "What's this for?" probably thinking we are really spoiling the younger siblings. I told him it was AI. His reply "Darn it" - he got tricked! You feel a little sheepish when you don't recognize it. Corey turned it into a coloring page.

Pretty fun! Here's another one he made today - Katharine really would be a little mermaid! So cute.

Yeah, Ariel should have been a toddler, aww. Coloring page (Katharine liked the long hair!) ~

So that's fuunnn. Last night Abi and I went to the temple together for initiatories. 

We got home in time for scriptures. Katharine and Lily were both drawing on their arms. 

Tonight is was Katharine drawing on Lily's leg.

Kid Hike

It rained again last night, so I was hoping to get out in the mountains again this afternoon. How about a little hike? I ran it by the kids and I was please that the boys were all willing and even eager to come with me. 

I told Katharine she could come, but she HAD TO WALK the whole time by herself, I couldn't carry her. She sweetly and obediently said "okay" and she did so good. She did walk the whole time, and even ran up the hill back to the car at the end. We went to Pooh Corner first, which is the end of Techy, then took some of the techy trail up. Daniel was anxious to get up to the ruins, but I told him that even if we don't make it up there, there are lots of fun places all along the creek. They enjoyed climbing on some logs - 

And we found a spot where the were all able to sit. 

We did finally make it to the ruins. K unloaded all the rocks she had been gathering from her pockets into my backpack (she's so cute) 

Owen was ready to head home so he could hang out with a neighbor before they went together to a rodeo in Spanish Fork. Daniel wanted to stay longer. I told him we'd stay, Owen was going to be gone all evening with his friend, he didn't need more time now. Then some ominous clouds were rolling in and Daniel said we should go. We all agreed we better get back to the car before we got wet. We got some water, oh but then real quick, cause this is why I came up here... I took out my blanket that I had been carrying in the backpack, and we cleared off a bit of leaves and dirt from a hidden spot to make a soft space for us to rest. And let's lay down, ahhh!

So relaxing.

Owen took a video. Step 1 was coming to the ruins. Step 2 is ruins with a blanket, check! 

Step 3 will be ruins with a blanket and staying for 30 minutes for a nap or to stretch or meditate and soak it all in. We will be back again soon!

The girls got home around noon today from their sleepover with Mel. They went to a doughnut shop close to Mel's apartment before they headed home. 

Awww cute little Katharine! I love that little face. 

I'm glad they had a girls night, and it's ok that I wasn't able to go (Corey was working late and I had no sitters!) 

I'll try to go to things when they invite me and when I can, but I'm also ok living the life I'm living. Corey and I did sneak out on an early ride before the boys got up - off to the ruins once again. I didn't want to miss my morning ride!

Cause we got our habits and rituals that we enjoy and that are working for us, plus we love our canyon. Mel sent me these pics of where the girls slept at her house - 

K all safe and snug between her big sisters.

Shrek Party

I'm at home with the boys. I'm letting them watch Gravity Falls while Corey is late at work. ALSNK all went down to Lehi tonight to Mel's place. They left at 5:30 and are sleeping over tonight and they're going to watch Shrek. It's a "Shrek Party" thought Katharine says they are a "Shrek Family"

See how they all did their hair in little space buns to kinda look like Ogres? And everyone has a little accent of green. Lily has Shrek socks, so she's really official. Cute and fun. Lily put some green lips on herself and did a few embellishments on Katharine. 

They made a green pistachio cake with pistacio frosting. They thought the batter smelled gross and are worried it will taste gross, but then that just makes is go along with the theme even more, right?

They sent some pictures of their fun - They ate an onion and Mel provided green face masks for the ogre theme. 

Katharine is 100% princess, and looks to me like she wasn't too sure about how they all looked. She'll have to be Princess Fiona next time.

Ready to binge Shrek

So that's fun and our house is definitely more quiet with them all gone. 

Peter was a little sad to not be invited, but we had out own party, aka I bought them ice cream and they're watching tv. Peter also had his face painted. 

Natalie did that earlier today, and she did Katharine too. 

Katharine is a deer.

Getting a pic of them together. 

Then Peter went to go test if his superpowers had increased.

While they've been watching the movie, I was outside checking on the baby humming bird. So yesterday Daniel found this little one on the driveway on the east side of our front yard. We googled and decided he was probably a fledgling and he was able to perch well so we put him up in a tree there while we went on our hike, and he was still there when we got back. Then this morning we couldn't find him anywhere. Then Daniel and Katharine heard him and found him while they were walking to a friends house. He was totally on the other side of the yard by the tree farm. So that's where we left him all day.  

Before the girls left for their party, I ran to Home Depot to buy a hummingbird feeder for it and it's mom. He didn't take any but I put his beak in there a few times to try and show it what to do. 

Not sure if it worked, but I left him perched in a tree with that, checked on him every now and then this evening. It looks like a storm is rolling in, so before I came in I put him on the ground by a rock where I think he should be shielded ok from the wind and rain. We'll say a little prayer for him and check on him in the morning. I haven't seen the mom come and feed it, but I'm just trusting she has, my only evidence being that this little guy is still alive since finding him yesterday.