June 2016

June was the beginning of summer break. Well I did a math training where I spent two weeks working with students until noon each day so I guess you could say I eased into summer vacation, is that even a thing.?! June was filled with lots of fun activities and lots of time spent relaxing and playing at the park. I loved that when I was working Warren and I would spend 2-3 hours a day at a park somewhere in Logan or a splash pad just reading and playing. Those were the best days and what summer is made of.

Warren's mud bath at the Merlin Olsen Park. We love this park. It is my favorite because of the variety of things it has. A stream, SHADE, a playground, tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, as well as pavilions, a baseball diamond and lots of grass. We also meet the nicest people at this park. Zack and Warren  have been working on building a boat to run down the stream soon.

June 15th we met Amy and her kids in Brigham to hang out and play. Warren loved  their dog Bruce and wanted him to ride in our car. Jasper (Amy's son who is Warren's age) let Bruce ride in the car so Warren decided to try and ride his bike while walking Bruce to find Jasper. 

We spent lots of time in June at some local splash pads. I think we have visited 4 so far.

June also brought the beginning of Warren's second year of swim lessons. He loves swimming and loves the water and this year was another successful year. He graduated from Level C and will be in Level 1 next year. We have been swimming quite a bit lately and he has been doing a really great job swimming for several lengths with his face in the water. I am so proud to see him working on a skill and learning new things.

Warren's first day of swim lessons.

Last day of swim lessons means he gets to jump off the diving board. He loved it and had to fear.

June was the month of Warren's first Fathers and Sons camp out. He was looking forward to it for months. He kept asking about it and when it was. Zack worked his schedule so he could go, and they went. Not so sure if they had an amazing time but they went. It was super hot until about 4:30 in the morning so they didn't sleep well and missed breakfast and then went to help out at the service project about 10 minutes after it started and it was over. Zack did say Warren had fun running around with the other kids and loved it when someone widdled him a pencil during the devotional. I am glad they had this time together and that Zack is taking Warren on activities just the two of them. It is also fun to see the Father and Son camping tradition continue onto the next generation.

Yay for his first Fathers and Sons Campout

In June my youngest brother Ben went to the Temple for the first time. He received his mission call to serve in the Virginia Chesapeake Mission. He left June 22 will serve for two years. I was able to go with him to the Brigham City Temple about a week after the first time he went through. That weekend I was able to go to  two different temples in about a 24  hour period, Logan while Zack and Warren were at Fathers and Sons and then Brigham City with Ben, my dad and Diann. Zack and Warren went to a movie while we were inside. Ben has prepared as best I think that anyone could. He spends time really getting to know the scriptures and even asked his bishop how he could better prepare for his mission. He has also worked hard and earned all the money he needed for his mission. He is a great example for pressing forward, working hard, and treating others with kindness and respect. I hope Warren will follow Ben's example in many ways. Ben spoke in church on Father's Day so we went to Idaho Saturday to spend some extra time with him. We stayed at my dad's house and helped prepare the food, roasted marshmallows, made hobo dinners that were super yummy, and played with cousins. My dad lives in a very rural setting and has lots of farm animals. they kids chased the turkeys and chickens back into their pens at night, climbing, playing with bunnies and enjoying the space to run and be kids. Ben did a great job speaking in church on Father's Day and we loved visiting with family after.

These two boys enjoyed hanging out together twice in one week.

Little K

Love this brother of mine, he will make a great missionary.

Outside the Brigham City Temple after attending a session with Diann, Ben and my dad.

I just had to throw this one in here because the tabernacle was so beautiful that night.

We went for dinner that night and Ben wanted to try and complete their challenge to eat three large pancakes. Those pancakes to the left of him are what he had to eat.

He dove right in and ate a lot...

but in the end decided he was too full to finish. Maybe after the mission.

Father's Day marked nine years since Zack's brother Warren passed away, we are so grateful for the Plan of Happiness and that we know we will see Warren again one day.

Warren also started tennis lessons the end of June. We started playing with him a little last year and he seemed pretty good so we thought we would put him in. The group setting has been good for him and he makes friends very quickly. He is learning some different ways of hitting the ball, how to serve, and follow directions from others. He plays a lot of games to learn the concepts but that is how kids at his age learn best. We are hoping to keep him in lessons and help him improve over the years. He enjoys it and says he wants to take lessons until he is 90 so he can beat mom and dad. It has also been great to get out and play a few games as a family.

First day of his very first tennis lesson ever1

Look at that shot!

 Warren and I also went swimming on day at the local aquatic center where he had his swim lessons. It was the first time I had ever taken him swimming completely alone. I am capable of doing so we had just always been with family or friends. It was different to be the only adult but nice to spend some time together just the  two of us. 

He wanted a picture of the little  prints his wet feet made on the cement and I am grateful to have them frozen in time.

I am not sure what caused his hair to look so red here but it is cool.

Warren turns 5!

I cannot believe that my little boy is 5! He is not a little boy anymore. We had so much fun celebrating his birthday and him. We started some new traditions this year that we will be carrying on from here on out. I was having a hard time thinking about my little boy turning 5, so I decided to celebrate his last day of being 4 to reminisce about all the great things that happened when he was four, and all the wonderful things he was able to learn and accomplish  when he was four. We sang a song I made up, Happy Last Day of Being ___ which we sung to the tone of Happy Birthday, we let Warren blow out four candles and have some cookies. It was a blast and the pictures are down below. We also took some pictures of his last day being four and then sent him off to bed. 

I had to work the day of his actual birthday and Zack had school  and work, but he got off early so we let Warren choose where he wanted to go for dinner, Buffalo Wild Wings  it was, because he got to play with an iPad. We were going to go home and have cake, with a special secret cake, but this little guy fell asleep on the way home, so we had his special donut cake for breakfast. Well we all did and then still had plenty left over. 

A little over a week later we had a birthday party for him with all our family, a Wild Kratts themed party. He loves animals and we decorated with animal print balloons, ate food animals might eat and played some animal themed games. He really enjoyed himself and we appreciated all the family that came and helped. This was the day he also got his big  boy bike. He had outgrown the 12 inch bike and we had been sitting on his new 16 inch bike since Thanksgiving. 

A special donut cake for my donut loving 5 year old. We used two big donuts from Macey's and a sugar donut on top to complete it. He loved it! The idea came from his preschool teacher.

 

Our 5 year old.....

Make a wish.

Happy Last Day of Being 4, there were four cookies but he snuck one early.

I love this happy boy, his smile, laugh and the faces he makes.

Best buddies

Dinner for the birthday boy, he did not want to be sung to, but they gave him a treat and this cool hat.

Even though these pictures are blurry I love how excited they both are.

All tuckered out from a long day of playing.

Bekah, and Grandpa and Grandma Lore at Warren's party.

More family. 

Warren we are so grateful you are party of our family. We thank our Heavenly Father each and every day that we get to be your earthly parents. You teach us so much and we love you more than we can express.

Five things I love about you are;

1. You love to learn and ask questions about everything and anything.

2. You say hello to anyone, especially people who others might not think to say hello to, like the people who are taking care of our lawn, or the man who was weed eating while you were at tennis lessons.  You make people feel special Warren, never lose that. 

3.  You love animals, all kinds of animals bugs included.

4. You love your Savior, Jesus Christ. Even at a young age you loved him and continue to. Sometimes you tell me that you miss him. 

5. Your laugh is the best. I love hearing you laugh because it is contagious, youthful, energetic, and adorable. 

Warren we love you so much and think you are the best thing since sliced bread.