Michael, Quinn, and Alex went on a grueling overnight Scout Camp last weekend. The hike was a five-hour uphill trek with backpacks. This is part of a requirement for a merit badge, and Michael was truly concerned that Alex might quit in the middle. Michael kept asking me, "What will I do when Alex refuses to continue?" But the worry was all for nothing. His 70-pound body carried that backpack up the mountain, and Michael said both boys did just fine. (I'm sure I would never have made it myself.)
Alex has been loving reading lately. This is quite a turnaround from the Alex we've known. He started reading The Boxcar Children last week and couldn't put it down. Maybe it's because it's the story of four orphan children. Alex could probably relate to the children. He read for two hours today (Sunday), and started in on the second book. I told him there are over 150 Boxcar Children books, and he's excited about it. He's been observing Quinn devour the Ranger's Apprentice books, and hopefully the love of reading is catching on. He's reading independently for the first time, and I am encouraged that we are making good progress.
When Marissa told me a few months ago that she wants her wedding reception in our back yard, I knew it would mean lots of yard work this summer. The labor is starting to pay off. Hopefully we can keep the yard looking good for a couple more months.
Quinn is doing swim team for the third summer in a row. By the time the summer is over, he's dark brown with ripped muscles.
I put Alex in Level 4 swimming, and he made amazing progress in the two weeks. The first day of the lesson, he was trying to swim with his head out of the water. He's now not a bad swimmer and is doing another session in Level 5.
Quinn diving.
Taylorsville Days was not bad at all. The celebration gets a little bigger each year. Here Alex is learning how to operate this miniature shovel.
Our usual trip to Logan for the fireworks.
A string of firecrackers. I can't imagine who could have lit these illegal noise makers!!!! The day after we lit fireworks in our driveway, Alex gathered unspent firecrackers, and we caught him behind a locked door in his bedroom trying to make a "bomb." I proceeded to show him pictures of kids' blown-up hands and missing fingers on the internet. He also got the door removed from his bedroom. Yes, the WHOLE door. He loses his privacy for two weeks.
Marissa and Zack are having fun planning their wedding, but the stress of school and work is a bit much at times. Here is a sample of one of their engagement pictures (one they're not using). Just a little peek of coming attractions.
I do school with Alex every morning for two hours. Quinn is also doing it. It's the only way to be fair. We do reading comprehension, spelling, writing, cursive, and lots of math: decimals, fractions, percentages, radius, diameter, circumference, area, volume, etc. I feel really good about what we're accomplishing, and most days go pretty smoothly. Some days have been a real headache, however. The good days DO outnumber the bad.
Quinn and Alex played organized soccer this spring. They were on a winning team this time.
We're taking care of our little nephew for four days. Here we are at the pool. At first he was very clingy and wouldn't let go of me.
