Summer Ketchup

Here is this weeks Summer Fun Chart. I didn't even make one for last week. Zac was at Scout Camp all week and Steve was there with him for 2 days. Emily and I were pretty much invalids all week long. Emily because of the huge hole in her foot. Me because I am stupid. The Saturday before last I bruised the ball of my left foot. The next day I decided it would be a good idea to wear heels that put all of my weight on the balls of my feet. By the time we got home from church my foot hurt so bad and I could not walk the rest of the week without a limp. Yesterday is the first day it wasn't killing me and I am now limp free. You would think that without being able to walk, I would have some extra time on my hands and I could get a post or two done. Well, think again. So here is a little summer catch up.

On 6/15 we took Zac to the orthodontist. His orthodontist is near our old house and so we went to the park by our old house and had lunch. Here is a picture of the kids playing in the willow tree at the park. They could not leave the park without paying it a visit. They played in this tree every summer day for I don't even know how many years.

On 6/16 the girls and I went on a hike. Zac wasn't with us because he went to see the new Pirates movie with a friend. The girls and I were a bit overdressed for the occasion, we found out. Before we left for our hike, we were at home with all our windows open and a cool breeze was blowing through our house. It was pretty cool in our house so we were all wearing jeans. And two of the girls were wearing long sleeve shirts. I tried to get them to change those before we left but they refused. Well, by the time we got up on the side of this mountain, we were all very, very hot. And by the sounds that were coming out of my girls mouths, you would have thought they were on a death march. It was one big complain fest. So I found a shaded spot and we sat down and we had us a little chat.

I told them to remember how long it takes us to drive from Missouri to Utah. I told them that the pioneers, they walked from Missouri to Utah. I also told them that the pioneers hardly had any food so they walked all day long and were starving the whole day. I told them that if they think they are hot, the pioneer girls had to wear dresses with sleeves that came down to their wrists and skirts that came down to their ankles. And a lot of them didn't have clothes to change into so they had to wear the same stinky dress all day everyday and by the time they got to Salt Lake their dresses were all worn out and they probably would have loved to have the clothes my girls were wearing. We also had some complaining about shoes hurting feet so I told them that some of the pioneers didn't have shoes and the ones who did didn't have very good ones and they were probably full of holes. I also showed them the nice clear road carved into the side of the mountain that we were able to walk on. I showed them all the growth on the part of the mountain without the road and told them when the pioneers had to go over a mountain, the just had to go tromping through all that stuff with their shoeless feet and their big old dresses getting tangled on everything. I also told them that the pioneers had to make that long walk because if they had stayed where they were, they would have been killed. And I told them that even with all those hardships the pioneers hardly ever complained. I told my girls that they were lucky because they were walking up the side of that mountain for fun but with all the complaining they were doing, they were making it anything but fun. After our little chat, they walked the rest of the way up the mountain and then back down complaint free!

On 6/19 Steve's Aunt Callie and her family were in town from Colorado. We had them over to our house for dinner along with his Uncle Harold and Aunt Connie who live here in Salt Lake. It was fun visiting with them and getting to know them. The last time we saw them was at Steve's grandmothers funeral and that was right after Steve and I were married.While they were here, everyone was entertained by watching Addy trying to catch an escaped chicken. After a while, she looked up and saw everyone watching here so she really started putting on a show.
On 6/21 we went to the library for the most hilarious reptile show. Usually when I take the kids to things like this at the library, I sit and read a book. But this guy was crackin' me up, so I watched and enjoyed the whole show.

Addy holding Goldilocks after the show

Em and Goldie

Aubrey and Goldie

On 6/22 we took my mom lunch at her work and ate and visited with her

On 6/24 Steve took Emily and Aubrey and their friend Ellie to the Blaze game.

That same night my mom and Addy and I went to the airport to pick up my sister Kristy and her kids. They have been living in Russia for 2 years and they are moving back to the states. They will be with us until August and we are so excited to be able to spend time with them. They were only here for a few days and then on Monday Kristy flew out to Virginia to look for a house and her kids went to visit their other grandparents. They will all be back this weekend though. Along with my sister Farrah and her family from Dallas, my brother Sam and his wife Teresa and my Granny Snow. Next week will be a SUPER FUN TIME around here. Here is a picture of Kristy and the kids at the airport after more than 24 hours of travel. Kristy, you are the bravest person I know! I can't imagine making that journey by myself with 3 kids.

The kids all sitting together in a rare moment of calmness. Zac had just made it back from Scout Camp and he was a little sunburned.

6/25. Last time Kristy and her kids were here, we roasted hot dogs over the fire in our back yard. Tia wanted to do that again so we did. It was fun, although a little warm for a fire. But that didn't stop the kids.

We also had s'mores, because what is a fire without s'mores? Somehow a chicken got a marshmallow and we had quite the entertainment watching them all fight over it.

On 6/28 I was outside and I noticed a dead bird in our backyard. I called Steve and told him about it so he could take care of it after he got home. I have killed, skinned, and cleaned a chicken with my bare hands, but somehow the thought of scooping this bird up with a shovel and disposing of it was more than I could handle. Later that day I was in the kitchen and heard a knock on the window and this is what I saw when I looked out. I guess she wasn't bothered by the thought of going anywhere near the dead bird.

That same night we headed back to the old hood. My friend Julie was in town and we had a backyard BBQ with our friends from our old neighborhood. It was fun getting together and seeing everyone again.

As you can see my garden is growing. And that black stuff I put down (twice) is really doing a GREAT job of keeping the weeds out. I really have a strong dislike of yard work and gardening and being outside when it is hot. So I think I am just going to pretend like I didn't plant a garden this year and if any fruit actually springs forth from this tangle of weeds, it will just be a happy bonus.