Swim Lessons/Roaring Springs

Chloe took swim lessons this year at the Bartholomew's.  Stacy Hymas didn't teach this year, so we had to find a new place.  Abby Hart and Briana Bartholomew taught her.  She was in a level 4 class with two other kids.  A girl who was 11 and a boy who was 10.  I was a little nervous for Chloe because I didn't think she was good enough to be in the class.  But she proved me to be wrong in my thinking.  She was a trooper and did a great job and worked HARD.  They made her dive for rings and she would get nervous holding her breath that long and trying to swim to the bottom of the deep end.  Briana would shover her down to help her get going, but it freaked Chloe out.  She blinked badck tears a few times.  She learned that it was best to try herself than to have Briana grab her neck and dive down with her. ; )  Good job baby!  I can't believe you are the same little girl who wouldn't get in the water for your swim lesson at age 3. 

One of Caden's summer jobs is to mentor Jackson.  What a great opportunity it has been not to mention...entertaining.  Caden took him to Roaring Springs with us one afternoon.  Jackson sat in the family ride with us and I noticed he sat right next to caden and put his arm around him.  He said he was a bit scared to go through the dark tunnels.  He's cheering at the end of this ride that he went down backwards!  Caden does a great job with him and has learned a lot of patience and love. 

4th of July

Table Rock-
The Smart Family invited us to go with them on a hike up Table Rock.  To beat the heat and the crowds we left at 6:30am.  We drove to Pastry Perfection to get some donuts of course.  Fresh baked really really good ones!  After our fun hike up and back we ate our perfection and Jenn brought milk!  It was perfect.  Lots of fun- a great way to start a great day.

I had this really weird dream.  It was the 4th of July and we were with our friends who we always spend the 4th of July with .  The Bells and Eastman's.  We brought all our bikes to the Westside Drive In.  We got lots of fatty food and fry sauce with chocolate/peanut butter milk shakes.  We stuffed our faces and then rode off on our bikes and went for like what seemed 10 miles to Powell's Sweet Shoppe.  On the way Chloe dragged her foot that was wearing a flip flop on the pavement and split her toenail.  It was a bloody mess.  We walked around the sweet shoppe and bought candy and laughed at the candy cigarett's and all the stuff we loved as kids. 
Back on the bikes to ride another 10 miles to Ann Morrison Park to watch the fireworks.  On the way Joel's tire tube popped.  He ended up walking his bike and I stayed with him to keep him company.  The rest of the group rode on without us.  Matt rode to the vehicles to get a spare tube we left in the car. 
Finally, after about what seemed like 2 hours we met up with the group at the park.  Matt was there with the tube and a pump.  Joel began pumping up his new tube and all of the sudden the loudest "BANG!!" about ruptured my ear drums.  It scared us all half to death.  It didn't sound like a firework it sounded like a big gun went off right in your ear.  Everyone around us was freaking out too.   When I looked at Joel he had a "Deer in the headlights" kind of look.  It was so funny. 
We watched the fireworks and then Joel hurried out to get  a start with walking his bike back to our cars.  When the fireworks were all through the rest of us got on our bikes, turned on our headlamps and started over the bridge wtih the million other people.  We all made it to the rendevous point and began the trek back to the cars. 
I heard a loud scream and a crash- as I got closer I noticed someone had crashed on their bike and was blocking the path.  As I get up to the accident I noticed it was Kris Bell!  She had flipped over her handle bars when she put her brakes on too hard.  She was laying there totally out of it and Daxton her little boy was screaming - he thought his mom was going to die.  We got everything out of the way and decided that I would stay behind with Chloe and Daxton and Kris.  Shane was allready way ahead and didn't even know Kris had crashed.  Everyone went on and we stayed to wait for the cars to come and get us. 
Kris laid on a park bench and I checked her over to see if she was bleeding or if anything was broken.  She seemed fine and was feeling better so we decided to start walking to meet the guys in the cars at a more convenient location...Joe's Crab Shak. 
As we all start swapping stories I find out that Joel had some strange man follow him the whole way back to the cars.  Matt and Kim stopped along the way to put water on a tree that was on fire.
It was indeed a strange dream.  Funny thing is- it  is all true. 

XC Camp

Caden had a blast at XC Camp in Sun Valley.  He left on July 4th.  Christian Larsen drove his car and he and Josh rode with him.  Coelton also went to this camp before his senior year.  It's a camp that Tracy Harris (MVHS XC Coach) puts on every year.  He has lots of motivational speakers come up and talk to the kids.  They go on lots of runs...2 a day.  They have a big race on the last day.  Caden loved the skits...yes- you heard right.  He said they were really funny.  He even participated.  

Girls Camp

Hailey went to girls camp as a second year.  It was a Stake girls camp this year.  Our Stake does a ward camp every year and a stake camp every 3 years.  It was held in Garden Valley at Glenwood, a church owned camp.  They stayed in cabins.  She has some great friends in our ward.   There are 25 beehives in our ward!  They actually split the class.  Hailey turns 14 in October and will be a mighty mia maid. 
She loved the hike at camp.  It was 5-6 miles and went up a mountain. 
The crafts were adorable.  A cute necklace and some bracelets. Girls camp is the best.

Chase and McKenzi

We drove to Eastern Idaho to attend Chase and McKenzi's wedding.  They got married in the Idaho Falls temple on June 23.
 We arrived Friday evening and attended a dutch oven dinner that the Wray's put on .  It was at Setter's park and was very nice.  I took a picture of my meal.   Jill did a great job with all the decorating.  She had just finished her chemo and had come to Boise for foot surgery and started radiation.  She's quite the lady. 
Chase loves farming and McKenzie comes from a family of farmer's.  She is from Menan.  The theme was tractor's and country/farming.  It was adorable. 
Caden had to work, so he didn't come.  The girls stayed with Cousins- Chloe at Aunt Julie's and Hailey at Grandma's with McKenna, Maiya and Alyssa.  Joel and I stayed at Dad's. 
We went to the temple Saturay morning and saw the sealing.  Gary was the sealer and that was pretty neat to say you were married by your Grandpa. 
We ate lunch at Scotty's and saw the movie, Brave.  All of the Hammer clan was with us.  That night we drove to Menan and attended the reception.
On Sunday Joel and I did a lesson/fireside for his YM/YW during his 3rd hour of church.  We talked about coelton's experience.  We had a little picture show this time that made it nice.