I guess summer is all gone.
My kids begin their new school year this week.

How do you fit a whole summer into three weeks? This is our documented attempt.

No July is complete without a visit to America's Freedom Festival. We rise and shine with hot air balloons. We got to see my cousin Kelly and her family. No-Photos regret.

The kids enjoyed the parade. Cam always "surprises" us with a dozen doughnuts and 9 AM ice cream sandwiches for the parade. Dane is very proud of devouring six doughnuts. 

My dad joined us for the last half of the parade and for some time in the park. Again No-Photos regret (of course, he did say no more photos until he got some hair back)

  

 Dryers gave away free ice cream for the lucky hundreds that found their stand. Who can complain about free ice cream? (my kids actually: "No Vanilla?")

 That night we headed up to Ogden to stay in an amazing suite. We watched Ogden city's amazing fireworks from our room right before bed.
Life is so much sweeter when you can shut a door on your kids' sleeping quarters. What a great night's sleep...
The next morning we went to the Bear River Bird Refuge. We inherited the enjoyment of birding from Cameron's parents. Cam can identify so many birds by name, especially water fowl. It was really fun to come here with him as our guide.

After enjoying the birds, we drove all over northern Utah, to Paradise for fresh berries and then to Logan to get ice cream from the Utah State campus creamery.

Friday night, we went to the Thanksgiving Point/Utah Symphony patriotic concert. It was excellent and a great way to build our kids' live music performance appreciation.

The final song of the night was Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" and right at the end the fireworks EXPLODED! Hooray for America!

But that was just one long weekend...

What has really filled our three weeks of summer was swimming lessons three times a week and a newer tradition that I began with my friend Angie last summer. We do a craft and or an activity twice a week. This year we decorated sugar cookies, make Pearler Bead self-portraits, these adorable fairy/goblin houses, leaf-molded/shaped treasure dishes from oven-baked clay and had a water play day.

All of this definitely fills three weeks wonderfully. Makes me feel like I deserve to have the kids begin school. It truly has been a great summer! (will post Pioneer Day pics soon!)

My dad celebrated his 60th birthday this week. Hooray!

We enjoyed the afternoon in Hobble Creek Canyon at my aunt and uncle's property there.

My sister and I with my Grandmother

My parents

For all these great pictures, the credit goes to my little sister. These are my wonderful sisters-in-law Nina and Stephanie. We're standing on a hill so we all look like the same height. Ha!

My Grandpa with his third son, the birthday boy

A large gathering of Mortensens (also appearing are my aunt Carrie and Dylan, uncle Tad and his family, aunt Suzanne and uncle Dennis)

My dad began his final chemotherapy treatment yesterday. We anxiously await the results of this months long treatment and wish for him a full recovery toward health.

We got to go play with the Maynes family at their family cabin over Memorial Day weekend. 

Because of all the crazy wind, we mostly stayed inside, but oh it's a nice inside to be in!

With Angie, I attempted my first card making. Fun! We made a bigger mess than our husbands thought us capable of, but we actually know how to clean up.

Jeff and Cam spent their time talking politics, sports, government, money...and they read a lot.

When we got outside we has s'mores. 

Isn't Chloe adorable?! I can say this because I don't have to clean  up the marshmallow goo off of her 

(and because it's true) ;)

We had a great craft with the kids. We bought large dowels for each of them and they decorated them with feathers, American Indian symbols (which we burned into the wood for them), beads, twine and markers. The kids had a lot of fun with them and no one got hit in the head. Always a good thing...

Yes I was actually there. :)

Jeff and Angie

No one got hit in the head with a sick, but Bryce nearly took my eye out a couple of times.

Three months ago, Cam and I decided to have dates with our kids in earnest. Each month they get a date with one of us. One month I'll take both boys (at different times) and Cam will take Ella. The next month we switch. 

We try to keep them on the cheap, though we do have a $5 dollar budget just in case. 

Most often, they involve an ice cream cone and a movie (at home or the dollar theater). 

This ice cream date with Bryce was sponsored by the library. Read five books, get a small ice cream for free. Yay! So Bryce and I used the rest to buy dye to tie-dye a shirt for him. He loved that!

Once Ella and I bought flowers for our garden, I let her pick out several six packs. When I first came up with the idea she hugged me and told me I was the best mommy EVER! The night before we were to have our date (keeping in mind that Bryce had gone to a movie with dad earlier in the week) she said, "Mom, our date tomorrow is really just shopping. That's not a date." 

I was so sad! Cam told me to stick with my plan, so the next morning we headed to Lowe's to get the flowers. We hadn't been browsing long when she hugged me and said "This was a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be!" She even stuck with me throughout the planting and she designed how they would be planted (in a rainbow shape). The girl has good taste. 

I've taken Dane to the library in the evening, just the two of us. That was enough for him. 

I think they really long for one on one time with us. I can see the benefits of them knowing they're going to have us all to themselves. I think they feel closer to us and I feel like I have permission to give them my full attention.

April sure is a busy time of year and it's only half-over.

I'm glad it gets a kick-off with General Conference. I love that family time and the feeling like we're in touch with the whole of the church, getting filled with hope.

What's been going on with us? (Facebook hiatus requires such a post)

Bryce: Loves Kindergarten. Loves Mommy. Loves adventures with his brother. Loves imagining with his sister. Loves to run, jump, climb. He has tendons like a spring-loaded monkey. He can be such a good helper as long as you don't take him to run errands.

Ella: Likes me. She REALLY likes me. She's never been one to climb all over me, but lately she's been full of kisses and need for attention. She loves drawing and is determined to be an artist. She doodles flourishes like I do. LOVE that. She is such a gentle, serene person.

Dane: Is so glad that the weather is warming up! He really enjoys scouts and his technical piano skills are great. He's always astounding us with his wide-spread knowledge. He seems to be a factoid-sponge. He is an amazing helper with his brother and sister (if she'll let him). As long as something is his idea, he'll absolutely excel at it.

Cami: My world at home has been school/genealogy/school/genealogy/housework?/school... I really wonder if I'm meant to go back to school. Math is a lot harder than I want it to be. The final will be complete in just over two weeks. I face doing it all again, only harder, for Summer semester.

The best part of this month so far was a very special event. Last Saturday, I went to the temple with my aunt, uncle, cousin, mom and Grandma Sharon so that she could be sealed to her parents. It was a perfect moment for her and we loved being a part of this.

The best news I received this month (with ALL the credit going to my wonderful husband) is that Dead Can Dance is coming in concert. I'd thought them long broken up, but now I get to see them live. Oh. Wow.



Cameron: Life at work isn't easy, but he, as ever, has a positive attitude. He loves his kids and he makes it so obvious. I try to give him an easy-out on things like piano recitals and such because he is so busy, but he doesn't take me up on them. He's there for them whenever they need him. He's the best parent to go to when they need someone with whom to talk.

Of course, we did Easter with cousins at my Aunt Jone's house.

The next day we were back in Spanish Fork with Cam's family hunting an amazing amount of eggs, thanks to the enthusiasm of Aunt Alesha.

More good stuff to come in April and the rest of Spring. I must finish my retaining wall. I must turn 36. I must replace my toilet seats.

Have a great day!

About every five years, we seem inexplicably drawn to Zion National Park's majestic sandstone cliffs. 

We took Dane when he was a baby.

We went again when Bryce was a baby (as seen here)

 

And five years later here we are again (at Weeping Rock trail)

We had a lovely, if chilly, time and the kids did really great while on the road with us. Other highlights of the trip were a visit to Ivins, Utah to visit Anisa and her kids after our visit to the Valley of Fire. 

The Valley of Fire, near Overton, Nevada, is where my parents seemingly had to go in order to learn that my dad really did need to see a doctor, which led to the diagnosis of cancer.

My brain has been in such a different place since learning of this diagnosis. So much prayer has been flowing that, at times, I am overwhelmed by it. There have been so many blessings as well, in faith and strengthened relationships. Cancer shakes things up. It does in deed, but not always for the worst.

This is my off-track summary and my-computer-is-working-hurry-and-post-something post.

First, we found some monarch caterpillars. Very exciting! The kids named them Thunderbolt and Wiggles. Wiggles was the most friendly and everyone held him.

 Bryce was devastated that we put them in jars. He probably would've slept with his if it was allowed.

When the monarch's instinct tells it to become a butterfly, it'll hang upside down with the aid of a lot of silk and then hang there in this 'J' shape for a day or more (this is all written from observation, not pre-written scientific material).

The green hat is actually the beginning of the cocoon. It happen so quickly. Moving from the 'J' to this.

To this: all covered, but still stripey like the caterpillar. This all took about five minutes.

The cocoon is all finished here (well, there were a few more golden dots of color added as it ripened).

Then we waited.

In the mean time, Bryce began t-ball, Ella started soccer and Dane...got pneumonia.

Bryce is having a great time, but won't watch the ball. Ella is having fun with her best buddy on her team, but won't watch the ball. Dane is making a great recovery after about 10 days of being exhausted, moody and restful. He has only a couple of days left of his anti-biotic.

  We've made lots of yummy salsas. (I couldn't get this pic to turn). This is half-Lemon Boy tomato and half red.

Ella had a VERY happy birthday. She requested cup-cake baking supplies and got them. She's kind of a wiz with that pastry bag. We had a extended family party the Sunday before she turned 7 and then just a celebration with our family with some reserved presents.

 As part of the birthday fun, we traveled into Little Cottonwood canyon to our favorite rock throwing spot.

"We" did the final touch up painting in the kitchen. Just need to get those pendant lights installed and then the remodelling will really be finished. 

More nature inside the house: found this tiny half-dollar sized mushroom growing at the base of one of my house plants. CUTE!

Then this morning! The metamorphisis was complete for Thunderbolt. 

As of this moment, he's hanging on my ficus tree, drying his wings in the warm dining room. I have tiny sugar water supplies throughout the room. 

Bryce was so gentle. We're excited for Ella and Dane to come home so that they can see, too! This has been a precious miracle to experience for our family. It's been great!

Bryce says that "Jesus is the best!" because he helped Daddy find the caterpillars in the first place.