Especially for Youth

Spencer and his friend, Jacob Heslop have wanted to go to EFY together for a couple of years and we finally made it happen this summer.  We signed them up for a stay-at-home session in St. George and made a mini-vacation out of it.  Everyone but Jeremy got to go.  We stayed at Granny and Grandpa's house in Washington and drove Spencer and Jake to and from Dixie State College each day.  They were tired after every 13 hour day, but loved every minute of their experience.  The theme this year is "Believe. Hope. Endure." and they really felt the Spirit in their classes.  They had so much fun at the dances and enjoyed getting to know the kids in their group.  Their group leader was an amazing returned missionary and Spencer really looked up to him.  I am so grateful for this program and for the opportunities it provided for these two young men!

Container Gardening

Some months ago, I went to a Relief Society meeting where they taught about gardening.  Sister Alana Porter presented an idea for container gardening that you only have to worry about watering every 2 weeks (or every week during the summer).  As she showed us how it works, all of our jaws dropped!  It is so unique and was created by some high school students to help with world hunger in areas where water is scarce.  It was originally designed to be made with 5 gallon buckets but Alana adapted it to Rubbermaid containers so they look cuter.  It involves creating a water reservoir in the bottom of the bucket with a pool filter to wick the water up to the moisture controlled soil.  So awesome!  Jeremy and Noah helped me get them ready one Saturday afternoon and we still have flowers blooming on our front porch (a rarity in the summer here!).  I'm going to try planting pumpkins in the one in the back yard.

Star Base Pueblo

Jacob counted down the hours until Cub Scout Day Camp this year.  He was so excited he could barely stand it.  I got to go as a parent leader and supervise the Wolves and Bears as they rotated from station to station.  What a fun day!  I love Scouts and I love boys.  One of the highlights of every day is Pool Time.  The boys try to stay cool and hydrated throughout the day with spray bottles, misters, slush puppies, and water balloons, but nothing beats fully submerging in the cool water.

Jacob's favorite rotation this year was Nature.  The boys learned about geology, rocks and minerals, and the solar system.

Of course, BB Shooting is so exciting for the boys.  I love how they so carefully teach gun safety and yet the boys have so much fun.

Archery is also something all of them look forward to.  Jacob really had the hang of it this year, since he's a second-year day camper.

The theme of this year's camp was Star Base Pueblo with lots of fun space-related skits, costumes, and decorations.  Our den yell went something like this: "You better watch out for yourselves, because we're the aliens of Den Twelve."  Silly Scout fun.

As miserably hot as it is here, I always love to go to day camp.  The boys develop such a bond of friendship and brotherhood as they work together in their dens.  They enjoy themselves so thoroughly they don't realize the life lessons they are learning.

Drive-In

We've never ever taken our kids to the drive-in, so it was a special night indeed when we packed up the van and took advantage of one of the last non-sweltering evenings to go check it out!  We saw "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" and really enjoyed the atmosphere.  The prices can't be beat, either!  Isaac zonked out before it was over, but the rest of us made it through.  Fun times.

National Junior Honor Society

At the end of the school year, Noah was invited to join the National Junior Honor Society.  He got a really nice letter of recommendation from his 6th Grade teacher and was chosen to be inducted to the Society.  We all went to support him on the night of the induction and then went to McDonald's for a celebration strawberry lemonade afterwards.  We were about the only people in the restaurant and all four boys went crazy on the Playplace.  So fun!  Congratulations, Noah.