Playing in the Rain

Michelle and I were enjoying a peaceful summer afternoon in our backyard when a few sprinkles of rain fell from the heavens. We scooted over on the bench, more under the house and watched our boys play in the backyard. They were playing some version of tag with a tennis ball.

Before we knew it, those few sprinkles of rain turned into a downpour! But the game must go on. The boys continued to run and play, tagging each other with the ball and trying not to slip and slide on the wet ground. It was great fun. Unfortunately it didn't last very long but we did get a snapshot of the action.

Swimming Lessons

A fortuitous turn of events allowed David and Donovan to take swimming lessons this year. With the help of Grandma Petersen, we got the boys signed up for their lessons at the Provo Rec Center. The boys have been counting down the days until their lessons began. Michelle took them to their first few lessons but was beside herself trying to watch the boys swim and still keep an eye on Michael and Aleky who were running all over the place. So I was voted in as back-up driver/babysitter and got the opportunity to take the 4 boys to the rec center.

I didn’t realize that you don’t show up early because you can’t do anything until the instructors arrive and are ready to begin.

But once it’s time to begin you better not be late because they’ll just start without you! David has made some got strides forward and a few strokes backwards as well but I’m not sure I would classify him as a swimmer after these 2 weeks of lessons. I’m just happy that Donovan can put his head under water now. But the actually swimming for both boys is going to take a lot more work.

Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend the Provo Rec Center to anyone thinking of swim lessons. There are several other options in the area and after talking with the other parents is was a pretty unanimous feeling, but what can you do at this point? At least the boys had fun. David and Donovan loved being in the pool regardless of outcomes. Michael and Aleky ran free in the balcony for 30 minutes each day thought it was awesome. I guess we’re all winner in that case!

(waiting to start)(David Swimming - by dividing buoy)(Donovan getting help)(Aleky plotting his escape)

Puzzle Mania

Today the boys didn’t know quite what to do during “quite time.” But with Aleky sleeping the floor is deemed safe for puzzles. So the boys decided to go for it!

Father and Sons Campout

We had a wonderful campout up near Grantsville. We joined Grandpa Petersen and Uncle Kyle on their ward's fathers and sons campout. The boys had a great time being able to run around just about anywhere they wanted.

When we first arrived at camp Grandpa Petersen and Uncle Kyle had already set up the wall tent so we just had to move our stuff in. David found a lizard in the rocks around the fire pit and tried to get the lizard to voluntarily crawl onto his hand. It was less-successful.

The ward was providing dinner so we hurried along to get some grub. The boys at a little bit but apparently they weren't too impressed by the hot dogs and hamburgers that had been prepared. I felt good just getting them to eat a little bit before they were off to more exciting aspects of camping.

The boys congregating around the dart games. The magnetic dart game wasn't as appealing to everyone so my boys were able to squeeze their way into the gaming arena. The real darts had a constant line and it would take hours for them to finally get their chance to play.

After exhausting the various activities at the ward camp site we headed down the road for a little privacy and quiet while we did our campfire. We roasted a few marshmallows for smores before bedtime.

They boys were pretty tired by the time is was dark (after 10 pm) so they didn't fuss too much about getting ready for bed.

The boys must have really been tired because we were still able to sleep until after 7 am! What a relaxing camping trip this was.

After breakfast (which the ward provided and my boys didn't even touch; a mix of eggs, hash browns, bacon, and biscuit) we headed back to pack up camp and head home. When we arrived we discovered a new roommate. Apparently this was a first for everyone but it was fun to see this bird up close.

We had a wonderful time, beautiful weather, great campfire, fun games and just a good all-around experience for everyone!

Green Been Casserole

2 cans (10 ¾ oz each) Campbells’ ® Cream of Mushroom Soup (regular or fat free)
½ cup milk
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
8 cups cooked cut green beans
1 can (6 oz.) French’s® French Fried Onions (2 2/3 cups)

1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions (in 3 qt. casserole dish)
2. Bake at 350 F for 25 min or until hot. Stir.
3. Top with remaining onions. Bake for 5 min more.

Caramel Popcorn

6 cups unsalted Popcorn (1/4 cup kernels)
¼ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda

1. Pop the popcorn. (Remove unpopped kernels for best results)
2. Cook butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Continue to cook 2-5 minutes (2 minutes for chewy caramel popcorn and 5 minutes for more crunchy caramel popcorn).
3. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until foamy.
4. Pour mixture over popcorn and mix thoroughly. Let cool.

This has become a favorite recipe for caramel popcorn! I have to admit to making this recipe the last couple of nights in a row! This recipe is enough for 2 people (like me) but you can certainly double the recipe if you are really into caramel popcorn!

Classic Skating

We were blessed with a visit from Grandma Petersen today. When our original plans fell through we decided to take advantage of the extra support and we headed to the skating rink in Orem. They have a deal where you can skate for $1/person/hour! David had a free hour of skating so we decided to use his $1 to rent some skates and give him the opportunity to learn how to skate.

David was pretty excited to try on these new contraptions but it took quite a few minutes before he could maintain an upright position which caused him some consternation. But in the end he was finally getting the hang of it.

Donovan wanted to try roller skates too. He lasted about 5 minutes before he decided that the scooter was for him.

Michael and Aleky just had fun cruising around on their scooters. There weren't too many people around so they could go just about anywhere they wanted to go.

In the middle of their hour of skating/scootering the rink had a "jumping" contest. They had an inflateable balance thing and the kids counted how many consecutive jumps they could muster. The winner would get some wonderful prize (to be determined). Our boys gave it their best shot with both tries but didn't quite come out victorious but they had a blast trying.

Homework

I may be the meanest dad ever but I made my kids do homework during their summer vacation! OK, so I only did it once so it's a good thing I took a picture to remember that we did actually do some homework and didn't just play the entire summer away!

P.S. The boys were excited to do their homework; maybe I should try it again!

Boy Sandwhich

When left to themselves our boys will generally play very nicely with each other. We feel very blessed to have such good sibling relationships. And yes, they are having the time of their lives making boy sandwhiches!

To McDonald's For Ice Cream

Our boys signed up for the summer reading program at the Provo library. Part of the incentive included ice cream at McDonald's. While the program gave them these treats for free, I made the boys read all the books they checked out that first week before they could enjoy their treat. They were certainly excited about going to McDonald's but I think it's more for the big toys there and not so much for the ice cream. Their interest in ice cream lasted about 5 good minutes (maybe) and then they were off, leaving me to finish the rest of their ice cream (goodness me!).

Caught in the Park

Our boys have discovered how easy it is to get the key to the lock on the back gate and slip, almost unnoticed into the park for a little freedom. They are pretty good about looking out for each other and staying on this side of the street (800 E which separates the park in half). Today, our boys got caught in the park when the sprinklers turned on unexpectedly. David had to rescue Aleky from the sprinklers.