Two Months of Summer - Gone?!?

July is over and done with - gasp! 

Here's how we spent it...

Watermelon smiles

The Logan fireworks show @ USU stadium on the 3rd
that my Uncle (waving from behind, in the red shirt) started clear back when I was a child....and I've loved going ever since!

Summer nights sunsets...

Fireworks...

...and family rounded out our 3rd of July!

Neighborhood party on the 4th of July - shaving cream and cheese puff game!

Summer cockroaches - bleh!

The girls and I went to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" that my cousin was the Musical Director for!
And then out for shave ice - the BIG Kahuna - afterwards!

Kyle went on a High Adventure Scout Camp in the Tetons July 8-11.

Farmington Festival Days!

Hooray for the full-time missionaries in the Farmington Festival Days parade! 

(Sister missionaries in the red convertible behind the Elders)

Matt caught TWO shirts that they were throwing out at the evening festivities in the park - Brookelle immediately donned it as her new dress!

We {heart} our Farmington Festival Days

Family Night activity - climbing to the top of a neighborhood tree.

Annual read-a-thon and pizza picnic in our family room.

Katelyn got her long locks cut off!

Katelyn fed her obsession got crafty making bracelets

Katelyn & Brookelle were in the Days of '47 Children's Parade in SLC

Fresh Lime treats!

When the school supplies hit the shelves, we jumped on it! 

(Haylee's back pack pick) 

Lagoon

The new ride, Cannibal!

It's description: Cannibal lifts riders 208 feet and plunges them into a 116° beyond vertical free-fall into an underground tunnel

We ALL survived, although there WAS some crying and closed eyes involved. We also rode it while it was raining, so we were privileged to get pelted in the face with rain drops during our ride; the ride that was not open by Lagoon's season opening day because the dummies were falling out on the test runs; the same ride we noticed, as we waited in line, had a swaying/wobbling inverted loop when the coaster went around that section of the track  - Oh, my!

 

Road trip to St. George in the EARLY morning hours, as the sun is just coming up.

Nothing quite like the hot days of Summer, standing by Port-a-Pottys watching a Pioneer Day Parade!

Hooray for the full-time missionaries (again!), singing, "Called to Serve," in this parade in Washington, UT

Kyle got the silver medal running in the 16 yr. old foot race (because he was the only 15 yr. old who wanted to race, he "ran up.") and won In-N-Out Burger coupons, too!

Sparklers & firecrackers in the street to finish off the Pioneer Day weekend.

(including the "grand finale" that sent many of us RUNNING & SCREAMING, like last year!)  ;)

4-Wheeling in the property behind my parents' house

Our Annual Movie Marathon.  This year's titles: "Penguins of Madagascar," "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2," and "The Book of Life"

I attended the first day of this 2-day Women's Conference to close out the month of July.

It Owns Me

Ever since I started wearing my new Fitbit (first full day was Dec. 26) I HAVE to get my 10,000 steps a day.
 
If it is 11:00 p.m. and I haven't yet achieved my steps, I will "sneak out" to go walking around the neighborhood to get them.  Apparently, the first time I did this, someone at home "needed" me (WHEN don't they need me?) and they couldn't find me, and no one knew where I was, and mayhem broke loose.  When I returned, Matt requested I please inform them in the future if I am going out.....ya know, in case something happens to me.  Like what?!?  Get abducted by aliens up the street?!?
If the day is almost over, and I don't have my steps AND we're experiencing inclement weather, I will pace back & forth on our covered porch.  Or run up & down the stairs.  Or do laps in our garage.
If I'm thirsty and need a drink of water, I STOP myself from asking someone else to get it for me......because if I get up and get it myself, that tacks on several extra steps.
If I need something while I'm making dinner from the cold storage room in the basement,  I don't call for Kyle anymore like I always used to......I want the steps myself!
It's no longer one of my kid's jobs to go and get the mail.....because if I get it, I know that's another 250 steps!

I'm telling you - I'm a SLAVE to this Fitbit.
I WILL NOT let myself NOT get my 10,000 steps a day.
EVERY day.
EVEN on the weekend.
If I let myself go just one day without getting my steps, then it'll just be easier to go another day, and then another, and another.....and I DON'T want that to happen!

 (BTW, it says 0 on the water because I would have to manually enter it in....and I don't.  I just like the Fitbit to crunch all the numbers for me.)  

I mostly wanted to start doing it for health & fitness, but ya know what's ALSO happened?  That was a pleasant surprise? 

I'm spending MORE TIME with my family and children!  The kind of TIME where I'm really WITH them.

Because I'll ask if anyone wants to go out and walk with me - and someone usually does.  Katelyn & I just walk & talk about her favorite subject - The Pioneer Woman (she's the one who "introduced" me to the Fitbit in the first place).....and then Katelyn asks when we can do that again!  ;)

Matt has decided he has to protect me against those "aliens," so he'll come out walking with me at night and we walk & talk.

One day, I needed a bunch of steps, so Brookelle, Katelyn, & I went up to our church.  I thought we'd just do laps around the church, but, NO, they had a grand idea to play "Tag."  So I obliged.  We were up there all night.....or at least an hour!  And I was "It" the majority of the time! (Because I kept getting caught!)  They LOVED it and didn't want to quit, even though I kept "suggesting" we did. (my bladder can only take so much "Tag!")  Again, Katelyn repeatedly asks when we can do that again! 

I ask her, "WHY?" 

And she tells me, "It was so fun." 

And I say, "Really?!?  'Cause I totally stunk at it."  

And she says, "No, you didn't.  You were really good.  You can run fast.....for a Mom your age!" 

And I say, "No......you always tagged me, and I couldn't catch you very much."

And she said, "THAT'S why it was so fun!"

Instead of driving my child to her friend's house to play, I walk her over there......and then I walk back when it's time to come home.  And Brookelle talks my ear off the whole way.

Same goes for getting Katelyn to Activity Days.

I'm also walking to the school after school to meet my girls and walk home with them (& their friends - gotta take advantage of that while it's still happening).  I heard Katelyn explaining to one of her friends, "Ya know how some moms pick their kids up from school and give them a ride home?  Well, our mom picks us up from school and then makes us walk home!"



I'm liking this "by-product" of my Fitbit (more time spent together with my fam) that I didn't realize would be one of the results.  My family is all on board with the idea.  They will frequently ask where I'm at for the day - and WANT me to accomplish my 10,000 every day.  Good thing, because my obsession dedication would exist with or without their support. ;)  I love it!

I ALSO overheard Katelyn tell one of her friends, "My mom has a Fitbit, and she HAS to get 10,000 steps a day.  She's going to do that EVERY day until my brother gets home from his mission, and then she's going to be SKINNY!"

Oh, WOW!  The pressure's ON!

Celebrate 100

All of our elementary school kids through the years have always made a big "to do" on The 100th Day of School.

Everything they do that day revolves around the number 100.

* Math problems that equal 100.
* Counting to 100.
* Bringing 100 of some object to show the class what 100 looks like.  (When Ryan was in kindergarten, he took 100 Happy Meal toys....with instructions from me to give them to all his classmates!  No joke - we had that many.  How embarrassing!  It's when Matt was working at Hertz, and those toys were left in cars, unclaimed, All. The. Time.  The sad thing was, even after I had him gather up 100.....we still had some junkin' up the playroom!)
* Doing a word search where the only word to search for was, "hundred" like a hundred times.
* Drawing pictures of what you will look like when you are a 100 years old.
* Finding as many words as you can from the word, "Hundred."  (like "red" & "run")
* Making lists of 100 something or other.
Etc., etc.....you get the point.

SOOOO, taking inspiration from all THAT, we did our own recognition of and celebrating for The 100th Day of Ryan's Elder Brenchley's Mission.  Which happened to be December 4th.

We made him a "100" list: "The Top 100 Things we Love About You" and then folded it up, put it in a big [decorated] manila envelope, and sent it to him.

You can't see much of them, but there are things like:

• You have a big heart
• You bring high energy to your interactions with others
• You show interest in the things we do
• You give up your chair for others
• Playfulness
• Blue eyes
• Values & morals
• Enthusiasm
• Loyalty
• Your middle name (it's "Matthew" - guess who put that one?  haha!)

At first, I thought 100 was A LOT (too many?), but once I got writing, I was on a roll!  I got to #78 all by myself, then I figured I better let the rest of the family finish up the last of the list.  :)

Here's to 100 more days.....

And then 100 more...

And 100 more....

And 100....

Then throw in 100 + 100 + 30 more days!

Now, THIS is My Kind of Camping

About five years ago, there was a motor home that Matt's work repossessed and he got permission to "try it out" and he brought it home.
(I blogged about it back HERE)
The kids were ecstatic!!!

 {Li'l 7 yr. old Haylee}

And it was perfect timing because our ward campout was already scheduled for THAT weekend!

The kids played in it, and packed their stuff in it, in anticipation to go.

WELL, it turns out that the credit union's president's definition of "trying it out" ONLY MEANT to drive it home - and DID NOT mean we could actually take it anywhere for real camping (our definition of "trying it out.") 
OH.
So, Matt drove it back to work and the kids did not take this "misunderstanding" well.  We tented it that weekend.....And they have always wished for "what could've been" five years ago.
In fact, these old photos have been coming up on our computer's screen saver lately, and the kids are all like, "Ahhhhhhh!" whenever they see them.


Fast forward to the present day:  My good friend's mom bought a camping trailer with the hopes that her kids would USE IT - but they're not.  So, after two summers of non-use, she opened it up to a broader circle of contacts; her kids' friends - which is where we come in!  She let us use it - and her truck to pull it with - AND she WAS GRATEFUL it was getting USED!  ;)
(SOOO generous!)
So, our kids previous unfulfillment can now be filled!  :)  Better late, than never!

The weekend outing was a SUCCESS because MY kind of camping now includes:

1.  THIS....

{After a few recent years of Girls' Camp, I think a camper trailer is the only way I want to camp now!  If I have my choice!}

2.  Weather that is 'just right' - not too hot, not too cold

(And the turning leaves add a nice touch, too!)

 3. Nice big rocks that provide a place to sit down.

 4. Something to keep the kids busy, so they aren't creating [dangerous or annoying] "fun."

 Brookelle really took the hunting-for-a-leaf-at-least-as-big-as-your-palm to heart!!  ;)

5. Being close enough to a town that has famous shakes. 

 {Dairy Keen in Heber City}

6. Having full hook-ups/electricity so that the T.V./VCR worked

How much can we CHEAT at camping?!? ;)

7. Also, thanks to the full hook-ups, being able to cook everything in a "kitchen" and have all the food in a refrigerator - plus wash dishes in a sink!

8. A BED to sleep on.

9. Real cover/protection for when it rains. 

10. But, I won't ax "The Great Outdoors" altogether - the camp fire part, with the s'mores, 

and the fire's relaxing, hypnotizing affect, along with the great talks/stories 

that happen as we sit around it, is still a favorite of ours!

Thanks so much to the Williams' & Badham's!