Getting Ready

Friday night, we went to do sealings with our ward. For some reason, it was really hot in the room and I felt yucky. 

Saturday, we did a few yard sales. James went fishing in the afternoon and we hung out and did nothing the rest of the day.

Sunday, we did FHE with Cherissa and Tayson since she has class on Monday nights.

Monday, we went to the park to play baseball with the kids. They liked it okay but there was some crying involved.

Tuesday, we fed the missionaries.

Wednesday, my dad came to visit for dinner at the buffet. He stayed the night and was gone by the time we got up at 6:30. He's in Salt Lake for a big presentation for his work. We had a great time even though it was a very short visit.

Today, we went to the doctor for the two older boys (who are very healthy and still small) and then to the library activity. The rest of the day I'll spend on packing and getting ready for Rexburg tomorrow. It should be a great weekend. We're going to celebrate our anniversary and the 4th, one of my favorite holidays. We're going on a date today to the lake to attempt some fishing from our kayak. Wish us luck.

Summer!

It's been really hot this past week. It's definitely summer now!

For our date last Thursday, we saw Wonder Woman. It was pretty good.

Saturday, we went to Paddle Fest at Red Fleet state park. It was a lot of fun (and free!) to paddle the canoe to the dinosaur tracks. We loved it. Even Lewis did okay. We ate lunch out, took naps, and then went to a wedding reception for one of James's former students. All in all, it was a perfect day with the family.

Monday, not so much. We went to Steinaker and the kids all went with James in our new kayak. I sat with Lewis and chilled, but it was super hot and buggy, so I got kind of grumpy from doing that. The kids had a blast, though.

Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, we just relaxed once James got home from work.

I've finally been sleeping better thanks to a little more vitamin D. All I had to do was start working in the yard for 30 minutes each morning. I've enlisted the kids' help to try to teach them the value of hard work. The grass is doing better than ever before, but it isn't perfect. We are really struggling with keeping up with the weeds, though.

We went to the library activity this morning and had a great time. I love that the library does these every week almost all summer. They usually have 4-5 activities and free snowcones at the end. No one ever complains about that!

I feel like a genius: I finally figured out how to get pictures from James's phone. There were some gems in there that I need to add to Facebook.

No date today because there is a RS meeting about keeping kids busy in the summer without electronics. I hope Lewis is an angel because I plan on taking him.

Phenixes Pt. 2

We had a great time at the fair on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday doing the normal things: candy drop, little red barn, exhibits, and book pond. I found time to work on my talk for Sunday. I think it went pretty well. At least that's what people told me. Maybe I'll be off the hook for longer than 11 months this time.

We went to dinner at the Chinese buffet Saturday night. Myles had arrived late Friday night because he was going to help Dad on the car. They decided not to because they were afraid of not finishing and leaving us with only the Corolla, which does not fit our family. They got to go to the classic car show, and James and Myles also got to go shooting since they weren't busy on the car. James will take it in today to the mechanic and we'll get it back tomorrow.

Sunday was a nice day of rest. Everyone left on Monday afternoon after Dad and Myles installed some ceiling fans both in the dining room and my room. It's so nice to have them!

The past few days I've been a little tired. The sunlight wakes me up early. Lewis has been a little extra grumpy because he's teething. So far one tooth has popped through. I think another is coming. It was completely unexpected because he's only 4 months old and my other kids were 6 months old. Oh well. It has to happen sometime. I just don't like being bitten!

And More Phenixes Visit

Last Friday, James took the day off work because he had a leg infection. It really stunk because he couldn't go to the family reunion. I talked him out of it so his leg would get enough rest. He's doing a lot better now after a round of antibiotics. I was still getting over a cold, so I had a yucky cough that made me not sleep well. For a weekend, it was kind of a bummer. We did a few yard sales, but that was pretty much it.

Monday, I touched up all the paint in the house, mixed the colors together, and used that color (a beautiful sea-green) to paint the pirate ship with the kids. They had so much fun but got paint everywhere. I'm still getting it out of my hair.

Tuesday, the parents and Nash came over. We had a little dinner and hung out till late (until James got home from fogging). Nash really wanted to talk to me by myself. It was actually kind of funny.

Wednesday, Mom and Dad took Nash to the MTC in Provo. I worked all day on sewing some skirts for Katie and making a few pairs of pants into shorts along with my normal routine. Mom and Dad got back around dinner. We hung out after that just talking. James helped some neighbors move so we now have another couch. It will take some rearranging to find the best setup.

Today I've been working on my talk for Sunday. I'm going to scrap some old jeans and hang out till dinner. Then, to the fair!

Phenixes Visit

We went on a date last Thursday: a progressive dinner that started at Taco Bell for appetizers, then to KFC for sides, Subway for the main course, and Coldstone for dessert. James and I were both asleep when the guests arrived Thursday night. I'm glad we decided to do so because they didn't arrive until 2 a.m.

James and Joseph had their last day of school on Friday. I put my family to work on prepping to plant the garden. They pulled weeds (well, hoed them mostly), added more dirt to the boxes, and put down mulch. We took turns holding Lewis so he'd be happy. I fertilized the grass and garden and swept of all the walkways.

In the afternoon, everyone went rabbit hunting while I made dinner. Mara had requested pound cake and Parmesan chicken, so that's what I made. We even put 22 candles on the cake and sang to her. I gave her a chocolate bar and some almond butter. We hung out for a while after dinner and then everyone left again for more bunny hunting.

Saturday morning, we took a bunch of milk jugs and the old dishwasher to shoot. I went this time. It was pretty fun to put a bunch of holes into the appliance that's given us so much grief. After lunch, we split up and saw both the dinosaur bones while the others went hunting yet again. We had dinner and then watched a movie once the kids were in bed. I started falling asleep so I didn't come close to finishing it.

Sunday was like normal, but with Joseph's birthday celebration a few days early. He wanted a cake with coconut, so I made a German chocolate cake and the Hawaiian haystacks he'd requested. He finally got the fidget spinner he'd been wanting too. It's a lot easier to put in 7 candles instead of 22. We talked to both families like always.

Monday, I was feeling the effects of a sinus infection that had started Saturday night and gotten worse. I stayed home to clean and put things back together while everyone went to Moonshine Arch. After lunch we just hung out. Mara's boyfriend, Ricky, made dinner for us. Everyone had to leave right after dinner. It was a really great weekend, but it certainly wore me out.

This week has been routine. James works mosquito abatement full-time with hours that are very similar to school. He leaved around 7:10 and returns at 4 or 4:30. When there is fogging to do, that happens from 8-midnight.

I'm adjusting to having extra kids around. I don't mean Joseph; I mean all the extras who come over. They can be pretty annoying at times because they knock on the door a lot. I don't let friends come in because there is nowhere to contain then and I want to feed Lewis without distractions. I know I'll get used to it. It just seems like someone needs something every 30 seconds. I've been extra tired because of this cold, but I'm getting better. I have no hope of getting a nap if I need one, so I've just had to push on through the day. Oh well.