EAGLE COURT OF HONOR

Four Eagles, Dutson, Patterson, Saldivar and Rose! They all worked hard and finished their projects this summer! Everyone volunteered a service at a school in our community.

 Here is the boy that moved the library!

 Look at all his cute cub scout stuff! We even had his little pinewood derby car saved!

 This is the Eagle Nest. They are all invited to come and sit here and this leaves the audience kind of sparse. There are a lot of Eagles in our ward!

The supportive parents happily watching their Eagle. Hooray!

 His Grandpa Ron, a silver Beaver recipient and also an Eagle pinned him and had him recite the oath.

 Grandma Carol donated the Eagle Scarves that are embroidered on the back with a special eagle. Peter is wearing his Uncle Darron's scarf. That was special. All of my brothers are Eagles and it was a long hard path to get there. I remember...

  Peter is a 4th generation Eagle Scouter, that is a lot of birds in the family!

 These are the next cousins that will get their Eagles. Oh, and a friend that moved the library back,, he should have a court of honor soon! Don't they look sharp? And young...I bet they would rather be camping right now then posing for pictures. Thanks for taking pictures Aunt Kim!

 This is the guy that made sure Peter didn't drop the ball. The Eagle Mentor! It wouldn't have happened if he didn't chase him down at church and remind him what he needed to do next and gently prod him along this last year to finish what he started! Thank you Br. Patterson!

 Grandpa and Grandma Huntzinger - Supporting the first grandchild to get their Eagle.

The guys in the audience that noticed the flag was in the wrong place up in the front, but what can you do the meeting already started? I bet the 11 year old scouts won't forget to do it right the next time.

 Webelos leaders from Green Canyon Stake that helped Peter to get his Arrow of Light.

 IN The Nest with the big Eagles!

 Family...

 The four Eagles happily on their way to many palms! (more merit badges after Eagle rank).

A blast from the past...pictures of Peters life...it all started as a baby! Ahhh!

Here is his posing with friends and family from the Hayward Stake and the General YM's president at Little Philmont. Pres. Dahlquist III was also my mission president.

 Serving on Memorial Day with the scouts placing flags on the graves of soldiers.

 Webelos Den Meeting  in Oakland CA.

 Rocket Derby as a cub scout.

 Arrow of Light!

Target practice with the cousins.

 Grandpa and Grandma on a camping trip to the redwoods, CA.

 Baptism Day!

 The little camper!

 Deacon.

Peter growing up so fast. He sure makes us proud! Keep up the good work and be a good example!

Divergent #1 & Insurgent #2 - Triology by Veronica Roth

This series took all summer to read because the books were forever on hold at the library! Finally I just finished the second book. I forgot there was a third book but it isn't written yet! UHHHGG. At least the second book doesn't leave on a cliffhanger like the first book.
This is another dystopian book for Young Adults. I think it was well written despite the predictable ending which I tried not to think about so it would be a surprise...

The books are based on a place where you have to choose Factions or groups of people you are like to live with even if your family isn't there, I guess they are like virtues. They become your family. There are five of them: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). The main character is Tris, she changed her name after joining a faction. She has a very interesting, action packed life. She also falls in love and the second book is a little sappy in parts but then it just drops that in the end and focuses on the action and ends kind of abruptly without resolving a few things in her relationship with this guy who becomes the second main character. It is hard to write this without giving stuff away. Anyway, I love the conflict in Tris's heart as she tries to make the right choices but can't grasp what that is sometimes and then relies on what she just feels she needs to do. Most people don't understand her and her life is constantly in danger but she is pretty dangerous too.

I liked the books so far, can't wait for the last one. Really I always promise myself not to start reading a series that isn't finished but yet again I am left hanging.

Broken, Healing books.

School Starts!

The First Day of School! Yeah! This is the Kindergartener already to enter the big world of higher learning!

"I want my hair done special for the first day of school! Are we done yet? the curlers are pulling me! Uhhgg, it is still straight!" Oh well guess it will just be the normal hairdo.

 wiggle wiggle and squirm!

 So cute and so grown up!

 Sunday style.

 First day of school for the 5th grader!

The 7th grader almost left without a picture! Middle school and already a big backpack of stuff to carry!

 AND after school they already had homework to do! Here we go again!

This little guy wants to go too! He had his backpack and found a hat and was ready to go to school! Instead we stayed home and cleaned the house and read a book and worked in the garden.

And My oldest does go to school too. He is almost too fast for me to get a picture as he rides off to seminary early in the morning!  High school is a whole new world too!

Summer is ending...

We love Summer!

The Ducks now have a new home! They made new friends and love to swim all day! Susan was sad to see them go but she can visit them whenever she wants.

 The kids had a busy week at the Cache County Fair! We didn't do lambs this year but we had plenty of other 4-H things to enter.

 Susan swept the fair with blue ribbons for her fairy doll friends, her cabbage, squash and tomatoes. She made a cute bag and her little magnets got a blue too!

Susan's special recipe for Chocolate Mini Squash Muffins got a Purple Ribbon and she can take them to the Utah State Fair! (Purple is better then blue) Muffins are really tricky but she is an expert muffin maker because last year we learned how to make them right. She had to enter 4 muffins exactly the same size, roundness on top and the same color. You can't have a ledge or lopsided tops and you can't use a muffin paper liner. She did it! GREAT JOB Susan!

 Lucy also did a great job! She made Blonde Brownies and then had to cut them just the right size and shape, have them just the right height and texture...BLUE RIBBON!

 My cousin Liz came to visit from CALIF. We loved hanging out with them and getting to know her children better. Bob and ej also visited. We went to the Hyde Park Cemetery and learned about ej's great grandparents that came across the plains with a handcart company. This was fun and then we walked around while she pointed out  and remembered different people that were buried there. Her family lived in Hyde Park for a long time, well some of them still do.

 Here are the boys laughing at a funny book about Harry Potter. It was a very hot day but Uncle bob brought his bullwhips and the kids all practiced outside trying not to hit themselves. They are getting so big so fast! The little boy was the baby!

We took a trip to Bear Lake with the cousins. Kami invited us to play with her at a cabin and spend the night. Then at the lake we met up with Pam and kids the next day! We sat in the shade while the kids got wet. It was so hot!

 He is ready to dive in and he did. The water is very shallow forever so the littlest kids are easy to please.
The girl cousins played on the animal blow up toys.

 The two boys that are about 9 years old wanted to get in the raft all by themselves. We looked up later and they were way way out there! Some nice Kayakers towed them in. 

 Swimming or standing it was a perfect day for a dip in the lake.

 Wet girl.

 Sandy boys.

 Buried Peter. Yucky, sandy fun. 

The cabin was really fun with a great view of the Lake and mountains. We didn't have to be anywhere so the kids just played and played. I read a book. There were 6 rooms and each of the was decorated uniquely. The rest of the cabin had the theme of bears. Everywhere you looked there were little pictures, statues or something that had to do with bears. On the back deck there is a slide so you don't have to use the stairs going down or up.

Last Saturday we had a garage sale to earn the last bit of money we needed for the down payment for Susan's braces. I went crazy cleaning out the house. I went through all the kitchen drawers and cleaned them, the blankets and towels, sheets and books. All of the home-school materials accumulated over the last 13 years. Then we cleaned out the sewing/guest bedroom and closet. Now my sewing machine is downstairs in the TV/library room. I got rid of 6 bags of material I haven't used in the last 5 years. We moved all the boardgames down to the schoolroom's closets and got rid of half of them. Then we moved two beds into the upstairs room, one for Ookie and one for Susan. The other girls will have their own room downstairs with the bunkbed. I also cleaned out my clothes closet and got rid of 4 bags of stuff I never wear and is very outdated. Plus my room had 5 bags of little boy clothes that I am saving for my sister so that is now out in the garage and will make it down to her soon. Whew! It feels good to not hoard things.

 We tried to sell the rabbits and ducks but people just laughed. Lucy and Jill wanted to sell lemonade so we set up a stand for that. They were more successful money wise then the garage sale. Plus I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter cookies and we sold out! We made just exactly what we needed for the Braces fund and the best part was we hauled three loads to the second hand store! I don't miss any of it.

Now we are moving things around still in our house and trying to get organized before school starts. Plus I am planning one last big Pack meeting for the Cubs this summer, then Peter's Eagle Court of Honor is in the planning stages and the PO Parent Organization  have already started to get ready for back to school night! I am the co-chair for the Academic Enhancement. (BEES and Bowls). Whew...My garden is providing plenty of veggies. I made a delicious veggie beef stew last night. It had potatoes, beans, tomatoes, squash and peas that we grew right in the backyard! And the Beef was from my uncles farm in Roosevelt. Very healthy and delicious. This has been a great Summer! The kids are getting bored so they are ready to go back to school. Peters Freshman registration was today. He spent a good 10 min. trying to open his locker. Finally we asked for help and now he will have no problems. He has "early" Seminary, 7:50am each morning. He is going to ride his bike. Susan gets her braces soon. She got spacers today. Super!

That is all the news for now! I hope your summer was great too!