Week #25: An Ugly Tie For Father's Day!

This Week...

...Jason had a happy father's day, even though he had to work. The Elders gave him an ugly tie a tie, (cough), for his special day. Jason wore it the following Sunday in his correlation meeting at church much to the Elders' delight.

...the kids are finally out of school for the summer. Wahoo! We had a little longer to go this year. I think teachers and students alike were more than ready for the year to end. Paul, Claire, and Lainey wanted to walk home with friends.

...Clayton came back for round two of shed building. They made a lot of progress. Jason prepped the roof with tar paper and hung some of the siding prior to Clayton coming back. They were able to get right to work laying the shingles and putting the rest of the siding on.

...I went with the boys to Cub Scout Day Camp. I was a walking leader for two days. I am always amazed with the amount of preparation that goes into this three day event.

...we got a dog. I know! How is that possible, you ask. Well, they wore me down. It wasn't the kids as much as it was Jason. He had so much longing in his voice and eyes when he talked about wanting to get a dog. I'm just glad that Heavenly Father orchestrated events to help us get a dog that doesn't smell (too bad), doesn't bark, doesn't shed, and doesn't need to be inside. The no inside dog rule is where I'm drawing the line. 

     Jason found him online and contacted the seller. He explained that the kids have been mowing lawns to earn money for a dog and that they have saved $100. He further explained that we were prepared to put up the rest, but asked her to cut her asking price in half. She accepted and so we made a trip to see the dogs. We told her we wanted a dog that would play, but also be calm. That's how we ended up leaving with the biggest puppy of the litter and how Marty came home. He's a Labradoodle. The boys were at Cub Scout Camp when we brought Marty home, so they were super surprised to find a dog in our back yard. We made a trip to Pet Smart to get a kennel and a few toys. We quickly learned that the kennel is popular with the kids also.

...I am amazed at this beautiful world that we live in. Simple things like clouds and, even dessert landscape, make me thankful to Heavenly Father for His creations. Scenes like this turn me reflective; my thoughts turn to Heavenly Father and His great plan for us, His children; how he wants us to be happy and return to Him someday.

...somehow Lainey learned to tie her shoes on her own. She needed new shoes desperately and requested a pair with laces to tie. I was a little unsure because Mom is usually the one who gets stuck tying lace ups. Almost from day one with these cute little converse Lainey was tying them on her own. Somehow, she learned to tie her shoes all by herself. I'm not complaining.

...the Greenhalghs invited us over for a backyard neighbor party. They invited quite a few of their neighbors on either side of them and us to even things out. the kids had a great time playing and we had a great time getting to know new people.

Week #24: A Farewell to Aunt Evelyn

This Week...

...my Aunt Evelyn passed away. She is my dad's oldest sister. The funeral was held in Yakima. It was hard to see the emotion in my dad as we all mourned her passing. A little bit of our sadness was that we didn't know her better. My dad's upbringing is a rocky one at best. We would make the trip at least once a year as a family to see Aunt Evelyn and Grandma Wilson (when she was still in Washington). As the years went by, the older kids went less and less until I was the only tag-a-long with my mom and dad. The thing that I learned from my parents on these visits, is that it doesn't matter whether you spend every day with them or just once a year outings. It's important to hold onto the love that we have that connects us. I could be sad or indifferent that I didn't get to know her better, but I am only grateful that I did know her; that I was blessed by her laugh, her hugs, and the way she would say, "Love you, honey."  

...Paul and Emma had their piano recital. Paul has made considerable progress on the piano. It's fun to hear him practice to the point of memorizing his piece. He played 

Emma continues to amaze us with her talent and skill. This year she played Blue, a Phantom of the Opera Medley, and Tarantila. Tarantila was super hard and fast, but she was able to get it down. I sat next to her to help with her pages. About half way through, she looked at me and whispered, "It's upside down!" I quickly righted the pages much to everyone's enjoyment. Emma continued to play, seemingly without a hitch. 

...we had Grace for a visit and went out to eat at McDonald's. Yay!

...Paul finished up the Pioneer unit at school. They had to construct their own covered wagon using materials found at home. The big test was to see how it held up in a race at school. He was really excited to think of the design and then build it.

...we had a huge leak in the laundry room. It soaked the carpet clear into the boys closet and room as well as into the upstairs family room. It soaked the insulation and dry wall in the garage ceiling. It was my fault. I had inadvertently pulled the drain hose up at the back of the washer. Only it didn't come all the way out, and so I didn't realize that it was a serious problem. Oops! It wasn't until a cycle ran, and Jason and I were both busy out of the house, that it worked its way out of the drain pipe the rest of the way and flooded the laundry room.

...Clayton came to help us put up our shed. I told you we became good friends with our framer, so much so that he couldn't stay away! He has been so generous to help us using his time and tools. He and Jason have been having a blast working together. I think more talking gets done than working. Which is exactly why I don't go out there very often either, I talk too much as well!

...we went to Jensen Hayter's reception. We're so excited for him and his bride. Mike and Cammi are some of our faves! We were in love with their treats in a jar. Yum! Cammi was good enough to let us take some. 

...Jason did his police presentation for all of Paul's Fourth Grade classes. I was sick so I sat in the back and tried not to cough too much. Paul had a unique set up this year in fourth grade. He spent his morning with two of the teachers for Math and Science -Dutcher and McPeak- and the afternoon with the other two - Marquez and Gomez - for History and Language Arts. Each pair of teachers was able to open the partition between their two rooms and have one big classroom. We loved the set up! Mrs. Dutcher was out on maternity leave so Jason handcuffed the long term sub, Mrs. Setbacken. The kids always love the part when their teachers get cuffed.