Aspen Grove Highlights (Or I'm writing these down before I forget)

Livi found a way to deal with the stress from the long car ride there.

We met up with Jared, James, Jes and Wee Baby Autry (as she will always be known) at the Farmer's Market in Salt Lake.

We got balloon animals for the kids but Ella's popped and only a new balloon from a different animal artist (?) and a bunch of funny cards could cheer her up.  (the guy offered her his card and all it said was "Santa")

Waiting in the hall while visiting Grandma Pearl.  She wouldn't let us take pictures with her in them, but we were there and got to spend a little time with her.

Ethan looked very concerned about his group.

Aunt Tami brought ornaments to paint and was nice enough to let the little girls all paint some.

We took pottery classes.  Again.  And we were "awesome" (in the sarcastic way).  Again.

Got to hang out and laugh.

Eric came for the weekend and we were able to eat In 'N Out on the way to the airport.

We took a pen turning class...

...and Julia murdered a carrot.  And was happy about it.

Livi really took to Grandma Donna.  The first thing every morning she wanted to go out and say good morning to Grandma.  Here Grandma was helping Livi put up her art work.

The TRAIN.  Oh the TRAIN.

Water races at Frontier Night.

The 1 picture I look ok and Ethan has to do that.

James looks very secure on that swing...holding his baby.

Bossest...face paint...ever.

Great minds think alike

Some how James won the archery award.  On his first try.

Ella heard about the family dance and it suddenly became her life's ambition to attend.

Ella "Shot the Moon" over 50 times!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!  We had a great time!

Getting To Be Pros, but not in that way

Well. Here we are again. Hello ER. Hello new doctor who will make me go over Ethan's entire medical history. Hello to tests, X-rays and theories. We missed you. 

Not really. Actually we have been thinking. I think we need some space. You are smothering us. We need time apart to figure out who we are without you. Don't call us. We will call you (and probably sooner than we would like). 

My Little Art Lovers

In an attempt to put off coming back to Scottsbluff for as long as human possibly, we were lucky enough to get to spend an extra day with my parents and attend the Shakespeare festival down in Cedar City.  There was a play the kids were interested in seeing, and a musical I had never seen before (shocker) so we decided to add the extra time to our trip home and add some art appreciation to the summer.

 For some reason the kids thought the Juliet statue was much prettier than Falstaff or King Lear.  Go figure.

 Waiting for 'Peter and The Starcatcher' to start.  The kids and I were alone for this one. The usher(ette ?) was very nice and gave the kids cushions to sit on and some words of encouragement for parents who brought kids.

 Although minimal sets, and deviations from the plot of the book the kids and I read, we all loved it.  I was a little worried about Livi, but she had a blast and especially loved Black Stache (Captain Hook before the hook).

Waiting for the Green Show.  Livi and Ella liked the Green Show almost as much as the play and were dying to get up and dance with the actors.  Dad was nice (brave) and took my kids back to our hotel in the ghetto while Mom and I went to 'Anything Goes.'  Amazing.  Truly AMAZING.  Too bad we couldn't have stayed for a week.  I'm still not ready to be back in Scottsbluff and I've been back for 2 weeks.

The Most (UN)Enthusiastic Singer

Every year at the Aspen Grove closing ceremonies the age groups each sing a song that goes along with the theme of the summer.  Ethan is in the striped jacket on the front row.  He either is not really into the whole forced synchronized song & dance routine, or his arms have been chopped off at the elbow then sewed back on to his waist.  One of the two. Enjoy.

Livisms

Livi has been remarkable lately.

She recently pulled me into the hall to show me her "trap."  Guess what show she has been watching a lot of lately:
"This is where I wait, and then when they show up I pull this rope.  The door opens and traps them and I pull off their mask."

For the last year we have been struggling with Livi's desire to call me by my first name.  Not Eric, so much, just me.  Still trying to figure that one out.  I don't let her do it, but she is getting sneakier in her passive aggressive way.

She was playing with a little bear Pez dispenser while Eric was talking to her about how he and the kids have names that start with the letter "E." We have been desperately tying to get her to learn to read, or at the very least learn her letters, but she has been characteristically...resistant.  I began singing:

Me: "E says ehh, E says ehhh, every letter makes a sound..."
Livi in a very loud, high pitched, falsetto voice while making the Pez talk: "Nicole, please stop!"

Livi looked shocked at the pez and said incredulously, "Why did you call her Nicole? She is Mommy."



I was in the kitchen talking to Eric when Livi came up to me looking like this:

"Nicole, I am Mr. Bloomstun.  I am your teacher.  Sit down."

I may have won the battle of her not calling me "Nicole" in casual conversation, but I think I am loosing the war.

The 4th of July, only a month late!

Ella is a pretty good traveler.  She is fine on long car trips, doesn't get super home sick, and it excited about almost everywhere we go (unless she is feeling sick, and then she immediately flips into the worst traveler since C3PO).  Her one request this summer was that even though we had tons of trips planned, could we please be home for the 4th of July.

I'm not a huge 4th of July fan.  I know lots of people for which it is the ultimate in holiday revelry, but I just can't get that excited.  Growing up in the desert means you don't get to do fireworks at your house and my parents weren't big on taking us to firework displays at the fairgrounds.  We did do them on the occasion we were in Utah, but really it has been a "ehh" (shoulder shrug) holiday for me.  All that background info translates to: I don't really understand her desire to be home for the 4th of July.

Since it worked out well we did indeed make it back for the 4th of July.  We even found out from the Bagleys that there was a big firework show put on by members of the other ward at the Gering Stadium, so never ones to miss a free event, we packed up the crew to stake out some seats.

A little before dusk the Bagleys arrived.  I don't know how they do it with 5 kids, but we were happy they would brave the noise and lateness of hour to share in the "adventure."

Carter has his lego guys.  You can ask Carter at any time or place if he has a lego guy on him and odds are 99.99999999999999999% he will have one in his pocket.

The first big BOOM...

They started getting bigger and louder and at first they were a little scary.... then they just kept...well..going.  It was an amazing show.  It was the first year they had sponsors, and after about 20 minutes all of the adults were looking at each other like "Wow, how much longer can they keep this up?" After 45 minutes I yelled to Eric "They had too many sponsors!!!!"  And finally after what seemed like 5 weeks of deaf inducing noise we were free to go home an collapse into our beds.

On the actual 4th of July we had the Bagleys over for BBQ and fireworks...in the day time!!! (because I was super tired from the trip and the night before and wanted everyone in bed at a reasonable hour.  Yes, party, I am your pooper.)

Eric thought it would be "fun" and "a good idea" to let the two 10 year old boys be in charge of lighting the fireworks.

All it took was them waving their punks haphazardly around and Ethan getting burned before we turned that job back over to Eric.

Someone parked in front of our house to go to a party up the street.  There was lots of room by the house they were going to, but I guess they didn't want their car messed up by any fireworks they were going to do...ha ha suckers.

Melissa was nice and brought glow necklaces for the kids, or in the younger kids' case glow eye wear, frame, and pirate patch (missing the patch).

It was fun to have friends over, and we did get done reasonably early, but unfortunately we forgot the college that is 2 blocks from our house does fireworks and they set them off in what sounded like our back yard.  The kids got to bed early, but we were up with the rattling windows and the poor whiny dog.