This summer as been a full one and we still have a month to go. We have filled the time with working in our yard, attending camps, mingling at reunions, and preparing for our new exchange student.
For our yard we had some big and lofty plans some of which included building three different fences. One over by our bike park, one built to separate the forest from the yard, and extending a small fence on both ends by our poplar trees. We also put in concrete edging, took down 3 large pine trees that were in the way, trimmed pine trees in forest, filled in the rock beds with more rock, repacked dirt around the foundations, cleaned up our forest and hauled lots of junk to the dump yard, and put our trampoline in the ground. We also moved and planted several pine trees. This is why when people asked my children what they have been doing this summer they answered with a loud, "work"! We have also been trying to pull weeds everyday, tend our garden, weed eat and mow the lawn. Lots to do and feel alive. It is good to work and see the fruits of our labor.
Mason attended scout camp at Treasure Mountain this year. He earned some great merit badges including, swimming, life saving, wilderness survival to name a few. His patrol also earned the spirit stick and won battle of the Tetons! It was a great year for the Bacon Patrol. Stephen, JT, Olivia and I went up on Friday evening for family night and enjoyed singing songs and watching goofy skits. We also loved seeing big smiles on dirty clothed boys' faces. We are happy Mason is learning skills and attributes to become a responsible citizen in his community. Lily and Lex spent the month of July attending a cake decorating class and made some fancy things. Also in July, Lily was able to attend "True You Tea Parties" learning about self worth and how to be her best self. Stephen got to go to California for a week for BYU Idaho and Lexi was able to attend Adventrue for Youth with her cousins, Kassie, Paige, Riley, & Haley. They enjoyed it so much and it sounded like each testimony was strengthened. Lexi enjoyed bonding with her cousins and meeting new friends – especially some nice boys from Mexico. Girls camp consisted of a one night camp out at the Redd residence. They spend the night doing certification. Stephen helped set up some tents, and Jodi helped teach a few things. The camping experience for the girls was combined with our ward TREK. We recently returned last Saturday from a 4 day experience at Martin's Cove. It was definitely a highlight of our summer. It was another opportunity to help our testimonies grow and realize the sacrifices of the pioneers. We had fun laughing in our tent together at night and walking along the trails and enjoying the peace found there.
Parker Reunion was kicked of by 4th of July festivities. We enjoyed the support given to ride in the parade to publicize the AMA challenge. Jana and Ryon were great hosts for a water slide and firework show to top of the day. Having everybody camp in our forest was fun for us. It was great to have everybody come to our home and play & sit around the campfire. Going to the Sand Dunes is always a fun adventure as well. It is amazing how fast all of these cute kids are getting.
Baldwin Reunion was also a blast! Michelle did a wonderful job organizing and planning this year. We kicked it off with a campfire in her backyard. The next morning several people participated in baptisms for the dead at the Draper temple. We then played games and had a picnic at the Draper park. The evening get the fun a rolling with the opportunity to attend the Real Salt Lake Soccer game. It was a great surprise to see Kassie and Sami and the family across the way.