4th of July, Testing, Prayers, FSY, Car, Eye Infection, Speech, Fun Run, Parade

We have been keeping busy. Here's what we have been up to during the last three weeks.

For the 4th of July we all decided to run the local 5k run--that is everyone, but Sarah who said she wanted to sleep in. Fair enough. So Aaron, me, Matthew, Josh and Noah all got up early and ran the 5k.  Here's Aaron about to cross the finish line:

It was a bit rough for Sarah and Josh since they had gotten back from FSY at midnight of July 4th. Sarah went as a participant and Josh was working there as an Assistant Area Coordinator down at BYU. They weren't in the same session, but were at least in the same location so they were able to drive home together.

Right after finishing the race we headed back home to get dressed for the parade. We entered Matthew the Human GPS float in the parade. Matthew tends to bolt and not look around at his surroundings. This makes it easier to keep him contained. So Aaron drives the truck, Matthew sits in the back with Sarah and Josh this year where they threw candy to the parade watchers:

Matthew's new group home manager was there and took this picture of Matthew in the parade. Matthew LOVES doing this every year:

Noah and I did the community Band again this year. Noah played the bass drum and I did the flute.

After the parade we went to the Party at the Point and got us some seats at BINGO. We did not win anything this year, but that was okay. Noah was walking around with his friends while we were waiting for BINGO to start so that's why he is missing from this picture.

We did have to leave a bit early because Sarah and Noah had to go to work afterward. Sarah at her care center and Noah at Little Caesar's.

Later that evening we went to a local church lawn to watch the fire works that evening. In the middle of the show the sprinklers turned on. That was quite the surprise. Luckily we were able to finish watching the show then go home and change out of our wet clothes. Noah was with his friends so he was missing from this picture.

Daniel's mission is winding down. We got his flight plans a few weeks ago. He will fly home July 30 and we are looking forward to seeing him in person soon!!  Here's a few pictures from his mission in the last few weeks:

Matthew got to have a Leadership Training and pool party with the Special Olympics a few weeks ago. He was pretty excited about that:

He got to deliver a speech about the importance of inclusion and share it:

All three Mr. Awesome's wanted to wish everyone a happy 4th of July:

Matthew was able to compete in the track and field state games at the beginning of June. This past Saturday he competed in the local bowling competition and won a gold medal in bowling scoring a 226 game--that is with no bumpers. He is excited to be able to compete in the State games next month.

Our city did a Freedom Program where different people got to speak, play a musical number, and retire an old flag. Sarah, since she was the city youth council mayor, got to give a 3 minute speech about how the youth can contribute to the future freedom of our country. She did a great job and wasn't nervous despite being in front of all the residents who came from our city.

Here's a few pictures from Sarah's FSY experience at BYU. She did not go down there knowing anyone. She did get a good roommate, though.

She liked her group for the most part. She said her group consisted of mostly 16 year olds and seeing as she is so much 'more mature' (her words) at times she got a bit annoyed with them, but mostly had a good time. She said it was cool she got to tour the MTC since she will be there in October as a missionary.

Josh got to spend the week of July 4th-July 11th with us before he left again. Last week and this upcoming week he is down in Flagstaff, Arizona working with FSY.  He will come back to BYU and Orem for his last two weeks. Unfortunately, he will be down at BYU when Daniel flies home so he won't be able to make it to the airport. 

Last week our family was pretty spread out. Aaron was on a business trip in Alaska, Noah was at cross country camp in Idaho, Josh was at FSY in Arizona, Daniel was in Nebraska and me and Sarah were at home in Utah. It was cool to be on Daniel's P-day call with everyone Monday evening.

Since it was only me and Sarah during last week we grabbed some pizza, watched Alias and made jewelry in the evening. It was a fun week.

We have been preparing for when Daniel gets home. We needed to get him a working phone and add another car to our 'used car lot'. We picked this kids care up Saturday. I am embarrassed to say we now own 6 vehicles....but the truck we don't hardly drive that one so it doesn't count.

We are now trying to figure out who will drive which vehicle. Daniel will need one up in Logan, Josh will need one to drive back and forth to Weber State, and Sarah and Noah will have to share until Sarah leaves on her mission in October.  I am sure there will be some sibling squabbles in the next few months about who gets to drive which car.....ugh.

Noah went to Cross Country Camp this past week. While there they went to a local water park. Noah went down a crazy fast slide and got some nasty pool water in the back of his right eye which caused the lid and eyeball to swell up and was painful. I had to take him in to Urgent Care Saturday after we picked him up. They put him on two different antibiotics to treat it. They were thinking it might be peri-orbital cellulitis. I am hoping it clears up soon because the eye is not something you want to mess with. Keep your fingers crossed it works!! Noah did find out he got a 5 on the AP World History Test. Wahoo!

This past Sunday it was my nephew's mission farewell. We were running a bit late so I was speeding and ended up getting pulled over on the way. DOH!! Thankfully I got off with only a warning. That is a good thing because we had just switched are insurances the day before. Anyway Miles' farewell went well. He will be going to the South Carolina Columbia mission speaking Spanish. 

Matthew started his last week of Camp K this week. I dropped him off this morning. All the camp counselors remembered him so as soon as we walked in to check in they shouted, "Let's Fire it Up!". Matthew was pretty excited to be back.

Josh shared a few pictures from the last few weeks of FSY. 

The week Josh was home between FSY sessions he took his big, gnarly MLT (Medical Laboratory Tech) test. It is a professional credential certification for laboratory technologists. In order to take the exam you have to have an accredited associate's degree and lab experience which he did. The test focused on blood banking, clinical chemistry, hematology, and microbiology. He was really worried about it and has been studying for it for awhile. He was relieved to get notification that he did in fact pass. Wahoo! He will have to take the gnarly MLS test after he gets his Bachelor's but that isn't for two more years. Phew!

We have really been praying for our niece Sydney who is 16 years old. She has had some complications and really needs some prayers right now. Here is what Jill, Aaron's sister and Sydney's mom, has requested:

I know miracles can happen so we continue to pray.

Car Troubles, Camp K, YM Camp, FSY, Father's Day, Running

In the last two weeks here is some of the things we have done. We were able to go to a local Farmer's Market. At that market they had a permanent jewelry booth. Sarah and I decided to get permanent matching anklets. Wahoo! All they do is get a length of chain with whatever design you choose, get an o-ring and solder it on permanently. 

Crazy enough Aaron, Josh, Noah, Matthew and me are planning on running the local 4th of July 5k. Everyone else will do fine. As for me I am just hoping to finish and not die. That is always a good goal to have--haha! That is why I am wearing running clothes. I have been trying to build up some endurance. Wish me luck next week--I am sure I will need it.

With it being summer and the kids out of school, they have been doing a few things together while Aaron and I are at work. They went out for breakfast one morning:

Another day they went to Classic Waterslides for fun:

Sarah and Josh even did some baptisms at the temple:

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square did a worldwide broadcast. They made a big deal of it in Omaha and invited all the surrounding members and friends to the broadcast outside. Daniel has been serving in Omaha for almost two year (he comes home next month Wahoo!) and has never served in Aaron's cousin's area. They were finally able to meet up at this gathering to say hi.

Daniel and his companion also had a baptism this past week. Daniel is in his last transfer and looking forward to coming home and starting school in the fall. It is crazy that his mission is almost over!

Two Sundays ago it was Father's Day. Josh had left to go to work at FSY the day before, but the kids all worked together to put together something for Father's Day while he was here. Sarah and Noah got up early to make breakfast in bed and then gave Aaron a cool Hydrojug and Maverik gift card. 

I'm grateful for the amazing examples of Father's I have had in my life--from my own Dad and husband to others. They truly do make a difference.

Later that day for dinner Daniel called because of Father's Day. Grandma T was here and was able to talk with Daniel:

Matthew has sworn off soda because that is not healthy for athletes. He only drinks water or gatorade/powerade. We also had Matthew's annual meeting with all his service coordinating staff a few weeks ago. We set some good goals for him to work on throughout the next year. 

Josh has been busy as an Assistant Area Coordinator for FSY.  He did two weeks in Provo and Texas and then came home for a week. The past two weeks he spent one week in Missouri and then flew to Provo   (BYU) again.  Sarah actually is attending FSY this week at BYU, too. They will both come home Friday night so we can be together for the 4th of July the next day. He will be home for next week then leave again to go to Arizona for a few weeks then back up to Provo and Orem for a few weeks. Here are some pictures he shared of his adventures so far:

While Josh was in Missouri he found they have Casey's gas station. That seems to be a favorite of Daniel's in Omaha so Josh had to take a picture of one to show Daniel that Josh has been to Casey's too. They say it is the equivalent of Maverik here in Utah.

While in Missouri he found some Blue Bell Ice cream and bought some to eat. That is only a southern thing so he was excited to see it:

Getting some sweet tan lines:

Josh has always wanted to be the DJ for the FSY dances and he finally got a chance this past week. Hopefully it went okay. I think the sunglasses make everything cooler--haha!

With all the crazy schedules Josh is exhausted. He was flying from Missouri to Salt Lake airport. He then had to catch transit down to Provo. Unfortunately, Josh accidentally left his carry on bag at the airport gate and realized his mistake as the plane was making its way over to the runway. DOH!  He let the flight attendant know and they were able to locate the bag. He is now trying to see if they will ship his bag to him. I hope they will because it contained all his electronic stuff. 

The airlines have been pretty accommodating for Josh. He will let them know that he is 6'6" and most of the time they have put him on an aisle and occasionally up in business class to help accommodate his ginormica size. 

Sarah is going to FSY alone without a roommate this week. She was a bit nervous, but glad that Josh will be there even if they are not in the same group especially since she is an attendee and Josh is an employee.

Matthew got to attend his second week at Camp K this summer. I dropped him off last Monday morning. He always looks forward to that every summer. He is lucky enough to attend in person came three different weeks from Monday through Saturday. He has his last week next month.

Last week Noah and Aaron had Young Men's Camp. They went out to Currant Creek over by Strawberry Reservoir. They had a rough few days because they had some crazy thunder/rainstorms go through their area while they were there. When it wasn't raining they had a good time. Here's some pictures:

They got to see a double rainbow after one of the storms:

Aaron is not a camper, but as a YM leader he got to go. It was nice to be there with Noah, though:

The YM camp went from Tuesday to Friday. Aaron and Noah left Friday morning so Aaron could make his Temple volunteer shift Friday afternoon. So Friday afternoon Sarah was at work, Aaron was at the temple, Grandma T was at the temple, and Josh was in Missouri and I was at work. Noah took the car to over to the park to go running. So it really stunk when I got a call at work saying he couldn't get the car started and was stranded. We are really short staffed at work so it was really looked down upon if I had to leave early, but there were no other options. Aaron and Grandma could not be reached while they were at the temple. I felt terrible, but I had to leave work early to pick up Noah because he had to get home and then be taken to his work. After I took Noah to work I went over to see what I could do with the car. I took the battery out and took it over to get it checked. It was bad so I got a new battery and drove back over and installed it in the car. Unfortunately, it still didn't start. So when Aaron got home we went to tow the car home. The towing strap broke. That is when we found out towing is part of our car insurance benefits. They will tow for free up to 15 miles. We got it towed home and Aaron is now working on seeing what the issue is. Boo! I guess that is what happens when you let your kids drive cars that are 24+ years old--haha! Wish him luck!

Noah is continuing with Cross Country this summer. They all did a night run with headlamps and glow sticks Saturday night: