June 2023

July 2, 2023

We had our play structure removed this week as it had started falling apart at an alarming rate. The kids had friends over and everyone was pretty amazed to see the men take that thing down and remove it. Addie was very sad about it when we told her the night before and she shared some memories of her favorite times. We got a picture in the morning before it was gone. We don’t have any immediate plans for what to do with the space, but likely will just put some grass there after the hottest part of the summer is over.

Farewell play structure

Watching the destruction

All gone

Hinckley had a fun Scratch Robotics camp at UVU this week and seemed to really enjoy that. They used a program called Scratch to code actions for little lego robots. Pretty cool! He is also enjoying his "30 days lost in space" electrical unit challenge which is this month-long asynchronous learning program that helps kids discover basic coding and arduino development. I don't understand most of it so its fun to see him grow in that way." Seemingly out of the blue Hinckley declared he wanted to have his mullet removed. We don't know what came over him but after 2 days he still had the desire so the deed was done. He vowed to me on Sunday that he will never cut his hair again. So perhaps he will become as Samson. He had a wonderful time staying the night at 1220 with cousins and seeing the fireworks. It was heaven for him.

Before

After

Hike to silver lake with Mom

Scratch Robotics

Addie had a wonderful time with Sadie and Kate this weekend. She was very excited about getting a stuffed monkey from Grease Monkey (a car shop that does oil changes) and has named it "Hallie"....:) Addie and Greyson had a "sleepover" in Addie's room and were very excited about that. It is magical when they actually get along and aren't smacking each other. She finished Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites this week and it was fun fielding all her questions about it as she read. She seemed to really enjoy it and was excited last week in Yellowstone when we saw a mileage sign for Cody Wyoming where the main character from the book lived.

Sleepover

Greyson continues to love basketball and active things. He constantly wants me to move the hoop, or higher and lower it. And his latest thing is he wants me to agree to make videos of him doing trick shots to put on YouTube for “strangers” to watch so he could be “popular”. Oh boy. That is what happens I suppose when your 5 year old watches too much Dude Perfect. He is extremely excited about doing basketball which will start in a month or two. He had a lot of fun running around with James and Henry in Provo and it was fun to see them bond a bit. We went to the Rush Funplex in Orem with Mom and Dad where there were things like bowling, laser tag, bumper cars and more, but his favorite was the rock wall and flying trapeze over the foam pit. He always has to be moving!

Rush Funplex

Bumper cars

Learning baseball with Nana

with Sadie, Henry, and Kelli

Zelda talks

Running around with James

Waiting for firework show

 

June 24, 2023

It has been a very fun full past couple of weeks! I don't have the space or patience to write it all out but here are a few highlights:

• Kassie took the kids to the hot springs in Saratoga Springs and later to the dollar store. Most kids like most of both activities.
• Sophie's wedding week we enjoyed lots of time with family. Kassie and Addie went down to Provo for the bridal shower and it sounded like a success. We had a wonderful time seeing everyone at other times in the week. It was a successful event from what we experienced!
• Addie and Hinckley went to a primary day camp at This Is The Place monument in SLC. Despite some rain at the beginning they both had a really great time and were in very positive moods about it all.
• We went to Yellowstone and stayed in an RV in Island Park. Everyone had a great time! Despite lots of rain on Sunday we were able to have a good trip seeing hot pots and wildlife and all sorts of other wonderful things. Overall the kids seemed to really enjoy the trip. A highlight for me was taking a dip in the Snake river with them …. So cold but memorable and fun.
• Greyson used his money to pay half for a new small basketball hoop off of KSL and has been obsessed with basketball. He wanted to sleep with his basketball and says he will never part from it. It may be a new chapter turning post Ninja life...perhaps the key is whatever sport he watches on TV becomes his new obsession. We enjoyed watching the Nuggets win their first NBA title.
• Celebrating James and Henry's birthdays and seeing them at our home and the BYU Botany pond (along with Trent and Kate). We fed ducks and floated tin foil boats in the stream there which was a big success.
• Our garden continues to produce in much abundance thanks to Kassie's constant vigilance. The strawberries are SO GOOD.

New sandbox! 

At the Payson temple with the girls

More cousins at the temple

First night at Island Park

Mesa falls waterfall on a rainy Sunday

Dipping in the Snake River

Taking the oath of a Jr Ranger

Norris Geyser area

Birthday ice cream with some cousins

Celebrating Henry's birthday with many cousins

Tin foil boats at BYU

Father's day candy poster

Hoop dreams

Hinckley's favorite periodic table - BYU Benson Building

Playdate with Brooke

June 11, 2023

Last Sunday we enjoyed some time in AF Canyon and marveled at the raging waters in the river coming off the melting snow from Timp. Incredible! On Monday we went to a fun service info event at Thanksgiving Point where they had booths about different ways families can serve this summer. They also had food trucks and bounce houses which were extremely popular with our kids.

Science bros

Thanksgiving point service night

Learning to make pancakes with Mom

Bake sale! 

Dad/Greyson date to the G

On Tuesday we watched some of the NBA finals game between Miami and Denver and everyone was way more into it than I thought they would be. Greyson was especially interested. A few days later he asked me, "Remember that sweaty guy?" I realized after further discussion he was talking about one of the players who had shot some free throws during that game. He was really thinking about that all through the week! He decided he loves basketball and vowed he would never part from his basketball. He did a lot of dribble practice on the back porch. And He and Hinckley played a basketball game against me on the park court near our house and they got really into it.


Kassie and I got to volunteer at the Saratoga Springs Temple open house (the 3rd temple we've been at during the dedication...!). The kids had a blast in Provo with their cousins. It was neat to see all the people coming through the temple and their various reactions to it. Also good to get to know some of the youth in our ward who came up with some extremely creative games/activities using discarded shoe coverings. Addie and I went and saw The Little Mermaid in the evening for a date. She held my hand for much of it, and wanted to sit on my lap during the loud and scary parts. I felt a pang of sorrow when Trident mourns the necessary "loss of his little one" at the end and thought a bit about Sophie this week. I also finished the first Anne of Green Gables this week and was nearly in tears! Reading about a kid growing up has a very different effect on me now than it did when I read this book back in college.

Cousin Uno game

June 4, 2023

We had a fun week in Colorado visiting the Burnsides. On Memorial Day Monday we went up into the mountains and took turns riding the UTV (sort of like a 4-wheeler), building stick houses, and had a picnic lunch. The rest of the week was filled with fun activities such as going to the zoo, building wooden boats with Grandad, hiking, arcade games and prizes, hot tubbing, treasure hunts at Fox Run Park, a fondue night, and much more. For the first few days of our visit, Dan and Sam were there with their kids. Greyson and Lilah really hit it off and enjoyed being "mischievous" together. Shepherd is a very affectionate kid and kept giving everyone big tight hugs. Kassie and I had a fun getaway to a bed and breakfast in downtown Colorado Springs one evening. The kids had a great time with their grandparents while we were away. We drove back to Utah on Saturday through lots of rain and everyone is ready to "start summer".

Saying good bye to Grandma and Grandad

Fondue night

GG's "doo rag" he made

The floor is lava with Grandma

Hinckley's stick house

Addie's stick house

Ready to ride

UTV with Addie and Lilah

Hinckley, Shep, and Grandad

Addie and Lilah with dolls

Crafts with Grandma

At the end of the treasure hunt

Hot tub with cousins

Enroot to Colorado 

Paying respects to Grandpa and Grandma Halvorsen 

At the Colorado Springs Zoo