Caitlin's Visit

From July 20th to August 3rd, our 10-year-old niece Caitlin came to visit us. We did a lot while she was here, and one of the first things we did was go to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point.

in front of the model of the Megalodon

posing in front of the dinosaur they built

We also went to the zoo. Here is a picture of all the kids outside the Great Ape House.


We also went swimming as often as we could, almost every day. Here is the first time we went to the pool:

Caitlin

Westley

Eliza

Caitlin was here over Pioneer Day on July 24th. Our ward had a Pioneer Day parade. Caitlin and Westley took charge and decorated the bikes and stroller with crepe paper.

On Monday, July 26th, Caitlin helped me make a cake for someone in the ward whose daughter was having a birthday. We made a ladybug cake. I used the ball cake pan and made two ladybugs. My intention was to use both ladybugs, but then I found there wasn't enough room. So we did one ladybug on the actual cake and then Caitlin decorated the other ladybug herself and we all had that for dessert Monday night.

The finished masterpiece
Caitlin's ladybug

Another thing the kids did while Caitlin was here was set up a lemonade stand. Westley really wants to earn enough money to buy a certain Buzz Lightyear toy and this helped him get about $9 toward that goal. They sold rice krispie treats in addition to lemonade.

We took one day and went down to BYU Campus. I wanted Caitlin to see the campus so maybe someday she'll think about going there. We bought some BYU T-shirts, had lunch in the Cougareat and then went over to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.

And this is the last swimming day we all had before Caitlin went home to Arizona.

We really enjoyed Caitlin's visit!

The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point

In early July, we went together as a family to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. We didn't make it over to the Children's Gardens because it was getting close to lunchtime and we were all hot and hungry.

Corey pushing Eliza up the hill with Travis and Westley following

In the Secret Garden--Westley took the picture

The kids in the Secret Garden

The Obedience Jar

In an effort to try and get my children to be more obedient, I started this "obedience jar". Every time they obey quickly, they get a "fuzz ball" in the jar (they are actually pom-poms, I couldn't find any marbles). I have it organized so each child has their own color so we can see who is obeying and who needs to work more at it. When the jar is full, we reward them with a family outing of ice cream. The person with the most balls gets a little extra something special with their ice cream. In the case of our visit to Coldstone, Caleb got two mix-ins instead of just one.

The first week, the kids were all over it and we filled the jar by Friday night, which was when we went out for the ice cream. However, we have not filled the jar since, and that was back in the first part of July. We've come close several times, but when they are being disobedient, they lose balls, so it's been back-and-forth a lot.

And lately, I haven't been so consistent with it. The biggest problem is that I have to keep it out of reach of the little ones and then the big ones can't help me out with it and I don't always remember to put a ball in the jar, even when I've told them I will.

So I need to work on it more, but it has been helping motivate them.

Farm Country

At the beginning of July we went to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point. The kids really enjoyed it. We looked at various farm animals, including pigs, ducks, cows, horses, farm birds, and goats and even llamas. There was a building where the kids learned all about the cycle of growing food and marketing it, as well as different facts about soil and the differences between "good" bugs and "bad" bugs. There was also a small town set that the kids could play in. At the end, they all got to go for a pony ride, even Eliza.

New Glasses

Westley got new glasses at the beginning of July. Just in time to be out of school for the year, but he'll have them to start second grade with in August.

In-N-Out Picnic

The In-N-Out family picnic was held at a water park in Provo. It was pretty good, but a little chilly for my Arizona blood. A big drawback was that they did not have the cookout trailer; instead we ate food that was there at the park, which wasn't nearly as good as a double-double would have been. Hopefully next year, with more stores, they will send the cookout trailer. Only four stores wasn't enough to warrant one this year.

The kids had fun, and especially liked the all-you-can-eat ice cream and cotton candy. Westley and Corey went on a few rides together. I went on one ride with Caleb and then Caleb and I spent time in the wave pool. Jamie was there with her guest and they spent some time watching Eliza and Travis in one of the kid pools. The toddler pool was out of order, closed for repairs, so that was a bummer to have the zero depth pool designed for kids Eliza's age completely closed. Next year we will bring her life jacket.

We were bummed that we forgot to take advantage of having the company store there to buy some things. But it was fun. I liked how it was smaller--there were only four stores and only half of that go on the same day.

Starcicles

Not too long ago, the kids and I made "starcicles". We made up a fresh fruit smoothie, using strawberries, bananas and orange juice and then we poured the smoothie into a star-shaped ice cube tray covered with plastic wrap and toothpicks poking out and froze them. The kids loved them and, for a little while, I even tricked Eliza into eating fruit. Didn't last long until she was onto me, though. They want to try something sweeter next time around.