Happy July

Our big plan to have the internet installed was foiled.  Alas, it looks like no internet anytime soon for our family.  

Our unedited 4th of July Family Picture

We have been having a great summer!  It is especially wonderful because we didn't participate in 4-H this year!  We are enjoying the hot weather, the campfires, the laughs, the swimming, and the silliness of families.  Here's a brief recap:

Family:

• Enjoyed a week with some friends from out of town
• Saw a production of the "Music Man"
• Went to a concert about the life of Chopin
• Attended a Music Fest Concert
• Had a great Family Reunion with "my side" of the family
• Working on our second session of swimming lessons just because we can and we want to!
• Lots of time weeding the garden-we finally have tomatoes this year!
• Finally bought a Vita-Mix blender and we use it all the time for everything we can
• Continuing to take a lot of piano lessons

Mr. Patriot:

• Bought an additional business and has been working hard!
• Led the hike with Hank at Girl's Camp this year again
• Playing lots of basketball when he can
• Turned 37
• Still eats a lot of ice cream, but he's definitely doing better about cutting back.  We haven't been to Cold Stone since the middle of June!!

Me:

• Went to girls camp
• Read lots of books
• Drove the horse trailer to the vet's and back and survived (and so did the horse)

Liberty:

• Turned 13
• Completed her second year of Girls Camp
• Finished her Personal Progress; Bishop's interview scheduled for next week
• Taking an online History Course through Williamsburg Academy (when we have internet she is the one using it now)
• Hurt her hand; it was a possible hairline fracture (made her cranky because she couldn't play the piano for a while).  The Doctor told me that she has a good two years of growth for sure left (based on her growth plates) and she will definitely be taller than me.  She's 1/2" shorter than me now and had I had hoped she had stopped growing!
• Trying to get her horse bred and doctored (see her blog)

Determination:

• Went on the 11 year over nighter with the Stake Primary with his dad
• Finished up his requirements for his First Class Rank in Boy Scouts
• Completed his first merit badge: swimming
• Loves Louis L'Amour and is reading lots of great books
• Is in charge of the lawn (mowing, watering)

Imagination:

• Enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp
• Continually making forts, arrows, bows, ladders, travois, etc from scraps on the land
• Bought himself some suspenders at the thrift store and loves to wear them! He thinks he's "Farmer Boy."
• Wanted his growth plates x-rayed to see when he would "start" growing.

Leader:

• Enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp
• Turned 9.  My baby is 9!!!!
• Rides his bike everywhere
• Catches bugs and creepy crawlies constantly
• Sports new glasses that he manages to remember to wear

Hank:

• Continues to roll in manure
• Takes long naps
• Went on the hike to girls camp and loved all the attention from the Young Women
• Learned how to be a cow dog and helps us get the cows in the right field when they get out