The last of June

The day after father's day Justin left for a work trip to Colorado. He got back Wednesday afternoon just in time for him and I to head up to girls camp. We ate dinner with Sarah, watched the skits and then met with just our ward for dessert and testimony meeting. The bishopric served the girls ice cream cones.

It's always so fun to see the young women and to see Sarah having fun with all the girls. 

There are a couple of boys building a fort in a huge empty field near our house. One day I saw these awesome signs but no sign of the fort. I took a picture for Justin because it makes him happy to see kids playing outside doing creative things.

Summer isn't summer without swimming lessons although it felt weird to only have two kids taking lessons. Sarah's schedule didn't line up with the weeks that a class for her was offered and I couldn't talk Henry into taking anymore lessons. So just the littles.

Erica learned the front stroke this year and she did awesome. I think she had the advantage of practicing a little with her older siblings here and there since last year. They also started diving in this class and she did great at that too. Her teacher often pointed out to the rest of the class how little of a splash she made.

She also won the survival float contest.

James was all about doing whatever he needed to do to pass the class. He's a quick learner but he often gets goofing around with whoever is around him and doesn't listen. 

But this year I could tell he was trying a little harder because I always get them a treat if they pass and he really wanted a kids meal or a big box of goldfish crackers. 

He passed and he was so excited. He impulsively chose pizza and ice cream from Costco and had major remorse on the way home that he didn't get goldfish crackers. I'll see what I can do to make it up to him. We've all been there.

He and his little biker games of friends crack me up. Sandlot anyone?

Friday all the kids had their dentist checkups. James has like 5 wiggly teeth, Henry has a molar ready to fall out of his mouth but he won't do it because he hates losing teeth, Sarah was fine, poor Erica has two more cavities. Everyone was cooperative so we got doughnuts at the grocery store per tradition.

Justin got back yesterday from a weeklong canoeing and fishing trip in Minnesota with his friends. I don't remember all the details but he got rained on, bit by leeches and mosquitos, but said it was awesome.

A week apart and then together for Father's Day

Tuesday morning Justin left with the priests for their summer campout at Lake Powell. Henry and the rest of the young men and leaders left on Wednesday. I had a lot of pictures of Justin's to choose from and I wish I could tell you all the details but I can't. I do know they had fun boating and tubing, got in a wild windstorm that tested their resolve, went on a great hike guided by Justin's cousin, ate well, slept okay and were hot hot hot. Here are some pictures.

Here's our faithful bishop driving home. I was so concerned for him all week. It's hard to be in charge. It's really hard to be in charge of a campout of 20+ boys far from home and in an inhospitable place. But judging from the boys' talks the next day in sacrament meeting, he did a good job.

Meanwhile at home: 

I just want to note how nicely my trees and shrubs are all growing. They are my favorite things to grow.

Sarah and James had kid camp all week long. Sarah as counsellor (as part of being on the city youth council), James as participant. 

The year's theme was Olympics so the kids were divided into countries for the week. James was in the Philippines group. He had a blast. He asked every day if I could sign him up for next year. 

With Justin and Henry gone we had a quiet week. The kids hung out with friends and I barely cooked. I did lots of yardwork though.

Saturday evening when Justin and Henry got home, Erica and James did their Father's Day Magic Show. They did such a great job. Erica had been practicing tricks all week and even though I had seen their rusty beginnings, I was tricked too!

Father's Day! The best part of Father's Day is no extra meetings for Justin. It feels like a holiday just to have him home on a Sunday.

But we still have early church so we only had time for a picture.

Afterward church the kids and I gave him some presents. Sarah gave him a gel headache hat, Henry gave him a new grill brush, I gave him an under the grill mat, Erica gave him squeezy sauce bottles and this:

 
And James gave him some BYU ice cream and this:

It's a tiny bbq grill he made at a primary activity.

These kids love him so much. Well I do too but it's fun to watch them make a big deal about their dad.

After a much needed nap, we made dinner. Steak, chicken, shrimp, roasted vegetables, fruit salad and homemade lemonade.

But before we ate Justin tried out his portrait setting on his phone on us.

For dessert I surprised him with a Basque cheesecake. I first heard about this Spanish cheesecake on Thursday, made it Friday in the midst of a power outage,  and we ate it Sunday. I think we all liked it. It's much easier to make than a NY cheesecake and a fun and interesting texture.

We are doing another week apart this week. Justin left today for Colorado for work and Sarah left for girls camp. Sarah will be back Thursday. Justin will be back Wednesday but he's got more work this week in Ogden and a father and sons campout Friday night. Then next Monday he leaves for 6 days to Minnesota. Sigh.

Trip to Logan

Justin had a class in Logan Monday through Friday so we rented a house for the week. We drove up separately because Justin had to go to the office first and it would be easier for him to have his own car to get to his class at 8am every day and to go get lunch. The house turned out to be a block from the city park and a block from the Logan temple and about 5 minutes from my brother's house and 5 minutes from one of their snow cone shacks. The kids were loving it.

The house was old and had so many funny quirks. It was hard to tell what year the the house was built because things had been redone at different times. Their favorite feature was by far the mail slot. They had only seen one on TV.

It kind of felt we were on the set of Mad Men.

These kitchen knobs were my favorite.

I'm guessing the fireplace is original. So what would you guess? 1940s? 1960s? What about this cutout design?

But then this doorknob looks even older but maybe it was done to be retro.

Sarah stayed at Matt's so she could help with the shacks so all the kids got their own rooms. 

After we got settled we walked to Olsen Park. We had some time to kill before Justin finished his first day of class and we went to my brother's house for dinner.

When I was a kid I loved the playground at this park but now my favorite are the ginormous trees.

We tried reaching our arms all the way around the trees and it took all 5 of us to do it. Then we played Pooh sticks.

Erica won most of the time. I think it was all in the starting position.

Tuesday morning Justin went to class and we got doughnuts and went to Lundstrom park. While we were there Sarah called to say she was done for the morning and wanted to go the temple with Henry.

So we met her at the house and the biggles changed and we walked the block to the temple.

Erica wanted to touch the temple and she did.

Then she wanted to roll down the hill and I snapped this photo at the perfect time.

Once the biggles were done at the temple, we packed a lunch at took it to another park and ate there. Then we met Lisa at the snow shack so Sarah could start her shift.

Isn't she so cute? It was so kind of Lisa to let her work a few shifts this week to earn some money and work experience.

And the rest of us enjoyed the snow cones. 

My girls even made it onto their instagram. Erica got all wide eyed when she saw she was "in a commercial"

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C70HiW_PzxS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Later that afternoon I walked to main street and passed the ol' roller skating rink. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was still there after discovering a landmark willow tree was cut down and the old pavilion in River Heights was torn down. The roller skating rink, while empty, is still there!

Justin got home from class, we grilled hotdogs and brats then the kids wanted to go to the temple for the second time that day. The convenience was intoxicating! Justin and I walked them there and they walked themselves home when they were done.

After the biggles changed we went to the Aggie creamery which may be one of my favorite places in the whole world. The smell inside is exactly the same it was 30 years ago. The smell freshly made waffle cones is intoxicating and the ice cream is the best.

Henry was overly proud of his BYU shirt on USU campus.

He forgot what hat he was wearing.

We dropped Sarah off at Matt and Lisa's then drove to first dam. The sun had set and it was the perfect time of evening.

Once we got home the temple lights were on. This is the view from our driveway. If those darn powerlines weren't there it would be a lovely view.

Whew! What a day.

Wednesday morning Justin left for class then when we were all up and ready I took the littles for a walk to Island Market. When I was a kid my sisters would ride their bikes to Island Market but I couldn't go because I was too little and my trike was too small. I think they let me go with them like once so I had to wait for someone to go who was driving. So it was time to rectify that. It was only like 3 blocks away.

It's such a cute little grocery store. It's too bad it's priced like a gas station or I would have bought more things.

When I was a kid they had penny candy. I don't think anywhere has penny candy anymore.

They chose a slurpee and we walked to the park. Henry caught up to us there. He didn't want to go to Island Market before but then he did so I gave him some money to get a slurpee too and he went on his own.

After lunch we went to my nephew Peyton and his wife Marissa's condo to go swimming.

For dinner we went to Angie's Restaurant and then drove up Blacksmith Fork Canyon because it's pretty and the river is great for fishing.

Thursday while Justin was again in class, I gave the kids a tour of River Heights and my old neighborhood. We played at Ryan's place park and ate snacks. Then we went back to the house. After lunch we went swimming again and this time Lisa, Marissa and cute little Callum joined us. The kids ate leftovers for dinner and Justin and I met up with Matt and Lisa and Marissa at a Mexican food truck on main street. Then we picked up the kids and met them again at their shack in Nibley and got more snow cones. Henry slept over at Matt's house too.

Friday we had to be out the house by 10 so I cleaned up and packed up and got us out at 10:02. Sarah wanted me to take her to a bookstore on main street so we went to the park while we waited for her to finish helping Lisa restock the shacks. 

We met them at the Logan shack but Henry wanted to keep helping Lisa so I took Sarah, Erica, and James to the Booktable and to pick up something for lunch while they went to the Nibley shack.

When we found Lisa and Henry at the Nibley shack we discovered Henry had a little mishap with the POG flavor. They were this color for two days.

We got our last snow cones and then parted ways. 

Lisa took Henry back to her house so she could do some work there and Henry could play on their PS5, Sarah stayed at the shack to work a few hours. They were both riding home with Justin that evening after he finished class and the test. I took the littles home and we arrived at 3:30; Justin and the biggles got home several hours later. I don't think Justin considered it a vacation but I had lots of fun just going to all my favorite and nostalgic places around town. My kids are growing sentimental about Logan just like me.

The next night we rode our bikes to the park at the end of the street that overlooks Springville to watch their Art City Days fireworks. It was a pretty good view and so close to home. I'm glad I finally thought of going there after 2 summers kind of seeing the fireworks from our backyard.