Summertime!

Summer!!!  I love Summer!!  I finally don't have to get up at 5:30 am!

 This year we took a trip up to Wolf Lodge in Colorado to celebrate Max turning 12.  Twelve is a pretty big birthday in our house.   Max got the priesthood at church and now gets to pass the sacrament.

 We are all looking pretty hot in our wolf ears!

 The kids loved playing Magi Quest.  

 Then we visited the Air Force Academy, where are good friends from Ohio, the Killpack's met us and did the tour for us.  He is currently a professor at the Academy

 Sam had senior pictures.  I took him to the mall to shop for something decent to wear.  He kept saying no to everything, so finally I just sent him into Express and didn't go in with him.  He came out with this.  Yep, those are fancy shorts, boat shoes and an expensive t-shirt.  That's the fanciest he has been in years!

 Sam went to several football camps, one over in Arizona, while the two younger boys went to Trek- which is reenactment of Pioneer time.  They had handcart teams and had to pull handcarts all day.  They try to make it fun with dances and games and some music.  This one was much more modern than the one Rob and I participated in.  We weren't allowed to have toothpaste or tents and we had to make all our own food pretty much from scratch.  We did not have to kill a chicken, though!  These guys had instant oatmeal and sandwiches and donuts. (Ok, maybe not donuts, but close enough!)  Since Max had turned 12 just a couple weeks before he got to go with the group!

While they were having a good time at camps, I flew to Las Vegas with Robert and enjoyed a little get away.  Rob started working in Vegas in the spring as the interim head of the department up there.  

 Sam got a car- a stick shift.  1) because it's cheaper, 2) in the auto theft capital of the United States thieves will actually pick an alarmed car before they pick a stick shift, and 3) so he can't be on his phone ever while driving!  So Sam had to learn to drive a stick shift

 And Emmmmmmmmmmmaaaa!  Emma came home for a month and learned to drive a stick shift as well- because it's a skill people!

 Sam turned 18!

We celebrated at the movies and at the trampoline park

 We went up to Santa Fe for the 4th of July

 And then up to Los Alamos- home of Fat man and Little boy!

 We played a lot of tennis

 I worked on a a quilt for my Mama

 We enjoyed the Ninja gym

 Joe Turned 15!

 And Sam experienced his first cupping.  I'm not a fan!  That just looks like it destroyed all the capillaries in his skin.  I don't know how that is supposed to help him!

And somewhere in all of that, I got a job and started working two 12 hour shifts every week as well as taking all the classes I needed to renew all my lost certifications!  I still have one more to go in November.  I have to have a lot of certifications!