July Catch Up

• We got a summer membership to the AZ Science Center through a deal site. Unfortunately, we only made it once! However, I still got my money's worth in the 1 visit. But wish we would have made it more.

• 4th of July we went to our church's annual Pancake Breakfast & Bike Parade.  It was yummy & the kids had fun in the parade as usual.  Owen is a bit too big for his tricycle now, so he took his Plasma Car instead.  The Boy Scouts put the flag in our yard for certain holidays, and the kids LOVE when they wake up and it's there. 

• 4th of July weekend we went camping with a good portion of the Neerings Family.  Audrey stayed from Thursday-Monday with aunts & grandparents.  Paul, Owen & I joined them for the weekend Friday-Sunday.  We all had a great time, despite no fires.  My kids definitely got the camping gene from the Neerings side of the family.  They love it!

• Kids were able to bowl free this summer at the Brunswick across the street from us, so we made it there once with some friends.  Audrey's 2nd time and Owen's 1st.

• Audrey was in a Musical Production Camp for a week.  They learned a short little play, it was so cute.  It was called "Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock."   She was a rhino.  Tried uploading a video, but it wasn't working.  I'll try later.  Her partner ended up being Jay {her cousin}, so that was perfect for videos and pictures!  They learned acting, dancing, and singing.  She loved it so much that she actually just started a semester long class with the same company, Talent Team.  They will have 3 performances of their show in December.  It's great because the class meets once a week right at her school!

 

• July 29th was Audrey's 6th birthday!  We did a family party this year.  She requested either a Rapunzel or a jewelry cake.  I didn't tell her what I got, so it was a surprise.  We went with Rapunzel. {Because what exactly was she expecting on a jewelry cake???}  Which worked out because she picked out Rapunzel plates, napkins and cups.  It was on a Sunday, so we just added the cake as our Sunday dinner dessert.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins came to celebrate.  She also had to dress the part as well.  :o)

 

• In late June I received some sad news about a friend of mine being in a very horrible car accident.  Less than two weeks later, her husband and family made the tough decision of taking her off life support.  She had a very bad spinal injury and her brain activity just wasn't there. Jennie was one of the first friends I met when I moved to AZ in 1993 and started Jr high.  Even as we grew up and moved on in life, we always considered each other best friends.  The couple times we'd see each other a year when she was visiting family here in AZ, we would get together and it was just like it always was.  She was an amazing mother, full of energy and life.  She raised her young children so well.  They are only 4 and 18 months, but I know she gave them enough love for their entire lifetime and that they will one day be reunited in heaven.  I was able fly out with Amy, another friend from back in Jr high, to attend a memorial service for her in Fort Collins, CO where she had lived for the past 3 or so years while he husband attended school.  It was wonderful to see her family and celebrate her life.  I still cry when I think about it, it was a tragic accident that took her away from her young family.