Cool Dad T-shirt

For father's day Joseph drew a picture of John with the label, Cool Dad. I used a paint brush and soft scrub bleach and copied his picture onto a T-shirt I bought at a garage sale. I thought it turned out great. Joseph was so proud to see his art work on the T-shirt. I thought this picture was funny because John had just woken from a nap and his hair match Joseph's picture. :)

Happy Birthday Jake!!!

I am a little late posting this--his real birthday was June 3rd. He had some friends over for a air-soft gun war. He received a new gun for his birthday and lots of ammo. They went up to a meadow on the mountain nearby and they had a great time. The hardest part of the birthday party was that I had to climb the mountain and find them to bring them down for cake and ice cream. :)

Things we love about Jake:

1. Kind

2. peacemaker

3. still likes to give his mom hugs and kisses

4. smart--did great in his hard Chinese class this year.

5. loves to read (I sometimes have to ground him from reading)

6. likes to take things apart and figure out how they work.

7. very athletic--has learned to play tennis this summer left handed because of his fractured right collar bone.

8. love little children and truly enjoys playing with them. All the younger cousins love him.

9. A great example to all those around him

10. a diligent scripture reader

11. great memory--he actually remembers the things he learns

12 loves to watch the nature and science programs on t.v.

13 reads the comics first and has a great sense of humor.

14 loves the outdoors and a great fire maker.

15 has a natural musical ear and plays the violin

16 loves peachos and chocolate crunch brownies(his birthday "cake" this year)

We love Jake for all these reasons and many more that make him the great person he is!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!!!! 14 YEARS OLD :)

Father's Day Gifts!!!

2 traditional gifts we give John each year are deep cleaning the garage and washing the cars inside and out. I thought it was wonderful to watch the kids happily work together and not complain. I think the reason for the absence of whining and complaining this morning is because they all realize how hard their Dad works for them and were glad to do something to lighten his load. :)

Girl's Camp

This past week I have been up at the beautiful Heber Valley camp with Natalie. My friend, Wendy and I were in charge of the food for breakfast and dinner for 300 people and lunch for 30. We had a great committee, but were all crazy busy. I did have moments where I was able to spend time with Natalie and also enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. The girls did cooked their own lunches on their levels. The favorite meals were the "cafe rio" pork salads, pasta bar, and the breakfast burritos. It was great to see all the weeks of planning turn out so great.

Benefits of having your mother in charge of food at camp---midnight snack!!!

A Tweeny Bit of Fun

Playing dress up and having tea parties one day......
and learning the Hannah Montana line dance, shopping, and doing nails the next.
Caroline is definitely a tween as she switches back and forth from little girl to big girl activities and interest.  I just wish she would stay my little girl forever!!! 

Family Home Evening--The "bummer" Soccer Game

Jake enthusiastically listening to the game as he reads his book. :)
Josh and Joseph were on the blanket playing cards as they "watched"
Natalie all ready for the second half of game.
Natalie getting plowed into and fouled.  

She fell very hard on her back and tail bone.  She was in such terrible pain that I dropped her and John at the ER for X-rays and took the rest of the family home.  I returned to the ER and 2 1/2 hours later found out that she had no broken bones but a badly bruised tail bone.  When we returned home I was happy to see the kids had cleaned the house and made cards for Natalie.  

It is very painful for her to sit, so the doctor gave her a "donut" pillow to use.  She is not very thrilled to bring this "donut" to school for the next few week, but she covered it with a cute pillow case when she left this morning.  I told her it makes a great conversation piece. :)

In Pursuit of Modesty

Natalie's  criteria: a new spring dress

                              cute and fashionable

My  criteria:           comes to the knee

                             the shoulders covered

Natalie and I spent 4 1/2 hours shopping 2 malls to try to find her a modest spring dress for the church dance last Saturday.   After the long ordeal of trying too many ill fitting and immodest dresses on, we finally found this dress at a little shop  close to our home.  I spent 20.00 dollars more than budgeted in order to buy the t-shirt that matched to go under, but it was worth it in order fit both our criteria.  I think this summer I may have Alison, the master sewer, help me make a few custom dresses.  I would rather spend all day sewing than shopping all day at the mall!!! 

Camp-outs!

All clean before the camp-out
After 24 hours on a camp-out

Whenever Jake goes on a camp-out with the scouts this is pretty much how he looks when I pick him up.  He is usually wearing all his clothes (notice his pjs under his jeans) and he is cover with dirt and soot.  This weekend his scout troop went repelling and Jake tried commando style (repelling head first) and wanted his face to look the part.  I can always tell the degree of fun Jake has had with the amount of dirt on him.  I am grateful for patient scout leaders. :)

Happy Birthday Caroline!!!

Caroline wanted me to wait to post her birthday because she wanted to put a picture of her birthday cake that she made at her cake decorating class.  She has been very excited to use fondant and is what gives the cake such a smooth look. 

Things we love about Caroline:

1.   Her voice as she constantly sings around the house

2. Her tasty bagels and treats she bakes for everyone--she is a very talented cook.

3.   She is very smart and understands things easily.

4.  She is a good friend.

5.   She loves to dance.

6.   She makes good choices and an example to those around her.

7.   Her cute fashion sense.

8.  Her bedtime ritual of repeated hugs and kisses.

9.  She a hard worker and good at detailed work.

10.  We love hearing her play the piano and making up songs.

 11. She is very independent and will figure out and try things out on her own.

12.   She gives great manicures, head scratches and back massages.

13.  She is kind and respectful.

AND many many more things make Caroline so special!!!! We love that she is in our family and blesses all of our lives with the her cute personality.  

***The other picture is of the cake she made for Grandpa Wirthlin.  She did a great job on it!!!

She Can Do It!!!

Natalie is running for Student Government for the high school.  She was in it this year and loved being so involved.  This will be a lot harder because there are only 2 spots elected for her grade from her junior high and about 16-18 other students running for them.  This is Natalie's poster.  Natalie can do it!!! She is very determined and does not give up too easily.  I am proud of her trying with the odds against her.