Zane's a Teenager!

Yep, that's right!  Zane turned 13 yesterday, June 21st.

 It was a very busy day for me--I did some laundry, dishes, and then got ready to go to town. I decided not to "make" Zane go shopping with us, so he stayed home along with Callum.

 And they said they actually got along!  (And I guess it helped that Callum bought Zane an Arizona drink at the store for him).  And Brienna gave him her old MP3 player for his birthday.

 (A shirt from Aunt Pamela)  We went to Rexburg (shopped at the DI thrift store) & then got Ethan so he could get some things he needed at the church distribution store (temple garments).

 After Rexburg, we got Wendy's for lunch & then headed to Idaho Falls for Brienna's back brace appointment.  She needed new padding & Velcro on her back brace.

 After picking up a few groceries (and birthday presents), we came home, made tacos & his dessert--Cheesecake (with blueberry topping).

 And enjoyed the rest of the evening.  Actually--Zane & Brienna went to mutual (young men's & young women's).  I even made 6 mini-cheesecakes for the kids.

 Zane enjoying his birthday "cake".

 Playing with his rubber-band gun.

And wearing his "Parry the Platypus" t-shirt from the family.  (the character is from a TV show called "Phineas & Ferb")

While we were eating dinner, Zane told us that he had a dream about Parry the Platypus the night before.  

So I asked Zane to come into the living room so I could take a picture of him with his new shirt on.  When I saw where he was standing, I asked for him to take one small step to the left & then took this picture.  If you look closely, it looks like he has antlers on his head--(it's just the antelope antlers hanging on the wall).

Temple Day

Saturday, June 18th was an important day in our family.

 Ethan attended the temple to receive his own endowments.  (If you don't know about LDS temples & what happens there, click here for more information).

 It was a wonderful feeling as a parent to see our child making rewarding & wonderful decisions. 

My parents were able to attend, along with my sister Pamela, Rusty's dad, and our sister-in-law Cindy & her 2 sons, Ian & Morgan.  

(We couldn't figure out the timer on the camera, so we had to take 2 different pictures to get everyone in).

Afterwards, we all went to Applebee's to eat & spend some family time.

I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for my testimony.  Life on this earth progresses quickly and it is wonderful to have the knowledge of "better things to come".

Health

Last Friday I spent almost 3 hours in the dentist chair.  

One of my teeth (a bottom molar) had chipped probably 6 months ago, and so every time I ate something, food would get stuck between my teeth.  So I flossed a lot, but it didn't bug me--until last week.  So I finally called & got an appointment (I don't know why I dread going to the dentist because I really do like to have my teeth cleaned & we have dental coverage).

There were a few "good" things about this dentist trip:  

     1--I did NOT need a root canal.  But the tooth had decayed some so he had to do a cap for the tooth.

     2--I got to use "happy gas" for the first time since I've gotten married.  All the other times I went to the dentist, I was either pregnant or nursing.

     3--I was able to get my permanent cap instead of having a temporary & coming back another day for the permanent one. (one reason I was there for 3 hours)

     4--I was able to watch TV the whole time (a great distraction from the tooth work!)  I  mainly watched the HGTV channel.

     5--I had a $65 dollar credit from the last visit (insurance actually paid more than expected last time) & if I paid in full, I would get a 10% discount.  So it wasn't quite as expensive as I first thought it would be.

     

Things not so good:  I couldn't talk for about 2 hours afterwards.  (After the dentist began, he had to numb things a little more because I could still feel things).  My mouth & tongue was quite numb!

Then Monday I had my physical for Wood Badge.  At least that one was much more pleasant than the dentist visit!  And I found out some wonderful news!

They actually measured how tall I was.  I expected to have lost a half an inch or so.  But I found out that I am actually 5 foot 5 inches!  My whole life I thought I was 5 foot 4 inches!  After finding that out, I realized that I really have never been measured for my height since high school.  When I first got married and was pregnant, they just asked me how tall I was.  And that has happened over, and over again.  I don't ever remember being measured to see how tall I actually was.

4-H Cupcakes

(This 4-H day camp was BEFORE Haircuts!)

 The kids learned how to decorate cupcakes lots of creative & fun ways.

 Zane's plate.

 Brienna's cupcakes.

 She shared hers, and ate the "healthiest" one--the apple.

 And Callum with his cupcakes. 

 He was so excited because he actually got to eat then this year (with eggs!)

Haircuts for the Summer

The boys were in dire need of a haircut.  But since it hasn't been hot yet this summer, they were dragging their feet about getting it done.  (well, except Rusty).

 I finally told Zane that he couldn't spend the night at his friend's house until he got a haircut.  So then he was a more eager.  And he really, really needed it.

 Callum just wanted a trim, but I told him he could use a buzz.

 Here's Benjamin's after picture--he sat super good for his haircut!

 Zane's haircut in progress--he wanted a flat top, so I had buzzed his sides & wanted to see how long the top was.

 Jimmy Neutron!

 The finished product--he looks so serious!

 Nice, though!

And we really didn't get a good on of Callum's, so here is one.