Summer Fun

We recently bought a used riding lawn mower and I was the first one to get to try it out on our lawn. Within a few minutes I got stuck on a little hill in our front yard and it cut down to the dirt. Jack had to help me push it over the hill. Fortunately, I didn't break anything on it. We have since decided that that spot still needs to be mowed with a push mower, as well as the perimeter around all the yard. That big mower has a more difficult time getting around the smaller trees because it's so tight and the corners. The next week Jack was excited to learn how to use the riding mower also. I had him do the perimeter first while I used the weed wacker/trimmer. Then he got on and was whooping and hollering because he was having so much fun. He said it was like driving a go kart. The following week we had to tell him to slow it down though so he wouldn't miss spots. I think he'd be happy mowing all of the time but this weekend will be Garrett's turn and we'll see what he thinks of the riding mower because he does not like going outside anymore and especially doesn't like mowing lawns.

When we went to the Gale's for the 4th of July they sent us home with a bunch of peaches from their tree. I had no intentions of doing any canning this year but that soon changed. I ended up making some peach jam, something I haven't tried making since I was a newly wed. I found an easy recipe for it online. I also found an easy and really good recipe for homemade peach cobbler. Garrett really loved the cobbler. He would even eat it for breakfast. I ended up making 3 cobblers and they were all so good!

My first pan of peach cobbler.

All of the jars of jam I made.

One of the ladies in our ward posted about some different events and activities happening at the libraries and other places. I took the girls to the library to do a perler bead activity on Monday. The enjoyed that. Alice did a bunny and Charlotte did a dog. Alice wished they had a unicorn but they didn't. They had to pick from the templates they had available. They would place the beads on and then one of the library workers would iron them so they melt together. After finishing their project they picked out a bunch of new books. I signed all of us up for the summer reading challenge and they needed something new to read. Curtis and I finished on the same day we signed up because we had listened to Harry Potter on our Utah trip. The boys just finished up their reading this week. Garrett has been reading the Harry Potter books. He's on the 4th one, The Goblet of Fire. Jack has been reading The Hobbit. The girls are just over 1/3 of the way there. I have a more difficult time getting them to read but we have another month to get them there. 

On Tuesday we went to the library again and they had a fun retro video game escape room activity. They had to solve some clues to get numbers for the code. Our group was able to finish with 20 minutes to spare.

These are the other two kids that were in our group. I guess Charlotte knew the girl on the left from school.

Tuesday afternoon my van started wigging out. The check engine light came on and the dash kept flashing different messages. After taking it down to a Chrysler dealership here in town they did a code read and it looked as though a bunch of things were experiencing low voltage. He suggested getting a new battery to see if that would take care of it. I took it straight to O'Reilly's and picked one up. I remember the last time we bought a battery it seemed like it was around $75-$100. This one was $210 plus tax! Sheesh! After Curtis installed the battery Tuesday night, the check engine light turned off and we didn't have any more problems. 

The next day I drove Garrett, Charlotte and Alice (Jack was at FSY in Moscow) out to Prosser for a border collie dog show in the park. The girls have been super excited to go to this event all week. This event was put on by the libraries. Prosser is about a 35 minute drive but it was a pretty drive. Garrett didn't want to go but I made him go and made a deal that he could play his videogame in the car on the way. He ended up enjoying the show too. We went out for milkshakes afterwards. I honestly think he would have enjoyed the escape room also because he likes solving those kinds of puzzles. The dog show had 5 border collies that did sports tricks. First it was catching footballs, then basketballs, then soccer and then frisbees. All of them are softer balls and frisbees so that it doesn't hurt the dogs. It was fun to watch.

Jumping in the air to catch a frisbee.

Meeting one of the dogs after the show.

Milkshakes from DQ. Alice wasn't holding hers until she got home.

Charlotte also pulled out our portable ping pong game and got me to play with her. I loved playing with her but wow, it exhausted me more than it should have! Clearly I need to exercise more and eat less sugar. I had to take a short nap afterwards.

I told Garrett on Wednesday that he couldn't play more videogames unless he played some ping pong. I made him play with Charlotte, then me and then Curtis. He doesn't want to admit it but I think he enjoyed playing at least a little.

Wednesday night my brother Stillman drove into town for a business trip and he came to visit and even though he was exhausted the girls talked him into swimming with us.

They loved swimming with Uncle Stillman.

Like I said, Jack is at FSY in Moscow. He is room mates with a friend from school and so his friends mom dropped them off on Monday and she sent me this picture. Curtis and I will pick them up bright and early tomorrow morning. Jack called last night and has been loving FSY! He said he even bore his testimony during a testimony meeting yesterday. I loved hearing that! He's excited to have another day before coming home. Maybe he can talk Garrett into going next year. We're so glad he went and I know he's glad also. Lots of fun activities and spiritual moments.

Getting set up in their dorm room. Jack actually paid Alice to let him borrow her pink hat because he thought it would be funny to wear it. He reminds me of Cindy's son, Michael, with the way he is dressed.