Girls' Room

Last week when Joel was out of town for work we painted the girls' room.  They chose the color for the room and Spring and Thomas helped me paint.  Then Spring picked out the fabric for the curtains and we made them as well.  They love their new room and have had fun deciding where to put the furniture and pictures.  We snapped this picture before we had put anything back on the walls.  I just realized that it is somewhat difficult to see the pattern of the curtains.  We will have to get a picture of the curtains when it isn't so bright outside.

Surprise Package

Grandma & Grandpa Powell sent the kids a very fun 4th of July box.  It was full of red, white, and blue treats.  They all had so much fun looking through all the treats and enjoying some each day since Monday when they opened it.  Spring LOVES her nightgown Grandma made for her.  She gets her PJ's on early in the evening now and takes her sweet time getting dressed in the morning!  Mary is counting down the days until Sunday when she gets to wear her new dress that Grandma made.  Sammy has been playing his game they sent him each day.  He and I play a couple rounds together at night before I tuck him into bed.  Thomas is still trying to decide which book he wants to take to scout camp.  Joshie and Gideon love their squirters and have been anxiously awaiting tomorrow when we are going to a pool so they can use them with water!  Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for sending love and fun to the kids.  We love you and miss you more than we can express.

Our New Addition

Joel and I have been thinking of getting another puppy for our family.  We wanted a Lab and knew it would be the perfect dog...especially for Sammy.  Sammy needs a big dog that he can run with, wrestle with, and just get out some of his unending energy that the rest of us don't always appreciate.  We found an ad in the paper and headed out to look at them on Saturday.  The kids didn't know what we were doing.  We were the first to see this new litter of lab puppies.  There were 10 and they were all so cute.  Joel and I laughed that it is a good thing we didn't bring the kids with us or we would have ended up with 6 puppies because they each would have wanted to pick out their favorite.  We settled on this cute little guy.  He is just 6 weeks old and so very much fun.  He has quickly adapted to the chaos in our home and is always being loved or played with by someone.  Scout has taken some time to get used to him; however, last night and today he has warmed up to him and started playing with him as long as Scout is the one to initiate the play!  Little does Scout know that soon this puppy will be much bigger than him!

I've been amazed at how easy the housetraining has been going as well.  We are kennel training him, like we did with Scout.  He is doing great.  It is so wonderful to have the kids home during this time because they are able to help me by taking him out to go potty and help keep an eye on him throughout the day.  The biggest struggle has been the nights.  I think it is almost too quiet for him at night and he whimpers a lot at night.  With Joel out of town again this week for work it has left me to be up with him at night to take him out and to try to keep him calm.  Last night I decided to just sleep on the couch downstairs...well I should say I layed on the couch downstairs because there wasn't much sleeping going on!

The kids are all having a great time with Dakota, or Kota as he has become nicknamed.  Gideon loves to play with him but isn't quite sure of his sharp teeth.  Gideon is very protective of Scout though and does not like it when Kota gets to his toys.  He will take them away from him and give it to Scout.  He then comes and "tattles" on Kota to me.  Sammy just loves to play with him.  Sammy is all giggles with him and so happy.  He just lights up.  I can only imagine the many years of fun he and Kota will have together.

And Then There Were...

Spring and Mary were really hoping for a girl...Thomas, Sammy, Joshie, and Gideon were rooting for another boy.  The boys suggested they vote for it but the girls were glad that voting isn't what determines the outcome.  Well, it's a....

BOY!!!

Grateful for Technology

This past week was the first of 3 weeks in a row that Joel will be gone during the week.  This week he was in Pennsylvania for work; next week he is traveling to Wisconsin for work; and the following week he will be at Scout Camp all week.  Neither of us are fans of him having to travel and are so grateful that he does not travel more than he does.  The kids have been great all week though.  Wednesday was a pretty full afternoon and evening.  Thomas had organized a 10 mile bike ride for scouts and I took the other kids to the library for the annual pet show.  I got home and noticed a strange smell in the house.  I put the kids to bed and then was going to try to figure out the smell.  Then Thomas returned from his bike ride.  I spent some time outside until everyone had left and then Thomas and I came back inside.  At that point the smell was really strong.  Thomas and I set out trying to figure out what it was from.  As we walked to the basement we realized it was stronger and as we went downstairs it was really bad.  We searched and my arm hit against the switch box for the furnace and it burned me.  The box was really hot and that was the origin of the smell.  We quickly turned off the ciruit breaker for the furnace and AC and my thought was, "Why couldn't Joel be home?  He can fix anything.  What am I going to do with him not home?"

The burned out pieces I removed

I got Thomas up to bed and then I called Joel to tell him about it.  By now it was after 9 pm.  He asked me to bring the computer to the basement and he would call me on Skype.  So I was trying to hold the webcam and flashlight in a way that I didn't make Joel too seasick so he could see what was going on.  We discovered that a couple wires had started to burn away the insulation.  Joel guided me through the process of cutting the correct wires, stripping the wires, and then bypassing the switch so by closing the electrical circuit.  Joel is a great teacher and so patient in his explanations to me.  I would hold the webcam and he would describe what I needed to do and then I would put the webcam back on the computer so I could do what he was describing.  I felt so inept because I don't know anything about electricity.  Joel mentioned how difficult it was for him to know he was so far away and couldn't just fix it for me.  He said he just wanted to reach through the computer screen and fix it for me.

The Finished Project...until Joel gets home and puts on a new switch.

I am so grateful the day and age we live in that he could see what the problem was and guide me through the solution from hundreds of miles away.  He saved us from having an electrical fire or being in a hot and humid house until he returned from his business trip.  We were definately being watched over and protected by a loving Father in Heaven. 

Lovin' Cub Scouts

This past week we worked on fire building, fire safety, and outdoor cooking for Cub Scouts.  Gideon, along with all our other children, love to be right in with all we are doing.  We roasted hot dogs and then made smores.  It was HOT and HUMID but they didn't seem to mind as much as I did.  Gideon loved all the boys making him smore after smore.  He was such a happy mess when we were done.  After the boys left I was trying to finish cleaning up and he was wanting to come inside.  So, I put him in his high chair so I wouldn't have chocolate sticky fingers everywhere.  Then he got a bath in the middle of the day which he loved.  I just couldn't resist snapping a picture of this cute boy.

Summer Adventures

Thomas has been working on his Personal Fitness Merit Badge this summer.  In doing so he has begun riding his bike everyday.  Spring and Sammy have been joining him as well.  They get up in the morning to go for a 3-5 mile bike ride along the different bike and hike trails around here.  They have seen many deer, rabbits, oppossums, squirrels, and groundhogs.  They have had a great time.  They are on their bikes for much of the day.  Joel and I have been talking for a few months about wanting to get a trailer to pull the little ones behind a bike so we can go on bike rides together; however, we just were having a hard time swallowing the price of those trailers.  On Joel's way home from work yesterday he saw a trailer for sale at a garage sale.  He called me and the price was a fraction of the cost new so we jumped at it.  He brought it home, cleaned it up, and they were off.  Gideon and Joshie LOVE it.  Now we just need to convince Mary that she can learn to ride her bike without training wheels.

With all the bike riding Thomas has decided to also earn his Cycling Merit Badge this summer.  Along with other requirements he has to complete two 10 mile bike rides, two 15 mile bike rides, two 25 mile bike rides, and a 50 mile bike ride.  This morning Thomas and Joel left at 6:30 for a 10 mile bike ride.  Two other scouts and Thomas' scout leader came with them.  Wednesday night Thomas has planned another 10 mile bike ride for his 11 year old patrol to go on.  Next Saturday morning Thomas, Joel, and Spring (and any other scouts that want to join) are going to do a 15 mile bike ride along the Towpath in the National Park. The Towpath follows what used to be the Erie Canal.  The cool thing is they will park the car, ride the 15 miles, then board the train for a ride back to the car.  They are super excited about it.  Thomas' goal is to earn the cycling merit badge before school starts up in August.

See the Similiarity?

Sammy's Newfound Love

Thomas has begun to teach himself to play the coronet (similar to a trumpet) in order to earn the Bugling Merit Badge.  He is hoping to be able to serve as the Bugler at Scout Camp in a few weeks.  Sammy has been very interested in it as well and Thomas has been kind enough to let him go to town on it.  He lights up whenever he gets to play.  Today he told me he was going to play "Jingle Bells" for me!  Here is part of his rendition of "Jingle Bells" in June!

Smores

We made smores for dessert last night.  It was awesome and cleaning up was even better!  We still can't figure out how Sammy got chocolate in all the places he did!

Another School Year Ends

Yesterday was the last day of school!!!!  I am so excited to have our kids home all day now and to have fun with them this summer.  Joshie is especially excited as each day for the last couple weeks he has been asking us how many more days till summer when Thomas, Spring, and Sammy get to stay home with him all day long.  The kids were all excited for their last day.  Spring had an especially difficult time saying good-bye to her teacher, Mrs. Poston.  Mrs. Poston is a wonderful teacher and will be greatly missed. Spring said she had to work really hard to not cry on the bus ride home.  Sammy is happy to be an "official 1st grader" now but he also has expressed sadness about missing his teacher, Mr. Castner.  Mr. Castner is going to a different school next year so Sammy is sad he probably won't see him again.  We are so grateful Sammy had him this year, however.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect teacher for Sammy to start his school career with.  We were all so blessed with many wonderful teachers this schoolyear.



1st Day of Kindergarten

Last Day of Kindergarten

1st Day of 5th Grade

Last Day of 5th Grade

1st Day of 3rd Grade

Last Day of 3rd Grade

End of Year Awards for Thomas

Thursday afternoon Thomas walked into the house with an armful of awards from the end of the year awards assembly.  He had certificates for Band, Orchestra, Peer Assistance Leadership,  and Straight A's all year.  He also received a large trophy for reaching 1st place in points for Accelerated Reading during the year.  He also received the "Katherine McVey Citizenship Award".  This award is given each year to a student that exemplifies outstanding citizenship throughout the year.  It is in honor of a student that passed away from a terminal illness while attending the school a few years back.  With this award he was presented a $25 gift card to a bookstore and a $25 check.  He told us he wanted to put the check into his savings account for his mission since he already was given a gift card to spend on something he wanted.  He had a great 5th grade year and is already making plans for 6th grade!