Summer Happenings

Happy Summer everyone!  Summer is my favorite season.  I love that school is out, I can walk outside without a jacket, all the pool trips, and opportunities to do fun things with friends and family.  It's the best! 

The day we went to DC so Cal could do baptisms, we later met up with Lois briefly and swapped kids.  We took home Rhett, on his birthday, and Cal and Elden went with Lois to play with Reed and Blake.  When we arrived in Elkton Clark had to rush off to propose his Eagle project, and I took the other kids to a park for a little bit.


We love having Rhett with us.  One thing that I LOVE about him, is that at his big 4 year-old self, he LOVES coming to our house by himself.  No qualms, no hesitation.  Just pure happiness.  And he loved all the attention from his cousins! 


Haley received these really cool race cars for her birthday.  They go with a track, but on their own, they are pretty cool little cars.  She's enjoyed this present.  Photos courtesy of Haley.




The kids got free popcorn at ACE one Friday.


Shanna held a face painting party for Rhett and Haley.





Or maybe Haley thought it was  body painting party...


Father's day was a fun day...hopefully Lee enjoyed it!  He was lucky and had cold cereal for breakfast, haha (so easy for me!), and some other yummy food.  I made a chocolate torte cake as well.  Delicious!  Lee did an impromptu surprise duet (himself included) for the Bishop...off key and all, and spoke as well.  Loved his comments.  He spoke on Mother's Day as well, which made some of his comments pretty funny for Father's Day.

It took awhile but FINALLY, we got a decent shot.




Fort building all summer long....


Shanna and Haley had an Activity Day camp for four days.  Their leaders did such a great job.  Here are some of the happenings....


















The boys had camp as well.  They attended a special Priesthood Encampment at Summit Bechtel Reserve.  I heard it was awesome as well....with TONS of walking. They also enjoyed some fun speakers like a member of the Seventy and a guy who told some cool stories that my boys shared with me.  Clark shared some of a story in sacrament meeting, as he was asked to share how he grew spiritually while at the encampment.






Sadly only one picture of Cal.  Lee and I didn't go to camp at all.  I was grateful some of the leaders took pictures!








Of course it wouldn't be summer with out many visits to the pool!


And trampoline/cousin/friend time!


We had a hot dog roast with the cousins one evening.  Oh, my sister Lois and family had to move out of their rental because the landlords sold the house.  It worked out that in between houses and schooling for them to stay with us for two weeks, before a month-long road trip.








Elden is into this whole "look grumpy" face.  Even though he's very happy.


Lee's team members gifted him some movie tickets for a Christmas gift.  SO FUN!  We used them on Cars 3.  LOVED that movie!  We met up with our friends the Petersons, and Lois and kids came too.  Then we had ice cream at Bruester's afterwards.  So fun.


The next week there was yet another camp!  Cub Scout Day Camp!  I wish their camps would have landed all in the same week.  But that didn't happen.  Maybe next year?  Elden really enjoyed day camp and Reed, his cousin, was there as well.  Though they probably didn't see each other much since they are different ages and in different dens.




We enjoyed going to the award ceremony  Well, I did anyway.  They had some fun, classic boy scout skits and jokes.  Pretty fun! I love the fly/raisin one the best.




While Lois was visiting me, my sister Stephanie came too!  So fun!  Andy had to work in DC, so it was great that Steph came to hang out with her kids.  It was fun having Stephanie and Lois here together.










On July 1st we headed to Virginia Beach for a fun beach day.


















































Awesome weather and lots of fun.  Lee and I brought our new shade canopy which was sooo nice to have! And lunch.  We left fairly early to beat the traffic.  I think we left at the perfect time.

The kids earn fun prizes with the summer reading program.  And actually I signed up all of my sisters' kids for the summer reading program here since all of my sisters' visited me in Virginia this summer!  It was great!

After the beach and heading back to our hometown, we used the McDonald's kids' meal coupons the kids earned.  Maggie had her first happy meal!


They also earned a free cone at Dairy Queen.  They did not say no to ice cream!




Nighttime fun.  Maggie brought glow sticks to share...very cool!




Lee attended another vision therapy course.  Lots of neat little things to use for therapy.




Wow, can't believe summer is just slipping by.  But it always does, sadly....