July - We LOVE to roadtrip!!

July is my favorite month.  The peaches are in season.  We celebrate my favorite holiday, the 4th of July.  The pools are open.  The kids are out of school.  We go on our big family vacation for Steve's birthday.  We celebrate Steve's birthday.  It is full of the funnest activities of the year for me.  So, that said, get comfortable before you start reading because this is my longest blog month of the year. Enjoy!



The 4th of July with our friends, the Tufts.   



I love the hot day juxtaposed against the coolness of the pool.  I love spending time with good friends and celebrating the greatest nation on Earth.  I love the child-like excitement and anticipation that come with watching fireworks.  I love my crazy neighbors who also REALLY love the 4th of July and put on an excellent show.  It is just a great day to remember all the awesome things that make our nation so special and unique.  Happy Birthday USA!!!

 

 

After attending two long weekend camps and working on his project for a year, Steve was finally awared his Woodbadge rank on July 10th.  Only a small percentage of Boy Scout leaders actually earn the highest level of training.  We are so proud of him.  

July 13th we took the cubs on a fieldtrip to the Bank of America trading floor.  It was a really cool experience to get to see where all the action happens.  One of our den leaders used to work the floor and told us all about how everything worked.  The boys loved it - especially getting to take the super fast elevators up to one of the top floors of one of the tallest buildings in Charlotte. 

While Nick and I were with the cub pack and Steve and Jeremy were camping with the scout troop, Naomi spent some time with our friends, the Tufts.  They had a great time together at the Chick-fil-A cow appreciation day.  



Jeremy came up with a new Cannonism - HUMBILITY - being humble with humility.

July 18th was the funnest play day ever.  Jeremy, Zach, Nicholas, Drew and Grover played all day long and completely exhausted themselves.  They played hard.  Toward the end of the day they were all racing down the stairs and jumping the last few to save time so they could get to their next outdoor adventure sooner.  Nicholas was the last one down and when he jumped he didn't land straight.  I heard his ankle pop and he screamed.  I got him to the couch and saw that the swelling was already starting.  We propped it, iced it and medicated it and after about a half an hour he felt a little better.  He still couldn't walk on it though.  Normally this would just be a bummer, but the fact that we were leaving on our big roadtrip the next day made it a BUMMER!!!  I still had my crutches and several wraps from when I had knee surgery and we got him all bandaged up so he could continue, much more slowly, to tag along with the group for the remainder of the play day.  By the end of the day, and after icing it several more times, Steve and I decided that it was not broken, but he would have to be careful until it healed a little more. 

July 19th, we all woke up early and headed out on our road trip to Minneapolis so Steve could conduct a culinary clinic there and we could visit family along the way.  The kids were especially excited that we would be driving through so many states and seeing so many historical sites.  Jeremy was working on his Citizenship in the Nation merit badge and had to visit a site that was on the National Historical Registry.  We had a list and were ready to go. 

Our first stop was Nashville, TN.  We got to see the Grand Ole Opry and the Opryland Hotel.  Both were a huge hit.  They decided that our next trip will have to be to Nashville so they can explore a little bit more. We spent the night in Paducah, KY.  Three states in one day.  We were exhausted. 

July 20th we started out bright and early so we could catch some new and exciting sites.  Our first stop was the St. Louis Arch.  Nicholas was especially excited about getting close enough to touch it.  I was surprised by how big it is. I have only ever seen it from the freeway and wasnt' prepared for actual, up close size.  We spent several hours exploring the museum and walking around outside. By this point Nicholas had decided that the crutches were more of a hinderance and just hobbled along, but his ankle was feeling much better, thank goodness.  We didn't have time to take the tour that day so the kids decided that another family vacation would have to include more time to explore the St. Louis Arch. 

Hannibal, MO, the birth place of Mark Twain, was right on our way to Nauvoo.  We got out and walked around for a bit.  I have always loved the way Mark Twain writes and found myself experiencing deja vu as we walked around and saw the places he described in his books.  The kids got to paint Tom Sawyer's fence and we timed our visit just right to witness the arrival of a paddle boat.  It was great!!  We arrived late enough in the day that we only had 45 minutes to see anything before the town shut down for the night.  Once again, another family trip to spend more time exploring.  We made it to Keokuk, IA, for the night.  The kids saw Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa in one day.  We all slept well. 

 

 

July 21st we woke up with a very sick Nicholas.  He had spent the early morning hours in the bathroom throwing up.  He was really upset because today was the day we were going to explore Nauvoo.  I love his determined nature.  He wanted to say a family prayer because he knew that would make him feel better.  The faith of a child is an amazing thing.  Within an hour he was feeling much better and we were on our way to Nauvoo.  This was a truly amazing way to start such an incredible day.  We got to Nauvoo and went to the visitors center to find out about the horse carriage tours as we had heard this was the best way to see Nauvoo for the first time.  While we were waiting for the next tour we got talking to some sister missionaries.  One of them was from Riverton, UT, and was actually in Rick and EllaRene's ward.  We talked until it was time to leave on our tour.  The kids all pointed out what they wanted to visit when the tour was through.  I loved riding down Parley Street and imagining it lined with wagons waiting to leave Nauvoo for the West.  I tried to imagine the excitement and the sadness the Saints must have been feeling at the time.  It was a somber feeling. 

 

After the carriage tour the kids wanted to see the Nauvoo Temple up close so we drove up to the temple site and let them look around for a bit.  My kids constantly amaze me.  When they saw the bronze statues of Joseph and Hyrum depicting their departure for Carthage they became very quiet, almost reverent, as if they were absorbing the impact of that moment as the prophet and his brother might have done at the time.    I think it really hit them, especially Nicholas, that they were related to these great men.  Hyrum is their great, great, great, great grandfather and Joseph is their great, great, great, great uncle. They definitely have a new appreciation for church history. 

 



 

 

We got back in the truck and drove back down to the town of Nauvoo.  I didn't realize how spread out it would be.  The kids got to visit the home of Lucy Mack Smith, their 5-great grandmother.

 

 

At the blacksmith shop, Naomi was chosen to demonstrate how a young child would be given the job of rotating the wheel for several hours while the hot grease was settling into the axle for a smooth ride.  

 

 

Everyone got in on the action at the Family Center.  The kids especially liked learning how to make rope. 

Visiting the graves of Joseph Smith, Emma Smith and Hyrum Smith.  There was a quiet and peaceful feeling at the gravesite. 

 

Next we were off to Carthage Jail.  None of us were prepared for the impact this experience would have on each of us.  WOW!!

Here we are in the holding cell where they kept Joseph, Hyrum and their supporters stayed to keep them safe from the mob.

 

Nicholas is standing next to the bullet hole that was made by the bullet that killed Hyrum.  He thought that was scary and cool at the same time.  Everyone was very quiet as we exited the jail.  All of us have a better appreciation for our ancestors and what they went through to help build the Church.  Their faith is amazing. 

 

July 22nd we headed out for Minneapolis.  We had to stop at the World's Largest Frying Pan in Brandon, Iowa.  The trip wouldn't have been complete without it.  We made it to Minneapolis in the late afternoon.   We went straight to Ginger's house to see her new place and let her be our tour guide for the night.  She took us to Minnihaha Park.  The kids got to see the largest waterfall on the Mississippi and explore a swimming area Ginger designed and helped create.  She took us to see the Stone Arch Bridge and explained the history of the first bridge built to span the Mississippi.  We then went back to her house to chill.  The kids loved playing with Gertie.  

July 23rd, since no road trip would be complete without a little bit of car trouble, we took the truck into the local Nissan dealer to find out why the carpet on the front passenger side of the truck was getting so wet.  They found that the hose from the air conditioner to drain outlet was too short and so all the condensation was leaking onto the floor.  After a few more calls to our mechanic in Charlotte we decided to wait until we arrived back home to get it fixed.  After that adventure we headed out to the Mall of America to explore.  We didn't get very far once the kids saw Nickelodeon Universe.  I didn't take long to decide to buy all-day passes and spend the day alternating between riding the rides and exploring the mall.  It was a great day.  The kids got to ride on a roller coaster for the first time.  We have never taken them to an amusement park like this before.  It was a hit.  I also discovered that Steve doesn't like wild rides.  This would probably explain why we have never been to an amusement park together before.  Steve rode the more mild rides with the kids and I went on the wild ones.  We work very well as a team. 

After the amusement park we went back to Ginger's house to pack up and get ready to check into the hotel.  Ginger kept the kids with her so they could let out some more energy on a walk with Gertie while Steve and I got us settled at the hotel for the night.    We met them at Lake Harriet.    Minneapolis is a beautiful city with so many beautiful parks!!  Everyone was hungry at this point.  Serendipity is a fun thing.  Because there were no McDonalds or Burger Kings in the area we had to look around a bit and check things out.  We found a restaurant at which Jeremy could eat that everyone really liked.  Chipotle is a new favorite and Jeremy was thrilled to find out they are building one in Charlotte right around the corner from our house. 

July 24th we chilled at the hotel all day, doing laundry and playing in the pool while Steve prepped the site for the clinic and went grocery shopping with the chefs.  That night we went out to dinner again.  Jeremy found a Chipotle and Nicholas found a Five Guys right around the corner from each other.  Everyone was happy.  Afterwards, we met Ginger at the movie theater to see Ice Age 4.  It was a great night. 


The next day I dropped Steve off at the clinic site so the kids and I could have the truck for the day.  After breakfast we headed out for the children's museum in St. Paul.  We spent the whole day there.  The kids loved all the hands-on exhibits. 

 

The boys loved the physics area where they could experiment with several different air exhibits.  

 

Naomi gravitated towards the biology section where she spent significant time examining samples of water taken from the Mississippi.  After a full day of exploration we headed back to Minneapolis to pick Steve up from the "office" so he could change for dinner that night.  At every culinary clinic they like to take the students to a local restaurant so they can see first-hand what makes a great restaurant, or in this case, a terrible restaurant.  Either way, it is always a great learning experience.  The kids and I chilled at the hotel for the night.  I was surprised that the kids still had energy for the pool, but they did. 

 

July 26th, Steve's birthday, he had to work the final day of the clinic.  The kids and I packed up the truck and spent some time at Lake Harriet so they could show me the giant spider web in the kids playground.  I had not gotten to see it before since everyone was so hungry by the time Steve and I got back from the hotel.  They were especially excited to show me since THEIR Aunt Ginger had designed it.  It was WAAAAAY cool.  

 

Feeding ducks is always a favorite past time for us.  The kids relaxed by Lake Harriet until Steve called and said he was done and ready for us to pick him up.  We said goodbye to Minneapolis and headed out for Mason City to visit Bradden, Sunny and clan.  

 

Sunny and Bradden had a birthday party all ready for Steve when we arrived.  He was so excited to get to eat Papa Murphy's Chicken and Garlic Pizza.  We also had an ice cream cake.  Olivia and Hyrum are so cute and the cousins had a great time playing.  Bradden and Steve went to the see the new Batman movie that night.  Sunny and I stayed with the kids and let them play until they dropped from exhaustion.  Steve said it was the perfect birthday. 

 

July 27th, we headed to Crystal Lake and the kids played on the beach and in the water.   

What is it about kids and holes???!!!???  Are they secretly planning on burying all the adults and taking over the world?  Whatever the reason, the cousins had a riot playing together in the sand. 

 

Steve and Olivia chilling on the couch.  They really hit if off well.  Later that afternoon we went to a local park Sunny chose for the location of our family picture shoot.  I have never had that much fun during a photo session before.  If anyone needs a great photographer, call Sunny!  Afterwards we let the kids play around at the river for awhile.  

 

After diner that night (a very yummy barbeque complete with Iowa corn on the cob), Hyrum took us to the snow cone shack across the street from his house.  The kids all got snow cones to enjoy for dessert.  

July 28th we packed up early and headed out on our way home.  It was going to be a race to get home in two days, but we were up to the challenge.   We stopped in LeClaire, Iowa, to check out the Buffalo Bill Museum.  It was realy cool and the kids got to see one of the oldest paddle boats. 

 

We also stopped in Peoria, IL, at the Dan Fogelburg Memorial.  Dan Fogelburg is one of Steve's all-time favorite singers.  Our trip would not have been complete withouth stopping here.  

 

We made it to Indianapolis that night and crashed after spending a little time in the pool to get rid of some excess energy after sitting the truck all day.  July 29th we left early in the morning and continued our trek towards home.    

 

Due to road construction we got pushed off the freeway into a tiny little town in Ohio and found this wonderful sign on someone's lawn. We took the warning seriously but got a good chuckle none the less.

 

Once again, we had to take a detour to get around some major road construction and ended up in Corbin, KY, the home of Colonel Sanders.  This is the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 

 



 Hanging with the Colonel. 

 

 

We came through the Cumberland Gap into Virginia and got to go through a really long tunnel which the kids though was the "ultimate cool". 

 



We stopped on the top of Powel Mountain (2,319 feet) and enjoyed the view.  The valley reminded both Steve and me of the Heber/Park City area.  It was stunning beautiful. 

 

 

That night we slept in our beds again!!  We truly live in a beautiful country with so much to see.  We traveled 4,400 miles through ten states in ten days.  It was a great experience.  It only took us two days to travel half of that distance (2,200 miles).   What took us two days took the pioneers months to accomplish and they didn't have air conditioning, motels and fast food restaurants.  I have a new appreciation for the amazing courage, faith and determination it would have taken to follow the prophet to each new destination and have to start rebuilding all over again.  I am also grateful that I get to road trip in the 21st century!!  We will definitely have to plan another road trip again in the near future.

 

 

JULY IS AWESOME!!!!



June - Scouting Month

 

June 1st Jeremy had his one, troublesome wisdom tooth removed.  The procedure was a great success in that what they originally thought could be a wisdom tooth fused to the molar (which would mean MORE surgery for an implant) ended up just being a stubborn wisdom tooth which came out quite easily.  The molar should come in just fine on its own.  Good news for Jeremy, but he didn't care to hear it at the time since the anesthesia made him very sick and he had a good amount of swelling.  The pain medicine was wonderful and helped him through much of his recovery as did his ingenious use of his Buff as an ice pack holder (see above).  After a couple of hours the nausea went away.  After a couple more days the pain and swelling subsided.  Within a week he was back to all normal activities.  He is grateful that he won't have to do this again until the other three wisdom teeth need to come out in a few years.  What a trooper!

 

 

While Steve was at his national conference in Nashville the kids and I played here at home.  One day we got to help haul the canoes from Belk Scout Camp up to the summer day camp location.  The kids really enjoyed the adventure which took most of the day.  I treated them to dinner at Burger King as a reward for all their hard work.  Since Steve wanted in on the fun as well when he got back, the next day the three boys (Steve, Jeremy and Nicholas) got to help haul the motor boats to the lake.  It took an extra long time since they had to wait for one of the boats to finish with its tune up.  They didn't mind, though, since they got to test drive the other boats on the lake!!! 

 

One weekend of scouting was just not enough.  The next weekend all the boy scouts came to our house to pack up the food they would need for their week-long camping trip at the end of the month.  Steve and Justin wanted the boys to learn how to camp following the Leave No Trace policies and ideologies so the food was all dehydrated and fit into one big bag.  The mothers thought their boys would starve when they saw what seemed like a paltry amount of food.  In reality, the boys came back VERY well fed.  In fact, they liked this food A LOT better than the food served at the big scout camp the year before.  It was a huge success. 

 

This is food for 15 boys and 5 leaders for an entire week!!!!

 

 

Father's Day was a lot of fun.  The kids purchased presents for Steve with their own money.  Their excitement almost could not be contained until the time to present the gifts.  Steve loved it.  The day also included peformances during sacrament meeting by both the Young Women and the Primary children (both of which I accompanied - thanks Mom and Dad for the piano lessons.  They were worth it!)  I fixed a Cafe Rio dinner, we went to the pool for a bit and we watched the movie "Thor".  Steve had a great day!

 

 







Naomi did portraits of everybody. 

 

 

The pictures below illustrate Steve's dedication to the boys in his troop. The parents of one of the boys had been trying to get him to cut his hair for quite some time.  Steve told him, "If you buzz your hair for scout camp, I will shave my head."  Justin Beasley, Steve's partner in scout crime, said he would join in the deal.  Below is a before picture of the scout so you can see just how much was at stake for him.  He did it and looked great afterwards.  In fact, he still keeps it cut short.  Steve let the kids shave his head.  They had a great time.  

 

Steve and Justin proudly displaying their new dos. 

 

 

The scouts left for camp on June 25th.  Everyone was really excited, including those of us who were being left at home.  We went to the pool, ate at Tenders (really awesome chicken), saw Madagascar 3 and had a great time.  We got a call on the 28th that one of the boys had gotten hurt and was coming home but would need to stay with Nicholas, Naomi and me since his parents were out of town.  This was great fun for Nick and Naomi because they LOVE Zach.  On the 29th we got another call that the scouts were coming home a day early.  The thermometer had been climbing steadily the last couple of days and was expected to peak at 105 degrees.  Factor in the 100% humidity and that is extremely hot and potentially dangerous.  It is a tradition for the bishop to take the boys pizza on the last night of camp.  We moved the location to our house and had a really fun party.  I got to hear all about what happened at camp and Nick and Naomi were thrilled to be a part of the chaos as well.  This camp took months to plan but it was all worth it.  Every single boy said it was the best camp they had ever attended.  Steve and Justin really at the dynamic duo of scouting. 

 

 

June 30th we went on a family adventure (on that had NOTHING to do with scouting :) ).  We drove to McBee, South Carolina, to our favorite peach farm.  The kids love to look around and pick out the boxes of peaches we take home and bottle, freeze, make into jam - you name it.  We also stopped at a local fireworks stand and loaded up on some fun things for the 4th of July.  

May - nothing clever for the title this time

I had put off my annual mammogram long enough (almost 6 months overdue) and finally schedule it for May 1st.  As I was walking out the door that morning, Naomi asked me, "Mom, are you going to your maulogram?"  That one comment helped me laugh through the whole process.  I love my little girl!

 

 

Jeremy went to the orthodontist again to check on the progress of his eye teeth (remember, he had the top eye teeth pulled last May in order to let the adult ones grow in properly).  If they weren't starting to grow down we would be off to the oral surgeon to have traction put on them until they turned.  Luckily, they were FINALLY turning and growing in properly.  Jeremy was relieved to hear the good news.  He really didn't want any more surgery done or teeth pulled.  That is when Dr. Arkle mentioned that one of Jeremy's wisdom teeth was growing in at such an angle that it was not allowing the adjacent molar to grow in.  We were still going to the oral surgeon, but to have a wisdom tooth pulled instead.  Poor kid!  When it is all over and his smile is gorgeous and all of his teeth are where they should be hopefully he will think it was all worth it. 

 

May 7th was a great game day for Nicholas.  He played left field which is usually uneventful.  Not today.  He handled the ball in almost every inning and almost threw a runner out.  He is really getting the hang of this sport and he enjoys it more and more with each game.  I love to see his confidence growing.  There is even a kid on his team who will be going to Lake Norman Charter next year!!

 

 

May 18th, while Steve and Jeremy were at a scout campout I was playing football in the front yard with Nicholas, Naomi and the neighborhood kids. Everything was going great until the ball went down the storm drain.  I have seen Steve pick up the grate with relative ease and get balls out before and decided if he could do it, so could I.  There was a definitely fallacy in my thought process on that one.  I now appreciate just how strong Steve is.  I move the grate only slightly on the first attemp.  My better judgement which said, "It is just a foam football.  Let it go until someone can help you with this heavy grate" lost out to my over-inflated sense of what I can accomplish.  Long story short, the plan was to inch the grate out of the way, go down, retrieve the football, replace the grate in the same inch-by-inch manner and be the hero of the day.  Instead, I ended up dropping the grate down the hole while almost ripping my ring finger off in the process and severely mauling my wedding ring.  It took three of us (me, a neighbor and a kind Samaratin who was out walking his dog) to get the grate back in its proper position.  My hand was black and blue and swollen for weeks afterwards. I couldn't form a tight fist for three months and it wasn't until recently (it is now December) that I was able to wear my wedding ring again.  From now on the football can stay down there and rot while I got to the store and buy a new one which will cost significantly less than having your mauled wedding ring fixed!!!  Lesson learned. 

 



Nicholas's team went to the championship game and took second place after a very competitive and close game.  The Red Sox started out in a slump and were getting pummeled in the first two innings.  Their three best batters struck out in both innings.  When Nicholas got up to bat the mood in our dugout was pretty grim.  Nicholas didn't let that put a damper on his determination.  He missed the first pitch, but really connected with the next one and got on base which got the rest of the team back on track.  One of the boys who had not hit the ball all year got a hit and ended up on base.  In the end we may have lost, but it was the best game any of the boys had ever played and the funnest game for the parents to watch.  What a perfect way to end the season.  Nicholas was thrilled with the plaque they all received.  Everyone who played during the season got a participation trophy, but only the two teams that went to the championship game got a plaque.  He proudly (and rightfully so) displays his plaque in his room.  It was a great season. 

On our first sports-free weekend in months we went to the zoo and had a great time just doing what ever we wanted.



Bazookas and Baseballs and Trophies, Oh My!

 

 

Easter Sunday was a great day.  Nicholas gave a talk in Primary that he had written himself about how Easter is important because Christ died for us and we should always remember that when we make decisions.  Will our decisions make Jesus happy or sad?  We owe it to Him to make choices that will make Him happy.  Naomi wore a dress that she picked out and designed.  She got several comments on her beautiful dress.  One woman came to me laughing and said she had told Naomi that her dress was beautiful. Naomi looked her right in the eyes and said, "Thank you.  The best part about it is I can shoot bazookas out of the sleeves!"  Pretty and functional. 

 

 

 Naomi and her posse had a great time hanging out together at the baseball games while their brothers played their games.  Occassionally they would come and cheer, but mostly they just hung out and were goofy!  If you want to know if paying your kids allowance is even worth it anymore, listen to this story.  For the most part it was nice and warm for the games, but we had a cold front move through during one particular game and Naomi took her allowance money and bought her friends hot chocolate so they wouldn't be cold.  Paying allowance had given my kids the opportunity to be generous and make fun choices as to how they will spend their money.  That said, the Mallard Creek Optimists made a bunch of money at their concession stand from the Cannon children spring season. 

Jeremy was the quintessential fan at all the sporting events.  He came prepared and cheered energetically. 

After an especially trying game against the White Sox (which we lost 6-2) Nicholas bought himself a snow cone to make himself feel better.  We got to the car and Nicholas yelped in pain.  He had been chewing on some of the ice and cracked a tooth.  I didn't know that a cracked tooth could bleed so much and freaked out a little bit until I talked to the dentist on call who assured me Nicholas was going to be just fine.  I took him in the following day and discovered that it was a baby tooth that cracked because the adult tooth was growing in underneath it and split it in half.  There were two other teeth that were about to do the same thing and so Nicholas had three teeth pulled that day.  He was not a very happy camper.  Needless to say, he does not purchase snow cones anymore. 

 

Naomi's soccer season was the best one ever.  It went by so quickly.  She was the team's star goalie.  It frustrated her that all the girls would crowd around the goalie box and make it difficult for her to get the ball out to her team mates so we taught her how to kick the ball.  She got really good at it and it added a whole new layer to the games.  There was more action and it was fun to watch teams we hadn't played before crowd the goal box and then duck when Naomi kicked it over their heads.  During one game she got two assists from the goal box.  Way to go!!!  She was especially proud of her trophy this season.  She felt like she earned it.  She was asked to try out for the pre-challenge team although she is technically too young.  She like the experience, but was secretly pleased when she found out she didn't make it.  We are all ready for a break from this rigorous schedule. 

 

The teen years (and possibly our family schedule) are proving difficult for Jeremy.  He is restless and doesn't know what he wants to do immediately or in the future.  This has made him rather cranky.  One day, out of desparation, I took him over to Ridge Road Middle School to talk with the registrar about enrolling and classes for the coming school year.  After this meeting he was much calmer and optimistic about the future. 

 

The next day I turned in the paperwork for Nicholas at Lake Norman Charter School. Steve and I took Nicholas to an open house at the school where he got to meet all the elective teachers and choose his classes.  Nicholas opted not to do band (too crowded and noisy) so he will get to do all the other electives (Spanish, French, Keyboarding, Music, Health, Art, and 2 quarters of Gym).  The excitement is mounting at our house. 

 

 

 

After we all attended the Highland Creek Patriotic Parade put on by the kindergarten crew, we went to the office and signed Naomi up for the coming school year.  I don't know whether to cry out of relief or grief.  I am so excited for them to have the experience of going to school with other kids their ages.  I definitely have a new respect for teachers and what they do.  It is not an easy job to teach children and keep them engaged in the learning process.  I will miss them, but they are ready for this new adventure.  At least I still have the summer with them. 

 





March, in like a lion.......still waiting for the out like a lamb part

 

March was full of fun things.  The biggest chunk of time, BY FAR, was spent on the Cub Scout fundraiser -- Clean Cans for Cub Camp.  We washed 120+ garbage cans in the month of March.  It sounds a lot worse than it was and actually ended up being the best fundraiser we have ever done.  The boys loved using the power washer and being allowed to climb into the large garbage cans.  We earned plenty of money to send all the boys to camp in June.  By the time we were all done, the boys looked like a well-oiled pit crew.  They learned that working hard is a fun thing.  That, itself, was worth all the hours of planning and executing. 

 

 

 

 

Nicholas started baseball.  His team was the Red Sox and he loved it from day one.  The group of boys was especially fun to be with and the coaching staff had the right balance of fun and serious. 

 

Nicholas also got his tetanus shot and it really made him sick.  He spiked a fever of 103 degrees, threw up several times and had body aches.  Thank goodness that only lasted a couple of days. 

 

 

Naomi started soccer about the same time and this created a fun scheduling challenge.  There were several times I would get Nick to baseball and then take Naomi and friends to soccer and go back to baseball while one of Naomi's friends moms brought them all back.  The smiles on their faces were well worth it though.  They both love playing sports.  Jeremy became the master sports fan all while working on his scout merit badges. 

 

 

You can see that we always had something to keep us busy.  We also kept homeschooling as much as we could during this time.  Mainly the lessons were on planning and maintaining a schedule that worked for everyone with an occasional math, science or language arts lesson included.  The kids took their end of year tests at the end of March and did very well.  Jeremy helped me plant the garden and Naomi and Nicholas helped arrange the rocks and create a fun fire pit area. We ended the month with a sleepover where we got to use the firepit to roast hotdogs and marshmallows.  

February - WHEW! We made it!

February is always a bit of a busy month around our place.  With birthdays, scouts, and school we are guaranteed to have something to do on a daily basis. 

We started off on the 4th with the Scouting for Food Drive.  I am so proud of our boys.  Pack 215 may not be big, but they are determined.  Our 7 boys collected 324 pounds of food.  While the cubs were busy with the food drive, the troop was off clearing cudzoo from the trees in a local park.  For those of you who do not know what cudzoo is it is an incredibly invasive plant that grows over and through and around everything in it's path.  It was an exhausting job, but they had tons of fun as well.  Some of the vines were large enough to play Tarzan on - and they did!  Way to got 215!

Nicholas had his 10th birthday party on his birthday.  The theme was movies, but they didn't sit around watching movies, they MADE movies.  We got out the costume box and collected various props and the boys had a grand time making movies all afternoon.  We stopped briefly to refuel with pizza, cake and ice cream, but the highlight of the day was getting to write, direct and star in their own movies.  As a party favor we compiled the movies onto a DVD so the boys could show their families what they had done.  I don't have any pictures of the party because I was video taping all the clips.  Mom and Dad have a copy of the finished product if you want to see all the fun.

February 14th was the day we had all been waiting for.  Lake Norman Charter School announced the results of their lottery.  After agonizing over whether to apply and then trying to be patient for the date of the drawing we were all excited to finally learn if we got in.  Long story short, Nicholas got in!!!  Jeremy is on the waiting list for the eight grade.  Next year we will try again for Jeremy and hopefully he will get in for high school since he has a sibling who is already a student.  In the meantime, Jeremy will go to Ridge Road Middle School and Naomi will be in first grade at Highland Creek Elementary.  Everyone is really excited about school for next year.  I am adjusting to the idea of sending the kids to school, but I cannot deny that what is happening is what the Lord needs for the kids, and for me, next year.  I love that I receive answers to my prayers and know that my Heavenly Father loves me and will always help me if I ask. 

Jeremy turned 13 on the 19th.  It is hard to believe that he is really a teenager!  We had a small family party and did all of his favorite things all day. 

The Blue and Gold Banquet was really fun this year. We went with a picnic theme complete with all the picnic fixins, trees, bushes, ants and insect sounds. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The Webelos put on a puppet show for us and the other scouts performed a skit. There were plenty of awards to go around as well. We ordered 6-foot subs from the Walmart deli along with all the sides. The hit of the night was the cake competition. I have included pictures of some of my favorites. 


Nicholas designed his cake to show the all the beltloops and the golden arrow he earned. 

This is pound cake with brown frosting and red gel.  It really looked like a giant PB&J



The room decorated like a picnic in the great outdoors



Great use of the picnic theme!

The morning after the Blue and Gold, Jeremy and I got on a plane for Salt Lake City.  I was going for a girls weekend with my mom and sisters and Jeremy was going to keep Grandpa company while we were all gone.  It was an amazing weekend full of fun surprises.  My mom had reserved a room at the downtown Marriott and we spent the weekend eating at fun restaurants, talking, having a massage, shopping, giggling, sight-seeing, getting hair make overs, etc.  The motto for the weekend was "What happened on the girls weekend stays in the girls weekend."  I can tell you that we had tons of fun and got to reconnect with each other as our busy lives prevent us from getting together as often as we would like. It doesn't help that I live 2,200 miles away.  Another nice feature of the weekend - No Kids!!!!!

Jeremy got to spend some time with his Wykstra cousins.  He was in 7th heaven the whole weekend and didn't miss me - even a little bit!

On Sunday morning we got to go to the live broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.  I love hearing the Tabernacle Choir sing in the Old Tabernacle.  AMAZING!!

 

Me, Kathy, Jenny and Laura checking out the beds in our hotel rooms.

Dad had roses sent to our room for us.  He is such a sweetheart.  Apparently it was a tradition to send Mom a rose in the hospital when each of us was born.  He wanted to continue that tradition for our girls weekend. 

 

Dad and Jeremy spent some time on the University of Utah campus and got everyone shirts.  Now the Cannon Family can help represent the Utes (with Brother Barker) in a ward that is somewhat overrun by BYU fans. 

As you can see, we used every minute of every day during the month of February in order to have a lot of fun and get our list of things done.  There truly is never a dull moment in our house. 

Some things are just worth the wait

I cannot believe that we are already on the 27th of January. This month has absolutely flown by. It has been filled with fun things to keep us busy.

As I told you in the previous entry, the boys had a golf Christmas. On the first available warm day Nicholas was outside practicing. Fortunately for him, he did not have to wait too long. January has been an exceptionally warm month this year. Last year we had snow, but even that isn't the norm for North Carolina. But you must take into consideration the 32 years of conditioning I had living in Salt Lake City, Utah. January in Utah meant covering up what you did not want to get frost bite. After ten years I am still getting used to the fact that some days in January you can go outside without a coat on. Nicholas had a great time practicing for hours in the back yard.


Naomi played in the Winter Soccer League at Strikers. She loved every minute of it. The last game was played in the pouring rain. The girls were real troopers as they had to adjust to kicking the ball through puddles of water. In the end it was all smiles as they received their trophies. They were water-logged, but happy.

Ana, Naomi, Lili and Asha

Team Clyde

I was given this gorgeous picture by my Grandma Tanner over 25 years ago. She got it while living in Okinawa while my aunt and uncle were stationed there. I have never taken the time or money to have it professionally framed. It could wait no longer. We finished remodeling the downstairs bathroom and the piece de resistance was my geisha girl all done up with mats and the perfect frame. The result is stunning and the perfect center piece in my collection of oriental decor.

This cutie was born just a couple of days after I left Utah back in May. I have been patiently waiting for someone to send me a picture so I can see what he looks like (Thanks, Rachel!!) Isn't he the cutest thing. He is definitely worth the wait.

I have decided that life is full of wonderful things. Whether they come to us unrequested or are dearly anticipated or somewhere in between we need to take time and recognize what they have to add to our lives - otherwise we have missed the point! Life is good!