June

 

Summer! Wow, it’s been a hot one this year,  but we’ve done lots of fun things that need to be recorded so here we go….

 

Isaac got a model rocket for his birthday and we chose a day to set it off. I thought it was too windy, but Jake thought it’d be ok (really, he was excited and just wanted to launch it). Sure enough, it blew into the trees and has not been seen since. Isaac was quite sad, but we assured him we would buy him another and choose a less-windy launch day. Not sure how we missed taking a picture of the actual rocket. Oops!

 

As with every other summer, we spend lots of time at Jake’s parents’ pool.

For Christmas, Jake got a coupon for a ride at our local speedway. My dad and brother got one, too. There were only a few weekends they could go and we chose the first one in June because we were worried later in the summer might be too hot. I think that decision may have been inspired because the weather that day was wonderful. Ahh…how I long for weather that requires sweatshirts and pants. Jake had a blast and can’t wait to do it again. He only got 5 laps, I think, and would like to do more the next time. Oh, and a picture of the $60 plaque we didn’t buy. 

 

 

Isaac has developed a new game of shooting his Nerf gun at Adam’s picture in the family room. Not that’s it anything against Adam-they’re bed buddies actually. Adam doesn’t seem to be taking it personally. He just likes to chew on the darts that fall down.

 

There’s a guy from Iowa Public TV that does a summer reading roadtrip and visits a bunch of libraries across the state. We were lucky enough to have him come to Adel this year. Leah was even chosen as one of his helpers and she and Isaac also have a picture with him on their website here. Great fun!

 

June 5^th was Jake’s Primary election. I knew he’d win and I think he did, too, but he was sure glad to have the race over. To celebrate, we got a $10 dinner box from Pizza Hut (definitely one the best deals around these days, by the way) and headed to a park nearby to enjoy some time together as a family. (Not sure what’s up with Isaac’s grumpy face here, he had a great time, too).

 

Jake’s sister and family were in town for a little while so we gathered to do s’mores. Yummy! Again, weather for long-sleeves….

 

Jake’s Father’s Day this year was uneventful-just a little gift. A bowtie! He’s been wanting one for a while. After watching several youtube videos, he finally learned how to tie it and looks quite handsome.

 

Since we don’t have a pool and our yard doesn’t allow for sprinkler play yet, I found a tutorial via Pinterest on how to make these little sponge balls. They were a hit and the kids had a great time chucking them at one another. They’ve been used several times this summer-well worth the $6 it cost for the sponges.

 

We recently got a new Relief Society Presidency at church and while my calling didn’t change, some of my responsibilities did. One new one is to do the bulletin boards. So fun…here’s my final products.

 

At the end of June, we headed out to Utah for our first family vacation with just us. The drive was long, but we made it and had lots of fun reuniting with old friends and Jake’s mission buddies. The kids say the best part of the trip was the splash pad. Glad we drove 1,000 miles and back for that. :)

Day 1....arrival and trip to Ikea. (no pictures)

Day 2....tour of the Conference Center, picnic lunch near Temple Square, trip up to the observation deck on the Church Office Building, Bee's baseball game with Jake's friends from Norway.

 

 Day 3...Adam sleeping in the toddler bed at the house we rented. I worried how he would do not in a crib, but it wasn't until the end of the week that he realized he could get in and out of the bed on his own. LOL. Gateway Children's Museum and splash pad with my best friend from BYU, Rachel, and her little girl. Leah put on quite a show for us at the splash pad....

 Day 4....in the car after something....I think this is the day we went down to Provo, ate lunch at BYU, and visited Cabela's.

 Day 5.....meeting up with Jake's mission president and his wife. Perfect timing since they were leaving within days to Russia, their new assigned area. Then we visited the Church History Museum, and 7 canyons at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.

 Day 6....wild fire in Herriman (you can see the South Jordan temple if you look closely),visit to Park City Olympic Park to ride the alpine slide, and then over to the Kennecott Copper Mine.

 Day 7....Church with my friend Janelle from YW and dinner with her cute family.

 Day 8...breakfast on our way out of town with a couple of Jake's mission buddies, Adam Cox and Rico Adams. We also stopped in WY to stock up on fireworks. I was shocked we actually fit them all in the car and didn't have to leave a child behind. This picture was my view from the front.

We had a great trip and loved seeing so many friends-I wish we would have done and more and taken lots more pictures, but live and learn. The kids keep asking when we're going back. Not sure-maybe when we can afford to fly. 15 hours straight with 3 little ones was quite the adventure!