Sunday, June 28, 2009

Summer - week 3&4 PLUS BONUS PICTURES

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind! Two weeks ago was my Girl's Summer camp - this year was Princess Camp. Last week was the boy camp - Super Hero Camp. Both were lots of fun and LOTS of work! I wasn't able to fill two sessions of each this year, but I did max out one session each. The economy is tough on everyone this year, unfortunately for me! E&E both attended Princess Camp, as well as cousin Tanna. They loved having Cinderella and Belle visit. (Thanks Lynn, you are AWESOME!) Belle's visit was especially exciting for them because it was the first princess I've had that they didn't know! (Usually I make their aunts play the part! But Jill's neighbor volunteered and did a great job!) I played the part of Fairy Godmother and Princess Kim. Good thing I have a lot of bridesmaid dresses! Last week Spiderman came to visit and that was the hit of the camp! My neighbor came all dressed up and the kids had a blast with him. I also had other "helpers" during the camps. I'd invited my activity day girls to come help with face painting and I ended up having 2-3 helpers every day for the whole time. I even had 2 boys come be my sidekicks during super hero week. See, you're never too old to have fun! I did learn that girl helpers and boy "helpers" are quite different, but they all did better by the end of the week! We had a lot of fun on Ariel and Aquaman day because we decided to buy an inflatable waterslide this year. Hopefully we'll set it up enough this summer to make it worth it! Even with one session, I was constantly busy all day! Good thing I had Steve to help me at night. I do go all out for these summer camps, so I hope all the families thought it was worth it!

Jill got a lot of play time with my girls the last two weeks. She was nice enough to pick them up everyday and take them to lunch at the school. They have free lunch for kids during their summer school. Then she would bring them back in time for camp. She babysat Eden the first week and she and Lynn took turns watching them the 2nd week. They did fun things like going to the library and Lehi Days activities. We also all went swimming at the Legacy Center one night. (I loved Emily's observation as we were leaving and passing a vending maching. There was an "Out of Order" sign and she wanted to know if the drinks were all mixed up inside!) The girls sure love their aunts! They even got Eden to laugh for the first time! I'd gotten her to give me courtesy laughs - but she belted out real belly-laughs when the girls were punching their punch- balloons! It was so cute!

Friday night I was so exhausted that we decided to celebrate my official beginning of summer break by eating out at Denny's. The girls loved it and ate every bit of their pancake dinner. Emily declared that she wants to eat out everynight! Saturday morning we enjoyed the Lehi parade with Jill's family. Then later that day we were able to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. It's in the new DayBreak Community that we LOVE. (Just you wait and see, we'll move there within the next 10 years!) It was very streamlined. They had golf carts that would drive you from the makeshift parking lot to the temple. Then you entered a tent area to watch the temple overview video. Then you get to tour the temple. I've never heard such a noisy temple. Everyone was talking in regular voices, therefore if you tried to whisper, no one would hear you. Nonetheless, there still is a special feeling in the temple. Eden was quite fussy most of the way through, but quieted down as soon as we entered the Celestial Room and Sealing Room. They broke us up into small groups for the Sealing Room and a couple bore their testimony of the temple. Then we got to see the Bride's Dressing Room and exit out into a Refreshment area. Only the church knows how to make a tent look like a temple inside. It even felt like it had air conditioning. Steve talked to both girls in the Celestial Room and the Sealing Room to tell them why they were so special. Even so, when I asked Ella what her favorite part of the temple was, she replied, "The cart ride." Guess it didn't have that much of a spiritual impact on her! She also kind of liked the "swimming pool" - baptismal font! They both mentioned how much they loved temples on the car ride home, though!

Now for the Picture version of the last month - yes, it's been awhile!

Last day of school - Emily with her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jones.
Celebrating the beginning of summer at McDonald's!
Ella's Owies! She had bandaids up and down her arms and legs covering the dozens of mosquito bites she got the first day of summer!
Modeling daddy's new scooter.

At the Children's museum, my obsessive-compulsive daughter!
Making slime in the Little Scientist's class!
Dressing up and putting on the play, "Where the Wild Things Are."
Making our creations for the library's "Be Creative" display.
Ella made her daddy - complete with thinning hair, lines on his forehead, a cane, a tie and a bag lunch!
Emily made SUPER GARBAGE GUY and his sidekick LITTLE GARBAGE HELPER!

SO CUTE! I always check on the girls before I go to bed. This is what I found - it reminds me of the 2 pictures that mom and dad took of me in my childhood.
My smart girls love to sit and read to themselves! Emily actually really can read just about ANYTHING!
Eden getting ready to swim for the first time!
Ella's all ready for the water!
Visiting daddy at work! Just wait, daddy, they're only going to get bigger!
Cinderella came to Princess camp! With Ella!
With Emily!
With Samantha!
With Karyssa!
With Tanna!
My beautiful princesses doing an activity.
Ella's making her princess crown.
Dancing away!
E&E with Belle!
Ella was so cute! I was pacing with Eden trying to get her to sleep and Ella got her own baby and paced with me!
So DARN cute!

Batman Mason!
All my little Batmen, ready for action!
Emily modeling, but not actually using, the new waterslide!
All the IronMen - with real working light chestpieces!
Braydon got caught in the web!
Mason attacks Spiderman!
They are in awe of Spiderman!
Ella and I with Spiderman. She was too scared to get a picture of him by herself. She still doesn't like masked men!
Emily and I with Spiderman!
Emily, Tanna and Mason.
Ella at Lehi Parade!
Emily at the Parade!
Um, the parade's the other way!
At the Oquirrh Mountain Open house.


Ok, I'm up to date. Time to go out and have more fun so I'll have more pictures to share!!!

5 comments:

Paige said...

Sounds like a busy few weeks! By the way, you have to go to Dennys on Tuesday or Saturdays--kids eat free!

DJ Shanks said...

I was thinking you need to be a more fun mom. What kind of childhood will your kids have to look back on? :-) J/K Thanks for giving all of our kids some really fun times and great memories. By the way, I loved the matching dresses. Enjoy it while you can!! One of these days Emily will rebel-- not that I can relate or anything! :-)

Mom G said...

Whew - that was a lot in a couple of weeks. No wonder you are tired. The camps look so great and I know that you provided great fun for a lot of children, including your own. You are becoming a legend in your neighborhood!
The pictures are wonderful and you have got to use the one of the whole family at the temple for your header or Christmas card. It is so cute. You all look great.
Little E3 is getting so big and looks darling in all the pics. I guess you don't take her picture unless she is in a good mood.
I loved the "out of order" joke. Also, E2's cute comments. What fun kids.!

LJ said...

ADORABLE pictures! Thanks so much for sharing them. I loved dressing up and being a princess for the day. You are Supermom to do two camps in two weeks! Wow- it was all so creative and fun! I know Braydon had a ball and I'm now wishing the camp was longer. :) I also loved the other pictures of the girls with their daddy, the temple pictures (sorry we couldn't join you!), the parade pictures (Ella is too funny!), and the library creations- very cool. Eden is a little doll- even Karyssa exclaimed, "Oh, she's so cute!" when she saw the pictures of her! Now go enjoy some R&R for the rest of the summer. Hopefully we can join you for some fun activities too!

Mark and Kellie said...

You're amazing to do all of that. I loved Emily's comment about the "out of order" drinks!! Also, there's nothing wrong with being a bit OCD, Ella. You and Uncle Mark will have something in common -- though we like to call it CDO in our home, with the letters in alphabetical order like they should be.

I heard the same thing about the temple open house (re: the noise level). Guess we'll probably have the same experience when we go.