Wednesday, August 05, 2015

The Clara Session

Addie and her friends Clara and Izzi went out on a little photo safari last week. Clara styled Addie and then took these photos with our little Canon sure shot. I think the photos are lovely, but I think the girls are AMAZING and I love them.
 
{Great work, Clara Bella!]
BFF Selfies!
(Addie looks very Kiernan Shipka in this picture)

Clara, The Photographer in the flowers

Addie Biker

Addie Street Artist

Addie Outback

Fun with Izzi

Sweet Friends



Love this

Love this the most, too bad it blurred (dumb camera)



maybe my fave

Addie Thinkin' about you...and a root beer.

Addie biker2


Addie Emo Album Cover

Sunday, August 02, 2015

FAMILY LETTER 08.02.15


Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                           

We have had a busy summer, pretty much like everyone else. I always take for granted the rhythm and schedule of the school year for getting things like letter-writing (and sewing, and organizing, and personal grooming) done—I can’t seem to find the time with all the kids home all the time and the three meals to make and clean up, and the 5 outfits a day and the staying up late and running to and fro. *Sigh* So I am squeezing in a letter real quick before the girls and I watch episode 7 of “Poldark” on Masterpiece, which has replaced letter writing time for the time being.

I’ve kept up with photos on the blog, so if you go there you will get a pretty good idea about what we have been doing. We’re trying not to travel because we’re on an austerity plan, but back to school and groceries are NOT making me feel very austere! I though the kids might be bored, but they’ve had a pretty fun summer, biking and swimming with their friends, reading books and watching movies together on our many rainy days, and trying to figure out family scripture study with our loopy, lazy summer schedules. We did great daily study through June, but July we averaged twice a week, I think, and never with Daddy because we were sleeping in and staying up late. I even made the kids read while we were driving to Bozeman one day because we’d missed like 4 days and we could feel it! Other than that, we’ve pretty much thrown structure to the wind this summer. It has been pretty dreamy and the time has FLOWN (which is great, because I kind of hate summer).

Rich has been very busy with scouts and he’s so awesome at it. Aside from their weekly activities and merit badge projects, they had a three-day backpacking trip in June and a week at the Island Park Scout Camp in July. He has taken our kids on a few backpacking and car-camping trips, and has another planned for next weekend. They love it.  Ammon and Me: not so much. We usually stay behind and stick to our schedules. We are creatures of habit.

The crazy weather has not been kind to our garden and we haven’t been as attentive as we should have been with all the swings in temperature and moisture. We do, however, have tons of beet greens, spinach, butter crunch lettuce, radishes, chives, and green onions and herbs. We had two salads last week made from our own greens. We hope the tomatoes and squash come around—they’ve had a hard time. It’s fun to see the little boys so into helping me out there. Ammon has helped us weed so much, he likes to just go pull up anything, willy-nilly, so we have to keep an eye on that naughty monkey! I hope that God will recognize our efforts to be obedient, even if they aren’t “fruitful” enough to really feed our family and store for winter. We’re trying!

Addie had a great time at Girls’ Camp this year, back in the middle of July. Grandma Melin was up there working on the food, and this year’s group of young women were really happy and outgoing. They won the award for happiest campers because they cheered everyone up, and I thought that was awesome. Heidi participated in the Library’s Middle School-High School reading program this summer and she loved it. It had a Super Heroes theme and they had their own FanCon, so Heidi got super into it and had a lot of fun. James is enjoying cub scouts—he started the summer off with day camp and continues to earn merit badges (or whatever you call those things I sign off on) on his own and with his pack.  July was all about hiking, and I think August is about birds. I’m grateful he has good, consistent leaders.

The little boys and I  have kept the same schedule pretty much, napping with Ammon most days during our quiet time (siesta). The only difference is more running around in the car and stroller with the big kids (which Ammon hates), and later dinner and bed times. Niles is doing great figuring out how to put letters together to make words, watching lots of Little Einsteins and Phineas and Ferb, digging and building in the yard (so much construction all around us!), swimming and biking. Ammon is babbling and starting to mimic—we catch words every so often, but he’s mostly just saying mom, dad, and hi still. He’s a very busy climber and hates to be left out of what the big kids are doing. I spend a lot of time trying to distract him and encouraging him to act his age (“Be a baby! You’re a baby!”). He loves oatmeal and yogurt and wishes he could eat salad with the rest of us, and he loves to play in the water when he’s not tired.

We are looking forward to good things in August. Next weekend Addie and I are going to a wedding in the Salt Lake Temple and Rich is taking the other kids to camp. The next week Rich’s friends from BYUH are coming to visit, and then the next week is our much anticipated/very belated Layton Family Reunion/ Dad Layton’s 70th Birthday celebration campout at Mack’s Inn. And then school begins on August 26th. We will have only one child in elementary school this year for the first time since 2009…weird! We’re excited to get Heidi oriented to middle school life, and happy that James has a great teacher this year.

We wish you a happy week! Happy birthday this coming week to Aryelle Stagner (4) and Melanie Post (17), and last week to Emmalyn Drews (3) and Uncle Rob Hamlin. We love you! Keep in touch!

 Love, Rich and Jamie and Family

The End of July

Monday 7/27 we went to Bozeman for blood work (me) and Costco/thrift shopping. Robyn watched Ammon for me and I just took Niles and James. We had a good time, and a yummy quiche dinner and UNO tournament for family night. We still had swimming lessons in the morning and James and Niles were pretty tired every afternoon.
Monday and Tuesday it got kinda cold...during swim lessons Tuesday morning 7/28, it was like 55 degrees! Cousin Summer came over and hung out for the afternoon. Tuesday evening we had breakfast for dinner with the missionaries and headed over to the church. James had pack meeting and later, the girls and I attended Jordyn Yarborough's bridal shower. On the way to the shower we passed these deer. I see them often, they must live in our neighborhood.

Heidi took this picture of her crepe at Jordyn's party...the refreshments were a crepe bar

Heidi, Jordyn, and Addie

Wednesday night was a shooting activity at the gun range for the youth. The girls got hold of Rich's camera and ha a selfie fest. Here are Jeanette and Addie and the sun.
 

Kaitlyn, Jeanette, Addie, and Clara

The dudes figuring stuff out.

Rich is in the middle there taking a shot.

Clara and Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn, Addie and Clara photobombed by Jeanette

Kaitlyn, Izzi, Jeanette, and Clara

Thursday 7/30 we went to the fair after a long afternoon at the pool. Everyone got to choose one treat or ride. Niles chose a pass to the inflatables. Heidi and James chose Tropical Snow.

Mommy and Ammon had their first (and possibly last) funnel cake.

Friday was the last day of swimming lessons

Hooray for our little fishies! On to Levels 1 & 4!

Saturday 8/1 we did chores in the morning and floated the river in the afternoon with our Jelli cousins and Grandma. The water is low and the kids had a blast hopping from tube to tube or body floating. Even Ammon came along and ended up napping on Grandma in her tube. We got out at the pavilion and grilled some burgers and dogs.

Cousin Lexi is the best babysitter! Here she is with Ammon, and Simon and Niles.
 

Another fun, busy week! We are already into August and the calendar is full, right up until school starts. Shortest summer ever!

While Daddy Was At Scout Camp

Ammon loves the window

James and Niles have swimming lessons at 9:45 every morning. Ammon is jealous and cries the whole hour. We tried splash park after swimming lessons but Ammon was a little bit too tired by then to enjoy it. He was mostly mad at the water for bothering him.

Niles' swim class

James' swim class

Tuesday 7/21 the Jones family met us at the splash park and we had lots of fun. After spashing the kids played on the playground and then climbed the tree and used the picnic blanket to make a fort out of the picnic table. Later the blanket became a Chinese Dragon.

Elanor and James in the tree

Ammon needs a nap

Tuesday night we had chicken gyros for dinner and they were great!

Wednesday 7/22 was stormy. We had inside playdates with the Jones kids and James' friend, Journey. Here are the girls outside with the umbrellas after playing dress up (they love to swap clothes and make outfits).

Addie and Jeanette

Clara, Jeanette, and Addie

Clara

close up!

Wednesday night after the storm, we took cupcakes to Grandpa at the ranch for his birthday. Later I took James to scouts and saw this pretty view as I drove home.

How the porch looked at sunset on Wednesday 7/22

Thursday we went back out to the ranch to visit Rich's Uncle Pat and his daughter and granddaughters. Here are all the kids after lunch.

Silly faces! Addie, Ammon, Niles, Heidi, Illi, Kai, and James

The valley on our way home from the ranch Thursday...I LOVE ALL THE RAIN! Seriously, I kind of hate summer, so it has been so nice to have all this rain so I can pretend it's fall.

On Friday 7/24 after a busy day, we headed up to Pine Creek for a Pioneer Day picnic with our ward. Here is a typical photo of the van.

Rex and Niles up at Pine Creek

The big kids stayed up at Pine Creek to camp while I took Niles and Ammon home. The road was blocked by a herd of cows, but Niles got up and moo'ed them out of our way. We went to bed and had such a nice sleep...nobody woke up and we were able to make a healthy breakfast, weed the garden, finish the laundry, and straighten up the whole house before Daddy and the big kids arrived home. It was fabulous!

After unpacking and a Saturday nap, Daddy spoiled up with dinner at Five Guys. It was a great relief to have him home and to not have to cook or clean up dinner. I had been feeling sick for a day or two (sinus infection), so it was a welcome break in so many ways. Here are my sillies, Heidi, Dad, and Addie waiting for their burgers.

Niles eating Cajun fries

James loves his Five Guys Hot Dog

Addie made a delicious chocolate cake for Daddy's homecoming.

We ate it on Sunday and it was tasty!

FAMILY LETTER 07.28.19

Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                                        We have just ...