Grandkids - Week 8

Last week's projects and camping did me in.  This week we went for easy.  We had to pick them up in time to make it back to the dollar movies at 10:00 AM.  I thought they would go for a cartoon, but Hudson pressured all of them into Dolphin Tale 2.  There weren't many of us in the theater so even though they wandered around a bit, they didn't bother anyone.

Our next stop was lunch at McDonalds and an hour to play on their playground.  We came home for popsicles, and then, instead of making anything, we had a simple rocket activity.  I had found film containers and we stopped at Rite Aid for a 36 pack of Alka Seltzer.  You fill the containers halfway with water, add 1/2 a tablet, and put them on the ground with the cap side down.  It takes 10-15 seconds before they shoot way up in the air.  We went over to Alex's park to shoot off rockets for about 45 minutes.  They had a great time.

And we picked the peas.  Everyone tried them, but nobody liked them.  It was fun though.

Teaching 4 Year Olds - 2nd try

I worked really hard getting all kinds of things prepared for my primary lesson this week.  I had songs, games, activities, pictures, object lessons, my laptop, treats, and more.  I went in early to set everything up and had a complete game plan with back up plans too.  When I went into opening exercises only 4 of the 9 were there.  It was all easy.  

I'm sure I still don't have things in control.  When they all return from summer vacations I better be ready.  I think I'll contact all their parents this week, and send the kids letters.  

5th Annual Family Camp Out

Terry and I weren't working and Mike had Friday off, so we made a plan to meet early at the Visitors Center in Idaho City.  The grandkids impressed us by showing up with real shoes on - no flipflops.  It was a camping first.  We broke out the walking sticks we made on Tuesday and I presented them each with a backpack I made for them, and we headed out to the pioneer cemetery.  It was pioneer day, back in Utah, and we wanted to talk a little about our own pioneer ancestors as we hiked around.  

How cute is Brynks!  She borrowed a bandana from one of the kids backpacks.

Maycee was by far the award winning hiker.

Everyone worked up an appetite and Stace had brought a picnic lunch, so we looked around until we found one of the public parks in Idaho City.  It was a great spot.  After lunch the girls put on a performance on the stage, and Hudson found a frog in the creek.

After lunch we made our way to the Grayback Gulch campground and set up tents.  Brent and Krystle came up with Bry and Isaac at about 5:00.  It was time for a good dinner, walkie- talkies, a treasure hunt, and then a fire and s'mores.  Krystle wasn't feeling well, which we're happy about because it means there will be another grandkid camping with us next year, but for this year, they didn't stay the night.  Stace spent the night in their Pilot with Brynklee, Terry and I had our tent, and the guys were with all the kids in a big tent, that suddenly didn't feel so roomy.

  

The McClures had a party to go to in Boise so after breakfast they had to pack up and head for the showers.  We went back into Idaho City with Bry and Isaac to kick around some shops, visit the museum, eat huckleberry ice cream, and watch a shoot-out on Main Street.

It was only one night, but we packed in the fun.  Next year we'll have one more camper and maybe we can stretch things out for one more night.

Grandkids - Week 7

This weekend we're going on our 5th annual family camp out!  We spent this day with the grandkids getting ready.

Putting our heads into the sleeping bags.

Building candy campfires.

Huds using a real saw for the first time.

Hads was the only one that cut her own feathers.

He did go home with all his fingers and toes.

Hard work rewarded with popsicles.

Finished cake.  We hardly had room at our campsite, but we all fit around the two campfires.

• First, we went to Marianne Williamson Park and took a hike along the river hunting for good walking sticks.
• Lunch was at our house which meant plenty of pickles, cucumbers, and fruit, plus popsicles for dessert.
• I had a plan for a special camp cake this year, so the kids helped make cake decorations.  They formed evergreens out of green Rice Krispie things made with Special K.  Then we needed all of our faces decorated and our sleeping bags frosted.
• We went on the patio to wrap the handles of our walking sticks with yarn and decorate them with felt feathers and beads.  We made an extra one for I-guy.
• On the way home we sang songs and played I Spy.  

Now we're all excited for Friday morning when our camp adventure begins!

New Church Calling

I've been asked to teach the 4 year olds at church and today was my first lesson.  There are 9 pretty active kids, and I'm not sure that I know how to communicate with 4 year olds.  I made one girl cry because I wouldn't let her sit in the window.  The rest of them were pretty sad that I hurt her feelings.  I only got through a little of the planned lesson.  We did go out and bury our swords like the ancient Book of Mormon warriors.  They really didn't want to leave them there.  They wanted to take them home and be destructive, but the lesson was on being accountable and keeping your promises.  It was a little rocky today.  I'm going to have to figure something out for next week.  

Hyde Park

My friend Mary and I got together for lunch, shopping, and talking yesterday.  The weather was perfect to eat outside.  I added another new restaurant to my list for the summer, 13th Street Bistro (owned by Chef Peter Schotts). We had a leisurely lunch and caught up.  The big news was that Mary is going to teach a reading class for elementary teacher candidates this fall for Boise State.  She's pretty excited to be a adjunct professor.

I think it's been almost a decade since I've been to Hyde Park.  We browsed through an antique store where the owner had a Harley parked out front with a special seat for his white Scottie dog that we met.  They're heading out tomorrow for a trip to Montana.

Then we went through Hyde and Seek, a store with everything that I love.  I want everything for my house, or maybe I could just live there, or work there.  The next store use to be called One Thousand Villages, but now I don't the name.  It benefits refugees and villages all around the world.  They had a lot of tempting things too.

We skipped Goodies (ice cream and candy) so that means we'll have to make a return trip. Can't wait! 

Night Hawks

Because Terry is the high councilman over the Young Women, we sort of volunteered to take a shift as "night hawks" during the youth conference at BSU.  They don't call it youth conference, or EFY (especially for youth) any more.  I'm not sure what they call it, and we didn't know exactly what we were sort of volunteering for, but it ended up being pretty fun.

There were six of us that showed-up in front of the dorms at 10:00.  The 800 teens were just returning.  Once in, they couldn't leave without getting locked out.  Lights out was suppose to be at 11:15.  We were suppose to just watch for anyone sneaking around, propped open doors, excessive noise, and intercept any pizza deliveries (not allowed).  We were split up into twos and just walked around the three dorms that housed the kids.  We might have been unobservant, and they might have been very stealth, or maybe the were just good kids that were tired-out, but there were no incidents to report.  

Terry and I just leisurely walked around and talked.  Sometimes we needed to take cover because of light rain, but it was a nice night, and the dorms are right on the greenbelt.  We ended up off duty at midnight. There were two volunteers that stayed until 2:00. We ended up not volunteering for that shift.  We went home and so did the the other two men.  We left two women from the stake YW presidency to wander around in the middle of the night.  I'm sure they had a great time.  

Grandkids Day - Lost Track of Which Week

This was their second week of swim lessons, so we started there.  Hudson also had a cub scout activity so Grandpa ran him over to the church and we picked him up after the girls had their swim lessons. 

• Hudson was the only one in his class that could tread water for 2 minutes, 10 seconds,  without needing to grasp the side of the pool.
• Hadley wouldn't jump off the diving board last week, but once she tried it, she loves it.  She made numerous spectacular jumps during the 5 minutes of free time.
• Maycee is the best floater in her group.  She's up for anything and tries everything - squirt guns, splashing, noodles, and the diving board.

We had a big lunch at home.  They all ate heaping plates -full, mostly fruit and dill pickles. Then we went to Blue Cow for frozen yogurt.  Hadley's cup weighed exactly 16 ounces, so hers was free!  What a deserving winner!  Grandpa filled his punch card and one of the other yogurts was free too.  In the end, Grandpa was the big winner - 5 servings of Blue Cow yogurt with all the toppings for $4.01 - not bad.

 We took a trip to the Barber Park nursery, but I didn't get them shoveling and doing yard work after.  They were a little tired, so we put in Finding Nemo and spent the whole movie painting rock monsters.  They have googly eyes at home, so we took them home blind.  I'm sure they'll be fixed up by next week.  We didn't deliver them home until after six.  I think their mom missed them.

Painted rocks

and the plants from the nursery

Quick Movie = 7 Hours

My mom, my sister, my niece, and I had made a plan to see a matinee movie today.  I left at 1:30 and returned at 8:30.  We had a great time and just didn't want it to end.  

We like the Northgate Reel Cinemas.  It's clean.  There's never much of a line for tickets or concessions, and they have nice new seats - almost like leather recliners that rock, with cup holders.  It's also a discount theater, $3 a ticket and $1 on Tuesdays.  

We saw Woman in Gold with Helen Mirren.  We all loved it!  We love anything from the BBC, and Helen Mirren.


We went back to Mom and Dad's to visit, eat Creamies, and drink Diet Pepsi.  When Dad came home he wanted to take us all out dinner.  We went to Applebees and visited some more.  Then we back to Mom and Dad's and visited more.  Something about when Andrea is around, we always laugh until we cry.  I cried about three times.  

I scored a pair of shoes that Mom bought and wore once.  They're black wedge Skeechers. They'll be great school shoes.  

I left there at about 8:00 and got home by 8:30.  Fun day!

Compassionate Service

We had a luncheon at the church today for the family of a man that raised his family in our ward boundaries.  His granddaughter is in our ward.  He passed away in Washington and they had a funeral there, but he was buried in Boise today and Susie and I organized the luncheon.  It was last minute, and conflicted with a high priest social that afternoon, so we were a little short on help.  It was a lovely lunch, and the family was very appreciative.  I left at 11:00 to pick things up, then made a salad and the centerpieces, then helped set-up, serve, and clean-up.  Terry came to help clean-up and we were the last ones out the door after he mopped the floor.  I got home at 6:00.  It feels good to serve.  

I'm being released from this compassionate service calling this Sunday.  I've been in for three years or so.  It's been an amazing experience to see the willingness of service, the love, and the amazing abilities that are shared.  It has always been a happy and fulfilling, and inspiring calling.  I know better now how to help.  It won't be the end to my compassionate service; I just won't be sending out the e-mails and sign-ups any more.

Halfway

Just after the 4th of July we come to a teacher's halfway mark for summer.  I thought I should have some accounting of what I've accomplished.  I really wanted to catch-up and declutter in June, so that I could do projects in July.  I'm way behind even after a month of catch-up, but I've decided to just relax and enjoy the summer.  I'll feel bad if don't accomplish anything over the summer, but I'm doing what I feel like doing every day and just letting some things go. 

Here's what I've caught-up or finished:

• WEEDING! and straightened up the yard in general so we can enjoy it and the patio.  I don't have beautiful hanging baskets, or annuals put in, and only 1/2 of my garden survived.
• Finished the Book of Mormon, and three other novels.
• Went through all of the donated fabric and have organized it into pillows, quilts, pillowcases, backpacks, and future apparel.  
• Made three blankets for the McClure kids, and finished crocheting Brynklee's blanket.
• Made a dress for Sunday.
• Caught-up my blog and started a recipe blog with Stacey and Krystle.
• Visited friends, had nice lunches, and saw a movie.

Here's what's next of the list:

• Make pillowcases for grandkids and to donate.
• Make cinch backpacks for grandkids and to donate.
• Piece together Grandpa Swain's shirts into a quilt top.
• Put together at least two more quilt tops.
• Get to the nursery and plant a few more things in the yard.
• Make a pathway on the side of the house.
• Go through all my clothes, alter or clear-out.
• Organize our closet.
• Clear-out the loft.  Redesign it and make it useful.
• Make bedskirt.
• Finish four more books.
• Start indexing again and experiment with Family Search more.

We'll see.  Whatever happens, I'm going to enjoy my summer. 

Grandkid Adventures - Week 5

For the next two weeks the kids are in swimming lessons.  With their crazy summer in a 2 bedroom apartment and a brand new baby, Stacey hasn't missed a beat.  They're still taking lessons, going to dance, having birthday parties, and acting like everything is normal.  It has to drive her a little crazy, but she just keeps pushing forward.  The house will be finished the week after the kids start back to school.

Here's this weeks itinerary:

• See Brynklee and visit with Stace.
• Go to swim lessons, right across the street from where they're building the temple.  The family home has a beautiful yard with plenty of shade for moms, siblings, and grandparents.  They have a beautiful view of the farmland and foothills too.  They have a big family, and I think the teenagers take turns teaching the lessons.  Huds was first and was learning how to side breath.  Hadley and Maycee have theirs together, except at different ends of the pool.  Maycee finished up by jumping off the diving board.  That was a first.
• Went to Settlers Park in Meridian and played on the splash pad and play equipment.  It worked out well since they were already in their suits.  
• Huds left his shoes someplace at swim lessons, so we went to K-Mart on the way home and bought everyone new flipflops, and that became our activity for the afternoon.
• Had lunch at our house.  Huds ate at least 10 pickles with his lunch, plus cucumbers.  Hadley ate 2 peaches, grapes, watermelon, blueberries, cucumbers, a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  We cut a nectarine for her to take home. 
• I found material scraps and they tore fabric into strips to tie on the straps of their flipflops.  They turned out pretty awesome! 
• They have been participating in a summer reading program at the library and had earned a scavenger hunt at Powell's Candy Store.  We went there and came out with three bags of sweets.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Running around the yard is almost as fun as being in the pool.

  

  They just feel bad because it isn't their turn to swim yet.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Mayce is in charge of pushing.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Splash pad

   
  
  

  

  Good looking shoes that tickle your feet.

  

  In front of Powell's with their bags of goodies.

  

  We're almost ready to head back to Meridian.  A couple aren't buckled, but it's going to be a pleasant ride because there's candy to eat.