Potato Duck

Spencer harvested the potatoes from his garden the other day. We'll definitely be eating potatoes for a while with an overflowing 5 gallon bucket full and then some. Yum!!

While most of the potatoes looked pretty normal, we got a kick out of this unusually shaped one. It looks like a duck swimming away with his tail feathers in the air, don't you think? :)

Perfect For My Happy Blog

I love this! And for those who don't know, Santino Fontana is the voice of Hans (the fiance-turned-bad-guy) in Frozen.

In other news, there really are more happy things going on around here than I have led you to believe with my lack of posts this month. Jeff and I have been up to our ears in redecorating projects. Who would have thought that a simple little makeover in the boys' room would affect the entire upstairs? Well, it did and we're not done yet. Plus, I don't want to post pictures until all the finishing touches are, well, finished. And that sometimes takes a while. :(  But all the heavy lifting has been done and the rooms are just ready to be polished. I'm working on it.

Oh, and we bought a house. It's just a little thing in need of some TLC that will hopefully be ready to rent by Thanksgiving.

Life is good!

Spencer

Because I'm in complete denial that Spencer went and turned FIFTEEN today, please excuse me while I reminisce. I may have posted this before, but we were remembering at dinner some of the funny things he used to say.

Age 5:
"I don't have any earwax anymore. My ears are just plain, plain, plain."

One day Spencer came home from Kindergarten and asked, "Are some markers pregnant?" We looked at him kind of funny so he repeated himself. "Are some markers pregnant?" Another strange look. "Wait, what does pregnant mean?" We explained it means you have a baby in your tummy. So he asked, "Does it also mean something that doesn't come off?" The light went on and we said, "Oh, you mean 'permanent.'" "Yeah. Mrs. Fleming has some markers that are permanent..."

Spencer still makes us laugh, plus he's super smart and responsible and kind and handsome and overall just a really great young man. In another day or two he'll have his permit so he can DRIVE! I mean, just slow down a little please!!

Happy Birthday, Spencer! I hope all your wishes come true and I hope fifteen is your best year so far!

Cool Weather Campout

Three weeks ago, with only two weeks left of our summer break, we had the most beautiful late July weather ever: Mid-70's during the day and mid-50's at night. Seriously unheard of in our little corner of the world! With Savannah at girls' camp for the week, the rest of us decided to head out on an overnight camping trip of our own.

Highlights:
*No bugs! I'm not sure where all the mosquitoes gathered for the evening, but they were not in our campsite. Hooray!! :)

*Good food. Fresh corn on the cob and dutch oven pizza for dinner. S'mores (of course) for dessert. Yum!

*Good company. I love hanging out with this bunch!!

*Hanging out around the campfire. We had some cool fire crystals that turned the fire different colors. 

*Beautiful surroundings. With such a mild summer and just enough rain, everything was still green and lush and beautiful! The picture below was taken when the smoke from our morning campfire highlighted the sun streams through the trees.

What a great way to start winding down our summer. :)

First Day: Look For the Good

Ready or not...

It's the first day of school. I know. August 12. If you ask me, there should still be three weeks of summer.

But no one asked me.

My challenge to each of my kids as they headed out the door was to look for the good. It's out there. But sometimes, when you're worried or scared, it's easier to look for the negative to confirm our fears. (It's out there, too.) I told them there will be good and bad things that happen today but I want them to look for the good. I hope they do. I hope they find bunches of it!

And I hope they come home happy. :)

Sadie, our happy fourth grader. Today couldn't come soon enough for this girl!

Soren, sixth grade. This year he's the big man on campus!

Sterling, seventh grade. Braving the middle school!

Spencer, tenth grade. He knows the ropes. 

Savannah left in a hurry before I could get a good before-school photo so I'm stealing one we took the other day... 

Savannah is a SENIOR!! She's already looking forward to May 15... (slow down, please!)

{As a side note, please notice our green grass. This is a novelty. This has been the mildest summer we've ever had, by far. It's rained more than usual, and we've had weeks of temperatures in the 70's. Unheard of. Usually, in July and August, we're lucky if it cools off to the 70's at night! So while the grass is usually brown and very thirsty by the end of July and August, this year it's a lush green. I just wanted to note that here because it may be a while before it happens again and I don't want to forget!}

Two Truths and a Lie

Understatement: Sterling is a crazy kid. You just never know what he's going to come up with next. Last week, Sterling got a hold of our video camera and decided to make his own "I'm a Mormon" video. He did all the filming himself. He wrote the script and set up the shots. We didn't even know he was doing this until he finished and wanted us to watch it. It's even mostly true. Sterling really does play the violin and he has actually played while jumping on a pogo stick and riding the Ripstik. He was the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof last summer, and he is a Mormon. But there is one part where he gets a little carried away... Just make sure you watch until the very end.


My favorite line: But I knew that God was helping me every step of the way, even though each step was just a little bit of a hop. How does he come up with this stuff??

I told you he was crazy! :)

Elder Stowell

We received this photo yesterday from Sam's mission president,
taken the day Sam arrived in Arizona.

I'm happy to report that Sam has safely arrived in Arizona and is working with an amazing trainer as he begins his missionary service in Mesa. I've started another blog where I will post his e-mails home...

missionaryletters.blogspot.com

Feel free to check it out. His letter from yesterday is super newsy and positive. I've been missing and worrying about him way more than I expected, but my worries melted away after I read his letter. Sam is going to be just fine!