First week of July 2011

So I didn't write about the first part of July last week since I was covering all of June! Later I remember some things but of course I forgotten them since! I did spend some time getting Emily's room cleaned while she was gone at girls camp. I did add a couple of new pillows too. Last year I did a total makeover which was super fun! She got home just as cousins were showing up for Cousin Camp! She quickly showered. We did some simple stuff for the 4th of July. I found some blue ICEE cups which they enjoyed eating! A guy came and serviced our air conditioner and said that it looked great which surprised him since it is so old--11 years? A blessing from tithing. We got all the chores done Friday night so we didn't need to them Saturday. Taran went to the temple and then to a birthday party, Timo went too. Saturday morning Tim and I went to breakfast since we had no sporting events to attend with our kids. It was fun, we went to IHOP, Kohl's, Old Navy and Costco. I liked having him along even though he doesn't enjoy it. I enjoy shopping for fun stuff but it was just nice to spend the time together not rushed! I spent the afternoon working on my lesson for RS on Sunday. I did end up taking Taran to the doctor for a sinus infection and then getting his prescription after. He went with some of his friends to watch fireworks outside the Stadium of Fire. Timo was probably playing Monopoly with friends and the other kids played games here. Sunday was our 20th Anniversary! We went to church. Taran had been asked to teach RS and then they asked me to teach with him. We taught about enduring to the end. Taran rephrased it THRIVING to end! He did a good job--yes, he did feel awkward being the only male in attendance! Anyway, Tim and I exchanged cards after church. We had a special salmon dinner and a cool dessert as seen in our only photo on the anniversary of Tim and 2 candles for 20. Gwen blew them out, classic! It was an ice cream sandwich cake: layer of ice cream sandwiches, caramel, whipped cream, ice cream sandwiches, hot fudge, whipped cream and nuts. EAsY!


Monday was the 4th--it seems like it was a month ago! We had brunch at my parents strawberries and whipped cream. I made an egg casserole with green chiles. We had muffins, juice, hashbrowns, bacon and sausage.

Then we went to Tim's parents' for a BBQ, celebrate June and July birthdays and do fireworks. Tim and Nate (BIL) made homemade ice cream peach and Health bar--delicious.



Liz and Erick were down from Idaho too visiting and our nephew Daniel who finished Basic and Special Training for the Army and is now in California learning Arabic for the next 18 months was in town for the weekend! It was fun to catch up a bit with him. He is enjoying his experience so far. It was extra fun this year because Utah lifted the ban on aerial fireworks so people were setting those off everywhere! Erick had bought one really good one we did at the very end as our finale.






But we could see the others over over and our little fountains in between. The kids did some sparklers too which seemed to be a safer kind that Nate bought. We contributed SNAPS, Poppers and glow stick bracelets and some fountains as well. Yeah for the 4th of July! Tuesday everyone was beat but back to work! I actually went to the temple that morning with some friends. Gwen actually went to friends and played most of the day there! Yeah! She's been weird all summer not wanting to play away from home. Timo had his check up since our appointments the next day were during his work. Emily and her friend Ashley had a Lord of the Rings marathon! I made them take a walk for an hour that afternoon in between. Izak and Zane had their usual lacrosse and baseball practices--I helped with the baseball practice that night. Timo and his buddy Tyler are now obsessed with Ping Pong so they spend a lot of time at our neighbor's playing it and now they are trying out tennis as well. I am glad that they are doing productive things. Wednesday was our family check ups. Only 2 kids had cavities and they weren't very big. YEAH! Later, I took the kids to 7 Peaks. Gwen started swimming on her own to get the diving sticks & rings in the kiddie pool! I am so excited because she has never had any swimming lessons. I have failed at the my attempts of getting her enrolled. I got her to try the Lazy River and she went on it again. Izak got her to go on a bigger waterslide but not the BIG waterslides--the kiddie pool has 4 slides going into it for little kids and she is even weary of them. We are making progress! We picked Taran from work and stopped for cones at Macey's grocery store in celebration! Zane had a baseball game that night. Timo went to the temple for YM--too early for Taran to get there after work. Emily decorated cakes for YW. I stayed home with Gwen and got her to bed early. Thursday Emily started volunteering at a local Alzheimer's care center near our home. She enjoyed it. I took my good friend Linda to lunch for her birthday--it was later in the day actually. But we had great time. Zane went swimming with a friend to a pool in Lehi. I am not sure what the rest of them did while I was gone. Timo also did a lacrosse practice for Izak's team at the actual field that afternoon. Micah had lacrosse practice that night. Friday the kids had Cousin Camp at Shellie's at noon. So I convinced the kids to do their Saturday chores before! I dropped them off and met Tim for lunch. It was a nice date, we ate Chinese food! We haven't done that in awhile and it was under $15! Then we looked at some stuff in the sporting goods store there. I got some new TEVA sandals, they have an arch and I just am a flip flop girl so I need them!:) I ran some more errands and then Costco last, picked up the kids and then Taran from work. My fan in the front of the van doesn't work so I get no AC luckily we've had such bipolar weather that the air has been cool enough with the window down. One more thing on Tim's long list of things to fix! He was suppose to take Izak on a mini-camp out but was feeling overwhelmed by it all and backed out. Izak handled it well. He fixed several things on the kid car: horn, headlight, windshield wiper...The sink plumbing and dishwasher have been having trouble and he fixed those. He fixed the drain plugs in our bathroom and the little kids' bathroom! We had movie night and Izak and Micah watched Forever Strong and Zane and Gwen watched Toy Story 2--we have misplaced Toy Story 3! EMily and Taran had birthday parties. Timo played ping pong with friends. Saturday Micah and Izak had lacrosse games here so Tim took them while I finished up my lesson for Sunday. I took Gwen and Zane to Walmart later they wanted to spend the money I gave them for not getting cavities--my friend Linda's idea. Zane bought Lego and Gwen got a Jasmine Polly Pocket type doll. After dinner I went shopping a little more, practical stuff. Tim took the little boys to an Owlz baseball game--Rookie League. They had a blast. Taran and Gwen ended up helping my sister at her house move stuff. Emily and Timo watched HP7 part 1 at our neighbor's. They had planned it for outside on the BIG screen but our funky weather turned wet and windy and they couldn't. I mopped and worked out and folded laundry. Tim ironed after he got home so I caught the end of Independence Day. Today we all made it to church. It was a good day. I taught on tithing and most of the talked were on it! Two of the youth were in my class who spoke! It was fine not super long. So that is what I can remember! If I forgot something don't tell me, it will make me more paranoid about getting Alzheimer's!:)

I tried to put the photos in order but they really aren't at the beginning, sorry!