Pioneer Day

The Sons of the Utah Pioneers have a little pioneer village around the corner from our house. On Pioneer Day they have extra activities and crafts run by the local missionaries. We decided to walk over. Ganon got to walk on stilts, Rebecca made a Harmonica, and David and Sarah rode the ponies. It was a fun little activity that was worth about 30 minutes of time and no hassle with parking.

Rebecca with her harmonica by the petting zoo.

David had a lot more fun than I expected.

Sarah wasn't so sure about it once the ponies started moving.

Birthday Time!

To celebrate Rebecca's Birthday we went camping with the Connelly (and Freeman) Cousins. We made homemade ice cream as part of the festivities and she got to spend all kinds of time playing with her cousins. David and Tommy also did well and had no problems sleeping at night.

Sarah, on the other hand, was quite miserable. I think this was the only smile I saw from her all weekend. I'm glad our first experience with camping with four children went as well as it did. I might be willing to camp again sometime (just make sure Sarah is feeling well first).

To celebrate David's birthday we went to the water park. If Ganon didn't have to work or I had a friend with no kids I think we would go to the water park all the time. The kids all love it, including Tommy. They also sleep pretty well after wearing themselves out at the pool.

The Floor

When we moved into our house I told Ganon that the carpet would have to change. Two years later, we finally did it. At least in the living room. This is the finished product.

Here is the yucky carpet we started with.

Ganon took a few days off of work and so we could get it done faster.

After removing the carpet we had to remove all of the tack strips, staples, and screws that were scattered around the room. Then I sanded the edges all around the room. Then we rented a drum sander to do the rest of the room.

We chose a medium beige stain to lighten the room and make it feel bigger. This is after the first coat. We applied a second coat and then the sealer. Then we went camping for the weekend to give it time to dry. Overall, it was a great learning experience.

The biggest challenge was figuring out what to do with our HEAVY Piano. We ended up buying a piano dolly (not as expensive as you'd think) and asking five friends to help us lift and wheel the piano into the hallway. It stayed that way for nearly a week, hanging over the floor about 18 inches. I got to be the one to sand, stain, and seal under it. having to go all the way through and around the house to go potty or get a drink got old pretty fast, though.

The best thing about fixing the floor when we did was having Ganon's niece Stephanie here to help with the children. We could not have done it without her. She helped us with our perpetual picnic in the front yard (since we couldn't eat inside), helped the kids get dressed, and babysat while we went to meetings. I think the two weeks of chaos were definitely a success.

Freedom Festival

Over the past few years I have grown to enjoy Provo's 4th of July Traditions. They have a Hot Air Balloon Launch that we can see from our front yard, and they have a Parade that we can comfortably walk to. They also have great Fire Works. It is nice to live in a location where other people have to drive and then park in front of our house and then walk, but we can just sit outside or walk a little ways.

The kids pointing out their favorite balloons. Smokey the Bear is always a favorite.

The giant balloons are the most memorable at the Parade.

The kids love when they spin around really fast. This Blue Jet reminded me of an air show we watched in Oklahoma while waiting to go to the airport.

Tommy after the parade. We wore him out.

The Big Event

June 27th was Tommy's Special Day. We had lots of family come to offer support and celebrate with us. While my nieces and nephews were here we went to a baseball game (David's t-ball game), the Water Park, a Parade, and took pictures with some Celebrities. It was a busy weekend, but I loved it. Thanks to all who were able to come!

Rebecca with Princess Presto. Her cute cousins Whitney and Lauren are the other 2 blonde girls right by the Princess.

Sarah with Princess Presto. David was too sad that it wasn't Super Why to be in the picture.

For those without Small children, Super Why! is a TV show on PBS that teaches reading and problem solving through familiar children's stories.

The Blog is Back

So...um... I've been kinda busy and couldn't find my camera cable so it has been forever since I last updated. I thought about giving a two sentence update on a few things we've done, but I felt like that was cheating. So my new plan is to post a couple updates over the next few days. We'll see how it goes.

First, The Grandkids. These are just a few random pics to keep the grandparents happy.