Last Full Week of Summer 2016

And just like that, summer is over. We see that many kids are already back in school, but we’re getting a later start than most, which meant one last week of soaking up the sun (for Mom and the kids, at least). We didn’t travel or make a big deal of it, but we had fun.

Nerf wars and LEGO car races: That's what summer afternoons are made of! 

Mike spent most of his week in meetings getting geared up for fall semester. Cal Lutheran has a faculty retreat, and both his department and the GSOE have their annual meetings at around the same time. One of his colleagues owns two vintage Fords (a Model A and a Model T). He brought the A by the office. 

The week started off with our regular walking of Roxy. However, the walk ended with tears when Roxy wanted to chase a dog and Hallie’s hands were wrapped in the leash. Bruised and bleeding fingers were the result of the confrontation. Eliza was so helpful to try to take care of Mom, and the two were happy that they were on their way home and close to Roxy’s house.

A bit after walking Roxy, Grandma M., Sawyer, and Cru came for a swim which definitely made our kids happy. Landon asked for Cru to stay after swimming, so he did, and the kids continued to play for a bit until Hallie needed to run an errand. The three kids came along, and the four of us ended up at Rite Aid for ice cream cones. The one scoop was more than enough for Hallie’s small tummy, and she almost regretted eating the super yummy flavor she got. We ended the evening taking Cru home and meeting Dad at home after his first day of meetings.

Tuesday morning started off a bit early with a PTA meeting for Hallie at the school. The kids played with some of the other kids, and we are excited for the changes our new principal, Dr. Walker, will be implementing this school year. Landon and Cru went with Grandpa M. to see the remake of Pete’s Dragon in the theater. What a great way for Grandpa to get to know his grandsons better! For pizza and a movie night on Saturday, we saw the 1977 version. Surprising how long it was. Mom and Dad knew many of the old songs by heart. Funny how that works. The new gymnastics schedule started this week for both kids. Eliza had to sit around a bit more than usual and was a good sport with not a lot of complaining.

Hallie finished getting the paperwork turned in for her new job as a part time campus supervisor at the kids’ school. This will be a great job for her and will help pay for Eliza’s new set of hours at gymnastics that start in September. Coach Ray said it is about time for Eliza to be on pre-team. Eliza is excited because it is a lot of hours like what her brother has. If you ever need to find Hallie, she will be at Victory four nights a week and would love some company.

On Wednesday, Hallie and the kids went to Simi to visit with Grandma and Grandpa O. and Alie. They also picked up the ceramics they had painted earlier in the month. They couldn’t help stopping at ALDI, the new Sprouts, and (unbeknownst to them) the grand opening of Stater Bros. The night ended with both kids at gymnastics.

Eliza met Sherry's two bulldogs.

Thursday must have been a bit calmer as there is not much on the calendar for this day. Eliza had a doctor’s appointment in the morning, and Mike had already gone to his meetings not long before. Hallie rented Angry Birds on DVD for the kids, and they watched it during the day. Landon and Eliza thought it was very funny.

After being a little hesitant after Hallie’s walking accident earlier in the week with Roxy, Hallie asked Mike if he would come walking with her and the kids. Mike did, and she was glad to have him along for the walk.

Right before heading to gymnastics we found out who the kids’ teachers will be. We have mixed feelings about the new year and pray for good results.

Speaking of Victory, on Friday after gymnastics, Hallie picked up Cru and we participated in a fundraiser for Casa Pacifica. Your entrance fee for Victory’s 10th birthday party was a back pack or school supplies that were donated for kids staying at Casa. Free play was had by kids and adults alike, and yummy cupcakes topped off the evening. Our names were entered in a raffle, and we won a Victory Nite for a future date. Woo hoo for us! The kids and Coach Dee even had their pictures taken by a newspaper photographer, so they just may end up in the local paper.

Saturday was quite a lazy day for the family around the house, which was a welcome relief. Mike had an appointment in the afternoon, and afterward the family took a walk around the neighborhood. The weather has been wonderful lately, and we need to make sure we get outside more. Hallie has mentioned the need for more walks or to go to the gym. 

Things Are Never What They Appear

Again, another week with few photos. While summer appears to be endless, we realize it is winding to an end. Time to gear up for the new school year!

Hallie got to hold baby Claire on Monday. She likes it because Claire falls asleep in Hallie’s arms. Such a cutie! This is the last week of summer gymnastics, which means our schedules will change slightly come next week. It has been a fun summer at Victory, and watching the kids grow and learn new things and accomplish skills they have been working on has been exciting.

Hallie went to the school district office to fill out some paperwork for her upcoming job as a campus supervisor. This week we also got a lot of snacks and food to prepare for the upcoming school year that starts on August 30. The kids think they should eat all the snacks before school starts.

On Friday after gymnastics, Landon went to an end-of-summer party, Mike and Eliza ran some errands (grades are finally posted. Woo hoo!), and Hallie got her hair done. Here’s the single photo we have that we can publish for the week: Eliza watering her garden. Enjoy!

(Mike spied on her through the back window.) The Wild One is wearing quite the fetching fedora. 

After Landon’s party, Mike and the kids went camping at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Landon, Eliza, and Alie sure enjoy playing on the back lawn. Mike and Landon manages a volley in the “badminton” game they play of 54 volleys! Meanwhile, Mom had some alone time. She gets lonely when we’re gone, but she did get a chance to luxuriate in a bath before the craziness resumed.

  

On Sunday, the Olympics ended, much to the kids’ relief. Maybe they’ll get into the Winter games or the XXXII Olympiad. 

Olympian Efforts

Frankly, there’s not a lot to write this week, nor do we have many pictures. Mike spent many many hours grading papers with more to come as the semester ends. We watched many many hours of Olympics (much to the kids’ chagrin), and we spent just a few hours building an Olympic-sized LEGO set.

On Monday, Hallie was supposed to go to The Price is Right, but she had to back out at the last minute. A restful day was not had unfortunately. We walked Roxy in the morning as usual, and it has been fun meeting some of Mian’s relatives. Shortly after walking Roxy, Hallie had an unexpected PTA board meeting. Landon and Eliza enjoyed the meeting because they were able to play at a park. After that, the trio headed to McDonald’s for lunch and then to the doctor so Hallie could get her blood drawn. Since surgery Hallie has felt extremely tired most days, and so we are going to start at the beginning and start ruling out things to see what we can find.

Both Hallie and Landon had doctor appointments again on Tuesday. Landon had blood drawn to check for allergies. We got ribs and ground beef out of the back of a truck (a large refrigerated truck from Zaycon Foods, that is). She and Landon also managed a trip to the LEGO Store, where Landon bought a Ninjago set and Hallie bought Mike the Volkswagen Beetle. As part of the deal, they got a mini-scale London double decker bus. Pretty amazing!

Wednesday found Hallie going to yet another doctor appointment after her workout. She took Landon, and Mike stayed with Eliza. The two of them went out to lunch at Souplantation before Mike dropped Eliza off at gymnastics with Hallie on his way to work.

After a visit from her visiting teacher on Thursday, Hallie and the kids joined Jacob’s mom Debra and some other friends over at Silver Strand Beach. Mike had to work, so he missed out on the sun and fun. Speaking of fun at the beach, Hallie received photos Uncle Shad took when the cousins got together at the beach a couple of weeks back. 

On Friday we set to working on the LEGO Beetle while watching the Olympics. The adults in the house have really looked forward to and enjoyed the original binge watching experience, but the kids seemed unimpressed after a few hours earlier in the week.

This big build reminded us of the Christmas VW Bus build at the Doreys in 2011. 

Good times! This new set was only 200 pieces fewer. . . .

We did take a break in the evening to watch The Little Prince, and the kids seemed to perk up for that. Charming movie. We also kept working on the Beetle.

Hallie made a deal with Kasea on Saturday: rides from and back to the airport in exchange for hairdo maintenance. Win-win all around! Hallie built the finishing touches to the Beetle, and then we were all done!

Sunday involved church and time spent at home. The weather is beginning to heat up again, and we are grateful for cool evening breezes. 

Country Fair and Rio Games

We went to the “Country Fair with Ocean Air” (yes, country, not county), Mike finished up classes for the semester, and we camped out in front of the TV to watch the XXXI Summer Olympics. Ah, summertime in its prime!

Monday seems rather boring looking back at the calendar, even though we are exhausted at the end of each day. We did not walk Roxy this week as her owners’ relatives moved across the world from the Philippines to California and came in super late at night.

The kids attended gymnastics, and as Hallie has sat there for the kids for many hours she has met several other grandparents and parents who help pass the time with great conversations. It will be interesting to see what the fall schedule brings in just a few weeks.

This sort of thing certainly will not be happening. 

On Tuesday Hallie started off her day at one of her favorite places: getting her nails done by the beach. Angie the nail tech is so nice and makes for easy conversation, and when she is done Hallie feels happy. It doesn’t hurt that the scenery is beautiful and there is always a cast of characters that walk by the shop. On the way home from Ventura, Hallie ran a few errands which equaled yummy goodness for the family. World Market had Bird’s Custard Powder, so Mike made Nanaimo Bars (thank you for the recipe, Aunt Kira). Vallarta had tapas to make more empanadas from last Sunday’s recipe, and they also sold yerba mate so Mike was happy to have more mate to drink. We did not know how much Eliza like cinnamon gummy bears until Hallie brought home a bag of them from WinCo and found that suddenly one morning they were almost all gone into a cute five-year-old’s belly.

On Wednesday, we went to the Ventura County Fair. Grandma and Grandpa M., Cru, and Sawyer met us at a parking lot at Ventura High School where we caught a school bus to take to the fair. We did not want to pay $10 for parking. This was the first day of the fair, and it was only $1 to get in. A lot of people had the same idea we did, and we stood in a very long line. Thank heavens after the fair doors opened the line seemed to move quickly. We looked at livestock and drooled over the very expensive fair food. We ran into some relatives and two sets of friends from church. We stayed until about 2:00, then we had some lunch at In-N-Out before heading to gymnastics and tutoring.

"Mackinac Island Fudge." Yeah, right. 

Best of Show: Hmm. That building looks familiar. . . . 

Eliza charmed her way into getting a whittled owl.

Hello, Dolly

Hallie started Thursday off by going to a doctor’s appointment in Ventura. As soon as she got home she traded spots with Mike and he left for work. The rest of the day is a blur. Good thing she had a camera. The trio went to a place called Paint a Dream, where each kid painted a ceramic sculpture. 

Friday, Mike and Eliza walked Roxy while Hallie headed to gymnastics with Landon. While at gymnastics, Hallie ran to return something at Kohl’s and on her way out found Capri pants that fit right off the rack. That is a Non Scale Victory in our book. Mike dropped Eliza off with Hallie on his way to work. The girls headed to Nothing Bundt Cakes and CosmoProf for a few errands before Landon got done, and of course we brought home a cake or two.

While walking Roxy, we made a stop at the park. Eliza had to monkey around a bit. 

After lunch we headed over to our friends the Taylors where the kids played for a few hours and the moms had a chance to chat.

In the evening our friend Julia invited us to see Finding Dory on base while Mike worked. This time Hallie stayed awake and watched the whole thing. Another family from church was there and they have boys close to Landon’s age and he was so excited to sit with them.

Around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday our friend Madyson and her cute little boy Charlie came over to go swimming with Hallie and the kids for a couple of hours. The rest of the day was spent loafing around until Mike got home from teaching his last class for the semester (now he gets to grade final papers . . .). In the evening Hallie took Eliza school supply shopping (yup, she is starting Kindergarten).  

Hallie purchased a temporary trial of Sling TV so we could watch the Olympics on our Roku. Saturday and Saturnight the fam watched gymnastics and swimming. After church, we did much of the same. On Sunday morning right before we headed out the door to church, Mike surprised the rest of us by shaving his goatee for the first time in three years. He reports that it’s weird to feel the air on his naked skin. We’ll see how long this lasts. 

Landon built a little temple with Jenga bricks. He wanted to make sure to get a picture of it. Creative, this kid. 

Grateful for Cool Breezes

Quick entry this week, which seems boring in comparison to most weeks. Summer is on, and we're grateful for cool breezes at the end of each day. 

Monday of course consisted of walking Roxy and gymnastics. Most days we walk Roxy early now (for her sake and for ours), and the heat and the humidity are still hanging around. With no air it is very yucky!!!

Tuesday the kids and Hallie hung out around the house, and Hallie was able to move into another food stage. Hard to believe that nearly three months have passed since surgery.

On Wednesday we had fun!!! Hallie hit the gym with her trainer Jessica and worked out hard. Right before their workout Hallie was weighed and realized she had shed 70 pounds since January 7. Hard to wrap your brain around, but we are proud of her hard work. WOO HOO!!!

Shortly after she got home, the kids met our friends the Taylors at the pool and had a lot of fun swimming. Eliza loves it when John throws her halfway across the pool and asks for him to do it repeatedly. Now is Mike's least favorite time of the summer: final writing assignments are starting to come due. From now until mid-August, he'll be feeling a whole different sort of heat. 

Showers and lunch were had when we got home, and with the heat mom fell asleep, waking up just in time to take the kids to gymnastics. While the two were flying through the air, Hallie went to check out new tennis shoes. None were bought because the price is not in the budget (yet), so they will be a future purchase. But she did have a great experience at Roadrunner Sports.

Everyone left the house early on Thursday. Eliza had a doctor’s appointment in the morning, Hallie then had a PTA meeting, and to top it off Cru and Grandma Maygren came swimming with us for a bit after lunch. Phewf!!! Grandma brought gifts for the kiddos. 

A bit of TV watching happened in the later afternoon until Hallie couldn’t stand the heat anymore and the trio headed to Costco for errands and to beat the heat while Mike taught one of his weekly classes. Time to start thinking of going back to school. . . . 

Friday started with Landon and Mike going to gymnastics and an appointment. Hallie and Eliza walked Roxy, saw our friend Madyson, and stopped by our friends the Bedards where Eliza had so much fun playing with Alexis and modeling sand.  

In the late afternoon, Landon attended a birthday party for a friend and had so much fun! Hallie had an interesting time taking him shopping for the present and watching how his eight-year-old mind works.

From the party, we went camping at Grandma and Grandpa O.’s again overnight and into Saturday. Grandpa had bought a small soccer goal for the kids to shoot at with a plastic ball that has managed to stay outdoors and inflated for some 40 years. They also had a ball with glow sticks in the dark.

Do you see his ghostly form behind the glow?

After a night outdoors, we had waffles and some Science Channel before heading back home in time for our friend Jenny to come over to visit.

In the evening, Mike spoke at a scholarship dinner for the Deseret Businessmen Association. While he dined on street tacos in a gorgeous backyard bathed in a cool breeze, the rest of the fam and Jenny went to Pizza Rev to indulge in a yummy meal of their own and then a movie at home. All too soon it was time for bed. Landon had a hard time settling down and invented a communication system (ring a bell and leave him a note, and he'll come down and get it), "wrote" a note with stickers, and did some drawing.  

Made while he was waiting for Mom to come upstairs to lie down with him 

On Sunday morning, we made empanadas and pancakes (the empanadas were for the ward linger longer after church). We assume the empanadas were well-received, because they were gone by the time Mike got to them. Good thing we made some of our own to enjoy beforehand!

We came home from church to a sweltering house. No A/C is no bueno. When the sun passed, the breeze came in, and we got some ice cream, we finally felt some relief! 

Scout Camp and Cousins Visit

This week, Landon spent most of his daytime hours in a giant field of dead grass at his first Cub Scout day camp. Plus, Aunt Elise brought the kids’ cousins down from Alaska for some more fun in the sun!

Monday was a busy day for both boys with Landon starting scout camp and Mike acting as a program leader. Collecting and returning all those cans and bottles made it possible, and we are grateful for all those who donated their recyclables to the cause. While Landon participated in a variety of island-themed activities like making boomerangs, dancing the haka, and archery, Mike stayed in one area teaching kids foot fishing (catching marbles with their toes in a kiddie pool with about six inches of water). By the end of the day, the pool was looking kinda gross. 

By the time he left, Mike was feeling more than kinda sick (possibly from the sun or lack of water). Oh, well! He had a dissertation defense to chair to a successful conclusion. Congrats, now-Dr. Mark!

Eliza, Hallie, and our friend Carrie made sure to stay cool in the morning by getting pedicures. Carrie needs a pedicure as she is due any day now with baby #4, and Hallie and Eliza had to go along for sympathy pampering. We love the ladies at this spa we go to in Moorpark.

In the afternoon, Grandma M. texted Hallie to let her know that Elise and the kids had arrived safe and sound. Grandma, Carly, Cru, Sawyer, Elise, Lily, Emerson, Chance, and Penelope all joined Hallie to watch Landon and Eliza at gymnastics. What fun everyone had, and Landon made sure to wave lots to all of his cousins. We think he was secretly proud they were there to watch him. The crowd left after about an hour, and Hallie and the kids said they would meet up with everyone when gymnastics was over.

After Mark’s defense, Mike went to Gma. and Gpa. M.’s to visit with Elise and her kids before Hallie, Landon, and Eliza came over from gymnastics. Not long before he got there, Penelope fell off a little scooter and hurt her leg. Later on, we found out she had broken her femur. Poor girl!

Tuesday meant another day at scout camp for Landon and another day volunteering for Mike. This time, among other activities, Landon learned how to hula, make glitter lava, and put together a mini-first aid kit. Mike taught kids how to tie knots and in the process relearned himself how to tie two half-hitches and the bowline. After taking Landon home from camp, Mike headed off to the CLU Oxnard Center to teach class. Long day.

While the boys were at camp, the girls went with the cousins (minus Sawyer and Penelope), Aunt Carly, and Grandma to the beach. They got a lot of (too much?) sun. The cousins all play so well together, and Eliza loved that Lily was willing to hang out with her when the boys weren’t too fond of playing with her.  

Chance was very into digging in the soft sand. 

On Wednesday, the girls got an early start to their day, driving out to Knott’s Berry Farm with the cousins, Aunt Elise, and Aunt Carly. All of the kids wanted to ride together, and being that our car holds 7 that means Hallie was the Queen Chauffeur for the day. The kids sang along to Kidz Bop 31, and never a word of complaint was uttered during the whole two-hour trip. Summer (Elise’s sister) and her 3 cute kids met the girls at the amusement park. Hallie thinks the women deserve a metal for taking 10 kids to Knotts Berry Farm in 97 degree temps and with two of the kids having broken bones. Everyone was rather well behaved and good to each other. All the heat from the day before and the temps of today almost caught up to Hallie, but thank heavens she was able to stave off being sick, and the kids all had fun.

Mike took Landon to scout camp and then spent the rest of the day grading papers. His eyes burned after so much screen time. Ugh. He got a little break when he took Landon to gymnastics. Once the boys got home, Landon watched a movie while Mike hit the papers again. The girls got home after 11:00 p.m.

Mike had an early start at work Thursday, so Hallie took Landon to camp. After getting home from work, he and Landon put together a contraption for an egg drop competition Friday. They found a video on YouTube that discussed some techniques for building winning projects. Mom brought home some straws after she and the kids came home from the Maygren’s where the kids played with cousins and ate yummy spaghetti for dinner. Once Landon got home, Mike and he built a protective cage for his egg.

On Friday morning, Mike and Eliza were able to go to Landon’s last day of scout camp long enough to watch his contraption successfully protect his egg. Woo hoo! Then Mike spent the rest of the day up at work. This is his long weekend of the month, with both a Friday night and a Saturday class.

"It's safe!"

Haka at the closing ceremonies

Eliza and Hallie stopped by Mian’s baking fundraiser and of course had to buy some yummy treats. Scout camp got out by 1:30, and the girls picked up Landon and ran into a few friends from church who hadn’t seen Hallie recently. It is very fun to see reactions from people when they notice her weight loss and the short blonde hair. The trio went on lots of errands from Camarillo to Ventura and back. We got everything done, and the kids made it without killing each other.

Hallie took both kids to a super-hero-themed Victory Night down at the gym, leaving her free to relax at home. Mike picked them up at 9:00. Then he and the kids had Hallie going for a minute thinking that he had forgotten them. It helped that the lights were out, otherwise Hallie would have been able to read the joke on his face. All fun and games.

On Saturday, Hallie and the kids helped clean the church while Mike spent the day teaching. The kids and Hallie watched quite a few cartoons and started melting in the house with the heat. So, they headed to Shave It! Nothing better on a hot day. Carly, Elise, and the cousins came over to a sultry hot house in the afternoon. Good thing it was cool for playing outside!

The kids had a fun Pioneer Day in Primary on Sunday, reenacting some experiences of the pioneers of yore. 

Mike learned some more details about his pioneer ancestors, some of whom were stone masons on some of the temples in Utah and did some of the window arches on the west side of the Salt Lake Temple and others of whom built communities along the Mormon Corridor. Pretty cool stuff! Their travels and travails put our own to shame.

Makes us look at the temple in a whole new light! 

We paid Elise and our cousins one last brief visit to surprise Grandma M. with an early birthday present and to say our last goodbyes to everyone before they make their way back to Alaska this week. We loved having them here and wish they were closer. Maybe, one day we will make it to Alaska.