This summer is going by pretty fast! It has already been two weeks from the last post and so much has happened. A couple weeks ago the kids wanted to go to the park and play. Poor Josh came with us, but only for a few minutes because he had a job interview so that's why he is dressed up. Josh has been busy applying for some different jobs because he isn't getting very many hours at Urban Air. His hard work paid off because he is now employed at three different jobs instead of just one. He landed a job at Arctic Circle and at Clinton City Recreation. He (Aaron and I as well) are pretty happy for him to be working and earning money. The kids had fun playing at the park while we were there, though.
Baseball started winding down. They only had one game before the playoffs started. This picture is of Daniel on 3rd base with his awesome 3rd base coach (Aaron).
I did take the kids out bowling. The kids have started getting a bit competitive which makes for some fighting. Sarah and Noah decided to try bowling without the bumpers so they could truly compete with Josh and Daniel. Well that went over about as well as you'd expect....It was fun in the beginning until the scores weren't very close anymore.
The scores weren't spectacular, in fact they were pretty bad, but we had fun for the most part minus the huge competition....
I think Sarah took it the hardest, though. Poor girl!
The beginning of July I got to participate in doing a refugee immunization clinic in downtown Salt Lake which was really interesting. There was a big language barrier, but we did the best we could. Most of the refugees were from Africa which was interesting. A lot of them needed a lot of shots. One poor guy got a tetanus, pneumonia and a hepatitis B shot all which make your arm really sore. We tried to explain to him that his arms were going to be sore the next few days, but he didn't quite understand. He probably figured it out the next day when he couldn't lift his arms, though. It was really an interesting experience.
July 4th was pretty fun. It started out bright and early with Josh and Daniel running the 5K race. Then we went and dropped Sarah, Josh and Daniel off at the beginning of the parade since they were going to be in it. We then got a spot on the parade route. Aaron got up early to mark a spot for us with a blanket and four chairs. Unfortunately one of the chairs was stolen when we got back to that spot to wait for the parade to start. Who steals parade chairs?! It was a pretty crappy chair so I hope the person really needed it more than we did. Anyway, G&G T weren't with us this year since my niece Miriya was getting married July 5 back in Ohio and they were with my sister Jennifer instead. Here we are (Aaron, Matthew, Noah and me) waiting for the small town West Point parade to start.
Josh and Daniel participated in the community marching band the Marching Muskrats. Here's their group:
Daniel playing the saxophone:
Josh played the trumpet wearing some awesome sunglasses:
There are some cool perks living by an Air Force Base--they did a flyover the parade route which was pretty cool:
This guy is in every parade with his tractor. We think it is fun to see him every year:
Sarah was in the parade with her dance team DforDanze:
Here's my cute girl:
After the parade we then went to the park and participated in the activities. We got Sarah and Noah set up for the kid BINGO game while the rest of us played the adult BINGO game. As always our luck isn't the greatest, but we had fun playing. Josh did end up winning a Wendy's gift card which he was pretty excited about.
Noah won a kiddie bowling set in the kid BINGO game which he played with the rest of the weekend. I think he is hoping it will help his bowling game the next time we go--haha!
After you win a BINGO you can't play anymore. To kill some time Noah went and played some of the crowd games up on stage. He got picked to be blindfolded and try to throw marshmallows into someones mouth.
Josh also got to play a game up on the stage, too. They also threw out crowd prizes from the stage. Sarah and Noah got hooked up since it really pays to have a gigantic brother who is heads taller than everyone else in the crowd to catch prizes for them. They came home with some t-shirts and other things--haha!
Since G&G T weren't with us this year I had to make the homemade Rootbeer myself. I have never done this even though I have seen Grandpa T make it numerous times. We picked up the Rootbeer extract and some dry ice and tried it out.
Thankfully it worked out and ended up being pretty tasty. I think everyone else agreed since they drank 5 gallons of Rootbeer in the space of 24 hours.
Aaron cooked up a storm. He made some yummy hamburgers and we also had some potato salad, corn on the cob and some chips--the typical 4th of July BBQ dinner. Shockingly we did have some leftovers, but the kids were afraid they would miss out so they ate the hamburgers for breakfast the next morning. The kids feel that if they don't eat the food they want when they see it, it will be gone before they get hungry again so that is why they were all eaten for breakfast the next day. That was the end of the leftovers--haha!
When it got dark we headed over to the park to watch the evening fireworks. This 4th of July was so weird weather wise! It didn't get over 80 degrees which was really nice, but made for a chilly night of fireworks watching. There was even a HUGE storm that afternoon which almost cancelled the fireworks, but it stopped thank goodness. It did make it even more chilly so everyone wore a sweatshirt and had a blanket to watch fireworks because it was so cold.
They didn't disappoint. We really love the 4th of July and the family traditions we have on that day!! We did miss G&G T, though!
The next day was my niece Miriya's wedding. I was sad I wasn't able to go out to Ohio for the day. From the pictures she looks happy and it looks like it was a wonderful day for everyone. Here's a picture of the happy couple:
The next day we decided to hike Waterfall Canyon as a family. It is always a beautiful view.
As expected the kids made it to the waterfall 30 minutes before Aaron and I could drag our sorry butts up the steep trail. It was worth it when we got there, though. Here's proof that we made it--just barely though--haha!
While waiting for Aaron and me to get there he decided to do a polar plunge in the waterfall. Since it is snow runoff it was pretty cold:
The view at the top is so pretty:
On the way home from the hike we stopped by and let all the kids get a Slurpee. As I was driving home I turned into my neighborhood only to be followed by a Sheriff's car--DOH!! He pulled me over because I was speeding. It was pretty embarrassing since it was right in front of all our neighbor's houses. I didn't have my purse on me either which meant I didn't have my driver's license. I didn't take my purse with me because there have been a ton of car break-ins at trailheads so I didn't want my purse stolen while we hiked Waterfall Canyon. I also didn't have an updated insurance card in the car either--double DOH!! He looked everything up through my car registration and saw I was legit. He also saw I had a car full of people with Slurpees that were melting. The Sheriff was so nice and let me off with just a warning. I was so grateful!! If I had gotten a ticket I might have had to attend traffic school with Josh--haha!
Saturday evening Josh's work, Urban Air, was doing a date night for parents where they watch the kids for a few hours. Josh was nice enough to take Sarah, Noah, Daniel with him and they played that evening for a few hours. It was really weird only having Aaron and I awake in the house. Matthew went to bed early because he was pretty tired from coming home from travel camp and from hiking Waterfall Canyon. I feel bad we didn't actually go out on a date, but it was nice just to have a quiet house to ourselves for a few hours. Sarah, Josh, Daniel and Noah had a lot of fun, though.
Since the hamburgers were such a hit for the 4th Aaron decided to try a different recipe for burgers Sunday. It was a stuffed meatloaf wrapped in a bacon weave which you cook and then slice into burgers when it is done. It was stuffed with crumbled bacon, caramelized onions and shredded cheese with BBQ sauce. It was delicious! There were no leftovers after that dinner--haha! The kids were wondering what they were going to eat for breakfast the next day--haha!
Matthew had his second travel trip camp last week. He got to camp in at tent at Jackson Hole and the Tetons. He loves it! Here he is right after he checked in--all smiles:
When I picked him up Friday he said he had a lot of fun. Here's the award he got, "Future Train Conductor":
Here's his camp journal his leaders keep so the parents can actually know what is going on while they are at camp. I never thought Matthew would enjoy camping in a tent, but he has proved me wrong which I am glad!
We did have some excitement last Tuesday morning. I had to pick up G&G T from the airport Tuesday morning which happens to be the same time the kids have piano lessons. Josh was nice enough to volunteer to take them to lessons while I was down in Salt Lake. As soon as I got to the airport I got a call from Josh. I answered and he told me that he had a flat tire. DOH!! I was down in Salt Lake at least 45 minutes away so I couldn't help in person. I had Josh call Aaron at work, but he is impossible to get a hold of so he called me back. Last time we had a flat in the van we made Josh change it so he was somewhat familiar with changing a tire. I just had to talk him through it. Thank goodness for cell phones with cameras. Here's a few pictures of our text conversation:
J: What's this thing with a spring?
Me: It's the Jack.
J: Is this the lug wrench?
Me: Nope keep looking in the trunk for a thick metal pole with a bent end. He did eventually find the lug wrench--thank goodness!
He tried getting the lug nuts off, but they were on really tight. I felt so helpless since I was too far away to help. Thankfully a nice man stopped by and helped Josh get the tire off and put the donut on. Unfortunately, the donut was flat so that didn't help a whole lot. The nice guy offered to take Josh to a tire place to get it pumped up, but by this time I had picked up G&G T and was only about 20 minutes away from where Josh was. I told Josh to thank the man profusely because he really helped him a lot!! I hope he did! Anyway, we dropped off Grandma T and their luggage and Grandpa T came to help. Here Josh and Grandpa working to get the donut off so we could go and get it pumped up and see about the other flat tire:
Upon looking at the flat tire I noticed that it had a HUGE golf ball sized blowout hole on the sidewall of the tire. Now when we got this car all 4 tires were brand new so this isn't a case of an old tire. Also with a HUGE golf ball sized hole on the side wall of the tire it shows that it wasn't a nail, or other puncture wound, but that someone hit a curb going too fast. Hmmmmm.....when I confronted Josh about it he said he only slightly hit the curb....hmmmm... he really insisted on it, but I really don't think I am getting the whole story. Anyway, we still had to take the tires to get them fixed so off we went. We first stopped by Les Scwhab tire store. As soon as the employee took a look at the tire brand he immediately referred us over to Discount Tire because the tire was in such good shape (minus the huge hole in the side wall) it should still have some warranty left on the tire. I could have hugged the guy if it wouldn't have been so weird. He gave up a tire sale to help me save money which is so honest and awesome--something that doesn't happen as much anymore. Grandpa helped me drop off the tires and then I had to take Josh to work. I did drop Grandpa off because I am sure he was exhausted from his trip and ready to be home. Afterward I happened to catch Aaron on his lunch so he came and picked up the tires and we met at Josh's car. I finished putting the tire back on and then drove the car over to Josh's job to drop it off. As I walked in I saw Josh with his trainer and he looked really cute so I took a quick picture before I handed him the keys to his car parked outside Arctic Circle.
Aaron then drove me back to the van so I could go back home. What a crazy morning that's for sure!!
When I got home I gathered up the kids and we headed over to Chick-Fil-A to celebrate cow appreciation day! Every year if you dress up like a cow you get a free sandwich or nuggets. While I was doing my driving around for Josh I had the kids make their own cow mask and one for me as well. Wahoo for free food!! Here's my cute cows:
Later that afternoon Daniel had an allergist appointment. It was just a follow up, but they did do a lung function scan which Daniel passed with flying colors--Wahoo! Since it was so good we are able to wean him of his daily asthma meds which is awesome. He only has to take them if he feels a cold coming on. I am excited about this because the different inhalers can get a bit pricy even with health insurance! Here's the lung function test:
He has to blow out all the candles on the birthday cake emptying his lungs and then breath in as deep as he can. He has to do that 4 times which makes him pretty light headed afterward.
Daniel looked great and doesn't have to go back for another 6 months. They did draw some bloodwork just to check on Daniel's allergen values which Daniel HATED, but what can you do?! As for Josh had had an appointment with the allergist the day before and was doing well. It was time to remix his allergy shot serum so they needed to see him first. In talking with the nurse practitioner it will be best for Josh to stay on the allergy shots for another 18 months to get the full five years in. This wasn't what I wanted to hear, but we have already done it for 3.5 years what's another year and a half. To make sure he will be able to tolerate weaning off the shots we will started weaning him off his daily allergy pill in December to see how he does. I am hoping he will tolerate it. Since that is still 6 months away I will try and not worry about it right now.
With Matthew being gone the kids have had to take turns walking Sophie. Aaron and I even took a turn or two. At least Sophie keeps things entertaining like trying to chase her tail while cooling off in the shade. She is a crazy dog!
Noah got to attend Cub Day camp last Wednesday. He had a blast!
The leaders took a few pictures and here's one with Noah doing the rope walk:
That afternoon I took Josh, Sarah and Daniel to a movie matinee to see Spiderman Far From Home. It was pretty good!
July 11 we took advantage of the free Slurpees at Seven Eleven. We visited two different stores. I am embarrassed to say that I was the only one to get 'slurped'. My kids got their Slurpees without any issues, but mine exploded everywhere. It was a bit embarrassing, but what can you do?!
Daniel had his last two baseball games last week. Daniel is trying to steal home with Aaron as the 3rd base coach:
Daniel liked Aaron being an assistant coach:
This past weekend was our city days. Josh got to help out with youth council. Josh took Daniel along to check out the car show. Josh tried to sit in this car, but didn't fit. He had to curl his legs up under the dash to even get the door closed:
That evening Josh took Sarah, Daniel, and Noah for the movie in the park. Daniel saw some friends and hung out with them, but they all had fun.
The next morning Josh had to get up early to volunteer during the race. He then came home and picked up Sarah. He then dropped Sarah off with her parade float/dance team and then he went over to the youth council float. We met up with the Einzinger's and G&G T to watch the parade:
Here's the youth council before the parade. They got to ride in this really cool army vehicle:
As they drove by us in the parade we got drenched:
Sarah had a lot of fun walking with her dance teams in the parade. Here she is waving to us:
There were some Veterans who were in the parade promoting their service animals. One guy even stopped to let Matthew pet his dog. Matthew was in heaven!
After the parade we did stop by and visit the art display. Daniel and I submitted photos for the photo contest for the city. We were pretty excited to find out we both had won 3rd place in different categories. Daniel's picture of a sunrise on the left and my picture of Sarah on the right. Wahoo!
Saturday after the parade we drove down to the Terry Family Reunion down in Salt Lake. We started off by getting a family picture done. It was really small since only about half of the family could make it. Here are the ones that could make it, though:
After the pictures the kids did some rolling down the hills which they had fun with:
Then we played some games.
They brought a whole bunch of memory books which was kind of cool to peruse. They had all the grandkids write a letter to great G> when they had their 50th wedding anniversary party about 27 years ago. Here's my sweet 8th grade picture and note that I wrote them.
They also had some photos of previous reunions you could look through as well. I showed the kids some of my pictures like this one of me riding on the zip line:
After I had been married and had Matthew I did see my grandparents once a week to check their blood pressures and visit with them. They enjoyed the visits and seeing Matthew as well. They did take a few pictures of Matthew which were included in the memory books.
I may be biased, but he was a cute baby.
To help everyone know who everyone else was at the reunion everyone got to wear nametags that showed which family they belonged to. Here was my name tag with the Terry family crest:
It was cool to catch up with some of my cousins who I haven't seen for YEARS. An interesting thing is that I found out one of my cousins works in the post high program in their school district. This is the same type of program that Matthew will be attending in the fall so she was able to answer a few questions about it for us. I have been really nervous about Matthew learning how to use public transit, but she let me know that he will be really safe and never alone during these trips. It was really nice to talk with her! I think they are planning on another reunion in a couple years so it will be fun to catch up with them again in two years.
Saturday evening our city had a show by a hypnotist and Josh and Daniel got to participate. Josh got to be a rap master and Daniel got to play the drums with his bum. When they realized what they had done afterward Daniel was a bit embarrassed since his crush was in the audience, but Josh didn't care about looking silly--haha! Sarah and Noah tagged along for the fun and they enjoyed the show.
Sunday for dinner Aaron wanted to try out a shrimp boil. He got all the stuff beforehand (Saturday) and put it all together for Sunday dinner. I thought it was pretty good. The kids had some mixed reactions, but over all I think everyone thought it was fun to try something different as well as something that Aaron grew up doing which is part of his heritage.
Our neighbors/friends dog had puppies about 6 weeks ago and we got to go love on them yesterday evening. Puppies are so sweet! The kids had a blast holding them. Here's Josh:
Me:
Noah:
Sarah:
Matthew absolutely loved it as well even though we don't have a picture of him holding a puppy.
This morning Daniel left for Scout Camp bright and early. He packed everything himself so I hope he got everything he needed. I also hope he has a great time. Things are definitely more quiet without him at home!!
With it finally warming up to summer temperatures and Matthew taking Sophie on tons of walks the pavement was starting to burn her pads on her paws. We ordered some booties for her and tried them out today. Sophie is definitely not a fan, but what can you do. We tried to put them on her multiple times, but she keeps shaking them or biting them off.
When we finally got some on her to stay Josh tried taking her for a walk and she did not like it as you can see:
Crazy dog!!
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