Week in Review July 15-21, 2012

The summer is moving quickly and it seems we can't quite keep up with everything we have planned!  We still have a lot to do for our summer bucket list, the Desert Suzuki Institute, organizing the kids portfolios, my office organization, taxes (yuck!), Schiemer Studios overhaul, and getting the 2012-2013 home school year ready!  Well, we have a little over a month left so I guess we better not waste a day.  We have to work hard and play harder and not waste a single summer day!  Here is what we were up to this past week.

This was actually last Sunday night.  We LOVE to end the weekend watching a movie together on the couch.  It is usually very relaxing but Aden got a little rough.  :)  Thanks to my new Instagram obsession, I already had my phone out and the camera setting handy.

We have had some crazy summer weather.  All the wonderful rain has brought some gorgeous clouds with it.  I love when we get clouds like this.  One of my goals as an aspiring photographer is to learn how to take great shots of clouds like this.  For now, my iphone pics will have to do.

Monday was pretty boring but by Tuesday we had enough of our chores done to hit the pool at the gym.

For some reason this picture is really dark but I love it.  The photo looks like Ally is really deep in the ocean.

Waving hello

This picture is great because Aden's hands are just touching the water as he is jumping in for a belly flop.  I love when I can capture cool movements.

I guess the belly flop didn't tickle because he did the Home Alone scream after he was in the water.

Our version of a dunk contest

Peek-a-boo

Check out these guns!

We tried (and failed) to get a picture of Ally and I.

Da da da da!  Super Man!!!

Wednesday, Ally had an activity at Sis Gardiner's home for Young Womens.  The girls cleaned tents, shared homemade treats from home and then went swimming in their amazing pool.  I was too sore from my training session the day before to be of much help so Aden and I went to pick up Grammy a birthday present.  When we came back, the girls were still swimming and there were plenty of treats to munch so Aden and I stayed for a while and relaxed.

Thursday evening, we (Tom, myself, Ally, and Aden) joined Grammy and Grandpa for Grammy's birthday dinner at Elephant Bar at the District in Green Valley.  I gave her a card that read, "(front, a cat speaking) I hear it is in style to give homemade gifts these days. (inside, fuzzy unidentified object taped to the page).  Hold on and I will cough one up for you."  I guess my Dad thought it was pretty nasty to have a fake fur ball taped to the card because he made this face when he opened it.  :)

My cute mom and dad.  I can't get over how great she looks.  

My little herd.

After dinner, we went back to their house for make your own ice cream sundaes.  Now that is what I call dessert!!!  They shared photos and videos of their recent trip to Wyoming and Yellowstone with Melissa and Jay.  I think they had a good time.  I would love to get the whole Grimmett Clan up there together one summer!

Then, Ally and I made a last minute decision to stay the night.  We watched TV, got Grammy hooked on Instagram and giggled the night away.  I enjoyed having some girl time.

Ally has an app that will create a make-over for you.  You just take a picture and then add hair, make-up, etc.  Here is what I did to Ally.  Bad lighting....she looks like a hot umpa lumpa!

This is what Ally did to me.  I guess she decided not to mess with my hair.

And she had a photo of Aden on her ipod touch so she gave him a make-over too!  

Friday I had to teach and get to the gym but we managed to squeeze in a game of laser tag with Mike, Jer, and his friend.  Of course Mike came in first!!!  Jen was a party pooper and didn't play but at least she came and took a cute picture and held my purse.  Thanks Jen!

Aden won some tickets and traded them in for Chinese hand cuffs.  Of course, he didn't know how to get out of them at first.  Ally said it was because he wasn't Chinese.  He eventually got out of them only to try it again with his middle fingers!!!!  We almost didn't get him out of that situation.

Later that night, Ally was kind enough to babysit Aden and William so that I could go see Kim's musical, The Great American Trailer Park.  I hitched a ride with Connie, Jeff, and Lindsay.  Tom and Dave came also. 

The show was really funny!

Here is a blurry picture of the set.

I don't know if the show was as funny as watching Kim play a butch, white trash, gun slinging, trucker mouth, beer drinking singer.  Not your average kindergarten teacher!

Aviana makes this face every time I take a picture of her.  She looks a little like Igor but she is really pretty when she isn't doing this.  Aviana was a tech on the show and helped with many things including costume changes.  The show was really good.  We went home after the show to save Ally from the boys.  Dave ended up coming to pick her up and take her to dinner with Jeff, Connie, Lindsay, and Aviana.  That turned into a sleepover at our house.  Dave dropped off Ana after dinner and grabbed William (who was dead asleep by then).  The girls had a fun night and we all crashed about 2am.

After sleeping in very late, we loaded up our gym bags and headed to LifeTime.  Tom had never been and so we were excited to show him around.  We did an intense workout together.  Aden went to childcare and Ally did her own workout.  Tom is really fun to work out with.  We push each other to go faster, lift more, and add more reps.  It is a fun little competition.  I think I surprised him too!  I guess I'm a lot stronger than I look.  After our workout, we took him climbing.  He loved it!  I'm hoping to convince him to join so we can go as a family all the time.

Then we hit the pool for some R&R.  This is Tom having a Zen moment at the bottom of the pool.

The Rock Star and the Hippy

Thumbs Up!

The crew

Once we were done at the pool, we raced to the store and then home.  I had to make a few batches of funeral potatoes for (you guessed it) a funeral.  I actually don't know who the funeral was for but I'm a sucker for a sign up sheet.  Every time they get passed around at church I always sign up.  So this time I had to make funeral potatoes.  I had never made them before and I don't really know how they taste.  Hopefully they came out okay because we rushed them down to the church and made it just in time.  As we left the church we saw more beautiful clouds.  You can't really see on this picture but there were rays of sunlight streaming through the clouds.  Ally calls them God Clouds.  :)

We were all starving from our workout/rock climbing/ pool time so we went to Sweet Tomatoes.  Ally had dessert that looked more like a pile of ........

Mike asked if it was Unicorn poo.  I told him it was Easter Bunny poo.  Very rare this time of year but we had it flown in special delivery.  Anything for our little girl.

After dinner we planned on hitting the skate park but the God Clouds turned into big fat rain drops.  This is Tom's pouting face.  He was really hoping to get to skate with us this weekend.

And now, Sunday afternoon.....time for a few Summer Bucket List items.  Build a Fort.  The kids and I built a fort to end all forts.  This spacious 3 bedroom no bath duplex is big enough to take a nap, read a book, watch a movie, and enjoy a snack.  The premium window front property has great views of the grounds and excellent lighting.  This luxury fort can be yours for the price of a package of clothes pins and 6 blankets.  Both kids spent the whole afternoon in there!

The evening got a little crazier!  We had a water fight.  I started it.  They we all out back playing catch and I couldn't resist.  I filled up some cups with water, quietly went out onto the upstairs deck, and made a surprise attack.  They quickly turned on each other and then came looking for me.  10 minuets later we were all soaked but happy.  Beware of some of the next photos.  Tom and Aden got a little crazy and it might be PG-13.

Aden declared himself the winner and did his victory flex and yell.

But it wasn't over until he got Ally one last time (with Tom's help).

Then, the boys wet pants were sagging!!!! So they actually wanted to pose with matching plumber cracks!  GROOOOSSSSS!

Then Aden dropped his shorts and started singing, "Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground".  I agree!  He looks like a skinny little fool!

Things calmed down a bit and we got to relax and enjoy the warm summer night.

We ended the night we chocolate fondue and a movie.

Yummy chocolate!

She is even cute when she is eating!

I guess it was another crazy week!  All in all it was a great week but the kids and I had a rough patch on Saturday. We worked through it and were able to move on and have a great weekend.  We all made goals to try a be a little better to each other this next week.  Aden is not going to talk over the top of people.  Ally is going to be more careful about the tone she speaks with.  I am not going to yell as soon as I am upset at something they do.  And, Tom is going to try to be home more this week and help out more with life here on the farm.  

I think the "teen years" are upon us and I am bracing myself for a bumpy ride.  Ally is a sweet girl and I think I just need to keep reminding her of that.  I'm so glad that she and I are close.  That closeness makes talking things through and sharing feelings so much easier.   I'm sure we will both make it out of this alive!  :)

Aden has picked an interesting time to be a, sometimes annoying, 7 year old boy.  With Ally's slight moodiness and my short fuze he is also in for a bumpy ride.  Good thing we are all working on trying harder.  My patience is being put to the test and I better find a way to rise to the occasion.

But these are all minor trials and I wouldn't want to experience them with anyone other than these three wonderful people I get to call my family.  I am grateful that my kids are my kids.  I hope I do right by them as their mother.  I am grateful that Tom was able to spend the weekend with us.  We haven't had him home two days in a row in MONTHS!  I am grateful that when he is home he is willing to be so active with us and enjoys the same things we do.  I am grateful for an amazing life and an amazing family to share it with!  

Aden's Primary Talk

Last week (7/15/12), Aden gave his talk in primary.  Here is what he had to say.....

In Psalm 46:10 we read, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Being still can mean many things.  When your parents tell you to sit still, they want you to stop wiggling.  When our teachers tell us to be still, they want us not not move our bodies and listen to what they need to teach us.  But when Heavenly Father asks us to be still, He wants us to be reverent. To me, being reverent means being quiet, holding still, not being distracting, being thoughtful, and also staying focused.

We are asked to be reverent when we come to church.  Our meetinghouses belong to Heavenly Father, and they are holy places. We are to show reverence when we go into a meetinghouse and we should dress carefully to show our respect. We should also sing and pray reverently, think of Jesus Christ when we take the sacrament, 

and listen quietly to our teachers and the speakers. If we behave irreverently—running, talking loudly, littering, or distracting others—we cannot hear and feel what Jesus Christ wants the Holy Ghost to tell us. We also keep others from feeling His Spirit.  This includes time before church begins and after our meetings are over.  Just because primary is over does not mean we can talk loudly or run in church.  We always need to be reverent at church and show respect to other wards that are still having church meetings.  When we are reverent at church, the Holy Ghost will help us know and feel the things that the Savior wants to teach us.  Reverence begins with each one of us. 

I would like to read a story to you.  This was told by our profit President Thomas S. Monson

I was a boy during the Great Depression. I remember children wearing galoshes because they had no shoes and going hungry because they had no food. These were difficult times.A bright light of hope shining amidst the gloom was Primary. I was 10 years old. I had a marvelous teacher. I look back upon that year as my finest in Primary, and I must say it was because of my wonderful teacher. It wasn’t because the 

boys in the class were particularly enlightened or unusually well behaved; on the contrary.The laughter of the boys and the chatter of the girls at times must have been most disconcerting to our Primary leaders.One day as we left the chapel for our classrooms, I noted that our Primary president remained behind. I paused and observed her. She sat all alone on the front row of the benches, she took out her handkerchief, and began to weep. 

I walked up to her and said, “Sister Georgell, don’t cry.” 

She said, “I’m sad.”

I responded, “What’s the matter?”

She said, “I can’t control your primary class. Will you help me?” 

Of course I answered, “Yes.”

She said, “Oh, that would be wonderful, Tommy, if you would.”

What I didn’t know then is that I was one of those responsible for her tears. She had effectively enlisted me to aid in achieving reverence in our Primary. And we did.

As you can see from this story, we are sometimes not aware of how our choices effect others.  We are taught to choose the right so that not only we can be happy but we can help those around us be happy to.  When we make the choice to be reverent at church we are showing our love for one another and Heavenly Father and Jesus.

This is a poem I like about being reverent.

Whenever my mom takes me to the zoo,

Do you know what I always do?

I like to visit the butterflies,

A yellow, blue and white surprise

I dip my hand in the water, so,

Then I sit very still till the butterflies know

That it’s safe to float down on their delicate wings

And sip from my hand a butterfly drink.

But if I run or shout or play,

They lift their wings and flutter away.

And when I go to Primary,

I like to see how quiet I can be.

I fold my arms; my feet are still;

Then I listen and listen and listen until

A feeling of peace settles all around

And a still, small voice without a sound

Whispers a truth so sweet and mild

“Heavenly Father loves you, for you are His child”

And then my hear just sings and sings,

As it does at the touch of butterfly wings.

I would like to bear my testimony.  I know the importance of being reverent and choosing the right (he filled in the blanks here).  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Week in Review July 8-14, 2012

We had a little bit slower week than last.  I have been working very hard to prepare for the start of the Desert Suzuki Institute, Tom has worked around the clock for a Switch deadline, and Ally & Aden have been practicing hard for the institute.  But we did manage a few fun moments hear and there.  This is our week in review...

Happy 7/11 Day!

Free small slurpees for everyone!!!  A fun cold treat on a hot summer day!

You can see Ally has on her Girl's Camp t-shirt.  She had Girl's Camp Finale Activity that night.

Friday we were supposed to join Mike, Jen, and Jer for their ward swimming party but it was canceled due to bad weather.  So we hung out with them at their house.  Jen made a yummy dinner and Mike and I chatted about Jeeps and cameras.  That lead to a light painting adventure that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.  Chuck (Mike's friend) joined us and we went all over to find good places to set up the cameras.  Here are some of my favorites of the night.

My first attempt at making an orb.  I think I need to practice.  Looks more like a glowing slinky.

We were creating cool ghost images.

I think this is Aden running through the park with a LED headlamp on.

We turned Ally into a creepy green ghost.

Ally making a cute heart

My version of a light rainbow.

My second attempt at making an orb.  This is a little better but still needs work.

This is my favorite one of Ally.  It really does look like a ghost is hovering near that tree.

When we got home (at about 1:30am), Tom was asleep.  Our dog Gypsy, who is deathly afraid of going upstairs because the cat will attack, braved the stairs to go and sleep with Tom.  I guess she was more afraid of the lightening and thunder than she was of the cat.  It was really cute to see her there.

Had to take a picture cuz there is nothing better than mud on a Jeep!  This was Saturday morning before the gym.

Ally working hard at LifeTime Fitness.  We now have her on the membership so she can come all the time.  She is a great workout partner.  I love that we have this fun and healthy hobby to share together!

We also got in a little rock climbing while we were at the gym.

Look at those killer shoulders!

Aden gets to the top of almost every wall he tries!  He is a little monkey!!

There isn't a situation where she doesn't look cute!!!!!

Up, up and away!

Almost to the top!  He makes it up this 3 story wall every time.

Then, we hit the gym's beautiful pool.

Way in the distance you can see Aden coming out of one of the slides.

Aden swimming laps

I think he might need to work on his form.

He has officially lost his two front teeth.  The tooth fairy came and left $2!  But even more exciting than that was the fairy dust everywhere and the fairy footprints on his bed.

Sitting by the pool

Catching some rays

Looking weird

This is Ally's "yo" face

Super serious

Gotta love the underwater iphone camera

Giving the camera a wink

Say Cheese!

Underwater handstand

Crazy ripple shadows

Cannonball!!!! 

Everyone looks at us strange when we get in the pool with my iphone.  This is our attempt at a family photo in the pool.

Just plain cool

I got to see this beautiful sunset while in the pool at the gym.  So awesome!

Ally and the sunset.

Saturday night, I FINALLY got to have a date with my husband!  I hadn't seen him in over a week because he has been working so much.  But the weather was a litte crazy.  We floated all the way down the 215 to Switch where he showed me all that he and the team have been working on.  

Then we went to Town Square and had dinner at the Yard House.  This is a funny picture of Tom.  It makes him look like his has a tiny head and huge hands.

Ready and gorgeous for church.  We needed pictures for the DSI program booklet so I snapped these this morning.

Ally is so pretty!

I love the toothless grin!!

I was making my famous chocolate chip cookies and I caught Aden stealing some of the brown sugar.

Ally is always willing to help.  She is probably a better cook than me.

Our yummy Sunday treat!

Took a picture with the lid on the cake plate.  It is such a pretty dish.

Now we that we have all written in our journals and had some time to rest, we are going to enjoy a family dinner and watch a movie together.