Pennant Banner

 My sister-in-law wanted me to make a pennant banner for my niece's birthday coming up.

I really like how it turned out.

However, I don't feel like you can get the full effect from these pictures...you'll just have to come to the party and see it.

First Day of School

Addi's first day of first grade was really last week.  I've been trying to get these pictures up here and yelling at blogger

...and wouldn't you know...user error.

I forgot that I had my settings all funky from this family photo shoot I did. (samples later)

Anyway, here she is in all her shining first grade glory.

This is the first year for her to ride the bus and to bring her lunch to school, she couldn't be more excited.

She is in a Chinese dual immersion program where she is taught  in Chinese (Math and Science) the first part of the day and English (English and Social Studies) the second part of the day.

She is loving it, and doing quite well, from what Chinese speaking family members tell me.

My contemplative child.

...and on to first grade with nary a backward glance.

And now you are asking yourself what is Angi doing with all of that delicious free time, now that her one and only child is in school 7 hours of the day...well I'll tell you.

I just got a part-time job as an administrative assistant (I'm a good typer)

I'm getting close to my marathon so my training runs take about 1-2 hours a day.

(I have to do those before the sun comes up so I can be back, showered and ready before I have to get Addi ready and her piano practiced before school because Grandma teaches lessons all afternoon.)

I also keep practicing my piano and I am a slow learner I think because it takes me at least an hour every day.

Then with whatever time is left (the hour between when I get off work and when Addi comes home) I do my new duties as the Primary President.

That'll be a decade.

After 10 years, our life is being held together by spit and prayers. 

But there's no one I'd rather be spitting and praying with.

Grandmother's Apricots

My Grandmother has a very large orchard with lots of fruit.  Because of our cool spring everything is about 4 weeks late.

So we just made some Apricot freezer jam this week.

 

 

Addi made sure no pits made it into the jam.

 Mashing is next, layer by layer.  It takes some muscles.

 Then you stir in the sugar and pectin.

 Fill up the jars and...

 Presto!

Deliciousness.

Pioneer Day

Another great party at Kris' House.

The family gathered for a 24th of July Celebration

 We had a typical BBQ with Creamies for dessert.

 Then we had a pioneer re-enactment with "Sarah Mary Williams" pulling the wagon

 Then we all gathered out front for some more entertaining fireworks.

Marni got all the kids glow sticks.

This is Addi's "Glow Stick" Dance

Boss of Camp

I was the Camp Director this year for the 12-18 year-old girls in my ward.

We had an amazing time, these girls are really awesome.

.

 I should clarify that I use the term "camp" in a very loose sense of the word.

When we arrived at the amazing cabin we stayed in, our amazing cooks had lunch prepared and set out... along with a table full of treats that stayed there for the duration.

We did tons of fun activities, here we are doing some team-building games.

This is me with my little chicks, I kept calling them chicks as I constantly counted them making sure I hadn't lost one.

 And the trust falls...oh man the trust falls.

These became a big deal.

I was so excited that I'd actually come up with an activity that the girl's had never done before.  It did make it a little scary for me when I was demonstrating.  I just hoped they'd catch on.  Of course they did.

Falling was another matter, some girls fell right back others took a minute or two and one took almost 2 hours (not an exaggeration) and didn't do it.  We were all disappointed about that. However, there was a very inspiring little story about a girl in our ward who is hearing impaired.  She was very nervous to begin with, and when she turned her back to us she couldn't hear us encouraging her and cheering her on.  After a minute or two she fell back and you could just see how excited she was that she did it.  It was cool.

We spent a day at the lake...I'm a hard working camp director as you can see.

 We played an amazing game of ultimate frisbee in the water, and started what would become a marathon game of Phase 10 (It finally wrapped up at 1:00 the next morning).

 We visited a local cave.  It was very cool with lots of interesting formations.  And a spiritual message accompanying...of course.

 SKITS!

 The Skits were awesome.  Our "leader" skit was great, thanks to Vicki the mastermind behind it.

Here's a link to the video, you might have to turn up the volume, we were having some technical difficulties.

 Our camp was kind of all about the bracelets.

The girls got a commemorative bracelet after every activity or experience as a reminder of what they had learned.

 

One very amazing thing that I CAN NOT BELIEVE I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE OF is when my dear friend Saydi came and gave us an amazing devotional on the last morning.  I think her whole talk was for me, I really got a lot out of it and I'm so thankful she was able to come.  I was so excited to see her and visit for just a minute, I've really missed her.

I think it was a success.

I'm done for this year.

Hopefully I'll have moved by next year...it was a lot of work!

Foam Day...did not turn out so foamy..

...because Addi said it was stinky. I made her stand in it to get just a few pictures before we retreated to the fire trucks spraying water.

She preferred the water as you see...shocker I know.

 Gabi, showing off her newly developed bubble blowing skills.

 They took a breather from the water to perform some acrobatics.

 Watermelon on the way out.  But the fun doesn't stop there!

We went to Ashley's for some more fun in the water.

 ...and some pizza.

good day.

Children's Parade

Our stake was invited to participate in the 24th of July Children's Parade, which is actually held a week before the actual 24th of July Parade.

Our amazing neighbors constructed the float and Addi and I went down and helped with it one day.

Our theme was "Press on in Service"

So everyone was walking around with "service props"

Addi and her neighborhood friends.

 Addi is an expert waver.

 Really, she never stopped waving.

Bennion East Stake Float.

(Poor Moroni on the top of the temple didn't make it through the parade, a telephone wire sliced him right off the top.)