June 2006

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This summer has been a blur! We have hardly been home! Major started off the summer by getting his braces off. His teeth look big! He might have to have them again when all his big teeth come in, but we will have to wait and see.

The kids have been begging me to have a “Chocolate Day”. I said they could in the summer. According to them, this is a day when you only eat chocolate. We started off with Cocoa Puffs for breakfast. Then I gave them each several candy bars that were supposed to be spaced out during the day. They were eaten immediately and then no one wanted any more chocolate for the rest of the day. We were supposed to have Nutella sandwiches for lunch and chocolate enchiladas (mole) for dinner. I don’t think the kids will want to do that again. But it was a great memory!


Major is doing swim team all summer at Taylor pool. He is doing really well. He won 4th and 5th place in the freestyle, 1st place in backstroke, and helped his team win 2nd place in the backstroke relay. He loves getting the ribbons and wants one of each color!

Lucy and Juliette took a session of swim lessons at Taylor and loved it! Juliette especially loved it and asks me all the time when the next session is. (She cried all through private lessons last year).

Major took a two week session of basketball camp and learned a lot. He likes basketball a lot more now. I’m glad, because that is the “Mormon” sport. Boys always play basketball at scouts, as a missionary and with the other men in the ward. It’s just something to have to know how to do. But his first love is soccer. Clint has even been getting him to watch it on TV occasionally.

Major and Lucy did MCC Musical Theatre this year for the first time. Major was great! Lucy was cute, but I think she was a little too young. They had a great time! Carol’s performance is next week and we are excited to see it. This is her first year in the older kids group.

Carol also did a one week volleyball camp. She loved it! She plays volleyball at school during recess so this should really help. Carol is learning to cook this summer. Each week she plans a meal and I help her make it. She begged me to make strawberry pies, so I had her do it. She did everything except roll out the crust and put it in the pan. (That was a little difficult).

Lucy had her 6th birthday party last week. She wanted a water party, so we did a fish theme. We had a fish piñata, fish decorated cake and water games like “fishing”, and playing in the water. The girls had so much fun! Carol and Major ran all the games. I hardly had to do anything. It was great!
We also had an “Unbirthday Party” for cub scouts. All the boys brought their own presents and they decorated their cupcake and sang to themselves. We played games and had a great time.

We have also been doing the reading program at the library. But it’s been hard squeezing in the reading time!

I have also been having the kids learn to clean. They have been cleaning bathrooms, washing windows, mopping, vacuuming, doing laundry and ironing. They just don’t have time during the school year for this much cleaning. It takes us about three hours to divide up the house and do it. I’m glad for the help this summer, but I won’t mind when I get to do it again in the fall. The quality just isn’t that good yet. Major cleaned the windows with a soaking wet towel. Sigh. Although Carol does a pretty good job.

And here is a picture of Juliette taken by Carol. Juliette keeps up laughing with her somersaults, singing and jumping off everything!

Quebec 2006

Clint and I just got back from a week vacation without children. It was awesome! We took a red-eye flight to Burlington, VT and drove up to Mont-Tremblant which is about 1 1/2 hours north of Montreal. (Montreal is about 1 1/2 hours from Burlington.) This is a "world class" ski resort, but we never saw any mountains. I guess they ski on the hills.





We rode on this pedestrian ski lift thing. It takes pedestrians and I assume skiers up the long hill of shopping to the ski lift. We did it several times, since it was free and fun, because it went really fast.

















The next day we drove through Montreal and Quebec City and north to La Malbaie. It was about a five hour drive, but it was very beautiful. We stayed at the Le Manoir Richelieu which is next to the Saint Lawrence River. We were so far north that whale sightings are common. We didn't see any.








We stayed here two nights so Clint got to go golfing and I got to lay around and read. Clint said it was the best and most beautiful golfing he has ever experienced. He doesn't golf much, but when he does it's always a fabulous place.









Then we spent two nights in Le Chateau de Frontenac in Quebec City. Quebec City was my favorite place. I love walking around and experiencing everything. It feels like France, except friendlier.










We took a tour of the chateau. This is the famous "Pink Room" where Churchill, Roosevelt and the Prime Minister of Canada planned the Normandy Invasion. The tour was so interesting!










We ate at this "ancient" restaurant that served "ancient" food. I had wildgame meat pie. It was good. We usually ate at the hotel. Every meal was very gourmet and unusual.











And of course we went walking and shopping along all the cute cobblestone streets.
















We ended our trip in Montreal at the Queen Elizabeth. We walked around and took a picture of Notre Dame. We had taken a picture of this the last time we had visited, so we had to get another.

Now we are back in reality and ready for summer!

The Red Leather Sofas

They finally came! We waited five months for them to come from Italy! They are very soft! I've decided we definitely need a really cool rug! We are going to paint as soon as I decide on a color. It's so hard! 

Juliette's Birthday

Friday was Juliette’s fourth birthday. She was so excited! Right after school we went to Peter Piper Pizza (because Major had another birthday party later on.) Then we went home for cake and ice cream. She is so proud to be 4 years old and tells everyone! Juliette has been asking for a “little computer” for many months now. She loves the small laptops that the doctors have. The toy computers were just not the right look, so I got her an inexpensive DVD player. It looks like a “little computer” and she loves it! I figured it would come in handy this summer anyway.

Easter 2006

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt





Coloring Easter Eggs

April 9, 2006

Major earned his first bead for Progression in Rank in cub scouts. We have an award ceremony where they have to "dig" for their bead in whip cream using only their mouth. The boys love it! We also have an award ceremony for the Bobcat where they have to eat "Bobcat poop" which is mushed up Reseese's peanut butter cups. They love that one too!

Lucy lost her first tooth this week. Today she lost her second tooth. She was so happy! She has been asking me when she would lose a tooth because everyone else in her school class has already lost one. She is so happy to finally be a part of things!

April 2, 2006

General Conference was this weekend. It was wonderful and the kids were pretty good. I stayed awake by doing some embroidery. After conference, I made "Sunday dinner" and we ate outside. The weather was so beautiful! Juliette kept asking me if we were having a party! I guess eating outside could be considered a party.
Saturday night Carol was invited to a birthday party. She hasn’t been to one in years so she was ecstatic! It was a “Samantha Mystery Party” (American Girl Doll). The girls were to dress up and act out the mystery. Carol was the maid Gertrude. I made her a cute little maid outfit to wear. She had a great time!