~Pep Assembly~

Homecoming weekend means the parade down the center of town, lots of excitement. The middle school had their own little pep assembly after the parade outside. The middle school band got to play as part of the assembly. It was fun to see Raychel in the band dressed in her school colors. The band did a great job.

Sunday Photo

What a funny Sunday! Jolene came up with the idea she needs a guinea pig. Ward told her she needed to come up with a business plan and present it to us. So she wrote it out on the laptop all the reasons why she should have a guinea pig. She presented it to us and did a great job answering additional questions. Neither one of us are thinking we need a guinea pig. Ward told her no and I told her maybe. When she headed to bed she told me not to go back to my answer being no, but work on getting Ward to say maybe, because maybe is closer to yes. We ended the evening by writing letters to family members for FHE, listening to Raychel play her flute for the closing song and of course dessert!!

~Fresh~

For years I have asked for a clothes line to dry our clothes outside. I remember drying my clothes on the clothes line when I lived in Uruguay during my mission. They were so fresh smelling. I dry several of our shirts inside and end up laying them over baskets and chairs until they dry. It is pretty embarrassing when people come over unexpected and I have the room covered in clothes! While he finally did it!!! Okay it's not a clothes line like I had invisioned but it is a rope hung up to hang clothes on and I love it! Just look a those clothes blowing in the breeze, they are fresh and going to smell so good!!

Sunday Photo

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon. While we waited for the BBQ we all hung outside visiting, talking and enjoying the evening. I love Sundays. We are all home, no work, no activities, no errands, no homework, no interruptions. Just the 4 of us. Life is good.

~7th Grade Picture~

School picture day!!! Days in advance she knows what she wants to wear, how so wants her hair and knows her pictures will be great! I look at her and I think how could they not be with confidence like that! I can't believe she is in 7th grade, I can't believe she is 12, I can't believe how much I love her. She is everything good!

~Discovery~

Jolene went out the garage door to feed the dog and found this little green bug in the doorway. She was so excited!!! We have never seen a bug like this. We had to take his picture. A couple days later we found him again on the big garage doors when we left to walk to school. He is either in the neighborhood with his family or he gets around because several of neighbors have also see him or ones like him!

Sunday Photo

Tonight while we were doing our family things I got a text from my older brother, Michael. He was just checking in and he sent us a picture of his family. His girls are so beautiful. It would be so nice to live closer, to have the girls all be together. One of the best things about being so far away is the girls are pen pals with each other. They love to write to their cousins, send little gifts, treats or pictures to each other. I hope someday they will be able to spend some great quality time together. They still remember several years ago meeting up with them in Utah hanging at at great grandma's and going to the zoo. I love modern technology! After Micheal sent us a picture we had to send them one. It was a great end to a Sunday, texing pictures and writing notes to my brother and his family. We hope their Sunday was as great as ours was.

~Camping Morning~

Our view couldn't have been any better. I love this first picture of Ward and Jolene, it was first thing in the morning, they were sitting there talking about all the fish they were going to catch! They both had big dreams! We ended up catching 10 fish!! Not bad for our last day camping. We had a great time and like always, hated to leave! Until next Summer......

~Fun Times~

Our second camping trip this Summer! We love to camp and get way and hang out in the mountains. We tried a new sight across the lake for our usual spot, and I think it is our new favorite. We were right on the lake with plenty of space between us and our nearest fellow camper!
I love this little girl and her love to be like her daddy!! She wanted to go fishing so bad. Ward go all the fishing items out while he was getting Drake ready Jolene put everything on and said she was ready. Notice the sunglasses on the top of her hat, that is how Ward keeps his when he's not wearing them! She loves monster energy drinks, Ward put it down and she picks it up!!

Showing off her laffy taffy matches her hat and her shirt!! She loves green, this week!

They were hoping if they went out in the canoe they might get more fish, they came back with none! They did come back with the story of the one that got away!

Not to happy that the frog she caught needs to go back with it's family.

The frog Jolene caught down by the lake.

The one of many craw fish washed up on the shore.

While Ward was throwing bumpers in for Drake Jolene decided it wasn't fair he got to go swimming. She asked if she could, we told he of course as long as she wore the life jacket. She happily put it on and worked her way in. She was a little unsure at first if she could trust the life jacket. Once she realized it "worked" she was in heaven. She would try to race the dog out to the bumpers, before long Raychel too was in the lake racing the dog. The girls has has much fun. It was fun hear them laughing, screaming, giggling and having so much fun.

Before dinner we took off on a hike. It was beautiful! We only had on our flip flops so we couldn't go as far as we wanted. Next time we will definitely wear the right shoes and see how far the trail really goes.

Jolene had a good time riding her bike while we got dinner ready. Our little tent home. To the left of the picture we bought a dinning tent this time. The last time we came up the bees were so bad. This worked out perfectly!

Ward and Raychel played catch with the football while Jolene rode her bike while dinner was cooking.

She needed a root beer break!

S'mores anyone!!??

~Reading Places~

After school the girls always have homework. Today Jolene wanted to do her reading homework in a fort. I am not surprised, she loves forts. I told her she was have to build one or pretend. She wasn't very happy, I was helping Raychel when I realized Jolene had stopped begging for me to get her a fort. When I called her name she answered, "I'm in here." I went into the front room and didn't see her, usually she makes a fort under the dinning room table so I checked there and didn't find her so I called her name again. She giggled and said, "I'm in here!" I went upstairs thinking maybe she built it on the balcony upstairs and her voice is just carrying. She wasn't there, so I called her name. She said, "Mom, look down." I looked over the balcony and there she was in the corner behind the couch doing her homework! If you look close you will see Max, Raychel's locker shelf used as a desk, Bob and Nuts, the squirrels, a blanket and a few pillows. She was very cozy and most importantly, she was happy!