Summer in San Diego at Belmont Park...

On Monday I took Patrick, Emily, Aubrey, Julia, Michael and 3 friends to Belmont Park. It had been very cloudy and over cast here the last week, but Monday ended up being a beautiful day! It was the perfect day to go. The kids all got wrist bands so they could go on unlimited rides. They had a great time!! It originally was supposed to be a "special time" with Aubrey and I. A "special time" as we call it in our house, is one on one time betweeen one parent and one child. In this case is was supposed to be Me and Aubrey. Well, Aubrey decided that Julia could go on her "special time"and that way she could go on Julia's "special time". It was a 2 for 1 deal!! Anyway...long story short.....we ended up having most of my kids and 3 friends! I got some great pics of the kids...

A little case of the worries...(shocker!)

I just can't help but continue to worry about Michael. We were worried for quite a while because it took him so long to smile and make eye contact with us. When a baby has such a lack of oxygen the way Michael did, you don't always know the repercussions of that for some time. He has finally started to make eye contact and smile and actually smiles a ton now. But, when I hold him up in front of me he constantly looks to the side...the right or the left but mainly to the right (my right as he looks at me). I try to get him to keep his head straight and all he wants to do is turn to the side. I am doing his neck exercises when I change his diaper...which he hates!! He screams when I do them, which is probably mostly because I am holding his head in one position and wont let him move it.

He is probably just a little behind because he had such a difficult start, but he just seems a little off to me. (He will love reading this when he is like 17 and just fine!!) I am most likely just paranoid. I am most definitely a worrier...BIG TIME...so, I will TRY not to worry about things until I have something to worry about! He will be going for all of these tests that the pediatrician has ordered within the next month, so we will see. Hopefully everything will be just fine!

By the way...you have probably noticed that I have been writing a lot more lately. I have decided to use my blog to update family and friends, but also as a journal. I don't write in my own journal nearly often enough and I enjoy doing it this way! So, hopefully I won't bore you too much and feel free to check in less often if I do!!

Missing my kids...

I am missing my kids! It sure has been quiet around here this last week...(well, quiet relative to what it usually is) with Patrick and Daniel at Scout camp and Emily was also gone to Young Womens camp. Emily got home yesterday and I was glad. I really missed her. Patrick and Daniel come home tomorrow and I can't wait to hear how they did camping all week. It is the first time either of them have camped for this long!! At least their packs will be a lot lighter hiking out then they were hiking in. I'm sure Daniel will be really happy about that!! I will be happy to have them home safe! I am really grateful for the wonderful experiences that the church gives them though!! I am sure they learn so much while they are there...about themsleves, their testimonies and also about helping and serving others!! Those lessons are invaluable.

Emily's trip to Joshua Tree with the Pettijohn's

In May, Emily went to Joshua Tree with her best friend Hannah and Hannah's dad, Patrick. They went rock climbing there for 4 days. Emily has gone with them before and it is quite an adventure. Some of the rocks are really scary...Emily was older this year than the last time she went, so she was able to climb rocks that were more difficult! There was one rock that she just couldn't do...it was TOO scary. Like, if you move the wrong way you fall 50 feet to your death kind of scary!! She had such a great time! It is really beautiful there and the sunset picture says it all!! I am SOOOO glad she came home safely!! I have to say, I have a tone of faith in Hannah's dad, Patrick. He is a good guy and we have become great friends with Patrick and his wife Susan. I knew he would keep Emily safe. Thanks, Pettijohn's, you're awesome!

Prom...

Patrick went to Prom in early June. His friend Irlanda asked him to go with her. They had gone to another dance together last year and had fun, so I guess she thought she would ask him again! They had a good time and they looked nice together.

Off to the Kern River...

In the car getting ready to go...you read that book Daniel!! Mom... that is the 3rd in the Fablehaven series that you gave him for Christmas!! He LOVES them!!

All of the boys and leaders who went on the camping trip.

Patrick and Daniel...I LOVE this picture!!

Patrick and Daniel left on Monday for 6 days on a Scouting backpacking trip with the boys and leaders from our ward. They are heading north 6 hours to hike down to the Kern River and then tent camp by it until Saturday. The hike down to the river is about 2 miles.

I have never had to pack that kind of backpack before and I was sooo stressed! Did I get the right food?? Did I get them enough food?? Did I get food they will like?? Holy Cow!!!! I took Patrick with me to pick everthing out but he wasn't totally sure either. He had never done this type of trip before! The packs ended up weighing about 50 lbs each! Daniel put his on the night before they left after one of the young mens leaders (THANK YOU Mike!!) came over on Sunday night and helped us pack the backpacks. When Daniel put his pack on, he almost fell over!! He wasn't looking foward to having to carry the pack 2 miles down to the river! In fact, he was pretty stressed about it!

I asked Patrick to keep an eye out for Daniel and help him!! Hopefully they both did fine. No news is good news, so they must all be doing well!! These pictures are really cute and I don't get a picture of just the 2 of them togther very often. It will be funny to compare these before pictures with the after pictures!!

Aubrey and Julia...

I took these pictures of Aubrey and Julia at the Little League closing day ceremonies . I just love these pictures of them! The other girl in the pictures is their friend who's brother was on the same team as Daniel. They always make good friends every year with the siblings of the boys on the team. Aubrey and Julia go with Pat to the baseball field all the time... they LOVE it and Pat is always willing to let them go with him. We have decided to let Aubrey play softball next year. She wants to soooo badly...it is ALL she talks about these days!! It will be fun to go do something that is just focused on her. I think she needs that!! So, we'll add one more practice and game that we need to go to on the already long list of places to be!! GO Aubrey!!!

6th Grade Promotion and a farewell to Little League...

New added news....Daniel was selected for the 12 year old

All-Star Team!!

Congratualations, Daniel.

Daniel and his teacher, Mrs. Webster

Pat, Corey, Me, Daniel and Aubrey

Daniel and his friend Declan

Daniel graduated from 6th grade on Wednesday from Allen Elementary School. It is hard to believe that he is 12 years old and is going to be in 7th grade next year!! Daniel had a fabulous teacher this year. She really helped Daniel to gain a love for reading. He has a book with him where ever he goes these days...I LOVE that!! He will really miss his teacher, I think she has been his favorite teacher of all time( in all of his 12 whole years!!! He had a great year and even received one of the Presidential Awards for Academic Excellence!! He worked really hard and it showed!!

On Saturday, Daniel was in his LAST Little League baseball game. AND it happened to also be the championship game! He played for the A's and our record was 21 wins 4 losses. We had the best record in the League. I must unforunately tell you that we lost the championship game 6-5... OH THE HEARTBREAK!! Although we lost to the Astros for the Championship, we still had the best season record. Daniel hit 10 homeruns and his average was about 650. What a great 12 year old year! I am very happy for him and am also very sad that he is no longer in Little League. We have been in that Little League for the last 12 years since Patrick was 5!!! We won't be there for 5 years until Michael is old enough to play. Daniel will play Pony next year, which will be a lot of fun!! Pat was the Manager for Daniel's team and I know Pat is going to miss being in Little League with Daniel. They have had a BLAST together!!

Daniel with his 1st Place trophy.

Pat, Coach John Flippen, Daniel, and Coach Flippen's 2 twin boys, Blake and Parker. We have known the Flippen's for years , but didn't know them very well. Daniel will be going to Middle School next year with Blake and Parker and the 3 of them have beocme best friends!! Pat and John had such a great time coaching together!! John, MaryLou and the boys have become our life long friends!!

Pat and Daniel

Team photo!! Go A's!

Corey singing on the local TV channel KUSI...

Corey got the oppurtunity to sing on KUSI on Sunday morning...she was asked by vocal coach, LaTonya Lockett, to come and sing as an example of someone who has taken her vocal camps before. The video has some talking in it...so let it load and then fast foward to the part where Corey is singing, if you don't want to listen to the whole thing. She doesn't get to sing the whole song, they cut her off right before the chorus. BUMMER!! She sounds great and she had a great time being on TV!!! We are SO proud of you Corey!!

Corey starts singing at about 2:18 on the time line.

Here is the link:
http://www.kusi.com/home/47867592.html?video=YHI&t=a

New pictures of Michael...

These are the most recent pictures of Michael. He is now smiling a ton and so cute I can't stand it!! At his well check appointment he weighed 11 lbs. 5 oz.. He is 24 3/4 inches long. That means in 3 months he has grown almost 6 inches in length! WOW~~ we sure love him and he seems to be doing great. His pediatrician is going to run some tests just to double check a few things; Ultrasound of his brain, have the opthomologist look at his eyes, red cell count, and they will have a nurses follow-up clinic follow him over the next year or 2 and make sure he is meeting all of his growth milestones! He is defiantely well loved by all!!

"What's that thing called after a wedding???"

Friday was Julia's big graduation day from Kindergarten! It was such a cute program and Julia was very excited. They did sign language to the song, "What a Wonderful World". That was a special part of the program. Kindergarteners are so dang cute!! Julia kept saying..."And after the graduation we're having ummmmm a ummmm...what is that thing called after a wedding?" And I said, "A reception." and Julia said, "Yeah that, a reception, with cookies and lemonade!" Julia is sooo sassy and loving. It is going to be fun and quite a ride watching this darling independent girl grow up!!!

Memories of Grandma Folkman's jam...

I have loved making jam since I was a child going to my Grandma Folkman's house in Jerome, ID. I have such wonderful memories of watching my Grandma make raspberry jam from the raspberry patch that she had in her back yard. I would often get raspberries in Jerome while I was there, and then take them home and make jam. I have had the bug to make some jam the last month!! This last weekend I went to Visalia, CA to my cousin Joelle's wedding. (We had sooo much fun, I am going to post pitures in the next day or so!) When we were leaving Visalia, there was a strawberry stand on the side of the road...so I bought 2 flats and came home to make jam!! My friend Trina came over on Monday and we made strawberry freezer jam. Yummy!! From the 2 flats, we made 26 three cup rounds and 6 three cup squares. So here are a couple pictures. Not all of them are there because Trina had already taken her share home and I had given a few away when I took the pictures. I wish you could all have some!!