Changes

 The kids had their basketball camp for three days (9th - 11th) a couple of weeks ago. Both enjoyed the camp and worked on their skills! Alice liked the playground at the house the first couple of days. She even hugged a tree (because that's what you do when you have tree's). Thankfully Casey was back from Boise Wednesday and he took them to camp while I had Alice and Jemma. It was our last day with Jemma, she came in potty training mode - which ended up in a couple of accidents, but I made sure it was a good last day. (Truthfully Alice has really missed Jemma and even had a a good cry over it this week over not seeing her and playing with her. We've had Jemma a couple of times a week for the last two years so it's a big change not to have her around regularly.)

On the 12 Kendal got to go into the school and finish her school registration, wander the school, and try out her locker combo. She's been so excited to start school. She's counted down the days and asked a hundred questions about middle school and all of the things. Casey and I made sure to squeeze in a Temple trip on the 12th as well. I felt spoiled to go back twice this summer and do a couple of sessions with Casey. Our Temple closes soon for two months of deep cleaning so we were happy to get in. The 12th also happened to be National Middle child day, we ended up doing a movie night at home so Casey took Peter out the next day for a volcano soda. The kids also earned their summer rewards for reading, doing math and typing and completing chores and such all summer. Kendal and Peter got a Harry Potter Lego set and Alice got a giant coloring book! 

Saturday I had a leadership training as part of Stake conference. (Casey took Alice out to learn how to Jump robe while I was gone. It failed, but was funny he said.) That evening all the kids went to the Dansie's while us adults went to eat at Guppies then to the adult session of Stake Conference. Sunday we set out to continue Alice's bike riding skills. She can do it ok, but is being a stink and wants to rely on Daddy too much. We found the most success playing a game where she "ran away" (biking away) from Casey and he or the other two tried to play catch. She can bike on her own but tends to focus on one thing and ends up running into it - meaning the curb - over and over again. She can do it, we know it, she just has to believe it too! 

Alice got to start on her Waterford (online) preschool last week (16th). She's always liked to have computer time because she feels big like Peter and Kendal, and she's jumped right into preschool She's already learned her right from her left hand. Spacial awareness - over under, and she's worked on some pre reading skills. 

I started back on the 17th with new hire training and Casey went back to work on the 18th. My week was filled with meetings on top of meetings and in between I spent time at the school working in the library. Casey had his usual schedule and was gone all day. The kids were such troopers to deal without me for random times throughout the week. The kids had back to school night on Thursday. First we went over to the Elementary school to meet Mr. Zunino and drop off supplies, then over to the hustle and bustle of the middle school. Kendal met her slew of teachers and continued to figure out the middle school and her locker. Friday ended up being the worst with me being gone a lot so I grabbed the kids and they got to hang out with Casey in his classroom while I did another training. We rewarded the kids Friday night with an outing to pizza pie cafe for a long week of handling things like champs.

The Youth in the ward had a boat regatta on the 18th. Each group built boats on their own to race out at Murtagh lake. Casey's group used a pallet and pvc pipe. Kendal's group used a bunch of floatie tubes. The priests one, but there were some cool boats, and fun had by all. Peter went to watch the fun and wanted to help and be apart of it all. I kept Alice home knowing she would've hated the wind and iffy weather. 

 Alice and Peter got to start swim lessons last week as well! Alice is loving it and doing so well with her class (she would do better if she'd sit still and listen to her teacher though)! Peter is working hard on his skills and is improving each lesson. 

Alice was standing on the edge of the tub and fell in during her bath on the 19th. She got a good gash in her forehead. Thankfully Brad ( our bishop) is a Dr. we went over to his house and after a debate between stitches and glue we decided to try our luck and hope glue would be enough. Alice was brave through it all being good being calm for Brad. Her cut seems to be healing even if the glue looks gnarly on her forehead after a week. 

 I gave the boys hair cuts that weekend and Alice even got a couple of inches trimmed so they would be back to school ready. We decided to take a short trip to Burley and go to the Cassia County fair on the 21st. We walked around the 4H buildings and the animals. Alice was enamored with the rabbits and wanted to be far away from the cows. Peter didn't want to leave the Lego area in the 4H building. It was overcast and windy, but we were fine. We had a yummy lunch and then watched some horse races. Kendal got to hang out with some YW friends and decorate cookies for her YW advisors birthday that night. 

Our last day of Summer was on the 23rd. Casey and I worked in the morning while the kids were at home. The kids and I joined some friends and went to the city pool for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The kids had so much fun playing around together! 

The kids started school on Tuesday (24th)! Kendal and Peter were up early and eager to get to school! Alice did some online preschool before I took her to day care (Sadie's) as I headed off to work for a few hours. Alice wasn't happy to see me when I came because she still wanted to play. Kendal and Peter had a good first day of school and overall a good first week! I got a lot done at work so we can be ready and we even got to start classes on Friday. Truthfully I felt overwhelmed for a couple of days getting the hand of the computer side of my job, but I feel comfortable and more confident now so things are going well. Casey had a good first week as well and even though his plate is full with PBIS (a new student behavior / care program) and he's team leader this year he'll do a great job! He's also picked up slack with dinner since I'm busy / taking kids to swim he's lifted my load quite a bit. Alice is slowly adjusting to day care. It's a big change, and there will be more once her in person preschool starts. Overall she likes going and is doing fine with Sadie and the kids she watches (if only she wasn't a picky eater).

Thursday evening Casey took Peter to the JV game for a bit. I came to the school later with the girls. Casey got Alice and took her home while Kendal and I stayed for Volleyball tryouts. I volunteered again to help coach volleyball. We did and observation night and then drafted the teams. We'll see what the next month + looks like for the girls - hopefully a good season! Peter will start soccer sometime after Labor Day weekend. 

The Dansie's had us and a few families over to celebrate back to school on Friday night. The kids watched Matilda in the backyard while the adults talked and hung out on the patio. 

The Dansie's also hosted a kid triathlon Saturday that we joined in on. The kids biked five miles, ran one, and swam in Dirkies lake. There was a big kid division and a little kid division. Alice refused to ride her bike or run, but she did swim! Peter almost got first in the bike race, but took a wrong turn and had to come back, he hated the run and Casey who biked and ran with the kids said he walked / complained most of the time. Peter also let the lake scare him and he didn't swim well (mostly clung to the dock as if a fish or the lake weeds were going to get him). Kendal came in third on bikes and the middle of the pack on running. She swam along with Peter so when he stopped she often did as well. After the triathlon the kids played around at Dirkies for another hour. That evening we had a ward party. The kids played around the park with all of their buddies and on a big bounce pad. Casey got pulled into a football game, I followed Alice and got to chat with friends. 

A couple of weeks back in our Stake conference they announced a new stake would be formed and ward changed at a regional conference. So today we had the regional conference. Our stake lost 800 members to the formation of the Twin Falls west Stake, and each ward boundary in our Stake was shifted to accommodate new size and growth. Our ward lost Ballards way (which is so very sad - so many friends). Kendal and Peter are devastated and I'm sad to see so many friends go - even though the kids will see their buddies the other days of the week at school it's definitely going to be a hard transitions on Sundays. We gained a lot of members that used to be in the Kimberly 3rd ward. I'm unsure of ages and numbers, but we our primary went from 129 kids, down to 53 and we aren't sure how many we'll gain back adding the 3rd ward members. I've been on multiple group texts today lamenting over the loss of such a wonderful ward; however as every testimony given today said change and growth are good things; it's a part of what we do. Truthfully it hits even harder because there have been a lot of changes for our family this month. The kids are all in different schools this year, I started back to work - thus changing home life for everyone, Casey's added new roles at school, and now our ward will be so very different. One day at a time - we can do hard things. 

And a few extra pics of Alice - she's discovered how to turn on our phones and take selfies. 

Family Olympics

 When the Olympics are going on it's the only time you'll see our TV on a lot (even during dinner). Casey grew up in all things sports; there's usually a game on on of the TV's when we visit his parents house. It's been fun to get into a patriotic spirit with the kids cheering on the teams and Olympians through it all! During the last Olympics we had a couple of family "events" so we decided to carry on the tradition. 

We had Jem Monday the 26th so I took the girls to the school playground for a bit so Kendal and Peter could get their to do's done. That evening as well as Tuesday night we had a Wii "Olympics" competition as a family where we did Volleyball, surfing, skating, horseback riding, a triathlon, golf, fencing, and target shooting. In the picture below anyone with a star won gold, with 2nd and 3rd meaning silver and bronze. 

Thursday morning we took the kids up towards the south hills and shot arrows. Casey got Gold and I got Silver in the adult category. Kendal got Gold, Peter Silver, and Alice Bronze in the kids category. Peter had his well check that afternoon and Casey piggy packed on the appointment and got his coaches physical done. That afternoon Casey took Kendal, Peter, and their friends Tayven, and Austin out around Kimberly looking for Geo-caches. Casey had an app that showed a hand full of hiding places and they spent a little over two hours ridding around town hunting them down. They had such a great time! 

On Friday, Kendal and Peter went to their friends pool to swim. They did some competitions against each other in their own little olympics. That afternoon Kendal got to go to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead. The group went early and took a few pictures around the temple grounds. 

Casey got to fly out to California that weekend with Nicole an Terry and surprise Cody and Mia for a visit and to be there for the boys' blessing. I was quite jealous that he got to go and see the boys, but I'm so glad he went. Brett and Vanessa were already in California on their summer vacation and Kenny and Cheryl drove out. So Cody and Mia knew they would be there. Casey, Terry, and Nicole managed to keep it a surprise. Mia and Cody were truly shocked and so happy to see them and spend time with everyone! Most of the crew went into San Francisco Saturday afternoon. They hit up china town and a couple of other places as well as Lucas Studios. They crossed the golden gate bridge, but it was foggy so their view from it wasn't anything great. Sunday everyone went to church and they were able to bless the boys! Andrew Allan, and Benjamin Cade Darrington!! The boys are such amazing miracles and continue to grow and thrive! They spent most of the day together then let Cody have quality time with his little family Sunday evening before he started a five week away rotation the next day. Brett and Vanessa left right after church, but the others ended the day watching Olympics in their hotel room. They flew home early Monday morning. It was a short trip, but a very important and wonderful trip! 

Back at home on Saturday we celebrated Harry Potter's birthday. I made buterbeer drinks, wands, and broom stick snacks. The kids had Tayven and Austin over and we watched the first Harry Potter movie together while we snacked and shot out endless movie quotes. 

Monday evening we went over to the middle school to continue or family Olympics. We started out with disc golf around the school. We didn't make it very far thanks to the sprinklers coming on, and the kids' endurance. Alice declared herself champion and was very proud of her numerous tosses of her Frisbee. Casey of course got Gold. Peter and Kendal tied for Silver, and Alice got Bronze. After that we went over to the track. Casey, Kendal, and Peter ran a couple of races. Casey 1st both times with Kendal and Peter taking turns getting second and third in each race. Alice and I raced and she won both ; ).  We also did some long jumping. Casey won Gold in the parents category, and my knees regretted trying for Silver for days afterwards. Peter got Gold in the kids bracket with Kendal taking Silver and Alice bronze. 

Tuesday we continued on our family Olympic journey and went swimming. Peter blew us away with his bravery. He swam across the pool twice without stopping to earn his bracelet to dive. He's never done it before and we were very impressed with his courage. Kendal and Peter went diving with Casey. Casey won for the biggest splash, Kendal for most style, and Peter for bravery. There was a floating run on the pool that Kendal and Peter spent a lot of time running across. It was comical to see so many kids loose their balance and fall off. Peter only fell a couple of times and Kendal a few. So we declared Peter the Gold in that event and Kendal the Silver. Alice won Gold for being brave enough to put her whole head underwater / and go down the slides by herself. 

Last Wednesday Kendal's young womens group went on a hike. The started at Centenial park and made their way to the Cascade falls. They group got to enjoy a lunch out to Cafe Rio afterwards! 

We had decided earlier in the week to go camping and picked Thursday to go since we didn't want to battle with weekend campers for spots. It had sprinkled off and on throughout the day at home, but we didn't let us deter us since overall the sky looked good. We headed out after Kendal's piano lesson with a full car and hopes the dark sky didn't hold a lot of rain. . . When we found a good spot to camp we set up the tent in sprinkling rain, and discovered we forgot matches for the camp stove. We huddled in the tent and ate Friday's lunch. The rain moved on so we got out and played a game of washers, and continued to unload the car. It got dark, and the sky was dark so we retreated into the tent. It rained some more as we went to sleep, but nothing we were worried about. . . until just after midnight. The sky broke free and we had lightning and thunder going on for the better part of an hour. Still not a lot of rain, but it was nerve wracking. Casey and I were ready to call it quits, but we didn't want to chance packing up in the dark during a storm. Kendal was fretting to the side of us, while Peter and Alice were oblivious to it all. Thankfully the lightning moved on and we only endured a couple more light showers during the night. The next morning Casey used the car to "jump start" the camp stove. We ate breakfast and looked at the smoke filled sky. It worried us enough that we thought about going home, the thought of fishing or hiking in mud didn't sound fun, nor did jump starting the stove again to eat lunch. We cut our losses packed up a soggy camp and headed home. Funny enough on our way up the canyon Thursday Alice talked about how she dreamed of camping and spent the time down saying she didn't like it anymore or being dirty. We found out the fire wasn't local, but it still was a bummer to have the air thick with smoke and smell these past days. 

We decided to try and salvage the day and went to the movies. It's the first time we've been since before covid. The girls and I haven't been in a couple of years, and Casey and Peter went in Dec 2019 to Star Wars. We decided to go see the Jungle Cruz movie. It was a good mix of Pirates of the Caribbean,  Indiana Jones, and just some wonderful Disney fun. I splurged on popcorn and we all had a wonderful time watching the movie. 

Saturday morning we went out to Northview and picked peaches. The peaches were ripe, and so very delicious. Casey also spent the day working on sourdough cinnamon rolls. Anything sourdough is a labor or love, and these did not disappoint. The kids talked us into finishing out our family Olympics with miniature golf. Kendal beat everyone, but we put it into kids vs adults so Kendal won Gold, Peter Silver, and Alice Bronze. Alice was so proud of all of her hits and making it into the holes. Peter was a bit heavy on a few hits and he had to chase a few balls. We ended our Olympics with a family reward of getting snow cones or as Alice called it the "puffy drink". 

Casey headed out last night to Boise for another training for work. The peaches were calling my name today so I spent all afternoon cutting up peaches to can and freeze. Kendal and Peter started a basketball camp this morning that goes for a few days. We'll just do our best to stretch out these last days of summer before Casey and I go to work next week and the kids back to school the week after that!