Oh What to do in the Summertime!

A couple of my friends are really organized and plan out summer "Themes" for their kids. They pick a theme every week and then do activities based on that theme. Well, I decided to go crazy this summer and try it! Granted we only did it 4 weeks, but I'd say that's a step in the right direction.

So I had it all planned out.
MONDAY: make meals/FHE treat based on theme
TUESDAY: print out coloring/activity/ crafts sheets based on the theme
WEDNESDAY: check out books at the library based on theme
THURSDAY: do science projects based on theme
FRIDAY: go on a field trip based on theme

Cale picked Dragons the first week. No big deal. I forgot to take any pictures, but we made some really cute dragon taco salads. Essentially, the chips were the backbone and the lettuce was on top to make it green. I couldn't think of anywhere to go for a field trip, and I couldn't think of a science project, so we just colored more pictures and did lots of crafts. (by the way, there are lots of websites to find coloring pages, crafts, and science projects!)

Then Carli picked Butterflies the next week. So, we made cute butterfly snacks out of celery and pretzels.
Then we colored lots of pretty butterfly pictures (Carli thinks that Cale knows everything about coloring, so she copies exactly how he colors and he REVELS in it)We made butterfly antenna's as well out of tissue paper.
(Cale didn't really like the pink tissue paper, but I didn't have any other color)

We also made some butterfly masks with glitter glue, sequins, and feathers! They loved that.By the way, we just bought those 2 desks at Ikea. They were only $40 each, and they came with 2 chairs.

Anyway, the next week Cale picked Bats, which I forgot to take any pictures of what we did, but they made bat candy holders. We spray painted a tin can black and put a glitter glue face on it and glued wings on the back. We did a few other crafts, but I don't remember what they were. Again, I was not on the ball and didn't figure out a field trip. But who wants to go outside in 115 degree weather anyway, unless it's into the pool? Not me.

Then Carli chose flowers. We did some fun crafts for this one! We made paper leis.
Then we made a flower pot of flower pens to decorate our kitchen counter. You just have to buy some fake flowers and green tape and some wire and wrap those flowers around the pen and cover it with the tape. It was fun and easy.
Then we used the leftover fake flowers to decorate a flower pot dessert we made. We did the classic oreo dirt with pudding mud and gummy worms. It was delicious!!!

Anyway, even though I didn't execute all my ideas, it was a good way to keep the kids busy and they really liked it. I tried to get educational books on the different themes. I will definitely do this again next year!!!

Over the river and through the woods

We drove the 11 hours up to Eagle Mountain, Utah (just west of Lehi) to visit my parents for the 4th of July. We were so proud of our little 10 year old Subaru Legacy for making the trek yet again. We decided to drive mostly during the night to avoid hearing the beautiful sounds of fussing, whining, and crying from our adorable children.
We chugged into my parent's driveway at 3:30am, only to remember daylight savings time, making it really 4:30am. We decided Grammy needed some alone time with our children, so we ignored them and slept in and let Grammy take care of them. It was so wonderful. My parents live on a half-acre lot out in the middle of nowhere, so all their neighbors have horses and dogs and lots of land. We went on a run and let the kids ride their scooters next to us. By the time we were done running, we had about 5 dogs following us. I was scared to death but tried to act cool. The kids were really surprised it was warm. They were apparently expecting snow and were confused why I didn't pack their snow boots and coats. Silly children. Arizona is not the only place it gets hot.
We participated in an assortment of activities: swimming, golfing, BBQ in the American Fork Canyon, going to a BYU Men's soccer game, fireworks, more BBQ's, games, Temple Open House, banana boats in backyard firepit, waterpark, shopping, and visiting with old friends. It was a wonderful week, and definitely worth the long drive.
When were were at the Memorial Park Swimming pool, we wanted Cale to pass the swim test so he could go down the big waterslide by himself. He easily swam across the pool and they put a blue wristband on him. Well, when Carli saw that wrist band, she was determined to get her own, so she too decided to try the swim test and passed with flying colors! It was a long way to swim by herself, but she made it. She has been wearing that wristband ever since and it's been a week since we went there.
It was fun to see most of my sisters! Kristin is living with my parents for the summer, and Sandi and Jeremy and Pam live nearby. Debbie and Matt and Kammi flew in from Denver for the weekend as well, so we had a full house- good times!!! Gotta love the fam. Only Donna, Bryan, and Karen were missing-naughty. See you at Thanksgiving everybody for some more good times at Aspen Grove and another long drive to Utah!!!

Weekend to Yuma

Spencer's family lives in Yuma. If you are not familiar with Yuma, it is the city halfway between Phoenix and San Diego, known as the armpit of Arizona. It's very hot there and lots of snowbirds go there in the winter. So, whenever I tell people we are going to Yuma, they look at me sympathetically and say, "oh, why do Spencer's parents want to live there?" It's funny.

Anyway, we went to Yuma to celebrate Carli's 4th birthday with her cousin Jane, who also was turning 4. They had a blast being the center of attention. We spent all morning playing at the Colorado River, canoeing and swimming. The Colorado River is only 2 feet deep in Yuma, and the current is slow, so it's a great place to play.

Carli wanted a Barbie cake, so I decided to give it a shot. I am not the most detailed, patient person ever to live, so the cake didn't turn out as good as it could-say, if Spencer made it instead. But oh well, Carli and Jane thought she was beautiful, and that's all that matters.

Anyway, to make the cake, I cooked it in an 8 cup measuring bowl. It didn't rise enough, so I also cooked a round cake and put that at the bottom. Than I dumped the other cake over it to make a dome-shaped skirt. Cale happily broke off the legs of the barbie and I stuck her torso in the top of the cake. All was still well, until I attempted to frost her. I bought store-bought frosting, and it was too runny, so as I frosted it, the frosting ran all down the sides. It didn't help that I had to walk a block to Sam and Melanie's house in 115 degree weather. By the time I got there, the colors were all run together at the bottom of the cake. I was sad, but Jane saw the cake and said, "Oh, how beautiful!" I looked at the cake again and realized she looked like a

Quinceañera Barbie!

Here's Carli licking her barbie. haha


We bought Carli a razor scooter and a slip n' slide, so they were trying out the slip n' slide in the backyard. They could not figure it out, but oh well.

Spencer went to Yosemite Park for 9 days with the Young Men in our ward. He is in heaven with his calling! He absolutely loves working with the Young Men, and he absolutely loves camping. How could life get any better? Anyway, here are some pictures of his experiences. He said it was gorgeous there, but not as gorgeous as the desert!

Cale got a nice haircut from Spencer a couple of days ago. I usually just put the 1/2 inch guard on the razor and buzz Cale's hair, but Spencer was nice and cut it with scissors. Anyway, Cale came into the kitchen yesterday and there a big chunk of hair missing on his forehead. I said, "Cale, did you cut your hair?" (all stern-like). And he just looked at me with the most guilty face and said, "mom, you know." Anyway, for his consequence, I took away his scissors, and asked him if he would ever cut his hair again. He is becoming a real smart alec, so he said, "Mom, I can do whatever I want." Well, this comment upset me greatly, so I decided that that consequence wasn't enough, so I told him we had to buzz his hair down to the length that he cut it. He HATES his hair short, so this was a good consequence, hopefully. Carli really likes his hair, but if anyone asks him why his hair is so short, he just ignores them, and Carli pipes in and tells them very eagerly!

From the 97% to the 2%

Well, Danielle just turned one last week. She enjoyed whole milk (along with the rest of the family) until she was plagued with diarrhea. We backed off of the cow's milk a little until her digestive system could settle down. She is now feeling great and enjoying the freedom of eating all foods. I took her to the doctor for her 1 year check-up, and she only weighs 16 lbs! She is in the 2%. Considering that she was 10 lbs and in the 97% when she was born, she could probably win on Biggest Loser for losing the highest percentage of fat in a year. Anyway, she eats like a horse, so I guess she's just going to be small, like my other kids. She'll probably have to sit backwards in the car until she's two! (Sigh) I thought for sure she was going to make me proud and get the HUNT genes and grow big and tall. Oh well. Maybe our next baby....

Spencer also had a birthday-the big 30!!! He told me turning 30 didn't affect him at all, but I found him crying in our bedroom. Poor thing. It must be hard being so old. The gray hairs doubled today, and he told me he needs glasses now. What next? Anyway, we did kind of a low-key celebration. Spencer doesn't like a lot of attention, so the dancing girls were out. We just went running in the morning (just to make sure he could still do it!), and then he did yard work while I went to a baby shower. And then he did more yard work (he was trying to forget how old he was by being busy) while I got ready for the BBQ. Then Karen and her girls came over for the BBQ and pool party. It was kind of cold though. I think it was only 95 degrees today, so it wasn't very pleasant to swim. And then we had cake and ice cream (homemade carrot cake with homemade blue frosting and only 22 candles-he's so old I didn't have enough!), and then presents. Then we went to Tempe Town lake and roller bladed while Cale rode his bike and Carli rode the razor, and Danielle chilled in the stroller. It was really fun. Lots of people were out because of the great weather. Anyway, happy birthday Spencer and Danielle! We love both of you!!!