Alaska Trip

Mike and Trevon had a wonderful father and son week long trip to Alaska. As they both LOVE to fish, it was a great trip for them. They went with a group of eleven guys (including them) to help lower the cost. For the past year they have saved for and talked about it.

They fished a couple of days on the ocean (Tues. and Thurs.), catching Halibut, Rockfish and Yellow-Eye. Oh yes, and an octopus! The octopus they used for bait. No one got sea sick, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The worker on this boat was quite skilled at filleting the fish that was caught. Scavangers followed after the boat to dispose of any remains that were tossed overboard.

They also fished for Salmon, in the Kenai River.  Mike and Trevon brought home 150 lbs. of fish for us to eat, and some fun stories to share.

This Moose was right next to their cabin...Trevon is lucky he didn't get killed! He was pretty close to this guy when he took his picture, and the mama wasn't too far away.

Pioneer Day Fun and more...

In summary of our week I am mostly posting pictures. The kids continued swimming lessons and I was so pleased with their improvement. One morning before lessons, Corban and Elise just had to run through the irrigation out in the orchard.

On Friday night Cari and Sadie volunteered their services at Hurricane's first Pickleball tournament (helping with registration, refreshments, etc.).

It was fun watching some of the tournament - and we thought Grandma Ferrin would have especially liked it as she plays Pickleball.
On Saturday, we celebrated Pioneer Day by going to the parade and then the kids ran the foot races and enjoyed the food and game booths that were at the park. The remainder of the day was spent doing chores and work at home. Mike and Trevon spent the whole week in Alaska, fishing. Pictures and a summary of their trip will be posted next. We are all looking forward to having them home soon!

Happy Anniversary

Today marks 21 years of marriage for me and Mike. WOW! Time flies when you're happily married.
He asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary. He took a few vacation days from work and suggested we do some shopping, go out to eat, maybe take a little trip, etc. with a certain amount of money he had set aside.  As fun as that might be, I thought I had a better idea...to paint the stairwell, insert a hand-rail and decorate a wall. What could be more fun than working together?  Mike was quick to warm up to the idea and so that's what we did.

The stairwell is one of those places that gets a lot of traffic at our house, and it was showing it. I really wanted to clean it up with some fresh paint. We often have family come to visit us and I wanted the stairs to be safer to descend as well. So, we shopped for paint, wood, stain and decore. I was so excited about our "project" that it was a really fun anniversary celebration for me. We worked well together and the end result is beautiful to me!

We still went out to dinner, but the best part was just being able to spend time together. This morning, the kids woke early to make us breakfast in bed. They served waffles, eggs, toasted bagel, fresh peaches and orange juice. MMMmmmm!

We exchanged letters to each other expressing our love for one another too. It's nice to take a moment and think about all the things you LOVE about your spouse. I think just doing that causes one to grow in their love for the other. I thought my "note" sounded really mushy, but it was all true and Mike seemed to really enjoy it. I enjoyed the words he wrote to me and I'm sure I'll read them again from time to time. It was a very Happy Anniversary for us!

Swimming Lessons

Summertime means swimming lessons! This year, Cameron, Elise and Corban are taking swimming lessons.

Elise is very comfortable in the water. On the first day of her lesson, she went down the slide. The rest of the week she avoided it and the diving board as she didn't like going under the water. She keeps talking about jumping off the board, but is nervous about it. I am hoping this next week she conquers her fear and goes for it! Either way, she is improving her swimming skills and having a good time too.

Corban pleaded with me to NOT take him to swimming lessons. He is not comfortable in the water. However, this past week I have seen more courage in this kid than I think I have seen in anyone.

He hesitantly sat at the edge of the pool for his lesson. On the first day, he fussed and didn't blow bubbles in the water or "talk" to the fish. When his instructor put him in a floating position, Corban would anxiously tell her to put him back on the step. He would say, "Are we done now? Okay, put me back now." Then he would ask, "Are we doing it again? Okay, then put me right back." He was terrified as he was held in the water. Still, he would look at me (with pleading in his eyes that I would take him home), and then go and do what he was told. I was amazed at how courageous he was. It was a noticeably hard thing for him to do, but he did it! The second day was hard for him too. He cried some, but I refused to sit near the pool when he cried, so he quickly stopped and then I sat near him. He grew in his trust for his instructors and even attempted to "talk" to the fish.

The whole experience seemed painful to him - still, he pressed on! That is the amazing part to me. Even though he really dreaded the whole thing, he knew it was something he had to do...so he did.

By the third day, Corban wasn't begging to be put back on the step anymore, though he still found great comfort in it. He was overcoming his fear. I could hardly believe it when I saw him being dropped off of the diving board. WOW. He blew bubbles, he swam like a rocket (as he was held by his teachers) and kicked his feet. He didn't cry anymore. By day four, he was blowing ping-pong balls in the water as he "swam." It was like watching a miracle happen right in front of me. Just watching what he was able to do in a few days made me want to conquer the things I fear or have a hard time doing (like playing the piano in public)! 

Last year, Cameron was equally afraid of the water. This year he has been much more confident. I know the more you do something (PRACTICE), the easier it gets! He is enjoying his lessons very much. Especially the "free time" at the end of the lesson when he can do whatever trick he wants to.

I'm looking forward to seeing the improvement that I know will take place this week during their swimming lessons.  WAY TO GO KIDS!!!

Fourth of July

We celebrated the Fourth of July by going to a parade down town. Corban held his ears most of the time because of the noise. Still, it was fun for everyone.



The kids brought bags for candy, but hardly any candy was given out and I was glad for that! It's not about the candy! It was a nice overcast day - perfect for viewing a parade.





After the parade, Mike, Cari, Sadie, Kristi and I worked as volunteers manning the games that were stationed next to the Community Arts Center. We worked until the afternoon, while Trevon escorted the little kids around the food and fun.



This year the city had wristbands for sale for $5. The bands provided the kids entrance to the bouncehouse, slide and games. At the games, the kids earned tickets, instead of candy, that they redeemed for toy prizes.

The girls were in charge of the ring toss game.



Cameron worked up a sweat while he played...



Mike monitored the big slide (for over three hours)!






The kids ended up with some fun toys.



We headed home just afternoon. After eating lunch, we planned a BBQ dinner and made a quick trip to the grocery store so that we could make some Cherry Pie Crunch later. With vanilla ice cream, it's a family favorite!

Trevon took up a collection toward the purchase of fireworks. Then, he went to the store and bought us some fun things for the evening.

We had BBQ chicken, garden squash, green beans and sliced, grilled potatoes for our dinner. Soon after we enjoyed the Cherry Pie Crunch. Then, just before dark, we headed to the park.

At the park we played Ultimate Frisbee. Our teams ended up being the girls against the boys. We had a fun time playing this game. When it was too hard to see anymore, we lit our fireworks. Corban opted to watch from the car!









I was able to convince Corban to sit on my lap when the city's firework show began. We watched them and when they ended, noticed a fire had started on the hill...of course, we had to get a closer look...before we headed home.

I think my favorite part of the day was playing Ultimate Frisbee. I love playing outside games with my family.

Now, in case you're wondering how to make Cherry Pie Crunch.....

Cherry Pie Crunch
2 cans prepared cherry pie filling
2 TBsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 c. melted butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 pkg. white cake mix
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Combine prepared cherry pie filling, cinnamon, almond extract, and fresh lemon juice. Spread in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle white cake mix over fruit. Pour melted butter and sliced almonds on top. Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. SERVE WARM with vanilla ICE CREAM!