Spring/Summer trips

I'm trying not to worry about all the things I have missed posting about but I do want to try to get the summer activities in before Fall is here.

The truth is I have come to realize that each post is a journal entry. The other day I caught the kids all huddled around the computer laughing. Natalie had gone onto my blog and the kids were slowly going black in time reading each posts. The kiddos have remembered family stories that we haven't talked about in a while and the kids get to quote themselves and each other.

 It was an eye opener for me and it scared me to death. Oh dear! I really need to make sure I have someway of saving all this.

Back to the summer outings...
For spring break we first went north to the Hill Cumorah, the Smith Farm, printing shop, then we drove to the Falls.

I really enjoyed the Print shop! There were three stories to visit and to protect the original building the church just built the new larger building over the top. There is a building within a building.

 It was so foggy that we couldn't see a thing!!

I had forgotten that NY had received a TON of snow this winter. Most of the walkways were still buried in snow. The snow left looked like glaciers.


The outer Banks. AWESOME

Stopped at the temple on our way home.

It has been a good summer and I'm sorry to see it go.
Goodbye carefree life,
Goodbye sun.
Goodbye hot dog bun

Goodnight house
goodnight mouse...
goodnight kittens
goodnight mittens...
goodnight mush
goodnight old lady whispering hush...


Sorry guys! I wrote those first two goodbyes and it reminded me of a story I have read over and over to the kids.

Talk

"Mom, will you put my talk on your blog?"

I thought that it was a cute innocent question  Andrew asked before giving his talk but I was wrong, Oh! so very wrong.

Have you ever said something at church that you wish you hadn't? Or something that your filter missed and you realized that it might not be the best thing to say when the words are already halfway out? Afterwords your not sure whether to pretend you said something completely normal, turn red and apologize, or just run for it.

But this particular situation was new to me. 

My filter could do nothing,

 I couldn't run and I couldn't apologize.

I was sitting helplessly 13.44 feet away from my only son giving a talk in Primary.

I'm partly to blame because he was upset that he had to give a talk so soon and I made the comment that no one will remember what he says. So really you could say anything.

I showed you a picture of his talk just so you know that I didn't make this up. It's hard to read but this is what it says;

I gave a talk three weeks ago and no one remembers what I said. So it doesn't matter what I say. So you will remember this one.
So, blah, blah
Amen!

Honest to goodness he really did say blah, blah.

 The good news is that what he said was true. Next Sunday the bishop didn't pull me aside, no one told be how rude the talk was or how funny it was... nothing.

Note: If a child asked to put something on the blog before the act is preformed be nervous.

T.P. Tower

Asked Andrew to restock the bathrooms with toilet paper.

Taekwondo

Hannah has been asking us if she could do some form of martial arts for years. Finally Jim and I fulfilled her kicking and punching dreams and let her sign up. Hannah and Andrew have been doing taekwondo for almost a year. Natalie started this year but then had to take 6 weeks off because she broke her collarbone ice skating at Hannah's birthday party. The kids have really enjoyed taekwondo but  what they really enjoy is the tournaments. Once they had competed in a tournament the kiddos understood what all the practicing was for. To get Metals!!! They then became more focused and can't wait to go to the next one. They have to earn half the cost of each event they chose to participate in and that not only takes time to do, but also helps them learn to save for something they want more than candy.

We left early in the morning which was a good thing because the road were awful and took us a long time to get there. We got stuck for a  moment on a hill because the car in front of us stopped.  You can really tell that Andrew is nervous. And poor Natalie in her sling.

Andrew getting ready to compete. He's so focused.

 Andrew's metals. 2nd in forms, 2nd in weapons and a spirit award for One steps.

                                                   Hannah getting ready to compete

Hannah got 1st in One steps, 2nd in weapons and 3rd in forms.