Hiking, Gardening, and The Snack Store

Sooo... Here's the latest

We are thoroughly enjoying our pets, Maggie and Nemo, and they seem to be getting used to eachother better. Nemo is quite silly, as most 1 year olds are. He Loves to follow Nicolette around the house when she drags a ribbon behind her. They could keep that game going for quite some time. He got the kids laughing hysterically last night when he would come charging down the hallway, quickly turn the corner into their bathroom, and leap past the closed shower curtain into the tub, only to flop down and start attacking the curtain. They had only to scratch higher on the curtain to get him to attack higher up. He is SO playful! Maggie has been trying to get Nemo to play with her, but he's still a little wary of playing with a dog. He doesn't avoid her though, so maybe this will come with time.

Nicolette expressed a concern about not feeling ready for 6th grade, despite the time we spend daily on summer workbooks. As she was especially concerned about multiplication, because she hadn't yet memorized the multiplication table, I looked up several online computer games to help her. She and Trevor have been having a ball playing while mastering multiplication. They both have noticed a great improvement in how quickly they can remember the facts!

If you or anyone you know needs help with this, I highly recommend these sites: http://www.multiplication.com/ for games (before moving on to a new level, you must complete a set of untimed math problems), and http://www.mathisfun.com/ for their math trainer (rather than timing you for how long it takes to accomplish a set amount, it times you for how many you can accomplish in 5 minutes, just like a physical trainer, and gives you the answer if you got it wrong).

Both kids also love our new Snack Store (run out of our pantry). In order to combat our tendancy to eat the sweeter snacks before the healthier, and add some learning in as well, we created a Snack Store. This store is open twice daily (at snack time), and accepts only Snack Dollars (we each get $5 per week). The menu is somewhat reversed from what you would find at the regular store. The healthy foods cost less (fruits and veggies are Free), and the more sugary foods cost more (topping out with a full size Hershey bar at $2). The kids take turns running the cash register, giving them practice adding up each purchase and counting back change. As for the customers, we've found it rather interesting how we react when such limits are placed on us. The healthier foods are disappearing quickly now, whereas the straight sugar hangs around a lot longer before consumption. The kids are also learning budgeting. I was soooo impressed with Nicolette as she made a list of her favorite snacks, and figured out in advance what she could purchase throughout the week with her allotted $5. She ended that week with a little left over. Trevor has also been learning, as he took full advantage of the availability of a candy bar early in the week, thus leaving him with fruits and veggies only by the end of the week. What a learning experience!

Trevor is excited about his upcoming 8th birthday (Aug 5th) and baptism (Sep 13th).

Nicolette has also been enjoying using her art skills, and has lately created several dot-to-dot pictures for others to complete.

Mark installed beautiful shelving in our garage, getting most of our storage out of the basement. Then, he installed the ducts to put AC/heat in the basement. This puts us two steps closer to finishing the basement!

We hiked up to Timpanogos Caves last weekend, and enjoyed the beautiful sites along the way and in the caves. For those of you who don't know, Timp Caves are some of the most beautiful and well preserved stalagtite caves around. The formations inside are Amazing! The hike is only about a mile, but as it is also a rise of about 1000 feet, it took us about 1 1/2 hours. If you look in the pic with Trevor, there is a little building way up the hillside. That's where we're going (and at this point, we're already halfway there!) The view from the trail is beautiful, and a great reward for making it just a little farther up the hill. Nicolette enjoyed pursuing her new photography hobby. Following our tradition of getting keychains for the kids from every neat place we go, we purchased some stating "We Survived The Hike - Timpanogos Cave". How true!

We've learned quite a bit about gardening already this year. Of the neighbors I've talked to who started a garden this year, one in particular stands out as growing beautifully. It's not mine. We learned about Square Foot Gardening in Relief Society. Having become overwhelmed with other gardening books I've looked through, I didn't get the book on Square Foot Gardening, and just stumbled my way through. Natalie bought it. Having spent most of my gardening budget on pots, I followed the suggestion of the lady at Home Depot, and added plant food to bags of cheap potting soil. My garden was doing great in the Spring, but now my soil can't hold enough water to deal with the heat, though my watermelon plant is still thriving. Following the directions, Natalie purchased vermiculite, peat moss and compost. Everything of hers is thriving. The rest of us have learned. I went and bought the book, and next year my garden will be far different than this year! By the way, I highly recommend the book (All New Square Foot Gardening). It is SOOOO easy to understand! Far simpler than any other gardening book I've ever looked at.

I taught the RS lesson on Obedience last Sunday, and felt strongly that I needed to share two of Mootie's stories. I usually hesitate to share them because they are likely to overpower most other's experiences, and because I tear up and blubber my way through. But, as I was prompted, I did so. I shared the story of Grampa Eddie's rattlesnake bite, and how Effie was comforted and followed the Spirit telling her he would be okay. I also shared the story of the damaged room, where Mootie yelled "Get the kids out of here!". As I suspected I would, I blubbered my way through. Apparently I was still speaking clearly enough to be heard though, because several people came up afterwards and said it was the best lesson I've ever taught, and had I considered putting these stories in a book? Funny that you ask! What a blessing these stories are to us and others! I feel so priveledged to be involved in assembling them.

For our 14th Anniversary last week, we went out to dinner at The Melting Pot. What a unique dining experience! You cook your own dinner at your table on skewers in a pot of boiling broth!

The next day the kids and I wandered through an antique store where I spotted a beautiful chandelier just the right size for our bedroom (I've been looking for one). The amazing thing here is that it is a miniature version of the chandelier hanging in our entry that had been an anniversary gift between my parents! After Mark came to see it, he fell in love with it too. We negotiated with the owner for a reduced price on the 45 crystals it needed, and I look forward to hanging it in our bedroom soon! I'll send another pic when when have it up with all the crystals.

Love you all!

Kitty

Vacation in Sunny San Diego

Well, at long last, I am writing again!

So... to catch you all up a bit, let's start as usual with the medical report. I'm cured of Wilson's!!!! All that crazy medication is over and done with!!! I still do have hypothyroidism, so I am taking thyroid medication, but it works now! I'm feeling much better all around. I rarely need afternoon naps, I'm remembering things better, I deal with stress better, my mind is clearer, and my energy level is better! All in all, I feel like me again!

Trevor has lost a tooth, and has a few more loose. He is thrilled with the end of school, and enjoys doing his summer workbook, all except the cursive.

Okay, so I went on vacation, and didn't do anything further with this like I had planned. Hey, what can I say, California is beautiful with sooooo much fun stuff to do and family to see.

Trevor was climbing a tree in front of Jill's house, slipped and fell (from the bottom branch, about 2 feet), knocking out his last top front tooth. It was soooo funny to watch the change from him limping over crying to the porch so I could see what was bleeding to when he learned he lost a tooth, quickly getting up and heading back to look for it saying "I'm okay." Trevors favorite thing from our vacation was playing in the waves with Mark at the beach, with the San Diego Zoo and Sea World in 2nd and 3rd place.

Nicolette is now 11 years old, having had her birthday while on vacation. She had her "friends party" the day before we left, where she and her friends painted flower pots, and planted petunias. They had so much fun, and I have fallen in love with those plastic lined paper tableclothes, as the table got much wetter than I had anticipated with all the rinsing of brushes from 12 artists. When I pulled it all off, my table was totally dry! Nicolette's favorite thing from our vacation was holding Baby Jace (her new cousin), followed by the zoo, the beach, and then Sea World.

Mark was off to Chicago for work the week before our trip. He arrived home one day, and we left for California the following day. Boy, is he glad to be home now! He's been gone longer than the rest of us have. Mark's favorite things to do on our vacation was walking around Monterey, the 10 hours of fun we spent at the zoo, and playing in the waves with Trevor.

Me, I've changed my life around a bit recently. Following inspiration, I quit my job at the end of May, and am now working doing bookkeeping from home. I already had one client, and will pick up another next week for a total of about 40 hours a month. I'm spending more time with the kids, and they are, of course, loving it. I'm also working with Mom on getting Mootie's (my grandmother) autobiography edited and ready to publish. What a priveledge it is to be involved in the process of putting her experiences into words to share with others. My favorite thing from our vacation was finding new ways to play with Baby Jace, with a close second of the wonderful time we had at the zoo.

To elaborate, our vacation started with a long drive through beautiful country to our first stop in Felton (near Santa Cruz) to spend a day with my paternal grandparents. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing them again, and the time of just relaxed chatting interspersed with the fun of watching Grampa Mel and Trevor in an all out tickle fight was memorable. We then headed to Monterey for a morning stroll (strategically planned to take up just enough time to get us into LA after rush hour) through all the lovely shops and along the beach where Trevor found a hermit crab. Then we drove on down to San Diego (with a stop at the Amazing Casa de Fruta fruit stand (I know, you can't imagine what could be so amazing about a fruit stand. Neither could I, and I can't explain it either. Just stop by if you're ever in the area) where we picked up some super yummy road munchies. We spent a week in San Diego thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We went to SeaWorld with Jill and Baby Jace one day, and loved it. Shamu was very cool, and the Cirque show was amazing. I think we all loved touching the manta rays and feeding and petting the dolphins the most. Trevor utilized the penny stretcher machines three times, adding to his collection. On one trip to the beach Mark, Trevor, and Scott waded quite far out into the waves, jumping into each one, and having the time of their lives while Nicolette and I explored the shoreline. Jill (the fashionista) took me shopping for capris, and with her advice, my summer wardrobe is looking great. Nicolette and I got fabulous haircuts from Jill's extremely talented friend Kelly. Then we topped it all off with a trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo. There's a reason it's world famous. That place was sooooo cool! The animals were great to see, especially the baby panda sleeping in the top of a tree, with his head hanging upside down :). Nicolette enjoyed practicing her new hobby of photography. The guided bus tour was very informative and rather funny, while also providing us with a chance to rest our feet while seeing over half of the zoo. We loved the SkyFari (sky tram) that took us from one end to the other so much that we did it three times. Trevor, having only enough money left for one stretched penny, carefully considered each exhibit and activity, finally deciding that the SkyFari was his favorite thing at the zoo. So, when we rode it back to the top of the hill Trevor used the machine there that showed the SkyFari, after which we rode it back down. I love to encourage thoughtful purchases rather than immediate gratification! We spent an amazing 10 hours here with good attitudes maintained by all. What a day! Relaxing, chatting, cooking with Jill, and playing with Baby Jace filled the rest of our time. We packed so much fun into this trip that we felt done, and came home a day early. A friend had watered my garden, and taken care of Nemo (our new cat), so all was well when we got home last night.

Ah, yes, I've planted my first garden (mostly in pots in my backyard), and we're looking forward to a bountiful harvest. As I've never done this before I have no idea what to expect, but I planted a good variety, so at least something should grow really well, something should not, and there should be lots in between. Our garden includes potatos, corn, carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, watermelon, lettuce, and peas as well as the decorative plants; sweet peas, petunias, hostas, helleborus, lungwort, wildflowers, cyclamen, mini roses, and a peony. I'm having fun with my new hobby of gardening, and the kids are having fun watching it all grow.

Well, that at least gets me current again. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Love,
Kitty