CRAZY FUN!

This summer has been CRAZY FUN. So crazy fun that thinking about journaling the months events sends me into a catatonic stare... "Mom...what are you looking at-why aren't you answering me?" "Dad! She's doing it again!...." Okay-maybe that's slightly exaggerated.


I have over 300 pictures documenting the past 30 days events...Where should I begin...

Camp

Camp was really great. Better than I anticipated. I was a first year leader which meant I spent my days overseeing the first year camp girls activities that the Young Women Camp Leaders taught. Basically I hung out got to know the girls and made sure no one got lost or burned camp down.

Sunrise on Mount Lemon

I loved getting to know the other leaders and having the opportunity hang out with the amazing women I know from my ward at church. The Young Women of today are amazing. I came home feeling renewed, inspired and spiritually uplifted. Camp for me was a gift from the Lord. A gift I needed more than I knew.

UTAH!

We began our trip in Cedar City, visiting The Colberts. Rand and Jared have been friends since they were boys. I'm so grateful we have been able to stay in touch all these years. We really enjoy their family and feel blessed that they are a part of our lives. It is of great consequence to have friendships that time and distance have no bearing on. Sniff sniff... They showed us an amazing time. Here are some pics from our Taylor Creek hike in Zions Canyon.

SALEM!

We look forward to this trip every year. The kids can not wait to play with their cousins. In fact when we leave I can always count on at least an hour of wailing and gnashing of teeth...We have a couple traditions that we count on when we go. The Freedom Run, The Balloon Festival and the Stadium of Fire Fireworks. This year we purchased tickets to go into the stadium due to Miley Cyrus, the Blue Man group and our niece performing. We also fit in a trip to Park City to watch our nephew play Rugby, a hike to the Grotto, installing a toilet, a trip down citizenship lane, swimming swimming and more swimming, and lot's of shopping. I love shopping in Utah. I don't know what it is-but they seem to have better sales and selection. Maybe it's just that it's the only time I ever spend 6-8 hours straight browsing the mall. At any rate it is quickly becoming a favorite tradition when we visit. The kids are totally set for school!

The Freedom Run

When I signed our family up for this back in April, I thought it was a fabulous idea. The we started training... Uh Oh, I thought. What have I done... BUT, the kids were so excited about the race, I figured well the excitement will propel them along. I was right. We had so much fun! Noah was awesome. He and Jared took off- Noah ran full force for two miles, then took a couple short walking breaks and finished strong just over 41 minutes. Hannah ran the first mile straight then ran and walked alternating blocks. When she caught up to Aunt Sorena she opted to stay with her while I ran ahead to catch the boys. This was really hard for me... Was I abandoning her? Shouldn't we stay together? I really didn't want to miss Noah crossing the finish line. Sorena encouraged me to go on ahead, and Hannah nodded all to eagerly. So I ran to catch them, and was able to get pictures of everyone at the finish line. Hannah was able to spend some special time with her Aunt Sorena having fun dumping water over their heads- creating memories with her that will last a life time. I am so grateful for the family we have.

The Balloon Festival

The road to citizenship...

We were able to spend some time at a "Ellis Island" festival in Orem. I was able to pick up some great teaching tools, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the production about early immigrants and playing in the restored army jeeps.

The Grotto Hike

Park City

Every summer, I can't believe how much my nieces and nephews have grown. This year was no exception. My nephew Kage is no longer a boy-at all. He is a low talking, rugby playing, muscle of a young man. And boy can he run...

Stadium Of Fire

This is what Noah thinks of Miley Cyrus...

Is grandma having fun yet?....

Of course she is!

Bajios and shopping-what more can a girl ask for?

What shall the men do while the ladies are at play?

Install a toilet. Jared installed a toilet downstairs with his dad. He asked me if I wanted to flush it...How about I take take a picture of it instead. :)

With our trip coming to an end, we drug the night on as long as we could. We played with fire, and ate dumpster dive donuts well past midnight.

On our way home we stopped in St. George to see the Whitney's.

They fed us a very yummy lunch (BBQ chicken pizza, check her link for the recipe). We loved getting to visit with them.

It has taken me several hours to finish this entry. I am so grateful for the family and friends we have been blessed with. I had the opportunity to talk with my niece who was just married a couple of years ago and is graduationg from BYU. She mentioned how each year keeps getting better and better. I couldn't agree more.

Hot mornings and 100 influential people...

Hannah is now the sick one in the house. 103+coughing. Yuck, poor thing. I wish it would have hit each of us sooner rather than so much time in between. We are ready to be healthy!

Noah and I went out running this morning. He does really well. On our way back he was pretty tuckered out. I pointed out people walking ahead of us and asked him if he wanted to beat them. A smile spread across his face as he picked up the pace then broke out into a run I could hardly keep up with. We passed the first couple who applauded his efforts-and hollered after that they wish he had his energy. Then we saw another couple and did the same thing. Though by this time Noah was wiped. He would pass them, then we'd slow down to a walk until they caught up then Noah would jet off again looking back with that smile of his.

We finished strong but were so HOT. He's been playing in a cool bath now for an hour.

I took this time to read up on the news and pop culture and e-mails of the morning and I came upon Time's 100 most influential people. Stephanie Meyer made the list at 73 I think just after Suze Orman.

Jared thought this was ridiculous in fact it went something like this "What! For her silly little fiction books." I tried not to take it personally. But I defended her and her silly little fiction books as being more. Especially given the time we're in. So what do you think? What is your opinion on Stephanie Meyer making the list of top 100 most influential people in the world this year? I say way to go and good for you! I'm almost certain she is blushing a little being on the same list with George Bush and Vladmir Putin. Blush away Stephanie! Have fun with it!

On this same note Harold McGee was number 46. Now I had never heard of Harold McGee but his book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen has really intrigued me. I'm super excited to read it. SUPER excited! Check it out...http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product

Time to make Noah get out of the bath. I'm sure he is beyond a raisin by now.

-Mel

Summer Fun!

Notice Noah's fat lips...He ate the top of a boys head playing crack the egg...

Well this has been a week of summertime fun. Hannah and Noah have been taking a Polynesian dance class from a young woman in our ward. They learned the New Zealand War Dance (Haka)-not sure of the spelling, and the Huekelaw-really not sure of the spelling. Friday we got together with the other families that participated in the class, had a BBQ and watched the kids perform. Let me just break here and express my gratitude for our ward. Maybe it's just that this is the first time that Jared and I have been in a ward for longer than a year, and have actually gotten to know people-but-we have a really great ward.

Video was supposed to go here...

Yesterday we went to the grand opening of our community library. I have been waiting for this for along time. Little Nanini just doesn't cut it as far as libraries go-especially considering the vast area and number of families it serves. Our library's namesake is Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. who donated a million dollars for books. The library was made possible by both bonds and his donation.

I was really touched at the ribbon cutting. We began with the scouts leading the community in the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a local minister offering a invocation ending in Jesus Christ's name. Of course that was followed by the usual speeches then the crowd sang happy birthday to Wheeler Taft Abbett. There was a huge crowd-at least a thousand people. We made our way through the library greeting ward members, neighbors,teachers and classmates. I'm such a sap that I'm getting teary eyed writing about it. I had to choke down emotion throughout the morning. The library is beautiful-the children's room is fantastic. The county is building what is supposed to be a beautiful park surrounding the library. I am so excited to have a library close! Our community just keeps getting better and better.

Hannah has completed her first sewing project! She made two pillows one for her and one for Noah. She has pretty much mastered bobbin loading and threading the needle. Noah was pretty excited when she surprised him with a pillow for his room. :)

The Flip Side

Land Cruiser

Sequoia

Range Rover

Ooooh Ahhhhhh

Well...it's been an interesting week. We're having Suburban issues AGAIN. This time a pricey transmission job. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! But it hasn't all been so bad. Jared was supposed to drive scouts to AP Camp Monday- Instead he spent the day with us. We began our day at 6:30 am jogging/walking 2miles with the kids.

Tuesday he took the day off to drop the transmission with a friend. The friend got otherwise engaged, and I got an extended afternoon with Hannah. She had a sewing class in the morning then helped me pick out frames and mattes for a client. Then we had lunch together. By the time I got home Jared had pulled the drive shaft off by himself. He waited until 6:30, by then our friend cancelled. Frustrating that Jared took the day off, frustrating we didn't just use the time to take it in somewhere and have it dealt with while Jared had his schedule freed up. BUT-Jared and Noah spent the morning together, Hannah and I had a fun day together, I was able to complete my job and he was available to help me hang the pictures that evening.

Wed. Jared went to work and that evening for sure our friend was going to come over-but no dice. Jared missed mutual...frustrating.

Thursday, I drove him to work and ran some errands, since I was already on the east side of town, I was able to spend the day with my brother and sister in law. We had so much fun hanging out with them. I practiced up on Guitar Hero and am now up to 85% accuracy on the easy level... I would have never been able to do that unless I had time to kill before picking Jared back up from work.



This morning the tow truck arrived and hopefully we'll be back in business before Girls Camp. Bottom line-car trouble stinks, waiting around stinks, extra family time is really great.



In the mean time we have been evaluating and reevaluating our summer plans and whether or not we stick it out with the suburban.



Summer plans= No long road trips- Transmission has drained our vacation funds, and we're beginning to question it's reliability.



Now the moment of sucky truth. We have had this goal to pay off our vehicles-(we are so close). Save what we would have spent on a car loan and buy with cash. I am beginning to realize that really we will be forking over fist fulls of cash every month just to keep it up and running. Nickels and dimes are one thing hundreds and thousands of dollars are another. We are concluding after much deliberation to cut our losses and start over. Which means having to start all over with the plan. BUT on the flip side we'll buy a really great vehicle that we love and actually want to keep for the long haul. I found a 2006 Range Rover today on auto trader listed at $18,000-fully loaded, and super low miles...I'm convinced it's a pipe dream. That's about 20,000 less that low blue book. If it wasn't a type-o I'm thinking it must have recently been involved in a heinous crime. We'll see...



Once I have a plan it is somewhat difficult for me to deviate from it's course. When I do it becomes all or nothing. I tend to see plan A or Z and skip B-Y options. I really hate thinking about buying a car, and having another long term car payment. YUCK YUCK YUCK. But I'm glad we can, and it will be nice to have something newer, more reliable, and yes...more fun! Hmmm. Will I be able to do it? Should we do it? Jared is really excited-whenever I go back to let's just hang onto the Suburban his whole face just falls. Is it worth the frustration... Also-SUV's are getting pretty cheap right now. A friend recently suggested we look at minivans... See this is when I realize how truly vain I am. I say, well we need something more truck like-to throw our bikes in, camping gear, towing capability etc... but really- I just don't want a mini van. I try to be practical. I want to be practical. But when it comes to somethings I just can't- or won't. So SILLY!

A Range Rover is not practical-at all. In fact it doesn't even have all that we are looking for, and the reviews are just fair. But it sure is pretty... I feel like a bug being attracted to the light of a zapper. Look away! Look away!

-Mel

Creating Memories On Memorial Day

We had a really nice Memorial Day. We began the day with a hike. Great suggestion Hillmans! (On a side note I think I would love to begin every holiday or holiday weekend with a hike). :)

It was pretty warm, but that did not stop the kids from running the trail. I'm always conflicted between my feelings of concern and admiration. Concern- to far ahead without adult supervision-getting overheated-tripping over rocks which can lead to cracked skulls, a body inlaid with cactus and other things. The other part of me loves to see their determination and adventurous side take over and their ability to hurdle boulders, ignoring adverse elements all in the name of keeping up with the older cousins. My kids LOVE their cousins. If their is any mention of getting together with the COUSINS. The rest of the world falls away and that is all that matters. After the hike, we had a BBQ, and had a nice, simple memorial program where we shared stories and information about out ancestors, some of which served in our military. We sang patriotic songs together, which in and of it's self brings such a special sense of unity and gratitude. We ended the evening with ICE CREAM.

This is what sheer exhaustion coupled with a spike in blood sugar does to little bodies...

We had such a great time!

Sick Kids and Cereal Bliss

Noah has been sick pretty much all week. He did make it to Water Day but missed the last two days of school and a couple parties. Yesterday, he slept for most of the day and didn't want to eat. I have to admit in a small way when the family gets sick it's not all bad-the upside is our schedule gets wiped clean. Nothing to do but sit around read, watch movies and get better. BUT I really hate it when they feel so bad they don't want to eat, and they start shrinking right before my eyes. Then I start to worry.



Last night I finally got out to do a little supplemental grocery shopping, and went a little crazy. I passed down the cereal aisle-and I got hooked. $1.77-$2.00 for cereal-I checked the ounces-everything seemed normal-then I put 7 boxes in my cart. My justification for bulk purchases are always-food storage. I'm not crazy, I'm being prepared. Noah was super happy this morning. In fact he lined all the boxes up on the counter to pick which one he would like this morning. Cookie Crisp won out. He is officially on the mend.



Cookie Crisp-I would have never bought that a few years ago. Funny how perspective can change over time.



Toy guns, sugar spiked cereal and video games-my 20 something self would not be so happy with my 30 something self. That's her problem, she had some growing up to do. I had this very conversation with my best friend I grew up with. We came to the conclusion that in actuality our teenage/twenty year old selves would be pretty impressed how it all turned out thus far.

Incidentally-I dedicate this song to my 20 something self- I still love The Cure...

-Mel

The weekend began Friday night with a family date to the movie theatre to watch Prince Caspian. We all loved it. Noah gets so involved in the movie and it's still hard for him to separate himself from it. He needs to know what is going to happen and why it's happening-or why the characters are making the choices they are-and why don't they make a better-smarter choices etc... It's allot of "Shh-just watch...it's okay...you'll find out soon...."We had a good time discussing the movie afterward over dinner and pre-birthday dessert at Chili's. Noah was thrilled that he was sung to even if it was two full days before he actually turned six.

Saturday I began the morning with another photo shoot. That was fun! Hard to go wrong with super cute kids.

Then I was off with Hannah to her rehearsal. The theme for this year's dance recital was Lullaby on Broadway. This is Hannah's last year with this particular dance group. We are not sure if we want to continue. There is a ballet school that would give her more in the way of technique and provide her opportunities to perform in Nutcracker with a local professional company. We'll see... She loves piano and art-really wants to take up sewing. It's hard because though she loves dance, I'm not sure if it's as worthwhile a use of her time as some other things would be. We keep saying one more year... I think this was it though. Here are clips from her performance.

Sunday morning began with Noah bounding into our room grinning from ear to ear-"It's my birthday, it's my birthday!" Jared had already left for the morning but would be back around ten. So Noah would have to wait for his present. It was worth waiting for...

Now see, I have to admit I struggled with this. I originally wanted to go for the Leap Frog portable video game system. He would love it AND it's educational. Jared looked at me and said-"Well, does everything need to be educational? I think he would like the Game Boy more." I knew he was right. I convinced myself that there was something to be said about figuring out a game, developing strategy, unlocking mysteries. Probably because I'm reading Ender's Game... So I caved, and found a used one at Play n' Trade. SCORE! Here is what Noah thought:

That evening we had family over for dinner and cake to celebrate Noah's birthday. We had allot of fun, and Noah said it was even better than having a friend party.

I CAN'T BELIEVE HE IS 6!!!! I know he's going to start losing his beautiful teeth soon. That will be a sad day in the Green home... He has had a great year. He has loved kindergarten. He learned to read and ride a bike. He is constantly figuring out patterns in numbers and just about anything around him. He is a little swimmer and really wants to join the swim team this summer. He wants to practice swimming the length of a regulation size pool, to get ready for tryouts. We began last Friday. He does pretty good. I love to see his determination.

I began my morning today at 5:00am with a sunrise photo shoot, and Noah woke up with a fever and a cough... He has since broken his fever, Water Day is tomorrow at school, I'm sure he has been saying a fair amount of prayers. He was very dissapointed to miss Field Day today. Luckily he had his Game Boy to console him...

Hannah realized tonight that she can look through the Children's Song Book and can play. She began with Choose The Right Way. It was pretty neat to see her expression when she realized how much she could read and figure out. We were having FHE and were getting the words wrong, so she went and got the song book out. We began singing again and her whole face lit up and she said-"I wonder if I can play this?" and she did. She tried a few more some she was able to, others were to difficult. After that I looked for Primer level sheet music of Primary songs and found this http://www.laytonmusic.com/primary.htm. I received much thanks in the way of hugs and "Thank you mom! Thank you mom!" I then had to peel her away from the piano for bed.

I am tired...Time for bed.

-Mel