August 2015

Month of August 

Sunday, August 2nd - BYC for Maddie (new calling as Beehive President!)
Tuesday, August 4th - Princess Academy & Knight Training - Kid's Camp!  10am - 12noon
Wednesday, August 5th - Lord Boating Day at East Canyon
Thursday, August 6th - Drive up to Kalispell, Montana!
Friday, August 7th - Visit Kalispell, Bryson flies in and FHS Reunion @ Buffalo Hills Golf Course
Saturday, August 8th - Boating Day at Bitteroot Day with the Gardner's!
Sunday, August 9th - Church & Family Picnic at Park, Stay at Lake Cabin
Monday, August 10th - Glacier National Park
Tuesday, August 11th - Bryson flies home early flight - leave to drive home....finally hours after packing, and not wanting to leave this gorgeous place!  Best Huckleberry Ice Cream, drive around Flathead Lake & long, long drive through Montana...finally stay in Dillon.  Late night swim & Emilia wakes up sick :(
Wednesday, August 12th - Finish Driving Home
Thursday, August 13th - RS Salad Social 7pm
Friday, August 14th - Clean-up containers delivered on our street
Monday, August 17th - Seven Peaks in afternoon with friends (Maddie: Ella & Liza, Bryson: Caleb)
Tuesday, August 18th - Temple Trip to Oquirrh Mountain Temple with Madeleine and her friends 12:45 - 4pm (trip to Menchie's for FroYo afterwards)
Wednesday, August 19th - 1st Day of School for Maddie & Jacob.  Ward Ice Cream Social at 6:30pm
Friday, August 21st - LAGOON DAY!  
Tuesday, August 25th - 1st Day of School for Bryson Jr.
Wednesday, August 26th - Pack Meeting and Cub Scout BBQ
Friday, August 28th - Seven Peaks with Friends

July 2015

Saturday, July 4th - Neighborhood Pot-luck and firework show at the Lorenzon's
Monday, July 6th - Friday, July 10th - Brighton Beehive Camp for Madeleine!  (and bunk mate cousin Ava Lord)
Tuesday, July 7th - 1st Kid's Camp!  Bug's Life for the boys - Bryson was in heaven being in charge :)
Wednesday, July 8th - Thursday, July 9th - Jacob's Cub Scout Twilight Camp!  (3:30pm - 9pm)
Thursday, July 9th - My Birthday!  Pedicure with Cynthia and dinner out
Friday, July 10th - Peter Pan Cast Party, 7pm in Bountiful
Saturday, July 11th - CHS 20th Reunion (Clean church @ 9am)
Monday, July 13th - Waterworks Kid's Camp!  10am - 12noon
Tuesday, July 14h - The Bryson's Birthdays!
Wednesday, July 15th - Sister Missionaries over for dinner (5pm)
Thursday, July 16th - Backyard Art Kid's Camp!  10am - 12noon
Friday, July 17th - Volunteer at This Is The Place Park
Saturday, July 18th - Haircut (mom)
Tuesday, July 21st - Hawaiian Luau Kid's Camp!  10am - 12noon
Thursday, July 23rd - Bryson's Dance Performance at Bountiful Handcart Days
Friday, July 24th - Sessions get into town!  Cafe Rio dinner, cousin play time & fireworks in the driveway.  THE firework show from Bryson & Dan (and the fireworks they purchased in WY...wowza!)
Saturday, July 25th - Girls' Day Out!  Lunch, Frozen Yogurt and Pedicures with sisters and mom, swimming in the afternoon and backyard dinner & bonfire with games and family time at Grandma Joy's
Sunday, July 26th - Baby Camille's Blessing with Family (@ our church), Family Dinner in Grandma Joy's Backyard
Monday, July 27th - Snowbird Stay and Play Day!  Amazing, fun, play day at Snowbird with all our family, plus Uncle Mike, Aunt Shauna and Emily.  *Best Day EVER!* (saith the kiddos)
Rides, walking, playing, eating, tram ride and more rides....thankfully the weather went from frigid and frightful, to beautiful and clear!
Tuesday, July 28th - Wedding Day!  Grandma Joy and Grandpops Colin married in the SLC Temple & Wedding Luncheon with family & close friends at the Joseph Smith Memorial.

June 2015

Month of June
So that I can fill in dates with my pictures & remember some of the extra crazy, fun and memorable days of our lives (ha ha!)

Monday, June 1st - Spring Dance Concert for Maddie & Bryson @ 7pm at BJH
Tuesday, June 2nd - Lost Boys 6-8pm, Entire Cast 6:30-8pm  and Pirates until 9:30pm
Wednesday, June 3rd - Entire Cast 6:30 - 9:45pm
Thursday, June 4th - Beach Day @ Morningside and Entire Cast Play Practice 6:30pm - 10pm
Friday, June 5th - Last Day of School!  Maddie's Swim Party with Friends
Saturday, June 6th - Entire Cast Play Practice from 9am - 1pm & Payson Temple Cultural Celebration in Provo @ 7pm (it poured!)
Sunday, June 7th - Fast Sunday
Monday, June 8th - Entire Cast Rehearsal - 1st time @ Murray Amphitheater, 6pm - 11pm
(same rehearsal schedule for Tues the 9th, Wed. the 10th, Thurs. the 11th and Friday the 12th)
Saturday, June 13th - Double Rehearsal 8:30am - 11am and 8pm (start time - early for make-up & costume).  Also, wedding reception for Emily and Colby (Kip) cousins down in Alpine.
June 15th & 16th - Dress Rehearsals:  6pm - 11pm
Wednesday, June 17th - 5:30am be at the Murray Amphitheater, TV appearance with Big Buddha on Fox 13.  Opening Night of Peter Pan!
Thursday 18th, Friday 19th and Saturday 20th - Peter Pan Performances 8pm (costume and make-up @7pm)
June 21st - Father's Day
Monday, June 22nd - Bryson's 11 year old Scout Camp!  Cottonwood High School Friend "reunion" at Murray Park - 6pm, Peter Pan Performance @ 8pm
Tuesday, June 23rd - Bryson's 11 year old Scout Camp!  Peter Pan Performance @ 8pm - Maddie's Friends & Machen Cousins come
Wednesday, June 24th - Maddie up for the day for Girl's Camp (pick-up in Kamas at 3pm), Peter Pan Performance @ 8pm
Thursday, June 25th - Closing Night!  Peter Pan Performance @ 8pm
Saturday, June 27th - Sarah (Dalton's) Birthday Party for Maddie (7-10pm)
Tuesday, June 30th - Baby Shower for Tessa (Machen cousins) at 6pm in Sandy

May 2015

Saturday, May 2nd - Dance Competition at Kearns High School, Pirate Practice 8am - 10am and Lost Boys from 11am - 12noon & Adult Session of Stake Conference
Saturday, May 3rd - Stake Conference
Monday, May 4th - M: Dance 5-6, B: Soccer 5-6 and J: Soccer 6:30-7:30 & FHE
Tuesday, May 5th - M: Dance 5-6pm, B: Jazz Extra Class for boys 5:15-6:15pm and Lost Boys Play Practice 6:30-9pm (start practicing at the old Fire Station)
Wednesday, May 6th - J: Scouts 6:15-7:15, M & B: Dance 4-6:30pm, M: YW @ 7pm and Dance Team Rehearsal from 6-9pm
Thursday, May 7th - B: Dance 4-6:30pm, Pirate Rehearsal 7-10pm
Saturday, May 9th - J: Soccer @ 9:30am and Bball @ 12noon, B: Soccer @ 1:30pm, Summer - Pirate Rehearsal 8:30-11am and Lost Boys 10 - 11am {Nauvoo - Emily & Colby's Wedding}
Monday, May 11th -  M: Dance 5-6, B: Soccer 5-6 and J: Soccer 6:30-7:30 & Rehearal for everyone 6:30-9pm
Tuesday, May 12th - J: BBall practice 6-7pm, M: Orchestra Concert 7-8pm and Play Rehearsal for everyone 6:30-9pm
Wednesday, May 13th - M: Voice 2:30-3pm, M & B: Dance 4-6:30pm, M: Play Rehearsal 6-8pm and Mom's Play Rehearsal 8-10pm
Thursday, May 14th - Play Rehearsal for everyone 6:30-9:30pm
Friday, May 15th - Payson Temple Open House!  Pick up Bryson from work, then dinner @ Five Guys in Lehi & Open House.
Saturday, May 16th - Brighton Camp Registration @ 8am, B: Soccer @ 11am, J: Bball game @ 1pm (last game) and Soccer @ 2:30pm & Play Rehearsal for everyone from 9-12am
Monday, May 18th - Play Practice for Everyone 6:30-9:30pm
Tuesday, May 19th - Dance Pictures - M @ 5pm, B @ 5:20pm and B again @ 6:45pm (which didn't even happen that way - we were there forever waiting for pictures forever!  I finally ran Maddie and Jacob down to play practice and came back up to wait for Bryson to finish.  Worst picture experience ever!).  Play practice for everyone 6:30-9:30pm
Wednesday, May 20th - Maddie: Choir Concert @ 7pm, Mom: Pirate Rehearsal 8-10pm
Thursday, May 21st - Play practice for everyone 6:30-9:30pm
Friday, May 22nd - Maddie: Honor Roll Celebration at Classic Skating 1-4pm, Scout Camp Out (have to re-check on this one...did they really go on Memorial Day Weekend?!)
Monday, May 25th - Backyard Work Day and then Neighborhood BBQ and Swim @ Abbott's 5pm
Tuesday, May 26th - M: Group Voice Lesson @ 3pm, Lost Boys Practice 6-7:30pm, Pirates 7:30-9:45pm, Dance Performance at Chateau Brickyard (Maddie & Bryson) @ 7pm
Wednesday, May 27th - Bryson's Arrow of Light Ceremony 7pm, Maddie's Awards Ceremony @ 6:30pm and Bryson's Dance Performance at Highland Cove at 7pm (yeah....all at the same time...that's not possible)
Thursday, May 28th - Dance Performance at Trolley Square 7pm, Pirate Rehearsal 7:30-9:45pm
Friday, May 29th - Dance Performance at Gateway @ 6pm, Dinner with Brooke & kids, and Dad after
Saturday, May 30th - Last Soccer Games B @ 11 & J @ 11:30, Maddie and Bryson Finale Dance Practice at Dance Studio 1-3pm

Emilia the Show Girl

Emilia is one funny little girl.  She keeps us laughing most of the day with the things she says, her cute little behavior and that she can be super sassy...also sweet, but wow there is some kick to this girl!

I wanted to give a run-down of the things that Emilia has been and is currently interested.

SHOWS
Last fall (2014), she started to get to the age where she could watch a movie for more than the 20 minutes of Signing Time.  She loved all the Signing Time DVD's and in the morning while I was trying to get the boys up and off to school, she would usually watch one (or a few) Signing Time DVD's.  She learned A LOT of signs, and would sign the opening credit song and also learned a lot of the other songs throughout each DVD.

Right before Christmas time, I was needing something a little different that she would watch, so I put in Frozen, and she loved it!  She watched it so many times that she started to belt out 'Let It Go' as Elsa traveled up the mountain - even though most little girls around the world know and sing this song, we loved our Emilia's singing of this!  She also would do the cutting sound of the saws on the ice from the beginning of the movie (ch-ch-ch-ch), she also started to sing and dance to 'For the First Time in Forever'.  She loved Frozen and watched it so many times during December!

After Christmas, her next movie choice was Curious George, which she had gotten for a present.  During the beginning when George is in the jungle with the animals, she would get a little scared from the Lion, and would bury her face in me or the couch pillows.  She eventually got over her fair and would laugh when George and the Lion's blew on the plants, making it look like they were sticking out their tongues.  The other part that made me laugh watching it with her, is when George holds onto all the balloons and floats away.  She would call out to George to be careful and watch out, as George's balloons ran into a building and popped with George falling down.

The next movies that she has watched (and when I saw watched, each movie would run the favorite place holding with her, and she would watch the show over and over - memorizing, lines, songs and movements.  Emilia went through Peter Pan...which she absolutely adored, but also got scared when Peter comes at the beginning and is trying to get his shadow.  She would sing the song 'We're Following the Leader' and march around the house.  She also loved Mary Poppins - which one day she jumped up on our black center table in the living room and danced around when they did 'Step in Time'.  She also took the tape measure one time, and pulled it out and exclaimed, "Mary Poppins!  Perfect!"

Other shows she cycled through were Cinderella, Robin Hood and Tangled.  With Cinderella I felt like I was time traveling with Madeleine as a toddler - that was one of her favorite movies as well, and she would run in to put on her Cinderella dress that we had gotten her for Halloween.  Emilia doesn't have a Cinderella dress, but she would run in her room and ask for a "pretty dress".  She has always loved dresses, but she really loves to wear them now - she doesn't like pants and prefers a pretty dress every day of the week.

While I don't believe in the TV being on for hours a day, it has been fun to sit down and watch Emilia's face light up with wonder at the scenes, colors, dancing and singing and I absolutely will get drawn in to sitting down and watching a few scenes & sometimes an entire show with her...so many shows I haven't watched all the way through ever or in a very long time.  It's been really fun to rediscover them with her!

One of the latest favorite shows (and I love how she asks for a SHOW - not a movie) - was Sound of Music.  She absolutely loves the Do-Re-Me song and we watched that scene over and over, and she has memorized the song.  She asks for me to sing it to her when I'm putting her down for a nap or bed, and she will sing it around the house or in the car all the time.  She has a loud voice and really belts out the songs!   I have high hopes that she'll be wanting to do plays and join us in a play or do one on her own before long.  

We really love our little show girl!

Little Seeds

Emilia's morning routine consists of getting her books (and not just one or two - it has to be at least a dozen or more!) & setting herself up to read.  Her little voice can be heard around our home "reading" her books - and actually when I say reading, she knows which books are which & has certain lines memorized from each book which she'll repeat when reading the book.  It's absolutely adorable!  

 

Emilia is a ham - but also likes to play "shy" for the camera....what a silly, fun girl we have!

I suppose it's no surprise that she loves to read, as her older siblings are reading so often in our home as well!  Emilia and I also like to go to the library often & one of our favorite times is Singing & Story Time...although it's not at the library.  We tried going to our local library's Story Time and it was lacking....in almost every way.  I decided to start our own at the church building and have a fun time for the neighborhood children to come & that way we could get to know them as well.  It's been a really great experience - we are holding it every other week as doing it each week right now was a little crazy with our schedule.  We do a lot of singing and play instruments, read books and dance around and do the parachute and have a great time with our new little friends (and their moms) at our church.  We have a little craft at the end and a snack - which I figured out that to have someone in charge of those two things, took a lot of stress and coordination from me and have people sharing in the responsibility - it's a win-win :)

Although there are books left all over our home all day and every day - I sure love this sight every time I see it!  The little seeds we plant from our daily actions surely do take root and grow in the most extraordinary and beautiful ways that surprise me every time!  How thankful I am for the gift of reading that all of our children enjoy...even down to our littlest seed of all!

Jokes on YOU!

I somehow thought time was standing still as I was getting all the kiddos in bed - and then realized the last 20 minutes had gone by way too slow. I kept staring at the clocks wondering how it was only 9:20, when at 9pm a child had gotten out of the bath, we read scriptures, bedtime snack for two & all 3 older kiddos had gotten ready for bed & were actually in bed?!! There is no way we did all that in 20 minutes!

Then I suddenly got it. Bryson Jr. has a love of practical jokes & he checked out a pile of joke books from the library today. Classic Bryson move - he had set all the clocks back 1 hour! I'm thankful I caught that move tonight....and sad that it wasn't even close to 9pm --- why is that time for bed is so hard to actually accomplish?!!

Bryson really is the jokester in our family.  This past weekend the kiddos had a cousin sleepover at Nana & Papa Lord's place.  Papa got the Wii for Christmas & the boys think that they need to play it every time they are there (ugh - dislike on my end, like on the boys end).  It appears that the Wii was turned off for bedtime, and then the boys set Bryson's watch and got up in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep and went down to the basement and played the Wii until the wee hours of the morning (oh, I just reread that...Wii and wee hours of the morning....ha ha!).  

Bryson Jr. said he went to bed sometime around 4'ish & Jacob....we aren't sure if he went to bed & got back up, but he was up in the basement at 6:30am when Papa got up.  That is a long night for two little boys & since no one knew of their midnight adventures, the girls all thought they were sleeping in way too late with not being up by 9am.  They were exhausted that day, but they were kept busy at home with Bryson/Dad doing projects around our home and then went to bed rather agreeable on Saturday night and slept really well :)  

The story does not surprise us with Bryson...actually both boys.  Particularly with Bryson, he just really likes jokes and doesn't (usually) do things to be malicious or disobedient...and sometimes what he does is comical (as frustrating as it was knowing they got up to play Wii in the middle of the night, we all laughed at how creative they were to accomplish their little Shangai manuever!).  Jacob is now following suite and really gets into his own little scraps of trouble with being a prankster.  

On Sunday, Jacob complained that he wasn't feeling well & it was a struggle to get him ready for church.  He was being stubborn and absolutely refusing to get ready to go to church...everyone had already left and I was finishing getting ready and trying to get him to hurry along.  It ended up that he absolutely flat out refused to get ready, and truthfully there are days that I will work with the boys & their behavior...and days that it just zaps all my energy and spirit.  Today was one of those times.  I knew that if I tried to get him to go to church, it would be a battle & then the point of going to church to help refuel my spirit would be pointless.  So, I left Jacob home and told him there was no movies, or computer - he could sit and read (the children all love to read & will read for hours & hours if we let them....this was not a punishment by any stretch of the imagination).   

When I came home, Jacob was moving around the room with a bit of a suspicious air.  I couldn't put my finger on what was going on, until I saw that the back door had been left open just a bit.  I knew I had checked all the doors  before I left for church, and this back door is the one that goes down to the unfinished basement - or outside.  Unless Jacob had suddenly had a desire to do some laundry - he had been outside...and of course, then it hit me...the weather was so nice we had put the trampoline back up just two days ago & he had been out there jumping!  The little turkey!  I asked him if that is what he had been doing, and he admitted it.  So, I grounded him for the week from any play dates.  

Sometimes I wonder if the boys enjoy reading Calvin & Hobbes because they can relate to Calvin's insatiable curiosity and way that he is always getting into mischief!  Or - if they are getting ideas from reading Calvin & Hobbes and getting into more trouble along the way!  Either way - these boys are a handful of fun, rambunctiousness and crazy antics almost, well....most of the time! :)