Cedar Badge

Two weeks ago, we sent Steven, who turned 12 in March, on a week and a half adventure to Idaho--ALL BY HIMSELF!!! I must say I'm proud that I put my control-freakishness on hold for 10 days and let my son have FUN! I just let go and didn't worry about him (too much) the whole time he was gone.

Steve's mom offered to take Steven to Cedar Badge at a camp in the Tetons if we could get him to Idaho. Cedar Badge is a leadership camp for Scouts similar to Wood Badge for adults. So, Saturday morning we sent him on an airplane to Boise where he met his Grandpa Trent's niece, Shelley, (whom Steven had never met.) Then he took a ride across Idaho on a shuttle to Idaho Falls--he had to change buses in Pocatello. He had his cell phone with him so we were able to call him once in awhile to check in.
He had a fun time--as far as we can tell anyway--he's becoming a teenager; speaking in one word phrases in responses to our inquiries. (i.e. Mom: What did you do while you were there? Steven: Stuff.) Luckily Steve had been to Cedar Badge when he was a kid, so he knew the right questions to ask. I only wish I'd been there when they were talking so I could have heard all about it.

Steve's mom took pictures of Steven up there. She and Steve's sisters also attended the Cedar Badge graduation ceremony. We only wish we could have been there to see him.

After Cedar Badge, he got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Packer and Shari, Jeni, Heather, and their families. He also got to relive old times by playing in Grandma's sandbox. (Grandma, thanks for doing all his laundry while he was there! There wasn't a speck of sand in his suitcase!)
On the way home, he spent a day with my cousin, Stephanie, and her kids. He loves going to their house because he gets to hang out with cousins his own age. (He seems to always be the oldest kid wherever we go!) Thanks, Steph, for picking him up from the shuttle, letting him stay with you and returning him to the airport!

As we sat and watched fireworks on the 4th of July, Steven actually wanted to sit next to me so he could tell me all the things about the flag and patriotism that he'd learned. I'm very impressed with his new-found patriotic attitude! (After awhile, I had to disappoint him by telling him I wanted to sit by Daddy because Independence Day is a "Romantic Holiday" for Daddy and me--see the post below!)

This week I get to "let go" again as he goes off with our own troop's scout camp. Have fun, Steven! When he gets back, I'll let him write all about his exciting adventures.

My favorite time of year

(Hi, this is Steve. You need to know this so you don't get confused by this Post)

I love Christmas, I like springtime, and I like most holidays. I love our anniversary, although that's changed a bit now that Sophie was born on it. But there's still one time of year that belongs to Tammy and me, one part of the year that we both love and remember fondly.

We met in 1994 on June 26th, at a Joseph Smith fireside at BYU. After the fireside, a mutual friend introduced us. That was Sunday night. Wednesday night, we met again at another friend's house, and we set up a date for Thursday morning- a walk along Bridal Veil Falls near Provo, UT. We had a great time, and got together again that night, the next morning, Friday night, Saturday morning, and any time that we could find.

Saturday night (July 2nd) we hiked up to the "Y" near BYU and watched the fireworks together. I was into photography so we used this as an excuse to make the hike:

That was the night I told Tammy that I was falling in love- that was the first time I'd told anyone that.

We went to Church together on Sunday, then spent the day together.

Monday morning we went to the parade in Provo to enjoy Independence Day. Really we just held hands and looked into each other's eyes. We were soooo cheesy, it was great.

That night as we sat watching the fireworks from our friend's house, we talked about getting married and started making plans. A few days later, I officially proposed and we started telling our family. We were married on September 21st.



So every year as we come upon June 26th we both look at each other and ask "What were you doing 14 years ago?" Then we struggle a little to remember the exact dates of each of the events of that week. Luckily, we made a video on July 9 to explain it all. We thought it was all moving very fast, but were both certain it was the right thing and we wanted to document it. So we went to the park, turned on the borrowed video camera, and talked for an hour of our whirlwind romance. The best part is watching us - oozing with sap, unable to keep our hands off of each other (ok, maybe that was just me). But it's so cheesy that we can only stand to watch it every several years. I think we've watched it twice since then. Our kids are under strict orders not to watch it until we're dead. I don't think they'll make it through until they themselves are old and almost dead. Maybe I'll post a few minutes of it for you...

At least we didn't sing for America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9pn-LEft_w

I love you Tammy! And happy July 4th!

Ben's Ten!

Happy Birthday, Ben!!! Today Ben is 10 year's old. He started out the day with our traditional breakfast in bed. He requested a ham and cheese omelet with toast and orange juice. Dad really impressed us with his culinary capabilities!

Ben celebrated his birthday with a few of his friends Friday night at a birthday "Late Night."

Here's the picture of the boys being "good."

Here's their "real" side!

The boys played his new video game, Smash Bros. Brawl, ate pizza, watched part of a movie, opened presents, ate Ben's requested cake (a chocolate ice cream cake with frosting and Oreos), and then played more video games.
Today, Sophie and I took McDonald's to Ben in his classroom and brought treats for the whole class. And now that he's home from school, he's going to celebrate by playing more video games! (A treat for him because he's usually not allowed to play on school nights.)

Ben, we're so glad you were born 10 years ago!!!! We love you!!!

Bapa-Gump and Bapa-Ma

On May 22nd I had a hysterectomy. I'll spare you the details--all I can say is it's very painful and it's taking longer to recover than I thought it would. Let's just say my favorite part of the hospital was the PCA morphine drip and my favorite part about being home is Vicodin! My family has been wonderful about helping around the house--especially my sweet husband who has really stepped up being both mom and dad while I've been down.

Saturday afternoon after my surgery, my mom and dad came from Montana to help us and are here until June 4th. (They have been a life saver for us! My mom keeps the house clean and my dad keeps Sophie occupied!)

The first few minutes they were here, Sophie was really hesitant to go to either one of them, but now they're inseparable! She calls Grandpa Lacey "Bapa-Gump," and Grandma Lacey either "Mamama" or "Bapa-Ma." It's so cute! My mom and dad went to Eugene, OR to visit my Uncle Dave for the weekend, so Sophie's been like a lost little puppy without them. She saw a picture of them on the mantle and carried it around all morning saying, "Bapa-Gump bye-bye!" She smiles when I tell her they're coming back!

The highlights of their visits are Sophie's daily walks . . .(Sophie picked out the outfit she's wearing!)

Grandpa reading stories . . .

And Grandma making Danish Cinnamon Rolls just like my grandma used to make when she'd come visit me!

Rachel's Magic Tree House Party

We finally were able to have Rachel's birthday party. After two postponements because we kept getting sick, we celebrated yesterday. Rachel and 14 of her friends pretended to be Jack and Annie from Frog Creek, PA from the Magic Tree House book series. Here's the fun:

The Magic Tree House

The girls started out in the "tree house" that Morgan le Fay (aka--Dad) constructed. We had blowing wind and flashing lights, then everything was still. Absolutely still. But only for a moment. . .

High Tide in Hawaii

The girls started out by making Leis. Then they played the "Limbo." We were amazed at how low some of the girls could go!

Mummies in the Morning

After returning to the tree house, the girls divided into two teams and wrapped Rachel's brothers up as mummies. They (Ben and Steven) were really good sports!

Dinosaurs before Dark

This was the loudest activity, by far. The girls had to "hatch" their dinosaur's egg by sitting on a balloon to get the plastic dinosaur hidden in the ballon. They were all a lot braver than I was!

Tigers at Twilight

The next activity the girls played was "Catch a Tiger by the Tail." It's similar to "Duck, Duck, Goose," except they said, "Lion, Lion. . .TIGER" and had to pull the tiger's tail that was hanging out the girl's pocket before she sat down.

The Knight at Dawn

Rachel really wanted a princess cake, so I made a princess castle cake to tie into the theme of the party. The girls especially liked all of the candy on the cake. Even though we had the candles on different levels of the cake, Rachel blew them all out in one breath! Hope your wish comes true!

Stage Fright on a Summer Night

We ran out of time to do "Stage Fright on a Summer Night" and have the girls pantomime and act like the gifts they were giving Rachel as she opened her presents. They had fun posing for pictures, though! She'll definitely have a fun time with all the fun gifts she received.

Pirates Past Noon

Finally, Steve sent the girls on a scavenger/treasure hunt where they had to collect items around the house or draw pictures of things like flowers and cars. When they had finished finding all of the items, they received their treasure boxes with candy and prizes, and we sent them home with their parents.

Then, everything was still. Absolutely still. . .

Ben Earns his Bear!

Last night at Cub Scout pack meeting, Ben received his Bear Award and 3 arrow points. Way to go, Ben! We're so proud of you!

Tin Grins are In!

We just wanted to show you a picture of Steven's new smile. He got braces on Monday. Lucky GUY!