A Good Summer Week at Home
It’s been a great week. We’re settling into having just three kids at home but are excited about what everyone is up to.
Sometimes it feels like it’s an ‘all’ or nothing kind of week. For Chris, this is an ‘all’ week. He’s working out during each work day, often with several sessions — weights, running and even taking frequent breaks to run up stairs. He’s also been listening to a health seminar this week and has shared several of his classes with Katie and I and relays information during our nightly walks. After work he’s been golfing, editing Lake Powell videos, researching and planning future family vacations trying to use up existing airline credits, going night driving with Megan, taking nightly walks, and enjoying sauna sessions.
It’s been such a nice week for me. The kids are busy with their swing dance schedules but are usually getting themselves there and back. In the morning Megan, Matt and I usually do some cleaning or weeding while Luke is gone and then I play a game or two of TINY TOWNS with Matt. Then I settle in to the computer to journal, edit pictures, work on last minute Open House lists, write birthday cards or thank you notes, register the kids for school, check out the ACT schedule for Megan, figure out medication for Luke, make eye doctor appointments for Megan, upload the kids sports physicals, and text friends and kids. Lots of quiet time and I’m loving it. I’ve really loved the Come Follow Me app lately and Chris and I are both enjoying doing the Come Follow Me devotional, listening to Conference Talks with corresponding devotional, and following their stories for each lesson. It’s been really great. (Thank you Katie!) I’ve also REALLY enjoyed the Hank Smith podcast this week with Dr. Barbara Gardner about men and women and priesthood power. So good. We got together with friends at the pool on Tuesday night. Jacksons, Richins, Hales and Larsons. Love these friends. It was a lot of fun.
Ryan and Cassie are on their honeymoon in Hawaii. They’ll fly back to Utah on Saturday and officially start living in their little one bedroom apartment in Provo. Ryan just last week received his GRE results which he told us were above BYU admission averages. 54th Percentile for Analytical Writing, 86th Percentile for Quantitative Reasoning and 92nd Percentile for Verbal Reasoning. Nice job, Ry. Ryan will finish out his internship with the BYU engineering department within the next couple of weeks and be set to step into a TA position for one of his Senior level Engineering classes. Cassie will continue to work as an Activities Coordinator for the Senior Living Center and then continue with her exercise science major.
Katie is taking a break from being a Dorm Counselor: counselor for the counselors - and has stepped into a tennis camp counselor role this week as part of her BYU Sports Camp summer. She, Annie, Dallie and Abby are having so much fun being counselors and DC’s together. This weekend they’ll head to Bear Lake with friends. When we talked yesterday she announced that she had just been offered a job teaching at the BYU on-campus Kindergarten for fall. So proud of her! She’s amazing!
Emily is finishing up Book of Mormon and Physical Science classes (just two weeks left) and working 15-20 hours a week in the BYU sports camp office. She also just applied, interviewed and was offered a job working at the BYU bowling alley and also with BYU sports and activities. She’ll prep the stadium for football games, work at basketball and volleyball games, and might even go to away games. Super flexible and entertaining. I hope she loves it! She’s really loved her summer term experience — especially her roommates, and is sad to not be rooming with them in the fall. So glad she’s had this time to be social and ease into college life. She’s also excelling on staying within a budget. Love this girl.
Megan’s Copa team is back to full practices. 6:00-7:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. She’s practicing and training at home as well. This week she’s taking a couple swing dance classes. 3:00 everyday for the Charleston and 4:00 everyday for the Lindy. When we signed her up last week Kim H said, “We will ALWAYS make room for Megan. ALWAYS!” Happy to see the kids dancing again. Megan is missing having Emily around but they still FaceTime to fill each other in on the funny moments of the day. Summer nights are filled playing night games with Emma C and Tessa, going out to ice cream with Rom and Brynnley, playing soccer and going to bed early whenever she can get away with it. Saturday was another Stake Dance and she and Luke had a great time.
Luke signed up for two swing dance classes too. 10:00 everyday is Charleston and 11:00 everyday is LindyHop. He’s been riding his bike with Tessa to class, which has been great. Besides swing and an Anglers kick-around, Luke’s been hanging out with Matt, Ian, Cade, Tessa, Brooklyn and Emma C. Love that these friends span all grades. Luke’s been to the pool several times, played lots of TINY TOWNS (our new favorite game that Ryan and Cassie bought for Dad’s birthday), built a fort downstairs to watch Star Wars, did some weeding and other family jobs, watched a few Mark Rober Videos and even hung out with Megan for night games. Luke went to his first Stake dance a week ago and LOVED it. Megan was so great to ‘ok’ his outfit, tell him what to expect and help him out until he got the hang of things. After a startling first moment, Megan quickly pulled him into a classroom and helped him gain some confidence. In no time he was asking girls to dance and doing backflips in the center of the dance circle. He’s definitely a fan. On Sunday I overheard some of the Teachers ask him how many girls he danced with and him confidently shrug and reply ‘six’ like it was no big deal. His second dance was this Saturday. Loved it.
Matt wakes up in the morning eager to do hour of cleaning and anything else that will give him summer points. At around 11:00 or 12:00 he heads down to Ian’s house and then the two of them ride their bikes to swing dance class together. Everyday from 1:00-2:00. After class they bike home, eat popsicles, build forts and bounce between Ian’s house and home. Wednesday Cade came to hang out and they went to the pool, had waffles at the Larson’s house and dressed up in the Hale’s monkey costumes to wander the neighborhood. Thursday they watched Psych with Tessa and Cade, rode bikes and scooters with Tessa, Ian, Luke and Emma C, sat on the tramp and make each other laugh playing a pterodactyl game, came inside for quesadillas and watermelon and headed out for night games. They really are living their best summer life. On Saturday Cade invited Matt up for an all day zip lining adventure to celebrate his birthday. So fun!
