July 13-19 - Hot love in the Summer Time!

Another week of swim team violin and piano lessons, Eli did yo-yo camp at the Arnett's, and Rosie flew in Friday night so spend a week with us! And Eli took some awesome selfless!! Haha! 

Are those buns not so delicious?

Jonah and Noah at the dive qualifier.

Jonah came in at #6 which we were so excited about! He gets to go to the city meet next week!

I think this was Tuesday night at Cold Stone, watching something funny on FB.

A water main under the street left all of Jasmine under water Thursday. Jonah was stranded on the golf cart over on Jacaranda and tried to come home, but got water splashed underneath. Jo tried to wipe it up and one of the batteries got damaged. That kid and the golf cart!

The kids got their back to school packets and teachers assigned for the new school year! school starts Aug 12.

I got my hair cut and coloured. I do own the whole twilight series. Don't judge.

We went out for dinner at Golden Corral Thursday night. We haven't eaten at a buffet since Minnesota, so the kids were super excited. They saw all the food and Jonah goes: I'm going to remember this day my whole life. HAHA!! After a bunch of trips to the buffet, and 12 cotton candies nobody was feeling very good! 

Rosie flew in Friday night! We are so excited she is here for a week! We played Settlers with Kenyon and had lots of peanut m&m's!

July 6-12- More Summer fun in AZ

 Monday night we got Chik-fil-a and Wendy's and went over to Riverview Park. We were all pretty crabby in the car on the way there. A baked potato fell out of somebody's hands and I lost my patience. But we ended up having fun at the park even with that and the heat. I was so grateful to turn on the a/c in the car!

Lots of swim and dive team this week. I am so proud of Ethan and Eli for getting up so early each day to swim at Stapley. Eli had a hard time going Tuesday, I really had to do some convincing, and by that I mean bribing… and school clothes happened to come up!  After he came home Tuesday he said: "Thanks mom, for making me go." I had to scrape up my jaw off the ground! Ethan qualified to swim in the relay swim meet this week. He swam hard and Jonah and I had a fun time at the swim meet watching him. Jonah is becoming a great swimmer and diver.

Janie at her Dive Meet

 Jonah and I at Ethan's Swim meet. That face.

Friday night we did a 1 night away at Lake Roosevelt. We camped Friday night and then planned to be boating all day Saturday. It was a fun little get away.

 Eli and Janie getting ready for bed.

Janie, Sadie, Curtis and I slept in the boat, and the 3 boys slept on cots that we brought. It was actually pretty nice, there was a breeze and probably 80's that night. I woke up one time to a big bug zooming down at me, and a few times my hips digging into the floor of the boat, but for camping it was great.

We also brought little Cougar along! 

 Spur of the moment we turned at a sign that said 'cave dwellings.' Last time we came to Roosevelt we wanted to stop but didn't have time. It was 1/2 mile hike from our car up the hill to these 700 year old settlements.

Beautiful and so interesting.

 The Salado people would use the pigments from the rocks to colour pottery and barter with other groups for other resources.

This was a little bowl hollowed out that they would mix the pigments in. 

I love how light plays off of stone. One of my favourite things to photograph. 

On the way down with Eli still up there.

Time for fun on the water! Ethan tried wake boarding and got up the first time! He did really week. Jonah gave it a few great tires. The water was pretty choppy so Janie and I didn't try this time.

 Sadie and her buddy,

Sadie and her pretzels.

 Check out that sunburned face! We all got alot of sun and were hurting a little bit today. We had a great day on the lake and got home around 7:30 pm. I had to back the trailer down the most giant ramp you have ever seen, but with many mighty prayers I got that down there. That is so stressful.

The Chipmans invited us over to celebrate Laura's birthday, Mikane and Caleb were giving ethan some much needed love! 

June 29- July 5, Independence Day!

A quick highlight from Sacrament meeting today…

Sadie yelled "I can't draw a dinosaur" 3 or 4 times and tried to throw down her clipboard during the Sacrament. I sent her over to Curtis who drew an acceptable brontosaurus.
Soon after that Jonah tried to throw a punch at Eli, who was drawing an ugly picture of Jonah. I sat between them. Then Ethan and Eli start laughing really hard at Eli's picture of Jonah. At the same time I was trying to play tic tac toe with Janie who blocked my pencil every time I tried to make a good move.  I finally had to sit between Ethan and Eli. Then Janie got mad because I had moved seats while she was out getting a drink, and she wanted to finish beating me at tic tac toe. Ended up playing the dot game with Janie who beat me 40 to 12. Leaned over to Ethan to ask what he was drawing and he told me only as a 13 year old can that it was none of my business.

Real. Life. At. Church.

These cute pictures are from June 28 but I didn't blog last week but I wanted to put them anyway!

 Sadie and one of her best buddies ever.

A cute note Janie wrote to Michael Faraoni at church.

 Got to go to Feed My Starving Children with these cute deacons and Sarah Johnson. We got a whole new appreciation of what Curtis and David Arnett did at Scout Camp!  

Eli, Brinton Johnson, Quenton Barger, Kenyon Chipman, Braxton Luke, Gunnar Luke, Ethan.

 The Kennett family was in town from Kazakstan. It was awesome for Jonah and Dakota to catch up!

Drove up the the Faraoni's cabin in Prescott Wednesday. It was pretty a fun weekend!!

Janie won 500 tickets on the Price is Right game at Peter Piper pizza!

 Tacey, Janie, Sadie

 Curtis and his cutie girls!

 Parade in old town Prescott- Whiskey Row

 Rode in the back of Mel's truck- haven't done that for a long time!

 Down at Tacey's hut

 The tweens playing video games.

 Met lots of the Faraoni's cousins and family- lots of kids running around up there! 

 What a great time of year. I am so grateful that we could celebrate our country and blessings with good friends this year. I love America, I am so grateful for the safety and peace and opportunities we have because of the sacrifices of many. We are truly blessed!