A few changes had taken place when I got home....for one, Squirt! Squirt is Spencer's turtle. He is actually pretty cute and I don't even mind feeding him. Now, as for cleaning his cage (terrarium), I DON'T do that part! I like to see what he's doing at odd times during the day. I am enthralled with his sunbathing techniques
Spencer and Kelsey began swim team and did very well. In fact, it was quite amazing to me how well they did. I knew they were great...but with only a couple practices they did amazingly well at their first Swim Meet! If I am going to have swimmers (or really any sport that I can't be SO close to) I am going to have to get a better camera with a great telephoto lens. Here are some pics tho....
Spencer and Kelsey also both had a ball game. I do like watching them play ball. And I really missed that while I was in Europe. Jordan signed up to detassle corn...his first call came while we were in Utah, but he will get to go for his first time to really make his own money THIS Tuesday! Football starts Monday in this dreadful heat so I'm sure he'll be super dead tired - to say the LEAST!
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Our Utah Trip
Because I wasn't certified in Vienna as a Strengthening Families Program Group Leader I had to go to Utah to do so. Not such a bad thing since a visit home is never turned away. The kids were excited too...and luckily we made BOTH out flights! Flying standby isn't so easy anymore - flights on Southwest are full all the time these days. We got out of St Louis without much problem. We made it JUST in time. Funny...as I got to the gate I noticed Spencer talking to someone. That was odd. I didn't really look at the person since I was rushing to get our boarding passes. Just then a girl came up to Jordan and started talking to him. I couldn't believe it! The Starwalts from Effingham were taking the same flight to Phoenix that morning. I wish I would have gotten a picture of them to add here...but it was fun to have friends on the flight. We all sat together on the flight!
In Phoenix things weren't as smooth, but we made the flight...ALL of us together. It filled up and I thought we may have to stay all day. I started prepping Jordan to go alone or with someone (however many would fit on the FULL plane). I have to admit...I was getting nervous. But...it was only an hour flight and surely he would be fine. Even taking another kid or so wouldn't be out of the question! But then...I went up to check on the status and they had JUST called our names! Hallelujah!!!!! We ALL made the flight!
Having gotten up very EARLY to leave by 3:15 I was pooped when I got to mom's house! We didn't do much that night....just hang around! Until, of course, Spencer got stung by a bee right in the eye. I immediately put a baking soda poultice on it. But in the morning .... this is what it looked like.
I ended up taking him to a walk in clinic to have the nurse look at it. It was pretty scary looking. But she wasn't too worried so I stayed with my non worried attitude also. It didn't really go down until like Monday-ish tho. Weird!
Friday we met our friends, the Agla's, and did our annual hike! Usually we do Stewart Falls, but this year opted for something closer AND not so long! We hiked a little behind the Provo Temple up Rock Canyon....
After hiking around for just long enough...tho I'm sure we could have done a lot longer, we opted to head down to the park where the kids could just play. A small creek had become a larger waterway because of all the runoff in Utah and had flooded a little place to play in it! The boys wanted to head STRAIGHT down through the brush to blaze a trail. I went with them and we eventually wound our way down getting there at the exact same time as Ruth and Kelsey. It was fun tho...here they are navigating away.
It must not have been too rough a place because on the "trail" we found an abandoned frisbee golf "hole."
And a funny looking bug...
And a lot of FUN...these boys are the same age (Kaleb & Spencer, Korbin & Cody)
Kaleb found a HUGE dandelion....
When we finally got to the park we were hot....so the water looked fabulous. Lo and behold, it was FREEZING...but the kids still had a ball!
After the fun in the park I was to meet Erin Emmett at the BYU Creamery on 9th East! On my way I drove by the temple. All the missionaries were out playing soccer so I drove around that temple parking lot looking for Michael Gadberry. I knew it was his P-day. However, I never saw him but Kelsey called out, "There's Kevin Jones!!!" I didn't want to run up and hug him knowing that would be inappropriate. So I sat on my car hoping to get a good pic of him to send to him mom. He saw me, waved, and ran over! He gave me a great missionary handshake and we got a picture!
It was crazy to see him!
Then Kelsey and Cody and I drove around BYU while we waited for Erin to finish her test. We should have gotten out and walked around but they were tired and not in the mood. So we ate and bit and sat by the creamery and waited. It was fun to even spend a short amount of time with Erin. We got an ice cream and had to leave. But it was fun to see her....I love all the youth that I've been able to be acquainted with.
When we got back Nicky and Ellie were already at the house! Ellie has grown SO much....had I not been keeping up with her growth via blogs and pictures Nicky sends, I may not have been able to recognize her! My kids had a blast with her!
I spent Monday and Tuesday in South Salt Lake at a Strengthening Families Program Group Leader Training. I got up early and caught the bus. I don't think I have EVER ridden the bus in my own home town - never needed to. As I waited I felt like I was in Europe all over again! I made it up and Morgan picked me up at the Trax station! It was so fun to see her again.
The training was actually pretty awesome! I really enjoyed it. Monday after the training I rode around Salt Lake with Morgan seeing her hockey ice rinks and other stuff she does. It was a great time! We went to her cool apartment in the Avenues to wait til we went to dinner at Cafe Rio with Katie! What a fun reunion for us! It was off to the Salt Lake Bees game from there! The Bees got crushed, but we had a GREAT time! Being 22 again was a blast....checking out all the good looking baseball players and picking some out for Morgan and Katie. Each player has a specific song that is played when they get up to bat. They had JUST been telling me about this guy with the Lion King song and up he came...AND it was the guy Morgan had chosen. Each moment with them is a ball of laughs...fun evening! To ice cream after the game and then home. Morgan and I had to prepare for our role play (not difficult). We prepared while she showed me her championship hockey match. She KNEW I would love to see something like that....I love that. It was fun to watch....even tho I am not too knowledgeable about hockey.
Tuesday's training was fun too. I talked to Henry Whiteside about a Christian Companion as well as dissertation ideas. This will be a fun venture!
Afterwards Morgan took me home via Park City and Heber to pick up my kids. Bettina Geise had been watching them. It was so nice to have a friend near that could and would watch my kids for a couple days while I was away. My mom was taking my dad to the hospital and working. It was also fun to spend the day with Morgan. After taking my camera EVERYWHERE in Europe and getting photo after photo after photo...I didn't get ONE while we hung out together.
She then drove us to Orem and we just hung out. We ordered pizza...took the boys to Seven Peaks...and just visited. I had a great time and my kids loved getting to meet her. I'm glad we can keep in touch after a month of daily adventures and fun in Europe!
The flights for Wed were pretty full so we opted to leave Thursday. So Wednesday we went to Seven Peaks. It was VERY crowded but the kids had fun. So did I!
And then it was rush to get everything ready and out the door by 4am Thursday morning. The flight was FULL when we got to Salt Lake but miraculously we made it AGAIN! We got back to St Louis about 1:30 and home by 4pm. It was nice to see my new kitchen floor...pics to come! And then to plop on the couch and REST!!!!!
Glad (again) to be home....for a week before Girls Camp!
3 comments:
Holy Super Post!!! What great adventures you have had this summer!
It was so fun to have you all here for a few days. The house is sooo quiet now! Tell Jordan it was either making peanut butter bird feeders or sewing monster pillows.
Wow! What a busy and fun summer it's been for you. It was fun to see the Utah pics--a lot of them looked very familiar! You have such a good-looking family. Good luck gearing up for school!
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