A Random Week....

With Ron closing every night he's worked for the last 2 weeks,

we change the way we have 

FUN!

 I took these two cuties shopping...

several times!

Rachel is busy shopping for her week at EFY.

Katie is shopping for girls camp!

 We went to lunch with the kids a couple of times...

including a lunch date

with the grandkids

at my favorite place

RUMBI'S!

I love this couple!!

 Hailee told her mommy that she hadn't seen us in awhile!

She needed some

Grandma Jana and Grandpa time!

Sure do love that she wants to spend time with us!

Leo loved tickling Jacob!

This is the best picture we could get of the two of them!

We finally visited the infamous

Sno Shack.

YUMMY TREAT on a 108 degree day!

And of course a weekend wouldn't be complete without one of my projects on my

SUMMER TO DO LIST

done.

This is the one project I was dreading the most!

My downstairs closet.

Several years ago Ron built me shelves so I could organize

"my stuff" better.

I decided it was time to paint it:

 It's a really nice two-toned blue but the lighting for this picture was terrible so you will just have to believe me!

The finished project:

Organized and Straightened!

 I have to give

CREDIT

to my girls for this project.

They actually went through every box in the closet and cleaned it out!

When Katie got to my Ribbon box...

I actually felt really bad,

but only for a moment!

I had to get back to WORK! :)

So far they have been REAL troopers to help me work on my

summer to do list.

Sure will miss Rachel this week while she is at EFY!

Lastly...

we have been making an effort to get up early and go to our

community swimming pool.

Last year we probably went only two times and this year

I decided we might as well use something

we pay for!

This week we were pleasantly surprised to have our dear friends

the LYSY'S

stop by on a random bike ride home 

to cool off and jump in the pool with us with their clothes on and all!

Should we do it?

 ABSOLUTELY!

LOVE THEM!

Thanks kids...

for making the most of an

unconventional week with an unconventional schedule!

 

Peer Pressure...

Every summer we allow our kids

ONE

day each where they are allowed to invite one or two friends

to spend the day with us on the lake.

Up to this point in our boating summers...

Jacob had not had a turn.

Until this week.

Jacob has been best buddies with our next door neighbor

STEVEN

since we moved in almost 6 years ago.

They spend hours and hours

TOGETHER.

We decided it was time to have him go with us.

I absolutely love the pictures we took of him.

Just looking at them and seeing his face shows the amount of

PURE JOY

he had doing all the things we do everytime we go to the lake.

We love to tube:

SWIM:

 CLIFF JUMP:

 FISH:

 KNEEBOARD:

 AND BOATING ITSELF:

 So why would I label this post as

PEER PRESSURE?

Well our little Jakie isn't really fond of our boating days.

Usually he prefers going to a friends house instead.

Something the rest of us...

totally can't understand!

But on this day...

with his best friend looking on:

 Jacob not only tried NEW things...

but he loved

every minute of it!

My view today...

I was blessed to drive by this beautiful building today.

We drive by it a lot.

It is only 4.5 miles from our house.

We have been watching it being built since 2010.

It was announced in April of 2008...and we've been anxiously awaiting it's completion ever since!

It is almost done!

I can hardly wait to go inside.

It is the Gilbert, Arizona Temple!

Last year during Spring Break... 

Christopher had the opportunity to do a Mormon Trek with other kids his age.

They started at the San Tan Mountains...

working handcarts through the hills and sand floor...

 With high's in the low 90's and the desert floor non-forgiving...

pushing these carts was not easy!

In fact it was hard.

But after three days...

and 26 miles

 I spotted this!

It was a beautiful sight.

It still brings tears to my eyes.

They had set their sights...

HEADED to the Mountain of the Lord.

They had set their sights on this:

 The Gilbert, Arizona Temple!

And we were there...

 Singing hymns and crying!

They had made it!

My son had learned some incredible lessons during those 3 days.

But the one I want him to remember today is...

that he learned he could do 

HARD THINGS

as long as he kept his eyes

on the LORD.

I love you son.

Always have...

always will!

 

Saying Goodbye...

I'm saying goodbye to my 16-year old son

Christopher

tomorrow for eight weeks!

Yikes!

When my sister and her husband first offered him a job for the summer back in March I was ecstatic!

It would be a wonderful opportunity for him to gain some independence

and some financial freedom!

But I have to admit...

this week I've been a little anxious about the whole thing!

 I'm not the only one...

we took Chris to lunch today and he could barely eat his food!

It's hard to grow up...

but I'm not sure which one of us it is harder for...

him or me!?!

Chris and I have always had a great relationship

but he has always

relied on me too much.

He didn't speak until after he was three years old...

He didn't want to dress himself until he was in 2nd grade...

He didn't want to read or learn the alphabet until he was in first grade and we had him "tested"...

he has always just enjoyed me doing all those things for him

and now it's time to grow up.

I'm calling it

GROWING PAINS.

We've spent the week getting him prepared...

we opened a bank account...

bought new clothes...

bought work clothes...

packed up his room...

packed him a suitcase...

took him to lunch a few times...

a movie one night...

and spent as much time with him as he would allow.

 

 I'm excited for him...

scared for him...

anxious for him...

and VERY proud of him for doing something so

GROWN UP!

****************************

We tried to get our kids to go swimming with us this morning in a last stitch effort to have us 

ALL together once last time before Christopher leaves...

no one wanted to go with us

and the kids missed out.

We had the entire community pool to ourselves!

It only lasted 5 minutes...

but we will take it!

***************************

I watched one of my sweet Laurel's dance today!

Megan is our Laurel President and she is the

kindest, most thoughtful young ladies you will ever meet!

She is also an exceptional dancer and it was such a pleasure to watch her perform!

******************************

On a FINAL note:

Rachel's friends were over tonight and they told me they have started reading my BLOG!

They were acting so silly and even asked Rachel to cut their hair!

I told them if they were willing to let her do something

that crazy then they would make it on my BLOG!

So here you silly boys go....

Teenage boys'

will let cute teenage girls' 

do just about anything to them!

So glad these silly boys' love to have a good time!