Walking on Water

Another little summer side trip brought us to the Wave Pool (hanging out in a pool for a few hours helps wash away all that construction dirt and paint!).

So that's Richie (I think!) there on the tube looking pretty relaxed I'd say! 

We went swimming with my sis and her family - just ignore those other two people on the right who snuck into my picture! 

When the waves stop, it's time to do some rope jumping. 

Carlee showing us how it's done!

And Jordyn takes her turn (watch out for Carlee's head!!!)

Jenna - what style, what grace!  Everyone in the pool is watching her!!!

Go Jas!!!  Don't worry, dad is below you to catch you!

After another break in the waves, we saw something we hadn't seen before . . . 

. . . a chance to walk on water!

Rich demonstrates how it works . . . 

First you climb into a big mound of plastic.

They stick a big hose through a slot in the plastic and blow up the ball. 

When it's full, they take the hose out and you seal up the slot from the inside and the outside, so there is no chance of water coming in (or fresh air either!!!)

Then they walk you down into the pool and take you out about a foot deep in water. 

The lifeguard holds on to the string, and then you attempt to "walk on water".

This was hilarious to watch because it's impossible to do . . . 

. . . you might take a step or two but then you end up in all sorts of glamorous positions!!!

So funny!

They only let you do it for a few minutes because it gets pretty hot and stuffy in the ball. 

They unzip the hole and out you pop.  Awesome!!!

And there's Greg just ready to jump right on in for his turn . . . 

. . . he couldn't do it either!

Jas gives it a whirl with Greg steadying the ball till she gets her balance.

"That was so great!" 

 Jas is waving to Kenzie and I up in the peanut gallery.

Daddy tossing the ball up to Kenzie.  She's not a water lover and neither am I so we watched and played and took tons of pictures.  Used Sports Continuous mode on lots of these shots so you can actually see the action of them falling inside the ball.  Too funny!

Enjoying the waves again.  Isn't it nice to have sisters - built in friends to play with when you go to fun places.

Carlee attempting to walk on water. 

Greg took Taylor in the ball. 

And Bec has a turn - she made me laugh the loudest!!! 

I couldn't hear her up behind the glass, but I'll just bet she was screaming and cackling away!!!

Greg and another daughter on the walk into the pool.

This pool had two Wowballs in action.

Jenna was actually one of the best at staying on her feet. 

And Kenzie wants a turn to play with the camera! 

Trying to put the lens cap back on.

Jordyn chose to be a spectator of the Wowball.  Going inside that little ball is not for everyone.

Oh look - it's Katia!!!  She was there too having a grand old time like she always does! 

Something that delights me these days is digital photography.  I have a nice camera - nothing fancy or extravagant, but nice (still tons of things I need to learn how to use on it!).  But it enables me to be able to take pictures of my family, so that we can remember these crazy little family times.  I'm especially delighted with the zooming capabilities.  I was a long way away from the people in these pictures but it often looks like I was right there beside them.  No more clicking a photo and then waiting months before developing the picture because you still had 17 pictures to take on that roll of film.  And then you finally take your film in and get it developed, and a week later you get your prints and find out that special picture didn't turn out as well as you had hoped, but now it's too late for a retake.  Remember this  - way back . . . what, five years ago?

Yup, digital photography is delightful!!!

A New Temple

We took a trip in mid-August to attend the twins baby blessing.  We decided to take a little detour and visit the new temple that is under construction.  After all, it's not every day that you get to see a temple of the Lord being built.

Unfortunately Mackenzie is missing - she had been awake all day and had just fallen asleep so we didn't dare wake her for the picture.

I wonder if any of these lovely ladies will be married in this building? 

We have a temple thirty minutes from our home.  This one is about three hours away.

I was amazed at how far along the building was - it actually looks like a temple! 

It's in a beautiful location (aren't they all?).  When it's finished and white and glowing at night, it will be visible for miles and miles.  That car is parked there so you can judge the actual size of the temple!

Isn't it delightful to know . . .

. . . that our family is forever, because we have been sealed together in one of the Temples of the Lord.

I take great comfort and delight in that knowledge!!!



Moving - Phase II

After Gramma and Grampa returned from their mission, we lived with them for about a week.  It was nice - too nice!!!  We weren't working fast enough - we'd go back to their house for lunch and then sit around talking for an hour.  Then we'd go back for supper, and stay all evening.  The socializing was great, and it was nice for Mackenzie to get to know Gramma and Grampa again, but it wasn't so great for us trying to finish building our house.

These are pictures of how we lived for August and half of September.

Rich in the living room of our workshop.  Behind him is the dining room and kitchen.  That orange thing is a big drill press in the middle of the "pantry".  We have a fridge, stove, freezer and microwave, but no running water (we used a lot of paper towels!).  We mostly ate prepared foods off paper plates, used a lot of water bottles, and hauled water in.  The only running water in the house was in the toilet.

Don't garage doors make beautiful living room decor?  That's Katia on the couch.

Don't piles of boxes and furniture make great living room walls?

I'd take our laundry to the local laundro-mat.  Didn't have to go too often as we each wore about two outfits per week - our paint/work clothes and our Sunday clothes!!!  Once in a while I'd take a mound of dishes over to Gramma's house, or the laundro-mat and wash them in the big sink while my clothes were getting washed.  As for bathing?  Don't ask!!!  Let me just say that it was a good thing we had a season pass at the pool!

This is the lovely view from our doorway. 

We had a row of girls' dressers there on the right.  We used a lot of area rugs and carpet remnants so we wouldn't be walking on cement.  See that blue and white rug on the right that disappears?  That's heading to the master bedroom.

My room - still had queen size bedding on the new king size bed.  Rich was always scared that wood on shelves above our heads would fall on us.  I wasn't worried because I knew Chelle and I had packed it in there well.  Only an earthquake could knock it loose.  Mackenzies bed is that navy playpen at the foot of the bed.  Isn't that wall an amazing packing job?

Now, about the rest of our kids . . .

Carlee and Jas shared a bed in the camper.

Jenna and Katia shared bunks at the other end of the camper.  (Katia was on the couch, remember?  That's why she's not in her very messy bottom bunk.)

Jordyn and Lacie were in the middle section.  Jordyn's bed is the table and she used the couch for all her junk.  The girls liked having Lacie out there with them - for protection and for warmth!

Richelle still had her apartment through August, but she was always with us during the week.  She moved out and the end of the month and lived with Gramma and Grampa til her room was ready.  So that was another move and clean that was taking place at this time.

Most of the time, we had the left basement window not installed.  We'd climb through the rough opening and get to the bathroom.  That's why we have a plank sidewalk there, so during times of rain, we wouldn't have to walk through the mud.  Fortunately for us, the weather was lovely and we only had a few rainy days.

 Going here in the middle of the night wasn't too bad as we had a motion sensor light that would come on and light the way.  But eventually, the window had to be installed so we could finish the inside.  Then we had to find a new route in to the bathroom.  Wanna see it?

This is exactly how it looked - dark!!!  That orangish blur in the front is a cement mixer.  We made a pathway over to the door in the back of the garage, which was certainly better than walking around to the front of the house in our jammies.  The hardest part was climbing up three steps on a sawhorse to get in the doorway.  But we all survived and no one wet their pants!

Once in a while we needed a fresh dose of air in the workshop . . .

. . . so we'd open a garage door.  You could only do this at the right time of the day though - not when the hot sun was shining, and not when interior lights would attract flies and mosquitos.

It certainly felt weird to be sitting in your house with traffic driving past a little ways away.

So once we moved here, work on the house progressed much more rapidly - there was nothing to do but work!  Katia would look after Mackenzie during the day here in the living room while we'd all be working in the house.  At the end of our work day, we'd usually relax with a movie (we enjoyed the series of "Merlin" and "Robin Hood" at this time) and then fall asleep.  For the first time in her life, Mackenzie started sleeping through the night, which I found truly delightful!

Although it was a crazy and busy time, it was also delightful!  We had no interruptions from the world:  no phone ringing, no computer and internet distractions, no friend distractions.  It was just family, working together to accomplish something great - a home, our little shelter from the world.  We'd rejoice together over every accomplishment - I think a working shower may have got the most rejoicing!!!  It will be a summer to be remembered.  And you know, when I started being able to brush my teeth indoors, I missed my time outside at night under the huge star filled sky, when I'd feel very close to my Father in Heaven.  I just might have to start doing that again - next summer!

Homecoming!!!

Gramma and Grampa served a mission in South Carolina for eighteen months.  This was their third mission.  They've served in Nebraska and Pennsylvania too.  We're so proud of them!!! 

We didn't know exactly when they'd be arriving home, because they were driving, and didn't know how much travelling they could handle each day.

Carlee decided she wanted to make a sign to welcome them home.  Luckily she was able to find the right supplies for the job as we were in the middle of moving and had everything packed!.  We did have lots of painting tape around though!!!

We had most of our stuff moved out of their house, but our toilet wasn't hooked up yet, so we planned to stay with them until that minor necessity was taken care of.  The task now was trying to get things somewhat back to the order they had them in before they left, and cleaning everything.  They didn't care if thing were clean or in order, but I did!!!  The big dent in the wall from falling bunkbeds was bad enough!

Then . . . the phone call came!!! 

 "We're in Shelby!  We'll be home in about two hours!!!" 

So we frantically got the cleaning all finished up and called other family members.

Then . . . the waiting began!!!

Carlee had her rip stick out (see first pic) and people were going around the driveway, sidewalk and street (or at least they were trying to).  A few days before this I had made a new rule:  "No trying new things while we're moving/building and don't have time for the inconvenience of anyone being injured."  Great rule eh?  You see, when we moved last summer, Rich really hurt his back moving the freezer and was incapacitated for quite some time - terrible inconvenience I might add!  So, I was still cleaning up in the house and didn't actually see "the fall".  Rich (oh no!) decided to try the rip stick.  Rich then proceeded to fall off the rip stick (it's a little different from a skate board - it only has two wheels!), and landed on his elbow.  So yeah, he hurt his arm and it took about a month to heal - terrible inconvenience I might add!

Back to the waiting . . . and discussing what their vehicle was like so we would know what car to watch for and get excited about (didn't want to turn the camera on too soon!).  We knew it was a minivan, but was it silver, gold, tan?

Then . . . the excited cry came "There they are!!!"

We all went closer to the driveway as they slowly, slowly crept along the road and turned into the cul de sac (they were checking out the town and the new house on the corner!). 

Gramma had that car door open so fast - I don't even think they were stopped yet!

Katia was the first to give Gramma a hug and then she's racing off to find Grampa.

The gang is closing in for a hug session!!!  Everyone is ready to get their ribs cracked by Grampa! 

I love Gramma reaching out for her great grandson Tegan.

Love it!!!

Getting reacquainted with Mackenzie - she was five months when they left.

They're home!!!

It's so wonderful to have them home! 

But it is also wonderful to have them serving the Lord through missionary service.  Our families are blessed through sacrifice and service.  And so you might not have Gramma and Grampa at your baptism, or graduation, or final basketball game, or wedding - but that's okay!  We have a couple daughters with beautiful letters from Gramma and Grampa that were read at their baptism service, because Gramma and Grampa were away serving the Lord and couldn't be there.  Those are treasures!  Do you know how proud our little people are when they can put their hand up in Primary and say, "My Gramma and Grampa are on a mission!" 

What a delight to have missionaries in the family (and not just so we could live in their house!!!) and what a delight to have them home again.  We lived with them for about a week and it was so nice to be able to be there at that time, especially as other family members would come home to see them too.  And it really helped Mackenzie to get to know Gramma and Grampa in 3D - not just on Skype!!!

Truly a delightful time!