Happy 4th of July!

Hey look, we are festive!  

We had a pretty relaxing 4th of July, just hanging out in town, barbecuing, swimming, and then hitting up fireworks in town.  Nothing huge, but it was fun to pretty much spend the entire day together!  

Jackson went swimming with us for the first time and actually really enjoyed it! Probably because the water is starting to get super warm, and he enjoys watching the kids splash around.  Before I took this picture, he was really really happy, but once I took out the camera, he froze-wouldn't smile, wouldn't move.  I actually got a little worried, I couldn't tell if he got cold after being out of the pool, or if something was really wrong.  I took him in for a 20 minute catnap, and then he was fine.  

 Getting ready to go to the fireworks!

 Totally festive in his red, white, and blue shirt!  Even his whitish hair matches!

 Look, I took a selfie! (And just for the record, I feel really dumb using that word.).

 Jordan's Fireworks Picture

 Me and My Buddy

 Jackson's Fireworks Picture

 JD and Dad's Fireworks Picture

 Karianna's Fireworks Picture

 Sara's Fireworks Picture

More 4th of July Activities

We started the holiday with a sleepover in the family room, something the kids ask to do all the time.  JD woke up at the crack of dawn to help deliver flags, so he was gone when I took this picture.

 I got all festive and chopped up a watermelon in the shape of stars, added some blueberries, and a bowl full of cool whip for dipping.

 We headed to the Hansons' house for a neighborhood run, swimming, and brunch.  Jared stayed home with the little ones, as he really needed some extra sleep.

 At the finish line with the Hansons!

 And lining up at the starting line, just waiting for the official go ahead!

We stayed for a good 2 hours, maybe even a bit more, and had a great time swimming, diving for pennies (there were 1000 in the pool!) and just chatting with friends and neighbors.  I really enjoyed myself, and it was a great way to kick off the 4th of July!

Karianna and Dive Team

I gave Karianna the option this year of doing swim team or dive team.  She went back and forth, and while I gave her some input on the pros and cons, I let her make the decision.  She went with dive team, and we dove (literally!) right in!  She started team practices on June 2nd at 7am, missed June 3rd since it was James' surgey day, and hasn't missed since.  She always wakes up somewhat tired and asks if she can go back to sleep after practices, but rarely does since diving wakes her up.  I do wish her practices would be a bit later for everyone's sake, but it is what it is, and it is teaching Karianna dedication!

 So far, I have enjoyed this experience for Karianna quite a bit!  She has always been a natural diver, and I was tickled to see the coaches teaching true blue technique.  She had her first diving meet on June 11th-she started with a front tuck jump, a front straight jump, and a front dive line up.  She did fantastic and while we honestly didn't expect her to place, she got 5th out of about 20 girls!  Woohoo!  She had her second dive meet on June 18th-she did a back tuck jump, a front dive with a hurdle, and a back dive, which she had only just mastered that week!  She did even better this time around and got 3rd out of about 18 girls!  Double Woohoo!  Her third dive meet was on June 25th.  She did the same jumps as the week before, and as such, we did not expect her to place since the other girls were obviously doing harder jumps-flips and inwards (scary!!!).  Plus, her coaches had not started her team on the high dive, whereas all the other girls were doing jumps off the high dive.  With the greater degree of difficulty, Karianna did not end up placing at that dive meet.  It was a great opportunity for her to persevere despite some tears and obvious sadness.  The very fact that she is brave enough to do a dive meet with everyone watching her dive is amazing-even moreso because out of her entire dive team at Shepherd, she is the ONLY girl in her age group who has opted to do the dive meets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It is crazy to me how many girls choose not to do that portion of dive team--its not about winning ribbons, its about the experience and seeing the learning experience from beginning to end.  So while Karianna didn't place, we let her know how proud we were of her efforts and not giving up in the slightest.  I was probably prouder of her at that third meet than at the first two when she got ribbons.  So WOOHOOO!

This week Karianna is working on front and back jumps off the high dive, her tuck dive, and getting a jump in her back dive.  We have 3 more dive meets to tackle, one of which is the championship qualifiers; I don't expect Karianna to have learned enough harder dives to qualify, but it will still be a good experience for her to attend if her coaches things she is ready.

Just so proud of Karianna, she can be such a worrier, but she is also one of the most dedicated kids I know, and I"m so proud of that part of her personality.

Baby Food

BOO!

 Just kidding!  I started Jacks on baby food maybe 2 weeks ago at 6 1/2 months old, but he just did not like it one bit.  So rather than forcing it, I took a step back for a few weeks and tried again just a few days before he turned 7 months.  This time went much better, and he is officially a foodie now!

 It took him a little longer than I anticipated to figure out how to form his mouth around the spoon, but he definitely, DEFINITELY knows the spoon means food-doesn't matter if it is time to eat, if you show him a spoon, he wants it!

 With his high chair set up, he now loves to just sit in the kitchen watching all the commotion around him.  He'll play with spoons, tapping them together and on the table over and over.

 And of course, trying to shove them in his mouth!

 As of now, he has done sweet potatoe, pear, banana, an carrot, although he did not take well to carrot.

 Needless to say, he is very pleased with himself and just loves to eat food now!  I haven't let him try puffs or kix/cheerios yet, but maybe in a few weeks we'll add that to his repartoire!

Swim Season is in Full Gear!

So glad swimming is in full session!  I got kind of lax about swimming last year because I was pregnant and uncomfortable, and just didn't want to deal with getting in and out of swimming suits, washing and drying my hair, etc.  The benefits of being in the water just didn't outweigh the annoyances that followed.  As a result, I didn't go swimming nearly as often as I would have liked.  

This summer has been way different!  I have loved jumping in the pool with the kids, occasionally with Jared, and frequently on my own during naps or after kids go to bed.  Being in water is so relaxing for me, and I am finding swimming laps to be soothing and methodical.  

And of course, the kids love that swimming is an everyday event now!  The older kids are just as adept as ever in the pool, Sara is independent now, and its fun watching the kids experiment with flips, dives, races, and splashes.  Stephen comes swimming often, along with the Mantanonas, and that is always a fun thing for the kids.  James doesn't seem to really care about the water yet.  He is okay if I hold him the entire time....otherwise, he gets sad, and while he balanced okay in his puddle jumper, he just doesn't love it to actually want to go swimming most days.  He's usually pretty content to just play on the patio, which I guess I don't care about.  To date, Jackson has gone swimming about 3 times.  :)  Its stressful for me to monitor a little baby in a pool full of rambunctious kids, so I usually time his late nap to be during swimming time.  Now that the water has warmed up significantly, he enjoys sitting in is floatie watching the other kids and comping on rings and other water toys.  

Swimming saves me most days from going crazy, since we swim for an hour and a half before Jared comes home.  Its a good way to end the days, and a great way to keep cool as AZ continues to heat up!  We've already dealt with lots of issues with the shark-hopefully that doesn't continue all summer, especially since the electrical aspect of the pump just got fixed.  Crossing our fingers!

End of May 

Early June

Sunsplash Golfland!

I have been so excited to introduce Karianna and JD to Sunsplash Golfland this summer, and we finally got to do it today!  I have amazing memories of this place as a kid-not that I went there a ton but because I only went there a few times---that was enough to pcreate some seriously awesome memories of this place I LOVED and would go to all the time if  it was free and close to my house!  Karianna and JD have been saving up their money for quite some time to pay for their own tickets, and with the weather hot enough for a night swim, today was the day!

Before

 As I expected, the evening was just awesome!  Rober, Rachel, and Stephen came with us, and while I told them they were more than welcome to go off on their own to enjoy their experience, we stuck together the full 4 hours and rode as many slides as we could.  More than that, we hit the waves twice in Thunder Bay and endured the overly-chlorinated waters surrounding the lilly pads to watch Rob and Steve race across the lilly pads--though JD and Karianna really held their own!

Every slide was awesome honestly-I LOVE water slides!  I could go on and on, but I'll just suffice it to say Karianna and JD took a page out of my book with no hesitation.  We started in the wave pool (after being kicked out of for exactly 30 seconds), and Karianna shocked me by being able to handle the waves at 5/6 feet with no difficulty.  When we went back in the second time near the end of our visit, JD ventured out to the deep waves with me and did okay for the first minute, but then started to look a little panicky, so I swam him back in where he thoroughly enjoyed diving through the smaller waves.  It was the only time of the night where I thought maybe this wasn't such a good idea...it was temporary thought though, and even that small instance was just that-small.

After our initial wave pool visit, we started on the white slides.  That first slide was magical for the kids-they were beyond excited to do it again!  We intended to go to the Dragon slides second, but the kids seemed gung ho to try the Bonsai slides....and though I was hesitant, I agreed.  They ended up LOVING them!  We did that twice, then the Dragon slides, and then we headed to one I had never been on-so new in fact, that I have no idea what it is called!  What I do know is it required a 4 person raft :)  That was my favorite slide of the night-so fast, and the drops were great!  It still makes me smile to think of JD's screams of excitement!  At that point we took a "break" to ride the Lazy River, the Shipwreck slides, and the lilly pads.  We ran over to the revolution next, which basically dumped us in a toilet bowl-I went with Karianna on that one, and once again we loved the drop!  I am sufficiently convinced the kids will be okay with roller coasters.  We really wanted to go on the longer cauldron ride, but we only had 30 minutes left by this point, so we hit up the wave pool for the second time, and then crossed our fingers, hoping to make it to the master blaster before time ran out.  We were one of the last ones on it, and it was a fantastic way to end--that slide is long!!!!

With that, our first trip to Sunsplash Golfland ended, over in a matter of minutes if I didn't know any better!  The kids just had such a blast.  At one point while we were waiting in a line, Karianna caught me looking into space and smiling.  She asked me what I was thinking about that made me smile.  I told her I was just so happy that she and JD were enjoying themselves so much-and that was the honest truth.  At the end of the night--11:00pm--as we were walking to the car, we had the following conversation that just summs up the trip:

Karianna: This was the best day of my entire life!  Well....except for the day I got baptized, and the day I was born.
JD:  No, this really was the best day of my life!

After


Just love it!  So glad Robert, Rachel, and Stephen were able to come as well-it was a ton of fun chatting with them and just enjoying the environment (which does not include scantily clad teenagers, who were frequently making out, cursing, and showing off for each other, but I digress).  I am very much looking forward to the next trip to Sunsplash Golfland!

Pure Awesomeness

Time for B--Well, Maybe a Few More Minutes....

Let's face it, its hard to send kids to bed when they are just being so cute and loving towards each other!

We've Got a Wolf!

 He looks so handsome in his cub scout uniform!

JD has been able to go to 3 den meetings now, and tonight was his irst pack meeting!  He has earned his Bobcat, his Day Camp certificate and patch, and 6 belt loops for various activities he finished at Day Camp.  The pack meeting itself was more laid back than I was anticipating, and I was a little sad they didn't do the mother pin/card, but JD was so excited and had such a great time-that is all that matters!

 JD got his balloon/gatorade for having a birthday.

 He got his face painted with the rest of the Wolf pack.  His leaders are Kerry Parker and Aunt Kristen!

 That's some shine from the camera!  This is his Day Camp certificate, and below all his different belt loops and his Bobcat.

I am honestly still trying to feel comfortable with all this--I don't have the lingo down pat yet, but its coming, and I definitely need to increase my sewing speed-it took me an hour to get his AZ patch on (granted it was really thick, the other one only took me about 15 minutes).  But seeing JD's excitement makes it all worth it, and we are excited to see what the future brings in terms of scouting!

Sara = Swimmer!

Sara ended the summer last year only using a noodle, and swimming independenty just a little bit.  We started this summer on a shaky note honestly-the first few sessions of swim lessons were full of tears and control issues.  But thereafter, Sara started surprising me.  She became adept more quickly than I expected, and within a few weeks, she was jumping in on her own, swimming longer than I anticipated, and acquiescing to being thrown in the deep end.  I still tell her to have a noodle if I am not nearby, but honestly, I don't even think she needs it anymore.  

The clincher came at the dump bucket tonight.  Sara asked to go on the diving boards, and I agreed.  She ended up going about 13 times, if I counted correctly.  I was so, so, so proud of her, and am officially convinced that she is a swimmer!

Barbies

 It's the end of an era.  Karianna has lost all interest in barbies, to the degree that she gave all of them-accessories included-to Sara.  While I am glad she is out of the barbie phase (they are not my favorite toy), it makes me sad that she is growing up so fast, and only wants Rainbow Loom, clothes, and shoes for her birthday.

On a lighter note, this was Sara's pose when I told her to smile for the picture.  That one is still young in my eyes!

Nightgowns

 I snagged a great deal online for these Frozen nightgowns, which are perfect for the summer given how light the material is, and given how much my girls like to sleep under blankets (including their heads) even when it is deathly hot.  The girls immediately fell in love with them-yea!  For 8 bucks a piece, that's pretty awesome!

 James can never resist a photo op!

It's Great to be Eight!

 Today was an awesome day because JD chose to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

 It was a true privilege to be with JD today as a family to support him in his baptism and confirmation.  We have spent several weeks talking to JD-and all the kids for that matter-about baptism and what it means at this time of his life.  His understanding is so simple, but that is what is so beautiful about it-I think we, as adults, tend to overthink things, but really, it is just as simple as the basic promises we make at baptism, right?  Being a part of his day reminded me of the simplicity that is often-and needlessly-turned into complexity.  What a beautiful thing to know the as we keep our baptismal convenant, we can receive real and significant blessings from the Lord.

 By way of details, JD's baptism turned into an individual one upon approval from Bishop Vennard and President Porter.  We realy wanted to accomodate our family members who would be in town, and that wasn't going to be possible if we waited until the end of the month.  I also appreciate the reverent nature of an individual baptism, as I want JD to be able to feel the spirit and the significance of this step.  I am very appreciative of everyone who had a part in planning and executing JD's baptism--it really was lovely.

 Jared baptized JD with Grandpa Lautenschlager and Uncle Stephen acting as witnesses.  All priesthood bretheren were invited to help in JD's confirmation-James went and stood in the circle two different times-apparently, he thought he qualified! Cousin Jarom gave the talk on Baptism, and Karianna gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  This was potentially my favorte part of the program.  I loved having kids do the talks.  I loved the words they shared from their perspectives, and especially as newly baptized children.  I felt it brought a special spirit to the room-just awesome.  The primary children in attendance sang "When I Am Baptized" with sign language, and Grandma Lautenschlager and Uncle Robert gave prayers.  Bro. Redwing presided-this was his first baptism as a new member of the bishopric, and he did awesome-presided with a really good spirit.

I prepared a video of JD to show while he was getting changed.  I had finalized it just the night before and was relieved that it worked on the stake center's DVD player.  It included clips of JD talking about baptism. What it DIDN'T include were two blooper clips:  in one, he describes how a dog would make a bad choice and need to repent before explaining that dogs don't need to repent, so that example doesn't really work; this is why everyone at the baptism heard me specifically ask in the video, "what is an example of a PERSON needing to repent?".  In another one, he explains how he doesn't believe in Satan at all.  While it was technically accurate, I figured we should bleep that out.

It has now been over a week since JD has been baptized, and I have noticed a change.  He has been extra helpful around the house.  He has been less silly.  He will come give me random hugs, and go out of his way to ask me to do things with him.  On Sunday during sacrament he leaned over and asked me if it was a good time to say his repenting prayer to do his baptism promises again.  Oh, how I love this boy!  He has always been an element of peace and comfort in my life, from the day he was born-it is just part of his special spirit.  I am so glad we had the special privileg of seeing him be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Special Day indeed!

**Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the baptism!