Springvile Art City Days

The week started slow and we were able to enjoy the lazy days of Summer. Monday morning they came and cleaned our carpets... At the same time they were doing stuff to update the Internet (drilling holes, putting in pipes...) in our apartments and stairwells.  We decided to get out while the carpets dried.  We gave a stroller that someone left for us a test drive down to campus.  The stroller rolls really nice, but the tires were worn through.  We had a tube pop on our walk...but we managed to make it home....We came home by way of the Bean Museum.   We are trying to visit several times this month...it closes for renovations at the end of the month and won't open again until after we leave Provo.  We spent lots of time playing outside too.

Tuesday we went to the library.  For the summer programs there they do a craft Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then a story time outside at noon.  Tuesday we were able to make foam owls and story time's theme was camping.  Jared is having fun reading the Amelia Bedelia books right now.  We also caught glimpses of the transit of Venus through the clouds.

Wednesday we spent all day doing fun things around our house (talking to Ashley for a long time :) and outside.

Thursday was more of the same...In the evening we went down to Springville.  As part of their art city days celebration they had a cake decorating contest.  It was fun to go see the finished cakes.  I even won a king size muffin pan...I had to decorate a little piece of cake with a Star tip as fast as I could....I did it holding Connor.  Alan and Jared had gone out to the car for a few minutes because Jared didn't feel well. He has had a cough all week.

Here are all the cakes that were entered into the contest...

Advanced 1st place

Advanced 2nd place

 Advanced 3rd place

Advanced 4th place

Intermediate 1st place

Intermediate 2nd place

Intermediate 3rd place

Beginning 1st place 

Beginning 2nd place

Friday we went back down to part of the art city days celebration.   They have a kids craft day at the art museum.  There were probably 15 maybe 20 different crafts that kids could make.  It was pretty fun.  When it was over we had a picnic lunch on the grass by the museum.   Then we walked through the quilt show and voted for our favorites.  It was a super fun day.  Alan had to stay home and work on the robots some more, move some stuff so guys could change the furnace filter, and go to work.  Alan barbecued some chicken for dinner and we had it with cilantro lime rice.  Alan also got the stroller all fixed up with new tires and tubes...He even washed all the fabric one night earlier in the week.  It is almost like new.

Connor before we left

Brad loved this craft....His whole 'sun catcher' was covered with paint before he was done.

Jared flying his kite

Lauren and Jared working away

Their creations all have moving parts

lunch time...

Saturday morning we went down and watched part of the parade in Springville.  Then we headed over to Alan's advisor's house for a brunch type lab party...He also lives in Springville.  It is was fun and yummy food.  Alan, Jared, and Lauren washed the car.  Then we all went to winco.  When we got home we had a quick dinner and then we went out and made ice cream for our ward party.  It was an ice cream taste testing party and volleyball...but it just turned into Frisbee...it was super windy and I don't think the net would have stayed up.  The morning started really nice but a cold front moved in throughout the day and it was super gusty and the temperature dropped 20 degrees.  It was still a fun party and homemade ice cream got the most votes, followed by creamery ice cream, followed by the deluxe winco cheap brand in the 5 quart tub.  We were all glad to come in and get warm....Jared and Brad were both asking to go to bed.

Today was a nice relaxing day.  Church went well...Alan only had 7 in his class today...yea for vacations.  After church everyone took a nap but me.  Jared and Lauren slept the longest...and probably most needed it.  When they got up we went for a walk.  We happened to be leaving at the same time as our neighbors...they were going to the 'great valley' and said they would show us where it was.  It was in the north part of Wymount in a part we had never ventured into before...We can show you when you come to visit...

Just playing...

Here are a few fun things that Brad has said recently...sitting by me on the couch..."lolly lolly lolly pop."  I asked him what it was from and he said "my head"  then a few days later he had a scrape on his chin.  I asked him where he got his scrape and he said "on my face"  They both made me laugh...he is at a fun age...and maybe Jared has been reading him too much Amelia Bedelia.

View from the top of the bell tower stairs...they are putting in a ramp

Also we no longer ding ding slugbugs...now we ding ding motorcycles and scooters...it just doesn't have the same ring...I miss the ding ding for the slugbug.

Have a wonderful orange-pineapple week...we will!!! :)

Memorial day Fun and Cakes

Monday was a fun cap to our 3 day weekend.  Alan worked on modeling a robot for most of the morning.  Then we played outside in the afternoon.  Alan came out and made some pretty cool paper airplanes for Jared and a friend...and before he knew it he had a line a mile long.  I think he made at least one for everyone in the quad (The next day all the moms told me how much their kids all loved them.  One little boy even slept with his.  The paper airplane trend has continued all week, but the are figuring out how to make their own now)....It's a good thing we were waiting for Elizabeth to get back from Mississippi to do our picnic.  We met Jeff and Elizabeth at Canyon Glen Park (up Provo canyon).  We barbecued hamburgers, had yummy salads, and played some fun games.  Lauren, Jared, and Brad were climbing on the hill and Lauren got tons!!! of burrs stuck in her hair.   Then went back to Jeff and Elizabeth's for gooey brownies and ice cream.  Then I had to get started getting all the burrs out.  I was able to get some out at the park...the ones you can see in the picture...the ones that took forever are the ones you can't see.  They were mushed and messed in good.  It took almost 2 hours, baby oil, brush, comb, bath, conditioner, and gloves to get her hair burr free.  It was almost midnight by the time we finished.  I think all in all we had a fun day and picnic.

Tuesday I started baking some cakes for a baby shower for twin girls...I baked 5 and had batter for a 6th when I figured out that the oil I was using was rancid and the cakes were disgusting!!!!  I borrowed another 8 inch round pan from a friend the help speed up the baking.  I tried to bake 2 at the same time and they sunk really bad....back to baking one at a time.  I also made 3 batches of fondant that night.

I think Lauren was so persistent in learning to ride a bike so that she could ride this one around.

Rancid cakes and batter...they look nice though...

Wednesday morning I got up to bake the 8 cakes that I still needed.  I told Alan I had to bake all the cakes twice since it was for twins.  Grandma and Grandpa Atherton stopped by for a few minutes to say hello as they passed through.  In the afternoon we went to play in quad 2 for a little bit...it was Esther and Ezra's last day.  When Alan got home he said it was the computer science barbecue (we had forgotten to put it on our calendar even though he had RSVP ...so we were glad he had been reminded about it at work) It was a nice surprise.  That night I stacked and covered the cakes with fondant.

Thursday I worked on cakes all day.  A friend watched Jared, Lauren, and Bradley outside for a while while I worked on them.  At about 4 we took the cakes to Wendy's. We played at her house for 30 minutes or so and then hurried home for a ward barbecue...bring our own meat and something to share.  Alan was able to cook a few hot dogs on the grill they had there, but then we were so late that we just took out our own leftover salads from Monday for us.  I threw this cake together with the cakes that had sunk really bad and extra flowers I had cut out and gave it to the friend who watched the kids for a bit.  I had planned to do both ruffle cakes, but the one took so long I had to come up the a plan B...and I really like it.  I told Alan I wouldn't make a ruffle cake again...ever...then I said ever in this kitchen...then I said only if someone asked me to....I do really like the way they both turned out.

Friday we had to clean up around here.  We also played outside for all afternoon.  In the evening we went to Trafalga and mini golfed outside on the lighthouse course (I lost my ball in the lighthouse) and we also did the go carts too.

Saturday was a full day... Alan worked more on his robot he was doing, we picked up kits at home depot's builder workshop, we went to a celebration at Utah Lake and free fishing day, signed up for the summer reading program at the library, went to winco, played in the sprinkler....and maybe squeezed in a little more fun.

Brad was super excited one time when he reeled his line too....I caught a worm!!!

Today was just another restful Sunday.  We enjoyed our stuffed peppers outside for dinner.

School's Out for Summer!!!!!!

Last week about the time I usually start to blog...I fell asleep.  I had a 10 minute nap or so, then felt like I could write a post, but decided to go to bed.  So this week I have to catch up.

On Monday Molly (Alan's sister) and some of her kids came into town for a visit.  We went and met them at Discovery Park and watched part of Quin's baseball game and played on the playground.  It was a fun visit.

This is a picture from astro fest the Saturday before.  It was published with the story for The Universe.
http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2012/05/20/astrofest-educated-inspired-and-amazed-children-and-adults/

 

Tuesday we went and helped out at Jared's class store.  It was fun to see what the kids choose to spend their money on....they had been able to earn money in their classroom.  Then at the store they had needs that they had to fill before their wants.  They all had a buy a drink and snack and a school supply to help them over the summer.  Then they could spend the rest of their money on whatever they wanted or save it.  They had a sweet shop, toy store, and school supply store.  We worked at the school supply store.  Lauren got to help me take their money and put it in the 'cash register' and Brad just played.  Tuesday night I went to book club.  The book we read last month was The Giver.  I had never read it before...and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

Bradley loving a mango pit

We bought the Pass of All Passes on Tuesday night, so on Wednesday we went to Trafalga to pick them up.  It was a pretty cold day so we decided that we would mini golf inside.  It was tons of fun....it took longer than I thought it would, but was fun.  Wednesday Jared got to go on a class picnic.

Thursday was Jared's last real day of school!!!  That night we got together with some friends for a dinner in quad 2.  The Frosts were moving and the Browns came from Spanish Fork for it too.  It was fun to have one last barbecue with everyone.  We made ice cream which was super yummy.

Friday was the all school dance festival.  Each grade had a different dance that they learned and then performed for the rest of the school and parents.  They did it outside in front of the school and it was a rainy cold day...we got a little wet and it was hard to see around umbrellas at times, but Jared did a great job in the jello dance.  It was over by 10:30 and the official start to our summer had begun!!!!  The night before Lauren had told me that her eye was hurting and it was pretty red so we stopped at the health center on the way home from school (we had walked)  The doctor gave her a prescription for eye drops for pink eye...she had to have them for 5 days...and she preferred Alan to put them in.

Jared has a blue J...

Jared and Mrs. Porter

 

Friday night we went ice skating.  Jared has been wanting do all winter and we finally went.  We had a ton of fun.  The ice arena here has little walkers to help them skate and once they got a hold of them they were doing great and by the end Jared was zipping around the rink without one.  We stayed until 9:30 when we had to go...and no one was ready except maybe me.

Brad (after 1 lap) was not very excited about spending his evening ice skating...but he warmed up to the idea. (and Lauren's pink eye)

I don't know if I've ever tried a picture like this before...

The oldies out for an evening stroll 

Saturday was another wet cold day.  We went swimming at the city pool and to winco.  Connor got in too and wet all the way up to his shoulders.  He got cold pretty fast, but he loved it.


Last Sunday was a nice restful day.  Jared helped make a strawberry pie...he did almost the whole crust by himself and putting the strawberries in.

 Jared and Bradley peeling potatoes getting ready for dinner with Jeff.  (Elizabeth was gone)