Happy Father’s Day

Stephen you are wonderful and adored by ALL of your kids!

Tramp Fun

Summer is spent out on the trampoline for all kinds of games.  One day they used an entire bottle of soap on it!

Then they reenacted Thriller in the air…

Thumbprint Cards

I told all of the kids one afternoon that they had to come down and make one thumbprint card for someone.  I didn’t care who, just anyone that they wanted to write to.  Of course some were thrilled and made a slew of cards and others just one.

My Cute Garden Girl

I love all of Jerrica’s cute questions as we work outside together.  She actually makes me think!

I couldn’t resist a little photo shoot one day as I looked at her shirt that matched perfectly with the floppy sun hat.

I think I enjoy the garden so much because of my little visitors that talk with me as I work.

Toothpaste and Pictures

One of my favorite tips that I learned years ago was the toothpaste trick.

Whenever you want to hang a picture you put a dab of toothpaste on the frame where it will hang on the nail.  Then you take the frame and press it against the wall where you want it.  When you pull it away from the wall you will have the perfect dot to hammer your nail into.

Our loft is an open TV area.  We made it into a bit of an art museum that we change up each year when school lets out …

We also hung artwork on some of the other smaller walls in the loft.  The bookcases have ceramic and pottery masterpieces.  There is quite a wide variety of pieces.

  

I am thrilled to see how much my children enjoy and appreciate art.  There is just something about expressing your creativity in different ways!

Week Highlights

So here is the routine.  We have been all working together in one room at a time to get Spring Cleaning done.  The kids do their Khan, Duolingo, and paino as well.  THEN we try and party in the afternoons.

Jacob is still in evening swim practices and Nathan also started his late afternoon soccer practices for high school.  Jacob is desperately trying to find a job.  I can’t believe how hard it is.  Hopefully this week he will get a call for something!

We hiked pulpit rock and then went to Costco at the base of it for a treat…

        

Tuesday is half off at the dollar theater.  Mixed with Taco Tuesday, it was a REALLY a cheap day out.  The older ones watched “Non-Stop” and the younger ones saw “Mr. Peabody”.

Wednesday we hung up all the favorite art work from the past year.  LOVE how it looks and how faces shine with pride seeing their work hung up.  We then spent the afternoon doing watercolor with salt, white crayons, and tape.  Some of the kids had done watercolor pencils before and Jacob had a set, SO we used them along with the paint.

Thursday the older kids went to the Denver Temple with friends.  The younger three stayed home videotaping skits and laughing uncontrollably.  They thought the chin singing was the funniest thing ever!

We went and watched the Thunderbirds perform for the Air Force Academy graduation.  They are amazing!

We also played a few family games, and dove into books that we want to read for the summer.

  

I can’t believe a week has already flown by!  School will be starting before I know it!

Seeds

It’s that time of year.  All of my cucumbers and squash are finally popping up.

 

There are seeds that will germinate in less than five days, while others will take up to five months—or even longer! 

That little seed has been in the dark, cold earth long enough.  I’m sure the warm sunshine, light, and abundance of room to grow feel good..

Sometimes don’t you feel like that seed?  AND just like that little seed, don’t you push and push upward until you break through that hard earth or whatever trial you are struggling with. 

AND just when he thinks the world is all fine and dandy, the hail will come and pound, the sun will scorch him, and pests will invade him … it is never ending.  Yet he needs to keep on pushing upward!  :)

The Great Sand Dunes

Memorial Day we spent with my parents at the Sand Dunes.  It has been a long time since we have been down there, so long that Jerrica didn’t even recognize it.  The weather was perfect, the backdrop gorgeous, and there was plenty of fun to be had!

Digging and playing in the sand.  The kids would bury each other.

   

They would do sand sit ups….

 

   The girls spent hours in the currents floating down on their tubes.

Stephen and the four older ones hiked to the top.  My parents and I tried to keep track of where they were with Stephen’s orange shirt.  However, squinting at the dots made it impossible as they got higher up.  Plus every time they would go in a valley of the dunes we had no clue what side they would climb out.

My little flower with her tube on…

  

Frisbee

   

I loved sitting there in that beautiful weather visiting with my parents and watching the kids play this and that.  Our picnic was sandy of course but the day wonderful!!!