This is the Place

As a sort of last hurrah to summer, we went to "This is the Place" last Saturday with Corbin, Nikki and kids. "This is the Place" is one of our favorite places - there's so much to learn about and do and there are different activities every time we go. And it just feels different there! Anyway, check out some of the fun things we did:

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

I just haven't taken the time to blog as much as I'd like this summer, but I wanted to make sure I "documented" Makenna and Kasidee's birthdays! Having their birthdays 2 days apart is great for some reasons and hard for other reasons. My main concern is making sure each girl feels special on her day, but it's also fun to have like a 3-day celebration!

Makenna's birthday (#7) was on a Sunday, which is hard for a kid. She was bummed that we couldn't go somewhere fun (besides church!) but she really looked forward to having the grandmas over that evening. It was quiet and nice and really helped to be able to focus on HER!

The next day was the friend party day. Makenna and Kasidee both wanted a backyard pool party with a few friends. My first thought was great - we'll just invite everyone and have a big bash. But no - they each wanted a separate party even though they would be doing the same thing. So instead of dividing it between 2 separate days, we decided to do both parties on the same day but at different times. It was a long day, but it was fun - and nice to have it over with in one day!!

Anyway, the party was fun - sprinklers under the trampoline, slip-n-slide, and inflatable kiddie pool. We had whale crackers and Swedish fish for snacks, and watermelon cupcakes and watermelon popsicles.






The next day was Kasidee's real birthday (#4) and we asked her what she wanted to do. She replied with what she had been asking all summer - Kangaroo Zoo. So we went there, then went to Olive Garden for dinner. Yay!

So Great A Cause

For the last few months, our Stake has been focusing on how we can provide service to others beyond our Stake boundaries. Ward goals, family goals, and individual goals were set, and last Saturday was the "culminating event" of everyone's efforts.



There was a carnival (each "station" symbolized characteristics needed in strengthening our testimonies and building the kingdom of God.) There was food and music, an art exhibit, and a program with songs. All the work that went into this event was pretty impressive.

COTTON CANDY - YUM!

WATERMELON EATING CONTEST - MAKENNA WON, EVEN WITH HER TOOTHLESS SMILE!

PETTING ZOO


Perhaps the coolest thing was the monument that will be placed at the church. The monument houses a time capsule that each ward contributed to - we were even able to submit our family's goal. The time capsule will be opened in 20 years, when our Stake turns 50 years old. It's weird to think that in 20 years I will most likely be a grandma! But what a special experience for us, especially the girls!

THE 4-FOOT MONUMENT AND TIME CAPSULE


The other "coolest" thing was a big map of the world - and there was a list of everyone in the Stake and where they served (or are serving) their missions and/or military duty. Everyone that was there was able to put a pin in the map of where they went - what a neat thing to see that people of our Stake have had an influence all over the world!

Camping

We went camping last weekend with Quentin's brother Corbin and his family, and his brother Dallin. We ended up having lots of fun but there were a few things that really "tested" us. On our way up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, our van overheated. It just totally died and we had to pull over for a few minutes. We realized that our poor old van can't pull a tent trailer and run the a/c at the same time. So to cool things off a bit, we drove the rest of the way up with the heater on and the windows rolled down. At least we made it!

Corbin got to the site about an hour before we did and got the very last spot. Out of about 100 spots. We were able to all share the spot, so that was pretty lucky.

But then as Quentin was cranking up the top of the tent trailer, he got it up maybe a foot and then it just fell. The dumb cable that makes the top go all the way up broke, leaving our tent trailer unusable. Great - now what? I felt so frustrated, and I just wanted to go home and cry. But we emptied out the stuff we had put in the trailer and Quentin and Corbin ran the trailer back home (thank goodness we were only about an hour away from home!) Then he picked up a new tent for 88 bucks at Walmart. We set it up and were good to go. I felt a lot better then. The tent was nice, but man - we realized how much we really love our little tent trailer! We sure missed the comforts and safety of it!

I think after that (besides a few scrapes, mosquito bites, small bike crashes, and some stinging nettle on Makenna's fingers) things were okay. We had a fun time and made some good memories - and we can't wait to go again next year!


RIDING BIKES

GEOCACHING

HIKE BY DONUT FALLS

"FREE WOOD FOR SALE"

Swimming Lessons

The girls took swimming lessons this summer - this was Kasidee's first year! They all loved it and did really well. They hated to see it end!

KIERA



MAKENNA



KASIDEE



THREE BATHING BEAUTIES!

Sprinkle

The girls love to swim and splash, but for some reason I am still trying to figure out, I am not a big fan of going to public pools. However, with 8 swimming lessons, a daddy-daughter date to the Rec Center, a couple days of sprinklers and kiddie pools at our house and a few days of sprinklers at friends' houses, I think the girls got enough water time this summer. At least for the time being!

Makenna's Gymnastics Class

This summer, in addition to swimming classes, the girls each got to pick a summer rec class they wanted to take. Makenna chose gymnastics. It was held at Flip's in Bountiful and she was so happy to have a few of her friends in the class too. It was an hour each week for 5 weeks. She had so much fun and wants to do it again next year - and Kiera wants to join her!

Catch Up

I feel like I either haven't HAD the time or TAKEN the time to blog lately. So here I am playing catchup again. Here's what this last week held for us:

* We bought a trampoline! We never really thought we would get one, since 2 sets of cousins have trampolines. But the girls love jumping on their trampolines so much that we decided it would be worthwhile to get our own. After searching a few places, we noticed that we could either get a really high quality one for like $900 or a cheap one for about $250. It might not be as good of quality, but it seems okay and it works for us. And the best thing? We didn't pay 250 bucks. We paid 15 cents. Yep, 15 cents for a brand-new in-the-box trampoline at Walmart. Quentin got a bonus gift card from his work and we ended up paying 15 cents. Not bad, eh?

HERE ARE OUR CRAZY GIRLS JUMPING IN THE DARK - LOOKS LIKE A CAGE!


* The girls started swimming lessons. Kasidee was a little hesitant at first - till we got there. All 3 girls are LOVING it! (I'll have to post pictures later - we've still got one week left.)

* The girls had their dentist appointment. Poor Makenna had a cavity, and the doc wants to do an expander retainer for Kiera for her crossbite (hardly noticeable.) We're still trying to decide about that.

* Makenna had her second-to-last gymnastics class. She's having so much fun!

* Had several playdates with friends and cousins.

* Quentin, my mom and I went to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at the Centerpoint Legacy Theater in Centerville. Have I told you before how much I love live theater? ;)

* Went to Lagoon for the girls' cousins Stake Lagoon Day (we all decided to just do the free entrance - we walked around Pioneer Village, got ice cream, and played in the fountains.)




* The girls had a "Late Night" with friends - movie, popcorn, snacks, lots of giggles.

* Took a ride on a little train at the S&S Railroad in Farmington


* Kiera, Makenna and I went to a baby shower; Kasidee and Quentin had a Daddy-Daughter date while we were gone.

Can I just say I hate that school is only 2 weeks away? Where has summer gone? I am already missing my girls. I love having them home with me and they have generally gotten along pretty well this summer. They are all at ages where they play so well together and

Week in Review

So I guess I've been a little too busy to take the time to blog. But here's what last week looked like. Just trying to squeeze in lots of fun before school starts!

* Met Mom and Grandma for lunch
* Cleaned out our garage (that deserves a separate post - coming soon)
* Lemonade stand - twice

* Played with friends
* Picnic dinner at the park
* Dinner at cousin's house
* Spent the day in Salt Lake with my mom - had lunch at Spaghetti Factory, browsed at Pottery Barn Kids and Whole Foods in Trolley Square, had dessert at City Cakes.

* Fireworks in our driveway
* Final "Summer Reading Program" show at the library
* Learned magic tricks
* Played at the park

* Slept in tent trailer overnight (in our driveway!)
* Bought a trampoline - after using some gift cards we had, we ended up paying 15 cents for it!
* Quentin took the girls swimming at the Rec Center and gave me several hours of peace and quiet, home alone!
* Had cousins over for dinner

What To Do With Zucchini

So...we planted 4 zucchini plants but only 2 grew. And out of those 2 plants, we are getting LOTS of zucchini. I've made 3 dozen zucchini bread "cupcakes," 1 zucchini bread loaf, put some in fajitas, put some in soup, and made an Italian zucchini/tomato/kidney bean casserole. And we still have 5 sitting on our counter, plus more waiting to be picked.

Besides giving them away, which we will, does anyone have any recipe ideas for this great veggie?

Bike to DQ

I realize a lot of my posts are about things that probably no one else really cares about. But blogging is kind of like journaling to me, and I like to have a record of some of the fun things we do, even if it makes for boring reading to everyone else!! (So...sorry!)

Anyway, last night the 5 of us rode our bikes over to Dairy Queen for some treats. It was a perfect-sized bike ride (1 1/2 miles each way) and it was nice to have a fun stop before we headed back home. It is something the girls say they want to do lots more times before summer ends!

Soccer Camp

Our neighbor invited some of the neighborhood kids (and a few of his nieces and nephews) to do a “Soccer Camp” with him over at the elementary school this week - Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The girls were sooo excited to be able to go, and they were even more excited afterward! They all love to play soccer and it was fun to have an excuse to play and learn drills.

KIERA AND MAKENNA'S CLASS

KASIDEE'S CLASS

EVERYBODY WITH "COACH CHAD"

Skyline Drive

Yesterday evening we went for a "Sunday Drive." We headed up toward the "B" in Bountiful and went along Skyline Drive. Sooo nice! We were surprised to find patches of snow - in July! But it was a beautiful drive, and we took a little walk by some cabins. Ahhhh....

New Toy

So...Quentin came home from work the other day and saw our neighbor Scott mowing his lawn. Scott has a nice, new, professional riding lawn mower - but that day he was using a push mower instead. Quentin chatted with him a bit and asked him why he wasn't using his riding mower. Scott told him that he decided he needed a bit more exercise. Then all of a sudden Scott said, "Hey! I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I want to give you my old riding lawn mower. It's not the one I usually use, but one that I have in my shop that I haven't used in years. Would you want it?"

WHA?! Um...are you kidding? Quentin has often said that he doesn't mind mowing the lawn because it's good exercise. But every time he does it I feel bad. He's dripping with sweat and it takes him a LONG time - almost 2 hours to do the front and back, and that's without weed-eating. I guess that's because our yard is almost 1/2 acre and mostly grass. But lately Quentin has been eyeing our neighbors who have riding lawn mowers, saying how nice it would be if we could find a used riding mower for cheap.

And then our neighbor offers one to us. Of course Quentin was so excited - he said, "Well, yes - I'd love it! How much are you asking?" And the neighbor just wanted to give it to us. For free. How incredibly nice is that? (Maybe he was just trying to give us a hint that we need to mow our lawn more often!) Anyway, Quentin tried it out and loves it. Even the girls love going for rides on it! Anyway, check out our new toy (this is before Quentin and the girls gave it a "bath"):

Bella

Kiera's friend Ashley went out of town for a few days and asked us to take care of her bunny Bella. The girls were so excited! We didn't have to do much - just give her carrots, celery, water, hay and rabbit pellets. We were able to take her out of her cage a couple of times and let her hop around in her pen in the backyard. It was fun. I almost thought it would be fun to get a bunny someday - until the girls tried to cuddle with it and it kept jumping out of their arms. Bunnies are weird that way - they aren't big on cuddling. Maybe we just need to adopt a pet every once in awhile!