Today I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with all my church responsibilities and the unknown of what seminary will be like for me and our family. I know that change is good and inspired and can push and stretch us, sometimes with out our knowledge of it even happening. I have a feeling I will be stepping outside of my comfort zone a bit this year, just as my dad did today teaching in primary. It's a good thing.
Mary and Noah got to visit their new classrooms at MRE's Open House today. I can't believe how quickly this summer has passed by. I am sad to see it end. Aaron and I went to an amazing seminary training after dinner. I am nervous because I have no idea what I am doing, but I am excited for the learning opportunity this new calling will give me...another new beginning around here. Following the training, we had a few families over to watch an outdoor movie. We had a concession stand and the perfect outdoor experience. It was a nice way to celebrate the last few days of summer.
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...take any photos today. We did a lot of chores and homeschooling this morning. Then we spent three hours running errands mostly at Costco and Walmart. Noah went to his first soccer practice of the season and after dinner I took the kids swimming before we tested out Christine's popcorn machine for tomorrow night's outdoor movie. It was a busy day. I am exhausted. And I have no energy to press the button on my phone and capture yet another fuzzy picture. I really need to learn how to take some decent photos.
We had some cousins over today and they made several hilarious videos while I got some church stuff done. The videos were funny because they used an app called slopro, which makes everything you video in slow or fast motion. Some of the videos were a little strange, like this one from Eliza...
Noah is so good at taking care of Buttercup. He's good with all critters really and he has the scratches on his arm to prove it. I need to figure out how to get those things trimmed! He is a sweet and tender boy.
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Christine and Jared hosted a beautiful farewell party for the Holley family, who is moving to Klamath Falls. Lucky for us, they are only an hour away, so we may see them again soon. Christine's backyard and set-up was so lovely. We hung out for hours with all the families. I do need to remember to let my kids change out of their church clothes, because Noah was pretty upset to be the only boy wearing them all night.
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I seriously couldn't breathe. That's how I felt tonight when we watched Brian Regan perform at the Britt. He is absolutely hilarious. Aaron surprised me with tickets and plans to meet up with some friends. There were a lot of members there because he is so clean and entertaining. It was a good end to the day because this morning we had some seminary training that left me feeling a little bit overwhelmed and a lot bit under qualified. Laughter is the best medicine.
Mary performed in the most darling play ever today. It was seriously incredible. She played the part of Wise Owl, Strong Wind's sister. She had a lot of parts to memorize, and she enjoyed it all from start to finish. Joey and Sofi's camp was pretty amazing..from the directing, sets, costumes, programs, the dance number, and even refreshments...it was professional and filled with kid creativity and fun. I'm hoping they do it again next year because I have a feeling this will not be Mary's last play.
Nicole went to a preschool open house this evening. It was so exciting looking at the classroom and meeting some friends. Nikki was pretty quiet. I'm not quite sure how she will be the first day. What I've noticed when the kids get nervous about trying something new is to let Aaron handle it. So he may take her to her first day. He has a special way of making everyone feel a little bit braver.
Aaron got the fourwheeler working this evening after all our church meetings and the kids were so happy to hop on, even though the brakes don't function properly. I am loving these summer nights where the kids play outside until late and we just relax together.
Mary is attending a theater camp this week with two of the most talented and wonderful young women in our ward...Joey and Sofi. I signed her up knowing that she would love it. She was a little hesitant to go at first not knowing what to expect, but I was positive that this camp would be right up her alley. After the first day yesterday she was filled with excitement. They played some acting games, introduced the script, and held try-outs. Today she worked on some of her costuming and blocking. The play is a native American version of Cinderella. She is playing the role of Strong Wind's sister.
This morning my dad and I picked pears at the LDS pear farm. It was nice to do the ladder picking together since it gets so tiring going up and down with the bags. My dad picked and handed me the pears and I emptied the bags into the bins. It was a good system. It's unbelievable to me that the church's farm produces one and a half million pounds of pears each year and that with the help of volunteers it is all picked in two weeks! That's a real labor of love. I think blessings flow into our area because of this small act of service. I'm grateful to be a part of it.
I woke up to breakfast in bed...hot chocolate and toast, my favorite. Then we headed to church which was lovely, of course. After the block we went to Tiff's for dinner where the family surprised me with the sweetest card and tasty dinner. My favorite comment on the Mary Poppin's measuring stick was from Cameron, "My love to sleep in your bed." And that he does. It was a day of lots of love and spoiling. I couldn't feel more grateful, especially for Aaron who took care of the kids for me (even all the bedtime routine).
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My mom and dad texted for the kids to come below their window for a special surprise. They ran to the lowering basket which was full of candy and stuffed their shirts with excitement. "It worked!", "It worked!", they cried.
This morning Mary and Noah put together a contraption for hoisting materials up to Grandma while she is recovering in bed. They tested it out at our house after gathering the supplies and will wait until Grandpa comes home to place the rope through the window. This way they can send her notes and she can send them back some candy.
We registered for school this morning. I can't believe it's already that time of year. To keep the kids occupied while I filled out all the forms I had them take a bunch of selfies on my phone next to the new murals in the hallway. So hilarious!
in the FACE! Poor Cameron kept getting injured today.
Today I sketched, outlined and painted the clown for our Daddy Daughter Carnival sponge throw. Last night we prepped the plywood with white paint and Aaron cut a hole for me using his jigsaw. Mary and Nina helped me paint it and my mom grabbed all the supplies for me. It was so fun doing something artsy. And it made the day fly by.
After dinner tonight we played outside and pulled out some left over ice cream. You know it's tasty when it ends up all over your face. Chocolate Brownie Thunder is a family favorite around here.
This morning after breakfast we said good-bye to Claude and Agnes. Even though they've been here a short time, it was still hard seeing them leave. Claude's ankle looked pretty swollen from his water skiing injury yesterday. Hopefully he'll be okay to tour around SF.
After they left I gathered the kids and we went to buy this year's school supplies. When we got home the kids sorted them out and counted all the items. The most exciting items were Nikki's cute owl backpack for preschool and Mary's non-spilling thermos. I can't believe how close we are now.
Aaron took the Frenchies skiing and fishing today. Their response when they returned to Marcus' family birthday pizza party that evening was "C'est Magnifique!" Claude hurt his ankles on one of his runs. They both tubed, skied, and wakeboarded. Mary, Noah, Nina, and Josh also joined them while I got my hair done. Mary even got up on the skis today, for just a few seconds. So exciting!
The Frenchies went rafting and kayaking with a bunch of us today. They loved it since it's something they haven't done before and have been wanting to do. We all got together for a delicious dinner afterwards and stayed up late talking and playing games.
Claude and Agnes arrived late last night. They toured Ashland today and unwound from all their travels. They speak Basque, French, Spanish, and some English. Every sentence is mixed depending on who they are talking to. They are so darling. I am really glad that they came. Most of us adults went to dinner at a Thai restaurant. They don't eat Thai food often, so they were happy to go. Then Jared and Christine and my parents hung out at our place for most of the night. They really liked Jared--he and Claude are just a few days apart in age.
We left Tahoe this morning. On our way into the valley the smoke from the wildfires made the sun look red. Luckily, the smoke and ash didn't descend into our area, yet. I'm just so nervous since the smoke was so awful last summer. It's nice to be home. We quickly unpacked and cleaned up a bit around the house for our cousin Claude and his girlfriend/wife's arrival this evening.
We woke up to crisp, cool, damp Tahoe air. Tiffany thought it would be the perfect time to go for a morning jog. As she walked out onto the balcony she saw a bear right across the street eating our neighbors' garbage. We watched it from the safety of our rental for quite some time. The kids thought it was wildly exciting, even after he escaped back up the mountain. Needless to say, Tiff decided not to go running. And it was a good thing too, because a short while later after breakfast and games another smaller bear started digging in the next neighbor's house.
After some time of bear watching we got dressed and packed sandwiches to hit Zephyr's Cove. It was a little drizzly, but that didn't stop us from building sandcastles, swimming in the clear lake, and playing a game of family wiffle ball. Afterwards, some of us went shopping and others headed back to the house to swim.
The best part of the day was visiting with the Arhets at their family reunion. They are staying at a beautiful mansion of a home just a few blocks away. We played, caught up on life, and made some introductions. After hugs and kisses good-bye we headed for dinner and ice cream.
The only thing that could have made the rainy day perfect was a little more time in a cozy bed (minus wiggly flailing sleeping child-sized bodies) and a good book.
It was another great day.
