My kids want to do this every day:
That's a hose attached to the trampoline so that the kids get sprayed while they're jumping. It's the only way they can use the tramp during the summer since the top of it gets so hot from the sun.
I don't know what's up with the silly faces. I guess when the camera comes out, that means it's time to ham it up.
I've been trying to do at least one fun activity with the kids every day, even if it means a drive to the store or to get a treat. My ward set up an awesome summer calendar of activities, and sadly we've been to two of them. I've had three former students taking summer school math classes, so their parents hired me as a tutor to help them pass. That's what I've been doing almost every morning for the whole month of July. The extra money has been great, but in return my kids are missing out on some fun stuff. I've definitely learned my lesson for next summer: no tutoring. My summer will be spent with my kids, especially since William will be going into kindergarten after next summer. Ahhh!
We did go on a very short trip to Provo/Spanish Fork/Salem, Utah at the beginning of July. My dad is the youngest by 13 years in his family, and I am the youngest by 17 years in my family, so I had an 83-year-old uncle - Uncle Fred - who passed away on the 4th of July. My childhood was spent in Spanish Fork/Salem with my Grandmas Creer and Ficklin, and my Grandma Ficklin's house was on the same property as my Uncle Fred's house in Salem. It's been years since I've been up there, so it was so nice to go up and see my extended family who I only get to see on blogs and Facebook.
We basically got to Provo, ate at Los Hermanos (which has moved! but we found it), swam, got up the next morning for the viewing, funeral, and luncheon, and went home immediately after. It would have been nice to spend more time there, but visiting with family I hadn't seen in a while really made our short trip a great one.
At the luncheon my dad and Uncle Royce were asked to share some memories of their oldest brother, which was great because those two never talk about themselves or their childhoods. My dad shared how he thought he only had one brother until he was about 6 years old. My Uncle Fred joined the army at age 17 when my dad was 4, so my dad never remembered having my uncle around. My dad was sitting at the kitchen table one day, and a man came walking in, and my dad said, "Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?" And the man said, "I'm your oldest brother!" My dad also talked about how it was my Uncle Fred who got the whole family to move from Gonzales, Louisiana to Salem, Utah. My dad said, "We're all here today because of Fred," and he's right. I might be living in the south if it weren't for my uncle.
My Uncle Royce said something that I thought was interesting. He said that his dad told him, my dad, and Uncle Fred that they were to marry Mormon girls. What's funny about this is that my Grandma Ficklin was Catholic when she married my grandpa, and he was Mormon. She eventually converted, but I wonder if the journey to get her to join the church was difficult. My dad and uncles all married Mormon girls who lived within about a mile radius of Salem, Utah, so the move to Utah was definitely good for that reason.
I'm sorry this post got super long, but I really want to remember some of the things that my dad and Uncle Royce had to say at the funeral. I loved hearing both of them get up and share their stories.
I hope everyone else is having an awesome summer!!
