The first day of June is always J-rod's birthday. June 1st 2012 J-rod turned 35 years young. We celebrated his birthday by attending the boys Spring piano recital. For this recital M and Li'l J's piano teacher combined with another teacher and both teachers had each student play two pieces. M played "Canon in D" and "Musette in D Major" and Li'l J played "Reverently, Quietly" from the Primary Children's song book and "Dual of the Fates" from Star Wars. After the recital we took J-rod out to dinner and the next day we had some friends over for swimming, sub sandwiches, and cheesecake.
M & Li'l J with their piano teacher D.H.
The next big event after J-rod's's birthday was our stake youth pioneer trek: 18 miles over rough terrain, wearing pioneer clothing, pulling a hand cart the whole way over 3 days. J-rod was asked to go as a big brother and had a great experience. A sister from our stake who is a professional photographer and her daughter, a professional videographer, traveled along side those on trek and documented the journey. Later in August of 2012 there was a "trek reunion" fireside where a beautiful video was shown of the experience. Each person who attended the trek received a DVD of the video and a disc containing thousands of pictures.
J-rod leaving for Trek. Mom S made his shirt and vest.
J-rod on the trail with his Trek family.
(photo credit © CjCarroll Photographs)
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J-rod's Trek family.
(photo credit © CjCarroll Photographs)
The 6 Bishops in our Stake with our Stake Presidency:
(R-L) Bishop N; Bishop W; Bishop H; Bishop P;
Bishop H; Bishop S (J-rod); Pres. K; Pres. B; Pres. G.
(photo credit © CjCarroll Photographs)
Our stake president asked J-rod if I'd be interested in going on the next trek in 2016 so J-rod and I can serve together as a "Ma and Pa". One the one hand, I'd LOVE to go as I know it would be an amazing experience. I've been hearing all about it since the last trek when I was pregnant with C-sta in 2008. Since I was pregnant then, my going was not even a consideration. This year I couldn't go because we didn't have anyone who our kids could stay with had I gone. All the people we usually leave our kids with in this area when we go somewhere, were also on trek. I'd also love to go next time around because M will be old enough to go and I think it would be fun to be there with him (though by that point in time, M may not want his parents around). On the other hand, anyone that knows me well knows that 1. I CANNOT choke down oatmeal for breakfast and that is what they eat for breakfast each and every morning of trek. 2. The only ones on trek who have access to "porta-potties" are those who go as "back-up camp" (those who help set-up/take-down and cook throughout the week). Again, those who know me well know that I have NEVER, not once, been able to...how do I put this delicately? Um, "squat" when needing to go potty. For those two reasons alone I don't know how I'd do on trek (let along all the other challenges) and J-rod really wants me to go as a "Ma" and not as part of "back-up camp". Hmm, we'll have to see what the decision is come Trek 2016.
While J-rod was away at trek, I had a local photographer come take some fun "lifestyle" pictures of the kids to surprise J-rod with for Father's Day. This is a photographer that was offering a great deal to come take photographs in your home of the daily things you and your family enjoy doing. I had her photograph the kids at our new piano and playing in the pool. She delivered the cd of pics the afternoon J-rod got back from trek, the day before Father's Day. It was fun to have these pictures taken and surprise J-rod with them.
M.
(photo credit © Serene Images)
Li'l J.
(photo credit © Serene Images)
C-sta.
(photo credit © Serene Images)
Siblings.
(photo credit © Serene Images)
At the pool. I like this series so much,
I can't decide between black & white or color!
(photo credit © Serene Images)
Father's Day the primary kids sang in Sacrament meeting as well as J-rod and I with the ward choir. My favorite was when the primary kids sang their second song, "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" and the Bishopric sang with them. At the end of Sacrament meeting the YW passed out homemade chocolate chip cookies to all the men in our ward. When J-rod got home from church later that afternoon we had a yummy dinner, showed him the cd of the kids pictures, and called his dad. It was a good day.
C-sta finished up ballet for the summer with a second recital. Unfortunately when she went on stage and realized she was the only one in her age group there that afternoon and that her two teachers would dance with her, she just hung her head down and cried. She later said she missed her "dancing girls" terribly.
She loves it when she gets to wear make-up!
Cute ballerina toes!
Such cuties!
J-rod and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary a few days early in Las Vegas. Our kids spent two nights and two days with our friends the H family who we've been swapping with for anniversary celebrations for the last three years.
On the way to Vegas.
Where we stayed.
J-rod and I stayed at our time share a couple blocks off the strip and then shuttled over and used the Vegas monorail to get around. Though J-rod and I have driven through Vegas numerous times over the last thirteen years, this was the first time we'd been there together. Neither of us had spent any time on the strip since high school--J-rod went a few times for state track competitions and I went once to Circus Circus on our way back from a camping trip in Utah with my family. It was fun to see how things have grown and changed. We enjoyed delicious meals at two different buffet's (which made coming home to my cooking feel a little...blah), walked through many of the different themed hotels, took lots of pictures of all the fun buildings, rode up to the top of the replica of the Eiffel Tower (which had some pretty amazing views of Las Vegas--it reminded me a bit of being at the top of the Empire State Building in New York), took in a clean comedy/magic show that was such fun, enjoyed the dinner show at the Excalibur--Tournament of Kings--and enjoyed the water/music show on the lake front of the Bellagio Hotel.
Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino interior boulevard
Exterior of The Eiffel Tower Las Vegas
View from The Eiffel Tower Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Temple
Vegas selfie
On the strip
At night
The day we headed back home we met up with J-rod's brother D and his cute family in Henderson for a short visit--our nephew C had just celebrated his third birthday the day before so it was fun to deliver his present in person. While we were away our kids and the H kids swam in two meets. Bless D and K for taking all six kids with them!
Happy to have Mom and Dad back home!
The following week we took our turn and got to have all three H kids over while D and K went away to celebrate their fourteenth wedding anniversary. We too took all six kids to five hours worth of swim meets. Good thing all six kids get along SO well, or we wouldn't even have attempted it!
Li'l J and M
Friday night after we met D & K at the temple to return their kiddos to them and then J-rod and I attended our ward temple night. We had the best attendance so far for a ward temple night, and then all from our ward who came for the session stayed after hours to help clean the temple for a couple of hours. After our cleaning tasks were completed, the custodial crew treated us to some of the "behind-the scenes" of the Mesa Temple. What a neat night!
Next exciting thing on our list: the replacement of our 5 1/2 year young dishwasher asap! One night during the last weekend of June 2012 as the dishwasher was beginning it's dry cycle, it began to smoke horribly! Fortunately we were home when it happened and were able to turn it off right away. We were prepared with the fire extinguisher when we opened it just in case there were flames--so glad there weren't any! Bummer, we were hoping to make it quite another number of years with it. Pictures and more details in my July 2012 entry.
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