Grandma Shirley's Funeral

My Grandma Shirley died this week.

We attended her funeral.

She died at age 91 years old.

She had Alzheimers towards the end.

I loved playing Skip-bo with her, seeing her Precious Moments she collected, and seeing the puzzles they worked on.

I felt so loved by her and loved her cheery personality and demeanor.

My Grandpa is 97 years old and still alive.

He is now a widower for the 3rd time.

My Grandpa Max is a great example to me.

Despite losing 3 wives and going through a surgery and a fall in the last year, he still carries on and goes forward.

I'm grateful for the examples of my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles.

I have a great heritage I look up too.

Rodeo Time

I set up a schedule for the kids to follow for their last week of summer.

After breakfast they started off each morning with an hour of exercise.

The boys practiced doing exercises from "American Ninja Warriors".

They would go out to the front yard to the tree and swing from branch to branch.

The pull-up bar was also a favorite.

In the afternoon, James and Grant ran around at the splash pad to enjoy the hot day.

We weren't planning on going to the rodeo, but, thankfully to some nice neighbors, we were given a family pass to go.

The kids all loved going and watching the bucking Broncos on horses and bulls.

They had a funny clown who tried to launch a chicken in a cannon and hid in a barrel that a bull charged at.

The side show acts were pretty entertaining to see.

Box Elder County Fair

Well, it's fair week, and we kicked it off with watching the parade.

Lots of candy was collected by the kids.

The parade was just over an hour, and it was pretty good.

Then we took advantage of the rides only costing 1 ticket per ride for the first day and let the kids go on a couple rides.

Fair week is Fun here in Tremonton.

Sportsmanship

Noah is working on good Sportsmanship.

Often Noah gets fiercely competitive, which is okay, except for the times he gets angry when he loses.

Joyanne is playing the piano in the background.

She plays beautifully and plays on request.

She played for me "Fur Elise" and a Sonatina from Clementi.

Her piano playing is so soothing to my soul.

Father's Blessings

Dinner with cousins was delicious and fun.

Of course, they all have fun playing together.

We had a Family Home Evening on Father's Blessings and then Daddy gave his nephews and nieces blessings of comfort and guidance for the upcoming school year.

We talked a lot and enjoyed each other's company.

Nashville Tribute Band

I did Joyanne's hair this morning.

It was fun to try something a little different.

As a family, we are working on a special project.

Of course it has to do with Halloween and fun.

More details to come.

Tonight Joyanne, Daddy and I went to the Nashville Tribute Band Concert.

It was great to see a group of people who share their beliefs through music.

Last Full Lagoon Day

We had a great day for our last full day at Lagoon.

The highlight of the day was watching John and Serenity ride the Sky Coaster.

Last Days of Summer Fun

Playing with Cars

The boys have been playing a ton with their cars.

Daddy bought them a "build your own" race track.

They've been having fun with it ALL day.

The Lord wants us to use our talents for good.

Daddy is doing just that this weekend.

He is hosting an addiction fun run this weekend to raise money for groups who help people overcome addiction.

I'm grateful for a good man who puts his time and money to good use.

Pond Family Reunion

We just love, love, love getting together with family!

Visiting with cousins and siblings was great!

I loved holding baby Jane and putting her to sleep.

My kids were quite the monkeys as they climbed the pole in the center of the pavilion, and played in the trees.

Joyanne was a good little mommy to her cousin Lily, as she snuggled with her.

Family Time is fun time!

What a blessing that we get to be sealed as a family in a temple so we can be together forever, even after we die.

Logan Canyon Wind Caves

We went for a hike up Logan Canyon Wind Caves.

We hiked up a moderate incline the whole way.

We went 2 miles up and 2 miles down.

On the way up we had to stop about every 15 minutes to rest.

We brought up 13 water bottles, and every one of them got all drank up.

There were cool small caves to climb on and explore.

The triple arch was cool to be under and see.

We carried out lunch up, but the kids most enjoyed the trail mix they made themselves.

Daddy was a super hero and carried the backpack full of water on his back AND Grant on his shoulders the whole way.

Though the hike was definitely the hardest one we've been on as a family, it was well worth it.

Cousin Bonding

My sister, Linda, and her kids came over.

They had fun bouncing on the bounce house and playing together.

I'm loving the time the cousins are having to bond with each other.

Hiram participated in a scouting activity and enjoyed playing several scout games.

He did well.

Grant is peeking out the window saying goodbye to his cousins.