BattleCreek Falls with snow

On Monday we had the time to go up to Pleasant Grove. We had some time to "kill" and I decided to take the boys up to Battle Creek Falls. I thought it would be a fun and enjoyable hike. It was but....there was snow!

The first part was perfect, even if it was a bit muddy, but then we started hiking on snow. It was slushy, melting, and then quite slippery. This time we only felt confident until we reached the little pond. The boys were perfect even hiking in shorts, but coming down it got a bit treacherous. At one point Peter decided to slide down on his bottom since his shoes had no traction.

Even with the snow, it was a fun hike. We even saw a beautiful butterfly. I had no idea butterflies would be out this early in the spring.

Scouts - Build my own hero

1. Talked about what it means to be a hero. I decided that serving and protecting other people are what makes a person a hero.

My Mom and I went and talked to Bishop Johnson yesterday. He is a hero to our ward because he visits with people. He also helps people be happy. It was fun to talk to him. The Bishop can also help people by giving them food.  One story the Bishop told me was about 2 cowboys. They weren't members of our church but they needed help. He gave them gas and got them some food for them to take with them. I think it's really neat that the Bishop was able to help people even if they aren't members of our church. Bishop told me that it's because Heavenly Father loves everyone, not just members of our church.

2. There are many things that people can do to be a hero in their community. I think that helping someone cross the street would be a good thing. Plus, you can collect garbage that isn't yours. My Mom and I talked about the Provo police officer that was recently killed. We talked about how the people of Springville have been doing things to show respect. Like lining the streets and putting blue bows up.

3. There is a police officer in our neighborhood. He works for the city of Spanish Fork. My Mom and I decided to take him and his family a care package because he works so hard to keep our community safe.

6. I created my own superhero. All those pictures around him are his super powers.

Luke glasses

Since I was taking Peter in I figured I might as well take Luke in to for an eye checkup. I've never thought his eyesight was bad at all. I was wrong. His prescription is -1.0 in one eye and -.50 in the other. I never would have thought they would be worse then Peter's. These are the glasses that he chose, but we ordered them in a grey/red combination instead of this brown color.

This kid is hilarious at doctor offices. They assistant took pictures of the back of Luke's eye and put them up on the computer so the doctor could see them as soon as he walked in. Luke was confused about what the pictures were. The doctor explained to Luke what they were and all Luke wanted to know was where his lungs were. The doctor thought that was pretty funny.

Then, when the doctor was trying to get Luke to tell him which prescription was better (the dreaded 1 or 2, 2 or 3 game) Luke told him that he discovered that the higher number is always the best number. After that was done the doctor explained to Luke that eyeglasses will help him to see things better. Luke then replied that he wanted glasses that would make him fart better. Gah, this kid. Seriously, never a dull moment.

Scouts - Aquanaut

1 - Learned about all the safety precautions that must be done before water activities
2 - Learned about all the safety precautions and skills you need to know before going boating. Peter remembered going boating last year at day camp which helped him to think about the importance of these safety requirements.

Day Camp - July 2018

3. Talked about order of rescue and demonstrated the reach and throw technique using a stuffed animal and a water shoe as the life preserver.

4. Attempted the BSA Swimmer Test

5. Talked about diving precautions and attempted a front surface dive.

6. Demonstrated the crawl and breaststroke

Botony

While Peter was away, Luke and I started our next unit study in science. We will be learning about botany for the rest of the school year. It's my favorite topic ever! I've always wanted to have a Venus fly trap plant. I saw this kit at Hobby Lobby and I knew we needed to try it out. The seeds are soooo tiny! I was really quite shocked at how small they are. They also take forever to grow. It will be a good 2-3 months before we will even see them sprouting.

This kit came with two different varieties of seeds. The first type (venus fly trap) we were able to plant right away. The second type (sundews) need to sit in the fridge for 6 weeks and then we can plant them in soil. They also have to be watered with distilled water because the minerals in our normal water will kill the seeds. I'm loving it. Luke was not even excited. In fact, he said he was so worried about the plants eating him that he wouldn't even help plant the seeds. WAY too many human eating plants on his video games, I guess.

We also talked about how roots help plants to grow. As a visual representation I showed Luke what my crazy orchid plant is doing right now. It has decided to grow some roots right above leaves that are already on the plant. They are growing at a very rapid pace. I'm enthralled with checking on it everyday. My sister says that orchids are normally very finicky and need extra care. Mine has been so hardy and I treat it just like all my other houseplants. It hasn't been hard to take care of at all. I've had this plant two years and I'm really hoping it will decide that it wants to bloom for me once these roots are finished growing.

Trip to Disneyland

When the boys turned 5 Brandon decided to take them to Disneyland to celebrate (just Dad and the kid). We had no intention of repeating a trip to Disneyland anytime soon. Brandon decided shortly after Peter turned 10 that it would be fun to do it again. This time they flew out of SLC (last time it was Provo), and I drove them up to drop them off. It was a little heart wrenching watching them leave, but I knew the time together would be a good thing for both of them.

They enjoyed three days at Disney and plus the 2 travel days. It was fun to get picture updates throughout each day. Almost better were the daily breakfast/lunch/and dinner pictures. They had a wonderful time together and I'm so glad we were financially able to make it happen. Luke is already planning on taking Brandon to DisneyWorld in Florida when he turns 10. 

Field trip with friends

When Thanksgiving Point had their special home school day we made sure to get out of the house and go with our friends. We went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Luke wasn't too excited about most of it. But, he really, really, really enjoyed the earthquake table and this mirror table. He was mom's little shadow during the majority of our trip. Peter, on the other hand, wandered around like crazy and rarely came back to find me. He was thrilled with the freedom and loved being their with friends.

Once we were all done the kids were so hungry so I bought them food on location. I hate doing that because it is so expensive. My friend also bought her kiddos french fries (smart idea - go for the thing you know they will love) and we sat and talked while the kids told jokes and laughed with each other. It was such a tender time. I didn't want it to end. Eventually though, we had to part ways. Us back to Springville and Alli back up to Layton.

Dressing up with the hats in the gift shop. How many other kids have done the same thing. Yikes!

Treasured moments like these make my life so happy!

Selfie pictures

My boys love playing with my phone so much. I have to be extra vigilant about deleting their selfies on a regular basis. There are times though when I find myself keeping one or two because they are so darling. I can feel their childhood slipping through my fingers and it's so extremely sad.

Peter Glasses

I finally decided it was time to take Peter in to get glasses. About 5 years ago I took him in and got him glasses, but I was never satisfied with them. Peter always complained that they hurt and they gave him headaches. In preparation for him attending public school in the fall, we took him for a checkup. I let me pick the glasses that he liked best (he thought the ones with the nose supports were so dumb).  I think he looks fabulous! His prescription is only -.25 so that was happy news. Mine is -16.25. Thankfully he takes after Brandon in that regard.