Cast Off

It has been a little while since I wrote in the blog, but it has been an extremely busy month!  I could go into great detail of our family activities, but I will start with the greatest family activity inhibitor.  Just this week, it was removed and will no longer overcast our summer!  So here it is.....drumroll.....Gabe broke his wrist.  Yes, about a month ago he was trying out skateboarding, fell and broke his wrist.  He had a cast put on that completely immobilized his thumb and extended to his elbow on the day we left for vacation!  I have had three casts put on my children, and two of them were put on the day I was leaving the state.  My children don't have the best timing.  He chose a black cast to prevent aunts, uncles and cousins from writing on it.  We recently returned home from vacation, and soon after, went to the doctor to have the cast removed.  He says that his wrist feels fine, although a little stiff from being still for so long.

Scout Camp

For the past week, Gabe has been at scout camp up in the mountains.  He had a great time.  He worked on the swimming merit badge.  Even though we had practiced swimming for two weeks prior to going to camp, he still found completing the swimming merit badge was quite a challenge in the high altitude.  But he managed to complete all of the requirements.  He also earned the environmental science merit badge.  It is required, but Gabe's only comment was that the classes were really boring.  He made up for the boredom of environmental science with an exciting rifle shooting merit badge.  Upon coming home, he informed me that he is now fully qualified to shoot guns with Uncle Nate this summer.  He also did the wood working merit badge.
In addition to the scheduled activites, Gabe participated in several other activities to earn extra patches.  He did the polar bear swim every morning.  Since there wasn't any ice, they had the boys wake up really early in the morning and be splashed in the cold, then stay out of the water for a few minutes acting like polar bears.  It was really cute and silly.  He also went climbing on the rock wall.  He was able to secure an opportunity to go on a horseback overnight camp.  He said that was fun.  All in all, it was a week of learning some great life skills and playing with the boys.

For the First Time in Forever

For the first time, this week we attended the temple as an entire family.  Seven years ago, Maddie received her limited use recommend for the temple.  Jayd quickly followed.  Over the years, we have made it a point to take them to the temple as often as possible.  Most of the time, Jeff would take them since he was a priesthood holder and could participate in the ordinances as well.  It was a special time for the older two to spend with Jeff.  It was also a special time for me to spend with the younger two children.  While on vacation, we would often choose a few temples to do baptisms.  There were many occasions while traveling where we sat on the temple grounds, talking about the temple, and the work that was performed inside while we waited.  Allie and Gabe eagerly anticipated the day when they would be old enough to go inside the temple instead of waiting outside with me.
That day has finally come.  We attended the temple this week as a complete family.  It was a very sweet experience.  We were able to do some family file names.  We baptized a dad and his four children, two sons and two daughters.  It just felt symbolic to begin the process of reuniting that family while bringing our own family closer to heaven.  It was a great day at the temple, and a
fulfillment of one of my lifelong dreams, to be with all of my children in the temple.

Jayd's graduation

 We aren't done with graduations this year.  Jayd also graduated from highschool.  It is so hard to believe that four years have just flown by.  Then I look up at him, and while straining my neck, it doesn't seem quite so hard to believe.  Jayd has done so well through school.  He has done well in his classes,and taken some different and interesting classes through the years.  He has made some great friends that will last him for many more years.  I was quite proud of my graduate.  Now he is on to better and greater things.

Allie's graduation

 This week, Allie graduated from Middle School.  I remember all the anxiety and fear of starting middle school just two years ago.  I thought they would be very long years.  But as things turned out, they have been much better than I ever anticipated.  Allie has done very well in middle school.  She made many new friends, successfully negotiated dealing with multiple teachers and classrooms, and embraced a new skill as she learned to play the flute.  She earned the presidential award as well as several excellence awards at the graduation.  We are very proud of her and looking forward to beginning her high school years.

A little tooshie love

After way too many years, yes, years of saying that we were going to get a new couch, and sitting on boards in between the cushions.  We all had our "positions" where we could lay just right so that all of the squishy parts of your body went over the boards.  Another long loved solution was the correct amount and positions of the pillows to prop up the deficient areas.  It was a great family joke for way too long.  But at long last, it is over.  We have purchased a brand spanking new couch for our family room.  It is a chocolate brown color, and is a very soft material.  It is a little bigger than our old couch.  We are able to comfortably seat 3 watching the small TV, and 5 watching the monstriTV.  It is quite an improvement.  We are still adjusting to the size, pillow arrangement, etc, but our tooshies are grateful to be rid of the awful boards!

A little RCC

Jayd and I played in the 3rd annual RCC (Ramon Calderon Cup) sand volleyball tournament.  For this tournament, you sign up as an individual, and then they put together the teams.  Luckily for me, Jayd and I were placed on the same team along with my good friend, Vicki and another player that we didn't know previous to the tournament.  Despite a rainstorm on Thursday, and a cloudy, overcast day at home, the weather at the beach was picture perfect.  It was sunny and eighty degrees.  Our team worked together well.  With the boys doing most of the hitting and blocking, Vicki and I split the setting and digging in the backcourt duties.  Our team did well, we only lost 1 game during pool play by one point, then lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament play by just 2 points.  It was a very fun and relaxing day.