Cody's Eagle Project Photo Book

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A few more weeks

Oh Summer,

How I love thee...

Only 3 more weeks left

Slow down, pleeeaaassse!

4th of July

We don't seem to be having the best of luck on the 4th of July. Last year we were severely jet lagged, and this year was another bum day all it's own. We did have good eats, thanks to Pinterest and the many wonderful recipes I tried to recreate, but other than that our holiday activity was minimal. Kaitlyn wasn't feeling well, so she was in her room the entire day/evening. Nobody but Ryan wanted to go and check out our town's 1st fireworks display. However upon driving in and seeing all of the balloons(he's scared of) he started hyperventilating, so even that was a bust. We drove back home and waited until after dark to do our own small box of fireworks, only then to find out my one and ONLY memory card was missing(possibly went through the wash). NICE. I guess some days are just like that.

We are so thankful for all the freedoms we enjoy each day. We will enjoy the rest of our summer, and begin the wonderful countdown for Grandma, Grandpa, and Braydon's arrival!!

Butterflies

I'm sure you've seen the commercial. I saw it several times before I decided to take part in a summer science project for the kids. It sounded fun and something that Ryan and the kids I watch would enjoy, so I ordered the live butterfly garden.

I wasn't quite prepared of how they would look when they arrived. I understand they start out as the hungry caterpillar, but when I saw them I just really wanted to puke. Science was not my area of interest in school. In fact, when Casey and I were dating for some reason on one of our first dates he decided to tell me he had a bug collection...what??? It was not an endearing quality to me. Eventually I got past it, and thankfully the caterpillars only lasted a few days before they started building their cocoons. It was really cool to watch the whole process in action.

They attached themselves to a paper on the inside of the lid. Once they were formed we(Casey) moved them over to their temporary home that was provided. It took about a week before they started emerging as butterflies.

After watching them for a few days we released them. It was crazy how fast they grew. Fun fact I didn't know about butterflies is their life span is only a couple of weeks. Their main objective is to lay more eggs.

Following the butterfly

We found it

Overall it was a fun experience and the kids loved watching the process. Now when we read the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle we will understand it better, because we watched it happen.

Summer

I have always loved summer. I love it for many reasons - no school, no alarm clocks, no schedules, no homework, but most of all I love it because of the warmth it brings and the outdoor activities we can enjoy.

Being in the south, summer also brings a few unwanted counterparts - bugs and humidity - but so far, for the 1st time since I can remember June has been beautiful and not all that humid/hot, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it!!

I know it's only a matter of time before the dog days of summer set in, but until then I will soak in the non-humid summer air and love it!

Flashback Friday

In looking through some old boxes I came across this photo. I'm not sure why I remember some things in detail and not others, but for some reason I remember this day so clearly and feelings and thoughts surrounding the activities. It was Cody's blessing day. It was a beautiful day outside, but I was tired and just wanted go home and rest. I sat through church, went home and made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies. I remember thinking about my mom that day and how we always had Sunday treats made in the "goodie bowl." I wished we had a goodie bowl. I loved the ages of my children. I enjoyed watching them play and the sounds that surrounded our home. Life wasn't easy, but it was good. And my sweet Cody seemed to be smiling at his mommy, which always makes me glad for pictures. Thank goodness we have them to capture life's sweet moments.

Cody's Eagle Scout Project

Last week Cody completed his Eagle project. With the help of his troop and a few others, he installed a flagpole at one of our local church buildings.

First they had to dig a very deep hole - 44 inches - so that they could put in a ground sleeve which serves as the main foundation for the pole. Then they filled in the remaining area of the hole with concrete to stabilize the sleeve and provide a solid base for the flagpole.

They had two work days planned, one for digging and preparing the hole and one for assembling and setting up the flagpole.

The Thursday Crew

Assembling the pole

He had the help of his entire troop, a few of his leaders, missionaries, the branch president, Casey(dad) & Ry to help in the carrying out of his project. Everyone worked hard and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.

In this area, they produce and sell a lot of granite. In fact the city produces more granite monuments than any other city in the world. One of the local church members works at the granite company in town and donated a piece of granite for the base. It gave it a very nice and finished look.

It was a little tricky to have everything level and lined up correctly, but they made it work.

I became a little emotional as I watched these wonderful scouts in uniform raise the flag. I felt such gratitude for the many wonderful freedoms the flag represents. I am thankful to live in a place where we can enjoy so many beautiful experiences like this. I am thankful for the wonderful people that give of their time and talents, and make sacrifices each day to ensure these great freedoms we all enjoy.

God bless America and all who fight to defend it.

Our Saturday crew

A job well done!