July in Review

July was busy and zoomed by!  

 

We spent the first week at the cabin with cousins.  Unfortunately, Jay couldn't go with us this time... too busy at work.  :(

 

We took a fun hike along the rim road.

I don't have any photos of our fun time in St. John's celebrating the 4th, but it was great, as usual.  I was too busy visiting and enjoying myself to take photos!  (I'm so bad about remembering!)

Then Collin had surgery!  (Read about that HERE.)

Then I took Jack's Cub Scout den on a field trip to Peter Piper Pizza.  They got to have a tour of the kitchen and learn all about what goes on there, then make (and eat!) their own personal pizza.  And of course, they got play some games too.  They had a blast!

 

Jay and I went to San Diego for a weekend to attend Jay's brother's wedding.  

It was beautiful and we are very happy for them!

We stayed in San Diego with my awesome sister (thanks Liz!) and enjoyed mugging on her sweet baby Fritz.

Jay and I had a little spare time and enjoyed exploring La Jolla and Coronado Island.  I loved this sand castle on the beach!

Then I took Mary and her 2 best friends to a local resort to celebrate her birthday.

 They all brought their American Girl dolls....

 .... and enjoyed putting together a set of Harry Potter Legos, and a scavenger hunt/pin collecting game put on by the resort!  Awesome, and free!

 They were quite the divas....

 ... enjoyed the pool, water slide, and lazy river....

 ... and the amazing bagpiper who plays every evening as a tradition going back many years.

 It was a very fun little trip, and a great way to celebrate Mary's 11th birthday!  I LOVE these girls, and I'm so glad Mary has such great friends! 

 On her actual birthday we took her to the local "free birthday meal" restaurants.

Liberty Market's amazing burger!

 I'm glad  Mary still loves getting new clothes for her American Girl dolls.

"Ding Dong Cake" is the best!

 And she is still very obsessed with all things "Harry Potter." 

Grandmary's famous candy bar poster birthday tradition!  Love it!

Mary, Jack and I took guitar lessons this summer.  We learned a lot and it was very fun!  I found it much harder than I expected, but I really enjoyed it.  Now I really appreciate how good Jay is!

Collin has surgery

I apologize if you are "squeamish."  If you are, you might not want to read on.  This is to follow up from this post. 

Collin had surgery today for the following:

A Pediatric Neurosurgeon removed a quarter-sized lump on his scalp (lipoma = fatty benign tumor).  These are not uncommon, but his was unusually large (they are usually smaller than a nickel), and in an unusual location (usually found on the torso).  The surgeon said it looked normal when he removed it, but they will send to lab for biopsy just in case.  Collin has a small patch of shaved skin on the top of his head, and we will probably give him a short buzz cut to balance it out until it grows in.  There shouldn't be any complications (the lump was all outside the skull) and he just has some internal stitches that will dissolve, and it's "super-glued" closed on the outside.  That was the easy part. 

Now the harder part.  The ENT performed a tympanoplasty to repair a perforation on Collin's right ear drum using a small piece of tissue from behind his ear (externally), meaning he has another incision on his head, behind his right ear, and lots going on inside.  The biggest issue is that his equilibrium is way off, causing a lot of nausea (and some vomiting), but that should settle down, and the medication for it helps (but it knocks him out).  He had a rough time coming out of the anesthesia and it took him a really long time to be discharged (about 3 hours, rather than the 1-2 that is usual) and they almost decided to keep him overnight because he didn't seem to be holding up very well.  But then he perked up a little (after vomiting) and got to come home.... where he immediately zonked out again.  :)   He has some stitches where they took the graft from, and has to wear a giant plastic shield over that ear that makes him look a bit like a wrestler with lop-sided headgear.  :)  He will be taking it easy for a couple of weeks, and he won't be doing any swimming the rest of the summer, but that's OK. 

All in all, everything went well and according to plan, and Collin was a trooper, though he had a bit of anxiety when they had trouble getting an IV going, and after "blowing" a couple of his veins decided to wait until he was "under."  (He takes after me that way.  I'm a really hard "stick.") 

June in Review

We spent a fun morning at the zoo with cousins.  This peacock was really putting on a show for us! 

The highlight of this visit was the lengthy show that the baby orangutan put on just for us, it seemed.  She was really going to town, showing off and making us crack up!  It was quite entertaining.  Obviously I was enjoying myself too much to remember to take any photos.
Mary participated in MCC's musical theatre workshop, and LOVED it, as usual.  I have video of the performance (she was fantastic, of course), but it's pretty impossible to get decent still shots in a live theatre setting. 

Grandma Wendy congratulating Mary after the show.

 My kids read all the "Origami Yoda" books and loved them.  They were delighted when Jay went out and bought some "real" origami paper and I made a Yoda and Darth Vader (following the directions in the books, of course).  Great books with a good message, and very fun!

Jack earned his "Wolf" rank in Cub Scouts.  He had to "wolf" down a bowl of whipped cream to retrieve his award.  He loved it, naturally.  :)

He really loves Cub Scouts and works hard at it!

Collin spent most of the month of June at Scout Camps.... 2 different ones.  Read about that HERE.

The Summer of Scout Camps

Collin spent 2 weeks in June at 2 different Scout Camps.  He went with his own troop, but was also fortunate enough to go with his cousin's troop as well, so he earned extra merit badges and had some great experiences!  (Thanks to Uncle David for making sure Collin had this opportunity!)

These photos are from Emerald Bay Scout camp on Catalina Island.  Collin absolutely LOVED it!  What an amazing experience.  I have no idea what is going on in most of these photos, but it looks like they had fun. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from Camp Geronimo, where he went with his own troop, but I'm sure he had a good time there as well.

Collin has earned all the merit badges he needs for his Eagle rank (plus quite a few more) and is now gathering ideas for his Eagle project.  Woo hoo!

May in Review

 Our biggest excitement in May was our 15th anniversary trip to Nauvoo, which I already posted about.   But it was also Collin's 13th Birthday. 

My kids all ask for chocolate cake on their birthday.  I trained them well.

We took to him to all the "free birthday meals" around town.  Perfect for a teenage boy who is always hungry!

Waffles and ribs for breakfast?

My mom's tradition is to make "candy bar posters" for all the grand children on their birthday.  She's very clever, and the kids love it!

Mary did her "5th grade state report" on Florida.  She made this diarama to use in her presentation.... Disney World, of course.  It turned out cute. 

 The kids are glad to be out of school and excited for a busy summer!

Ben & Jamie's Wedding

The day after we returned from our anniversary trip (we returned on the day of our actual anniversary) my oldest nephew married a beautiful and amazing girl from a wonderful family.  We are all absolutely thrilled about it. 

That evening at the reception I enjoyed snuggling with my newest nephew. Oh yum!

The reception was lovely.  It was held in my parents' backyard, just as ours was 15 years (and 1 day) ago. 

Anniversary Trip

We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Nauvoo, Illinois, where I served as a missionary 18 years ago.  It was so fun to return and relive my memories.... though a LOT has changed.  Jay thought it was pretty funny that I was so frequently in tears..... I got choked up just about everywhere we went because I was constantly flooded with emotions.  Nauvoo is an amazing place!

The weather was absolutely perfect (sunny, breezy, and 75 degrees) and we beat the summer crowds by about a week, so it was nice and quiet and romantic.  Thank you for a lovely trip Jay!  And thank you for a wonderful 15 years of marriage; here's to the next 15!  I'm one lucky girl.

It was especially fun to visit the places where I gave tours; Heber C. Kimball Home, Lucy Mack Smith Home, and Sarah Granger Kimball Home.

Heber C. Kimball Home

Lucy Mack Smith Home

Sarah Granger Kimball Home

And also the place I called "home" while I lived in Nauvoo.  I really wish I could have gone inside, but it was vacant at the time.  What a shame.

Yearsley Home

The temple was amazing.  We spent half a day doing temple work for family names we had brought from home, which wonderful.  The temple is particularly beautiful at night.

I haven't figured out how to take decent "night" photos with my iPhone, but check out the shooting star I caught in this one!

Jay making rope the pioneer way

Jay and a replica covered wagon

We also drove to Quincy so Jay could check out the location of the Lincoln-Douglas debate.  He is a big fan of our 16th president.  

Jay at the Lincoln-Douglas debate memorial in Quincy, IL

Pillow Happy

I made new pillow covers and they make me happy!  I do this a couple of times a year with cheapo fabric from the dollar tables at Wal-Mart or leftovers, and it's so easy; I don't even do zippers anymore... just make an over-lapping opening in the back and it only take about 10 minutes per pillow.  Yay!

Now I just need to wash my sofa slipcover... ugh.  White slip-covered furniture is the way to go.... just toss the covers in the washing machine, and swap pillows for a quick change/face lift.  Bleach is my friend.  :)

I also made a pair of these for my chairs....

And this one for my bed.

 Yes, I'm happy.

A Quick Review of April

I only have time for a quick review of the month before it's over! 

Mary and Jack started taking tennis lessons. They love it and are doing really well. They only go once a week to a class, but the instructors are great.... I'm very impressed, and the kids are learning a lot.

We went to see "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at the Mesa Arts Center, by Heritage Academy high school students. It was fantastic, and the kids loved it!

The kids have been busy writing reports and doing projects for school. I've lost a total of 36 pounds and I'm training to become a health coach, and loving it!

I sang a solo in sacrament meeting; Rob Gardner's "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul." It's an amazing song!

Collin is planning his Eagle Project.

We attended a family reunion.

Jay did a 30 minute stand-up comedy routine for a fundraiser and did a fantastic job! (I will post video if he will let me.)

Jack made a cute "heritage" poster for Cub Scouts which he displayed at Pack Meeting.

Collin went on the Jr. high History/Science trip for 3 days last week to northern Arizona.... Grand Canyon, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater, Bearizona, Lowell Observatory, Sedona, Montezuma Castle. He loved it, and came home exhausted. Next year it's southern Arizona. The 9th and 10th graders go to southern California one year and northern Cal. the other year. Jr. and Sr. students go to Washington, D.C. and Boston one year, and New York the other year. (Something like that. High school trips are a whole week.)

We are looking forward to more busyness in May (it's that time of year), including Collin's birthday, our 15th wedding anniversary trip, my nephew's wedding, and the end of the school year!

Heartbreak

It occurred to me after my husband and I stayed up until 2:30 last night this morning watching the last five episodes of season 2 of Downton Abbey that although none of us would actually want to endure the gut-wrenching heartbreak that these characters experience, we certainly enjoy watching it!  We might be addicted.  But I think a lot of people are. 

During several episodes I actually said out loud, "I can't stand it!  It's just too heartbreaking!"  I felt like I was about to explode.  It just feels so real that I felt like my own heart was breaking.  It's so emotional and powerful....and human.

Bees

I know it's completely irrational, but I am deathly afraid of bees.  Actually, anything that flies-and-stings (bumblebees, honey bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, you name it).  I mean, I despise those nasty stinging scorpions, but bees totally freak me out.... probably because they fly right at my face!  In broad daylight!  The audacity! (Scorpions don't even do that.... they mostly just sneak around at night.)  I'm a grown woman with a college degree, and I know bees are very beneficial (and I love honey), BUT I just can't help it.  I freak out when one comes near me.

There IS a reason.  When I was about 9 or 10 years old I was on a picnic in the woods with my family.  It was a lovely day and after eating lunch my siblings and I all explored the nearby area.  I think every child is intrigued by a fallen tree and seem to have a natural instinct to walk across it, don't they?  I certainly did.  I proudly walked the length of all the fallen trees I saw, large or small.  One particularly large one seemed especially old and very interesting.... almost enchanting.  As I walked happily along it my foot suddenly sank right through the rotted wood (yep, you guessed it) right into a bee hive. 

As you might imagine, the bees did NOT like my foot in their home.  Neither did I.  Nor did I like their response, which was to swarm around me as if I did it on purpose!  Naturally, I was stung many times (I don't recall exactly how many, but around 10).  So, yeah, I FREAKED OUT!

Thank goodness I didn't have an allergic reaction, and some calamine lotion and Tylenol helped me recover pretty quickly, though I seem to recall being pretty miserable for a while.  It was pretty traumatic.

So, yes, bees still freak me out.  I guess it scarred me for life.  I've just accepted it.  I try not to over react when I am confronted by one, especially in public, but they always seem to catch me off guard.  I especially hate it when I'm warily pruning the rose bushes in my front yard and a bee appears; I can't help jumping a little, and it always seems to happen at exactly the moment that one my neighbors drives by.  They probably think I'm crazy.  I guess I am.... just a little.

My mother claims she does not remember this happening (I certainly wish I didn't!), or thinks it happened to one of my siblings instead, but I guess I shouldn't blame her.... she had 11 children to worry about. 

So, if you are ever talking to me outdoors and I suddenly jump and wave my arms around, please don't laugh or make fun of me.  I probably just heard a buzz in my ear as a bee flew right in my face... in broad daylight.

Jay's "New Suit"

Jay had to wear this lovely tuxedo to work all day today as part of a charity fundraiser.  Pretty sweet.  Totally QC.... about 1970. 

He's handsome even in that awful thing.