July Tid Bits

 The gelato at Amorino in the Woodfield mall is so delightful. I especially love how they scoop it into the shape of a flower. 

I had a horrible nightmare where I was on a subway train and the driver was being reckless so I asked to get off. As I left the train station, I realized the driver had jumped the tracks and he was chasing me down. I was running, running, running until the train took a corner so hard it tipped over. Then I had to help all the injured people inside get out.

Brent and I went to Six and I absolutely loved it! British royal history is my jam and the music was incredible, the storytelling witty and we had an absolute blast. I clapped so hard!

Sydney pointed out the song La Bamba has the same chords as Twist and Shout and it blew my mind. We listened to a podcast called Even the Rich about John Lennon which talked about how he was horribly sick when they recorded that song. If you listen, you can tell because his voice is so gravelly.

This was at a Jimmy Johns en route to pick up Ireland and Gita from Spanish Camp. I love all of these pieces of advice!

Brent and I were able to have a little date, just the two of us. After breakfast we walked on the path by the lake which was beautiful. It was nice to have that time for ourselves which is rare in the middle of a busy summer.

X marks the spot!

The girls discovered so many friends at Spanish Camp.

Their skit about the pantalones verdes was hilarious. Brigitta has come so far in her Spanish and I was so impressed with her pronunciation.

I love this song.

The girls are always a little different after Spanish Camp. They are a little wiser, a little more grateful and a little more independent. They are also really anxious to sleep in their own beds!

For Brent's birthday, he requested breakfast sandwiches. Gita said, "Mom- all Dad wants is all the meat and cheese in the house!" She then proceeded to lay them all out by his plate and she was right. He loved it.

Key lime pie for this man I love!

Over the summer we get a pool pass and these two suddenly became besties.

It was nice to get away from my desk for a bit. I taught them butt bumpers which is a game Reagan and I played for hours growing up. You hold hands and go underwater in a sitting position. Then putting feet together, you shoot those up to the surface which leads your butts to bump. It actually takes some skill and coordination and when you get it, it's hilarious.

Brent took Brigitta and Sydney to BYU Cheer Camp. We just upgraded to have American Airlines lounge access and oh how the girls loved that! Provo is one of Brent's happy places and he really had a blast with them.

Ireland: They are putting me on meloxicam to reduce the swelling on my knee but I can't be on it and a corticosteroid *reads from pamphlet* increased risk of heart attack, stroke, ulcers and tears of the esophagus and intestines. 

Me: Is there an increased risk of pregnancy?
Ireland: Pregnancy doesn't work that way Mom.

Me: I mean will it make you more promiscuous?
Ireland: Mom NO!
Me: I mean you're pretty promiscuous now...

Ireland: Should we call Tim and ask him?
Me: If he thinks you're promiscuous? I don't know that he'd tell you to your face...

Ireland: Mom NO! Ask Tim if I'm gonna die from this!

I tease- just to lighten the mood a little bit.

Ireland was fitted for ballet shoes!

We had an old crock pot we needed to get rid of and I spotted what appeared to be a big, open garbage can. I told Ireland to toss it in there while no one was looking and she realized it actually had a narrow opening and wasn't going to fit. She started to walk back to the car with it and  I screamed to "NO LEAVE IT!!" She is convinced there is security footage and she will never get to go to college. A few weeks later I asked her to toss some garbage and she ruefully replied, "At least it's not a crockpot!"

I had another nightmare that my dad drove his car into the dining room of their home. Then he nonchalantly got out and said to me and Logan, "You guys deal with it." It was raining and everything was collapsing.

Have you ever purchased something on backorder and it arrived several months later when you were having a bad day? I have! 

Sydney went to Girl Scout camp and she loved it!

I've decorated Sydney's room more than any other bedroom in the house and when the adorable bow lamps were on sale, I had to get them. This is delightfully and unabashedly girly and I love it so much!

Me: You are all now required to have an arranged marriage. Do you want me to pick your groom? Me and Dad? Or just Dad? Who do you trust the most?

Gita: Not DAD! He'd look at a groom like he looks at spoiled food- "But Dad he's a drug dealer!" "Awe he's still FINE! Just take him."

I invested in some new vases and just loved trying out some different arrangements! The white roses in particular were just stunning and lasted quite a while.

Nauvoo- City Beautiful

When I realized Brigitta had never been to the Nauvoo temple, I convinced Brent to make the trip. We all enjoy Nauvoo and that baptistry is really one of the prettiest I've ever seen! Being the over-planner I am, I thought if we were going to be in Sunday clothes by a beautiful temple, why not take pictures for our Christmas card? We were getting up really early to make the drive and it was a bit much to ask the girls to be perky and picture-perfect by the time we rolled into town. They did pretty well, all things considered. This one didn't work because Brent is too low and too far back. The shadows from the tree also make our faces look weird. The girls look great though!

Brent and I were married here and kissed on our wedding day on this same exact lawn!

Everyone was getting annoyed with me and they needed to head in for their appointed time. I thought this might be the winner but Gita's arm was at an odd angle and I dunno, it wasn't quite working. So put a pin in our Christmas card for 2024!

This is a pretty great shot of the girls at least.

And a couple of individuals of the girls who weren't absolutely sick of the camera at this point.

Sydney and I said goodbye but not before we realized Brent still had the keys to the car. It was hot out and we were still in our Sunday clothes. We didn't want to walk everywhere for the next couple of hours. Luckily, they were still just inside the door so I could catch him before he was gone with those keys! Sydney and I headed to the Visitor's Center. The Monument to Women Historical Garden is always a favorite.

There is one of these in the Smithsonian!

Sydney looking at the Sydney, Australia temple.

I have no idea what these huge, pink flowers are but they were stunning! I jumped out of the car to snap a photo and the girls all jumped out with me. Bent stayed in the car- haha!

I was able to get a nice shot of them with some flowers and the temple. Maybe my early morning photo session wasn't the best, but I still love this one!

This is where my planning went a little sideways. Instead of taking in tours which would end, I wanted to stop by the cemetery to visit the grave of my ancestors: Sarah Elizabeth Washburn and John E Washburn. Known to me mostly as SEW and JEW. I remembered the headstone being by a tree and I offered a reward to the girl who found it first. Well the tree is no longer there! But Liesel found it and earned herself a cool $20.

Sarah was just 3 or 4. John was just a baby. We all picked a memory stone to leave.

The church had acquired the Mansion House, Smith Family Homestead and Red Brick Store, so I really wanted to go on those tours. At the Red Brick Store we went to the upstairs room where they talked about the organization of the Relief Society and how Joseph Smith told them to "live up to your privilege." That really got me thinking- what privilege? We went on other tours that talked about how tough pioneer life could be! On our way out, we could see his office.

Even now, the girls still love Pioneer Pastimes! Rocking those prairie styles. 

Walking on stilts was a challenge that had to be mastered!

There were so many tours I wish I could have taken! But in preparation for the pageant, both the temple and the tours closed early. We grabbed some food at Lock 19 which is a newer restaurant. It was good but this note in the bathroom really cracked us up. 

We also picked up some fudge and I got chocolate covered cinnamon bears- YUM!

The Sarah Grainger house is one of my favorites. It's a little farther afield, but her story is incredible. She married a man who was not a member of the church. He eventually joined, went on a mission and then died just a few months into his service. They talked of her unwavering faith. Her home has one of the prettiest views of the temple (see there in the upper left?). There's just a special feeling about that tour in particular that resonates with me.

We made it to the dry good store which is one I don't remember. Oh there were so many more sites I wanted to see! Should we do it again, we will visit the graveyard after taking in all the tours. Besides, next year Sydney will be old enough to go to the temple!

Before pageant begins, they always have a Country Fair with tons of activities and dancing. The weather had been raining off and on for a while. We had reserved seats and covered them with waterproof picnic blankets earlier in the day. The weather didn't seem to bother the girls because they were eager to try their hand at potato sack races:

Maypoles are more difficult than they might seem. Every other girl faces clockwise with the rest counterclockwise. One the clockwise girls go over, under, over while the counterclockwise girls go under, over, under. Then the pole becomes plaited in pretty ribbons as the girls get close and closer to it. Well, it didn't always work out so smoothly.

There were a few Amish people standing back and observing everything. I would love to know what they thought of it all...

In the end, the pageant was cancelled due to rain. As bummed as we were, it did give us just that much more incentive to go again next year!