Summer update

This summer is going by so fast. If I could just put the breaks on it, I would feel a lot better. I can't seem to grasp the fact that my baby is leaving home. I don't know how I'll cope when he leaves on a mission. I think it's important that I keep up on the blog to "chronicle" our family's life. Because I really have a hard time remembering simple day to day things and what I would give if my mom had kept a journal!!!















I'll just touch on the things that really stick out for the past weeks. I'll start with my oldest, Weston. We took him to SUU for Student Orientation. It was an all day thing. I know I promised to take lots of pictures but my husband told me to put the camera away. Now I see how wise he was when he told me "now is not the time". I would have been the only mommy with her camera. It would have been a lot like the first day of Kindergarten. They had this special Orientation for the parents. To sum up the 4 hours of the Parent Lecture it was... "We are basically telling you parents the same thing we are telling your children except we think they'll pay better attention if you're not around, and now is the time to LET GO!" Ken told me to pay particular close attention to the "LET GO" part. Now Weston is in SO Cal staying at a Beach house with 8 other boys (no parents). My last and only text message said "We're here and we're having a blast."

I did make sure he had sun screen this time. One more thing to noteworthy about Weston is..... we agreed about something political last week. You wouldn't think that would be such a big deal but it was a momentous occasion. We are on opposite sides of the political world. I keep telling myself that this is just a normal teen rebellion thing. If my choice of teen rebellion is between this or drugs, I'll take this any day. The sad thing is he really has studied and thought these things out. It's not just "following the pack". I guess I shouldn't say that's a "sad thing" it's good........ I guess...... We just have different political outlooks on things. Our discussions get pretty heated sometimes. Because he is like his mom in the area of being very "intense" on current events. But the coolest thing was we actually had an area of agreement. It was fabulous.... almost brought me to tears... Not really, but it was pretty cool.


This post is getting a little longer than I had wanted so I'll update on the rest of the family later.

Tanner and his buddy

Ella's new thing "dressing herself". She empties her drawers everyday trying on various clothing. This was her trying to see how many swimsuits can she wear at once.

Abby just lights up around her sister. I wonder how long that will last.

Poor Baby !!!!

My poor little papoose! The picture doesn't really show the torture this boy is in. He just got back yesterday from camping at the beach in So. Cal with his Priest Quorum. He came back a lobster. His face and chest are blistered.





This trip was supposed to be their last hurrah as "youth". Weston is used to tanning well, unlike his Mother. So he's never really been one to soak himself in sunscreen, but 3 days of no shade finally caught up with him.





He soaked in a vinegar bath last night and has been "hopelessly devoted" to aloe since he got back. If anyone has any other suggestions for this poor lad please let me know.




We're off to Cedar City tonight. Getting used to attaching the camera to my hip. Maybe it'll be a fashion statement. If I can get Angelina Jolie to do it, I'm set!

So I'm really trying to get the hang of this blog thing. But I really like the idea of keeping track of events with our family. After all, I have a hard time remembering what we did two weeks ago, let alone last year.

Yes, I realize that today is the 16th. But over the 4th of July weekend, we went to my brothers house in Idaho. We had a wonderful time and they threw quite the shin-dig. There were over 60 people there for a BBQ and fireworks. On the 5th we all went whitewater rafting down the Payette River. It was a bit scary but mostly invigorating. The guide said we had some class 3 and 4 rapids. (The Rafting lingo). And here is where I'm getting at with "getting the hang of the blot thing". Did I bring a camera? Oh yes.... But do you think I got it out to take pictures???? No.... I know, I know....I'm a Blog loser.

The flight home from Idaho would have been something to document as well. Although, I believe ISA must have us red flagged on the terrorist watch list. We had 2 lap children and we couldn't all sit in the same row because there were not enough oxygen masks in each row. Like that'll really help "in the event of an emergency". I'm sure the people around us would have liked the masks to drop, just to muffle the screams from the girls. Ken had to leave Idaho early for some kind of important thing like "payroll" whatever.... I'm sure his employees wouldn't have minded getting paid a week later.... (kidding). Weston had Ella and I had Abby. Halfway during the flight, Abby finally cried herself to sleep and I popped my head up to see if Weston wanted to switch kids, because I could hear Ella yelling her favorite word "NO" six rows up. He was kind of slow to answer but the people around him nodded "YES" for him. It's kind of funny, now, to think about it, but at the time.... not so much. A man sitting next to Ella kept closing his eyes to try and block out her screams, so she's point to his eyes and say "Night, Night" very loudly. OH, good times, good times.

Last weekend we drove to Long Beach to visit my husbands old mission companion. They've been close friends for over 20 years now. The girls did better in the car for 5 hours than a 1 1/2 hour flight. We took the girls to the Pacific Aquarium. Ella is now getting to the age where this stuff is fun. But don't miss that nap time! Oh, and guess who didn't bring the camera.... I know, I know.

Tomorrow we're off again. We get to take Weston to Cedar City for Student Orientation. We get to check out his new Bachelor Pad! Scary!!!! It is such a weird felling when your sending a kid to college. I just hope everything I've tried to teach him in the past 17 years sticks. He has a full year before he turns 19. A lot can happen in one "Pre-Mission" year. Its kind of like you're the coach for something like the Olympic trials, and he's getting ready to walk to the starting line. You just have to trust that all those drills and lessons are remembered and applied. Silly analogy, but that's the closest I can get to it.

I've already got my camera in my purse for this outing. I will be armed and ready to be as obnoxious as I can with that camera. After all, I don't have many more moments to embarrass him.