D'youknow June-O?

I know time keeps flying, but I canNOT believe July is a week away! We've had a blast here,going a mile a minute to fit all the fun in, and sticking to a routine about as well as water holds still in the ocean.  We've gone to summer dollar movies, used our Seven Peaks Water Park passes, and learned the tricks of getting there at opening to avoid lines and get tubes, etc. (also enjoying time w/ a few ward members who also have passes),

 Maddie's survived Girls' Camp

  and Trek,

we made a killer Oreo Ice Cream cake for Father's Day (where lucky Brian got sleeping bags and a book that our whole family wanted :);

we enjoyed the Ward Campout---where I scarcely saw Brian, so caught up in marshmallow gun fighting was he!,

worked like crazy to build, fill, and plant our garden boxes, only to be met w/ this INTENSE heat!!,

had Anne learn to ride a 2-wheeler (I found a tiny cheap one at DI, and had a hunch she'd get the balancing a lot faster on it),

 enjoyed a Cubscout Bike Rodeo, refinished our kitchen bench, Maddie's nightstand & headboard,

BENCH BEFORE

AFTER

NIGHTSTAND BEFORE

AFTER

replaced Spencer's broken dresser (w/ Maddie's extra),

yes, Spencer's room; Emily posing

and last, but not least, bought a new (actually 1950's) Italian Cruiser!!--don't ask what gets into me! After talking to some "bike people" at the Cub Activity, and w/ Dad always having given me a bad time about my DI/Walmart bikes, I got some good ideas of how to look for better quality bikes w/ reasonable pricing, and in my looking, found this little "Legnano"(later became Binache) treasure close to home.  I've nearly ridden the bike I got for Mother's Day last year to death--the bearings are going out in one wheel, and I was trying to decide which route to go, since the new ones at bike shops are 6-8X what I paid for it, so I was thrilled to come across this one (the owner even asked if we were Italian, so we were glad to at least claim Katie :).  I'm still not sure whether to replace all the kids' bikes we have??, but in the meantime, at least I'LL ride happily along ringing my working bell!!!

Meanwhile, we are getting SOME reading time in, Maddie's taking private violin from Anne's teacher, the children all have a week to make lunch AND a night to make dinner (they asked, "But when are you going to cook Mom?"-hee, hee), and Brian's staying plenty busy w/ City Council and work and bishopric, fixing toilets and sink drains, making beef jerky, and keeping tomatoes alive.  I LOVED reading Mindset; and From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels because of how willingly this truestory woman gave up so many of her expectations out of love for her sweet husband-and found herself happier because of it--really nice to read such a fun book so in favor of marriage and family.--though, as a spoiler alert, there IS a lot of kissing :).  I've adjusted/replaced more sprinklers than I'd care to (and still have dead grass spots), washed WAY too many towels in the last few weeks, as well as WAY too many Annewetthem sheets, chased naked Lucy out of the road more times than I'd like to admit (she's really into dressing/undressing herself, so I pretend we're potty training), somehow managed to still cook plenty :), read, read, read, gotten much better at asking my huge team of helpers to pitch in on all of the picking up, gave a Father's Day talk, kept up w/ Suzuki (we've learned "Twinkle"!!), got the boys into a free 2 day Basketball camp, sewn Maddie's pioneer apron, bobbed along on intertubes, sat in MANY moments of wonder over HOW people keep their homes looking so orderly!!,and LOVED date nights more than ever!-whether it's a trip to Lowe's, the temple, or a hip little "I don't feel like I'm in Utah anymore" delicious pizza joint w/ a live band! (Boy, blogging a month at a time sure makes me feel more productive!) Emily asked me the other day, after the kids were digging (and dying w/ laughter) through my old pictures, what my favorite age was, and I can honestly say, "THIS AGE is my favorite age." Life just keeps getting better and better, sometimes harder and scarier, but also, better and better.  And to finish, one example of how troubles CAN be blessings (I TRY so hard to remember this Alchemist type philosophy, but I'm usually wretched at remembering): Our doorbell broke (the 3rd time, in a 3rd totally different way since we've lived here), from getting jammed, and ruining...something.  We got a new box, Brian worked diligently at replacing it, but when it came to the transformer, which ran THROUGH our furnace, and who knows where, he agreed to call an electrician.  AND, since they charge by the hour (my philosophy that got us a bathroom fan after fixing an outdoor shorted light), we're going to take advantage, and get a ceiling fan installed in the living room.  (I KNOW!--Italian bikes AND ceiling fans!--my husband spoils me!!! ... or he thinks I'm too far gone to even reason with anymore).  :)

Memorial Day -graveyards, gravel, & graduation

While I thought I'd get a few last things done at home before all the children & summer were (quite literally) upon us, I was quickly reminded that the last few weeks of school are ANYthing but project-worthy time!!
Some having to do w/ school, and some not, here's a quick photographic journal of why I haven't been sewing curtains or painting headboards:
Science & Math Olympiad:
(Brent and Emily both got to compete in the KRYPTO category--making # cards work into an equation; Emily practiced a lot, and earned a 3rd place medal; Brent didn't practice, but had fun coming w/ friend Noah)

Emily & Brent (and Anne) w/ SEM Teacher--I don't know what SEM stands for :)

Brent @ Crypto table--SYPD shirt

Brent & Noah

Emily in pink at table

Emily just having gotten her medal w/ partner Frankie

Pack Meeting:  some payoff for Spencer's crazyhard cubscout work!--he earned 3 beads and a "Leave No Trace" badge AND he won 2nd place in the bubblegum blowing contest

blowing bubbles

bag of awards from den leaders

Maddie's last Orchestra Concert of the year:  I even went outside of my comfort zone working w/ her teacher on an incorrect grade--my little personalities studies came in handy, and we're all chummy now :).  Maddie's going to venture into some violin lessons this summer w/ Anne's teacher while we wait for our piano teacher to begin in fall.  AND, DON'T YOU LOVE MADDIE'S NEW HAIRCUT???!!!

4th Grade Wax Museum:  Emily was our ancestor Harriet Decker Young--one of the first pioneer women to settle SL Valley (I submitted her name since they only had about 6 women for all of the students to choose from)--our whole family knows a lot about her now, thanks to Emily's practicing, AND that Mom LOVES that her grandma worked so hard to plant TREES!--as well as kind of loving that she was strong-willed enough to convince Brigham Young, no softie himself, that she should go, and that there absolutely should be a woman in the first company! :)

Memorial Day:  We usually go up to Idaho this weekend and visit Brian's mother's grave, and I wanted the children to understand something of the significance, so I took them (while Brent put out flags and Maddie and Dad.....slept) to our little Syracuse Cemetery, where they held a brief Memorial Day service.  The girls went through about a pound of tootsie rolls, so as not to ruin the moment(s) of silence, but it was still good to be a part of our sweet community, and Anne has prayed to "bless America" all week :).  We had gone to Trafalga on Saturday when the weather was wetter, so Monday we worked hard in our yard, re-laying strong weed-barrier, and roofing and painting our swingset (I finished the painting in the dark, so don't look too close, it's about as good as shaving my legs w/o contacts!).  We also feasted that night w/ grilling brats, and enjoying the season's first corn on the cob & watermelon :). 

Brent's 6th grade graduation, softball, and School Awards Ceremony:
Though the say that it's an advancement, NOT a graduation, the school makes quite a big deal out of making it through elementary school, which I try not to giggle at too much.  Besides their big dance, they have a big softball game of parents/teachers v/s students, which in my "Growth Mindset" I'm trying to have from my new favorite book I'm reading (called Mindset), I decided to come and play in, AND have a 2 hour graduation ceremony (it made softball look fun to me) the last day of school.  Since the school has cracked down more on preschoolers, I haven't been able to come to many things this year, and since Brent notices it probably the most of all my children, I did come and play softball, w/ the girls on the sidelines.  It was pretty fun, even if we were one of the first adult teams in school history to LOSE!!! (my family assures me it was not because of my presence, wink, wink).  There was also a school awards ceremony where Emily got the HIGHEST AR score (reading points) in 4th grade, and almost the whole school, at 507!! and Brent and Emily both got awards for scoring above 95% in end of level CRT's (I'm not even sure what those are), and Brent also got a Presidential Gold Award for scoring all A's and B's for the last 3 years.  We're glad Brent made it through elementary school, and even more glad that he's excited for Jr. High.  He also got to end the year w/ a Scout Campout the last day of school! The neighbors supplied a waterballoon party across the street after school, Maddie had a birthday party for a ward friend that night, and Emily had cousin Makena over to play for a while, so besides a little sunburning and late nights, they all went out on good notes :).

6th grade song (Brent wore his suit in mid-left area)

Brent walking past 6th grade teachers and principal

Brent ADVANCING

GRAVEL:
The children tell me the weirdest things excite me, but I HAD to include this video of our gravel slinging truck that came to SHOOT our gravel (by REMOTE CONTROL) into our yard on Friday! 15 tons of rock shooting by conveyer belt (and water propulsion) right into our garden area.  Sure, it broke one window, REALLY pruned one of our apple trees, and front bushes, AND sprinkled quite a bit of gravel into our poor neighbors yard, that the children and I spent a somewhat akward hour hand picking out, but STILL, it's AWESOME!!! We worked Saturday, as much as we could in record breaking highs, moving the stuff, and after over 40 wheelbarrow fulls, and a huge pile still remaining, we're even MORE glad they could do it for us! Brian's been busy getting all the supplies for new redwood boxes and "Mel's Mix," so we should soon be in real garden growing business!! I keep telling Brian we're hilarious doing all of these crazy hardwork projects, all so we can save ourselves some work! :)

our truck full of gravel

flying rock

this is AFTER graveling under tramp, and moving about 30 loads in front of shed)

SWINGSET BEFORE (notice the ray of hope shining in the background)

FINISHED SWINGSET