Sunday, July 9, 2023

     Teagan did some track through the rec. center during spring.  He did the 4 x 4 relay, long jump, and the 200 meter dash.  It was fun to cheer him along with Sam Sorenson and Kade McPheters.  I was so proud at how hard he tried.  Unfortunately he did not make it to district or state, but he had a good time. 

     Jancinda is a busy girl.  She just graduated High School and is working at Poki Bowl.  She has enrolled at Salt Lake Community College and is working towards going on a mission next year.  This summer she wants to work and spend as much time with friends before starting her "adult life."  Just a little side note, I cheered so loud at her graduation, McCabe told me to quiet down.  I smiled and told him not to worry, I will be just as loud when he graduates.  I even ordered cowbells for the next graduation.

     I love where we live.  We get incredible lightening storms from time to time.  I barely escaped this one before it got to our house.  The views over the valley were amazing.

     Every 5th grade student gets to do a decade day.  That is when the student gets selected to report on a decade.  This year Teagan got 200 to 2009.  He had to research the events, political, social, and worldwide during that time.  He also dressed like a person from that time and shared some cheeze puffs which were a popular food during that decade.  He did a super job.

      Xavius got to spend a week with us during the end of May.  We love having him.  He was a big help with setting up and fixing flags for Memorial day and building a chicken coop for our new chickens.

     Xadia is loving her volleyball.  She has gotten very good for her age.  She has a great time playing with her cousin Canda Squire.  The both go to Hive Volleyball to practice.

     June started off with Jacinda getting her wisdom teeth removed.  (She was out for a week but recovered nicely.) 

 

    Two days later family joined us for the rest of June.  We had the Stubbs visit from Texas along with Edmund and Kaleel from West Virginia.  They came up so the older boys (14+) could to go to the all stars camp.  We had so much fun.  Amy made strawberry jam.  We went swimming, hiking, rope swinging, and made forts in the hallway for sleeping.  We also all took a quick trip to Washington to visit Doug's family and Steve Fisher.  I have never been in a car where kids farted so much.  They made a game out of it and it was super annoying.  They kept saying "door knob," or "after shock" when they farted to warn everyone they might want to roll down their windows.  Besides the flatulence issue, it was super fun with more cousins.  While in the Northwest we ate at VooDoo donuts, saw fungal apples on oak trees, had a BBQ, and rode quads.

     After returning home from Washington, we went to the Saratoga Spring Temple open house.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  I always love to see the color scheme.  This one was done in a blue, lavender, and cream.  We are so blessed to have temples on the earth.  Not many people know that but in time they will.  After the open house, we went to the BYU creamery and got some yummy ice cream.  That was a big hit.  Then we took Lance to BYU so he could unpack and get acquainted with his new dorm life.  It is sometimes hard for me to realize these cute little babies are growing up.  It has been such a treat watching these kids (the Stubbs and my own) grow up and become adults.

     Jacinda and McCabe are so busy being social with their friends and working, any time they are home, they are usually asleep.

Tuesday, May 3, 2023 (On Goings)

            The weather has started to warm up.  The snow is melted, and we have officially started having campfires in the backyard.  The Pergler boys come over and roast marshmallows.  Actually, Ian doesn’t roast marshmallows, he eats them right out of the bag.  Seth likes to toast the marshmallow and the chocolate covered graham on the stick at the same time.  We usually have more than one fire going at a time because each child wants to build their own.  Since the backyard is mostly dirt, we let them start a fire after they have built their fire ring with a circle of rocks.

              Teagan has been asking for a new suit.  He wants a red one.  I asked him to show me a picture of it.  Once I saw it, I said we could make one.  We went to Walmart and decided on some fantastic purple polyester.  I used one of his suits as a pattern and this is the final product.  He looks really sharp in his new suit.

              Xadia is doing track and she runs the 800 meters.  I attended her most recent meet and was so proud of how well she did.   I think she tied for first in her heat.  I loved watching her pass all the girls especially because she got squeezed out in the beginning.  Go Xades!

              McCabe is playing Lacrosse.  He is having a great time.  He comes home with welts on his arms from high powered balls hitting him.  I did not know much about Lacrosse before he started.  I have learned that it is a contact sport and looks like football, soccer, and hockey all combined into a sport.  I hope he continues to play sports.  It is fun to watch him.  I especially like cheering for him and my other kids.  I am loud enough to make sure they hear me.

              Jacinda is working hard at the Poki Bowl.  She has decided to serve a mission, so we are helping her get ready for that.  Come June, she will get her wisdom teeth removed.  She is also gearing up for summer college at SLCC.  I can’t believe my oldest is all grown up.

              Tim works hard to provide for the family.  When he is not working (which is rarely), he likes to “hold down the couch.”  Fozzie likes to join him.  Fozzie is a very loving dog.

      The kids are developing their talents.  Teagan and Xadia have learned to make strawberry Boba.

Teagan learned to make a catapult in the backyard.

Tuesday, May 3, 2023 (Recap of April)

               The beginning of April kicked off with Spring break.  We took a trip to San Francisco.  Unfortunately, Jacinda did not join us because she had work.  We saw so many wonderful things.  First, we stopped at the Oakland temple.  This temple had some oriental flare to its design as an homage to the large Asian population in the area.  The Oakland temple also had gardens on the roof of the building.  I enjoyed walking and seeing all the flowers and bushes.  The colors of nature were a welcome sight since it was snowy back in Utah.  Utah was experiencing its wettest winter on record.  This was unfortunate for us because our backyard was torn apart, and the saturated ground was causing the trees to fall from the mountain.

              Next stop was China Town.  It was like walking through a tourist trap.  There was a lot of overpriced junk.  It looked like items at a second store that were all covered with dust.  I was not very impressed.  People on the corner yelling at you to come and buy their stuff.  It reminded me a lot of Tijuana Mexico.  The family was hungry, so they decided to eat at a restaurant in China Town.  I had my reservations because the conditions were suspicious.  Tim selected a place, and I did not see a rating on the window from the health department.  I told him that there was no rating or any indication the health department checks the sanitary conditions of the restaurant.  He said, “we are here for the experience,” and then laughed.  He knew that we were at a high risk of getting food poisoning and was willing to take it.  We were seated at our table near a fish tank where the fish were dead floating upside down.  There was carpet at the bottom of the tank with fish poop.  I held my tongue and was respectful.  As Tim is flipping through the menu, he turns to me and says, “this is really authentic, even the menu is sticky.”  We both lost it and started laughing.  The family enjoyed a meal, I enjoyed my ice water.  After China Town, we went to Mike and Cedy’s house.

              Mike and Cedy are Tim’s aunt and uncle.  They live in Menlo Park.  They have been there for over 40 years.  They were so warm and welcoming.  It was fun to visit with them and hear stories of their lives and children.

              The next day we went to the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was absolutely amazing.  We watched a youtube video explaining the engineering behind it and it was constructed.  I was amazed that a newbie engineer could build the bridge at a fraction of the price with a more sophisticated designed than seasoned engineers.  There was a look out place where we could stop and take pictures.  The kids bought a $10 hot dog from a vendor.  I could not believe the price but they were hungry.  Everything is so expensive thanks to inflation.  It also does not help that we are visiting a high priced city.  After the Golden Gate Bridge it was off to the beach.

              It was cold (about 64 degrees) but that did not stop the kids from getting into the water.  It was so fun to watch the kids play.  There were also dogs on the beach.  It was great to see them play.  It made us miss Fozzie but we knew Jacinda was taking good care of him.

              We visited pier 59.  There was an aquarium with jellyfish, sharks, and stingrays.  As we toured the aquarium, there was a plexi-glass hallway surrounded by swimming fish.  It was like walking on the ocean floor.  My favorite part of the aquarium was the jellyfish and watching the kids touch the sting rays.  Occasionally I would catch McCabe flexing his muscles in reflective glass.  When I asked him to do it on camera, he just ignored me.

              One of the highlights of the trip was touring Alcatraz Prison.  I was fascinated by the inmates’ stories and their living conditions.  It would be rough to spend many hours a day in a tiny cell or to shower in the open among 25 other people.  I would also hate to be in total confinement which is dark 23 hours a day.  One inmate would play a game with his button in the dark just to keep himself sane and occupied.

Saturday, April 1, 2023 (Recap of March)

                 March is a fun month because Tim and Teagan both have birthdays.  The tradition on our house is that each child gets a party until they are in 7^th grade.  By then, they plan and decide what they want to do with their friends because the parents are out of touch with what is “cool.”  Teagan celebrated his 11^th birthday at Layton’s Surf ‘n’ Swim.  It was a lot of fun.  Too bad the place was short on tubes.  We had to wait and watch when a tube was returned and then a child would go and get it.  Eventually all the kids had a tube and had a good time.  We also had cake and ice cream.  Xadia made Teagan’s cake.  It was a chocolate tiered cake with blue frosting.  It was very good.  Xadia is becoming quite the little baker.  Teagan got a lot of money and sour gummies.  He loves to eat those types of candies.

                We have a flock of wild turkeys that wander our neighborhood.  They have a favorite spot where they like to look for food and hangout.  When Jacinda brings home extra rice from work, we take it to the turkey spot and dump it.  Here are Max Murdock and Teagan dumping a bag of rice.  The other day, I spotted to turkeys eating the rice while the tom turkey overlooked.  It is so fun to see them.

                Jacinda does a great job as the stage manager for Bountiful High School.  I got the opportunity to ride the bus with her and some students to Box Elder High School to watch the one act competition.  The BHS students did a piece based on WW2 and the Jews versus the nazis.  It was an intense piece and heart wrenching.  To this day, I still cannot understand how some people can be so mean to others.  Box Elder High School did a one act from Antigone.  They did a great job with using people as scenery.  Northridge High School did an original act written by one of their own students based on a song called, “Sarah Barry.”  It was a comical murder act.  It was very unusual.  Jacinda saw a lot her friends from the different schools.  When I got home later that night, I was wiped out even though I was just a spectator.

                Teagan performed in his school play, “The Wizard of Oz.” He played Zeke, a farm hand along with a lot of other characters.  It was a lot of fun to watch, and he did such a good job.  One of my favorite lines he stated was, “You couldn’t forget my face, could you?”  When he delivered that line, he would get down on one knee, put his chin on his fist, and bat his eyelashes.  It was so funny.  Nana H and Grandma Margaret were able to attend and support Teagan.  They love him so much.

Saturday, April 1, 2023 (Recap of Feb.)

              February came and went and I slacked with updating my journal blog.  So here are a few pictures from February and what occurred.  Teagan and I attended symphony hall for a field trip.  It was a fun experience.  They highlighted African American classical music.  I was not familiar with any of the composers, but I did enjoy learning about them.

Fozzie is showered with love in our house.  However, his fur and snow do not mix well.  Fozzie’s fur is so thick and matted it is attracting snowballs.  When he comes inside from the cold, his legs are coated with small snowballs and they get tracked all over the house.  Xadia took it upon herself to shave Fozzie.  She loves making him look like a new dog.  Fozzie is now hairless and likes to stay near things that make him warm like the couch.  He does not like wearing his dog capes.  He will rub against the couches to remove them.  He is so funny.

February is the month of Valentines.  I asked Xadia to clean the girl’s bathroom.  After she finished, I checked her work and found this folded towel.  She had made a heart out of the towels.  I thought is was so cute, I had to take a picture.