Week Synopsis 7/7-7/11

Monday July 7th-It was hard to come back to work for all of us after a LONG 4th weekend. The kids are learning about preparing and becoming missionaries. So for FHE we asked the kids where they wanted or thought they would serve their missions, here are the results: Colton was somewhere Spanish speaking like Mexico, Sterling said Hawaii because that is the most fun mission, Ryland said Phoenix and that Dan and I would have to drive him there. I am keeping this for when they open their calls! ha ha ha --We played a fun game with fill in the blank statements about ways they can prepare now to serve a mission when they get older. The boys wanted to know how you get called and the whole process with the MTC. It was kind of fun walking them through the whole process.
We had heard a loud bang in our garage Sunday night and went out there to find the problem--we could not see a thing. BUT when I tried to open the garage to pick up Colton from swim lessons I realized that it had been the huge garage door spring breaking in half! Our car was trapped. Luckily I called the pool and got Colton a ride home, while I got a garage guy to come fix it. It was working by late afternoon 200 dollars later!


Tuesday July8- We are back in full swing of swim lessons, park/library, and then free lunch. It takes up a good portion of our mornings. Otherwise when we keep the kids home they STARVE and are so bored and cranky wandering around! We saved some money on food last month b/c of free lunches. We are advocates of that institution for sure! Dan took Dacie and Colton, while the other two boys and I went to Prescott to get our car serviced at the dealership, for the upcoming LONG road trip. We were there for three hours and they could not figure out what the new rattling sound in the engine was, could not replace the deflated horn and had to order it in, AND overcharged us for an oil change and tire rotation. I was so frustrated by the end of that trip I did not even feel like going shopping, when this was my one chance! I came home and pouted instead-- I went walking that evening and took a shopping trip to Walmart on the way home! Wednesday July 9- Goes down as a milestone day for Dacie...we got her hair up into a one complete ponytail!!! She looks so cute and grown up with it. I could not snap enough pictures!

Dacie also went on one of her discovery rampages into one of the trashcans and found a soda can. She promptly put her finger in the hole and ripped a nice one on her finger. It BLED everywhere. She was and absolute basket case about me having to wash it and bandage it. You can see her kissing the bloody thing below. It would not stop bleeding for an hour and a half before Dan got home. Dan tried getting me to take her to urgent care after looking at it. BUT I remember all too well the shot they place right into the cut. SO after her ripping off her bandage a few time and bleeding again we 'jerry-rigged' a pretty massive bandage to keep her off of it.

Thursday July 10-We met up with our friends the Hoggards after swim lessons at the park. The kids had a great time in the sandbox, building tunnels, a city and making trees out of pine cones. I was grateful for Dacie's huge bandage---the outer layers were filled with sand. I finally took it all off that evening and it had stopped bleeding-luckily.

Sterling, Emma and Sean showing off their sandbox city!

The Jerry Rigged bandage! above

That evening was once again Pokeeno. We had quite a good turn out for the middle of the summer and vacations! There was so many people there we had to bust out the microphone just to be heard when calling out our cards (as Janae is so graciously showing us above). It was held at one of our friends homes (the Williams) instead of the clubhouse this month. I love Brenda's home and how welcoming they always are to friends!! Of course it helped that I won the very last round and got to take home a candle we have so desperately needed since the skunk incident!

Friday July 11- We have been getting mail, watering squash and feeding cats for our neighbors on vacation. It reminds me that I really need to kick it into high gear to get ready for our trip. I FINALIZED plans for a sub in singing time these next to Sundays. Incidentally one is my sister who is coming here two days to interview w/ her husband as a teacher for a charter school in town.

the boys and I cleaned both the bathrooms and mopped their floors, as well as cleaned windows today. Otherwise I was chasing Dacie around with damage control and First Aid. This evening we had one game against the 'other' LDS co-ed softball team and lost. Then we were able to make up a game against a team that we forfeited too, two weeks ago unexpectedly. Thanks to some of our friends on the other team, we pieced a team together and won! The picture below is some of the gals we play with and against-showing off our guns!

Saturday is going to be serious packing day and my dad flying in to drive with me to California. Sunday will be driving the 12 plus hours to Sac town.

Alicia(me), Janae Gordon, Nicole Gordon, Julie Hoggard, and Patti Kinkade

Well that wraps it up here in Cottonwood-better get going to Cali!