Happy Birthday America!

This is a day I love. My favorite of all summer holidays.

Even though something about it doesn't feel like a holiday. Sort of like Memorial Day. More like a day to reflect, and remember and be thankful. It is of course Grandpa Honey's birthday, and I will always think of him on this day. But this year I also think of my brother, away from his wife and his son in a place that I'm sure is not very


pleasant. This year, a song they play at the fireworks "Somewhere out there..." meant something different. Perhaps in Iraq, Timmy can see the same stars that shine down on this free country on this night and know that we're all thinking about him, and loving him.

Okay, on to the highlights...the persistence of our family to sit in the same seats we've sat in for YEARS at the fireworks,
The music, the patriotism that moves us to tears,
NOT being incredibly, uncomfortably, hugely pregnant this year!
Jacob's 1st fourth of July.
Breakfast outside - eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, pancakes with coconut syrup, orange juice and fruit. Super fun and yummy!
Hyrum parade (same floats, same candy, same crowds - different city) Hey the kids don't care!
Free watermelon at the Hyrum city square, Spencer paying to go in the dunk tank, and "piloting" our neighbor's helicopter.
Then, the 4th wouldn't be complete with out a cook out (this year, tin foil dinners), corn on the cob and Heather and Aubrey made "Skookies" which is a warm cookie baked in a skillet pan, topped with ice cream and caramel and chocolate toppings. Jacob thought it was fantastic! Thanks Aubs and Auntie! The Evening ended with our inexpensive collection (10.00 max, I say if you want to get a thrill out of your hundred dollars worth of fireworks, light the bill itself on fire - you'll have people running and screaming just as much!) of fireworks and John dancing in the light of the strobe type flashing ones. The kids, and the neighbors!, all loved it! Happy 233 birthday America!

Olivia turns 5!

I can't believe she's five! Where did the time go? Breathe, breathe.
Our one and only

princess is growing up. But not so much that she has outgrown her favorite princesses, so I was excited that she chose them for her birthday party theme. We borrowed the "photo ops" princess cutouts from the pumpkin walk, (the hours and hours and hours of work there has it's benefits) and made our party around them. Olivia's primary aged girls, a couple of cousins, and some girls that she plays with while I visit teach their moms came and we ended up with a fun number of twelve dancing princesses at the party. We had a treasure hunt, made "Princess Aurora" dolls out of crepe paper and soap bottles, and took pictures with the Disney Princesses. It was all very pink and fluffy and perfect for our "girly little girl"! Happy Birthday, Princess Olivia!

Daddy / daughter date

Olivia is our shy child. She stays close to us. She doesn't talk to strangers. Even people she knows at times. She bursts into panicked tears if she can't see me at all times at the park. I don't know what we are going to do when she starts kindergarten this fall. Lately we can't get her to stay in her primary class. Week after week they have brought her to us in tears (We think that it's because of several changes in her primary teachers over the course of a month). Finally, John told her that if she would stay in her class for 4 consecutive weeks, he would take her on a Daddy / daughter date. She was thrilled! We saw her take a deep breath and compose a look of determination on her face before going to her class, but she stayed! And she earned her date. For the weeks leading up to it she talked about what kind of date she wanted, "all fancy, like Fancy Nancy!" she would tell us. At dinner time she would talk about where she wanted to go, "someplace super fancy, with Christmas lights!" and she wanted to eat salmon, not a kids meal, and she was going to wear a dress and John was going to wear a suit and a tie. So that's what John did. He took her to the Bluebird all dressed up with a tiara and everything and ordered a grown up salmon meal and laughed and talked, then they sat at the old fashioned soda counter for dessert. Some little old ladies came up to them and told them that they had made their whole night just seeing the two of them on this special date. Olivia glowed, and I believe John beamed. And I loved him all the more for granting her simple wish right down to her salmon and his suit.

Spencer's first pine wood derby!

For weeks Spencer worked on his car, John giving him all the pointers and tips he wished he had done on his own cars as a kid. Spencer insisted on a truck, I thought it would be too heavy and bulky, you know, with all the expertise I have in the derby car department. John told me to let him do whatever he wanted to do and then he worked beside him to make sure his son's car was going to win (despite the schpeels on sportmanship and winning not being the most important thing he was obligated to give at the same time). Unfortunately our cubscout master had some major personal situations that came up and the pine wood derby was delayed by three MONTHS! Finally the long awaited day came and the boys packed the gym along with a bunch of siblings and super competitive dads! Boy, if you thought the boys were bad! John brought his old derby cars so that Matty and Olivia could race them after it was all over. Matthew sat inthralled with the whole process, right next to the track and was thrilled to share in his big brothers pine wood derby. Spencer won first place in the wolf den and debatably first place over all (they didn't actually call an overall winner, but since he won the most races, we figured that qualifies). Good job, Bud! Disregard Mom's input on the technicalities of weight. I really know NOTHING about pine wood derbies!

Lazy Summer Days

The lazy days of summer! Hours on the swing set, cool watermelon, sleeping in the yard. Favorite day of the week, "Flood Day", sleeping in until nine, pajamas until ten, or maybe eleven, but only once in a while. The first taste of an Oreo, visits with Aunt Terry, (she hates the pictures but the kids just love her). Staying up late, boredom from "nothing to do". What would summer be without these things?

Jenkins Family Thingy

(In response to a lot of people's ?'s - the last picture is of John as he sat up in the morning after a horrid nights sleep. He is not crying, and he is not sick. I get to see him like this every morning! That's my man! Attractive isn't he!)




Ahhh, Cherry Hill! Had a great time! Two days of camping, in a camp ground with showers and warm running water-which is soooo much better than a mountain weed patch and a hole (aka toilet) dug in the ground behind a tree. The kids had so much fun running with their cousins, wearing out flashlight batteries and enjoying the freedom of the lazy river, the pirate wading pool and cardiac canyon. Miniature golf was a hit. We managed to lose one ball to the freeway, two to the bushes, and a couple to the little ponds. And our family's overall hole average was a 32 over par!
The food was great, the company was great, and it didn't rain a drop on our water day! Thanks David and Lynette & girls for all your hard work. We appreciate you!
Now we just have to figure out what to do for next year!

Alicia's Day in Court

This is me looking somber and humiliated.


Okay, the truth. I let our car registration expire. By a month. I wasn't driving it much, avoiding driving to be honest, because it was expired and I didn't want to haul all 4 of our kids to the car inspection place (see how much I know about cars?). I was waiting for John to have a day off of work so we could trade off on taking the kids/car. On the fated ticket day, Jacob was fussy and so I was driving all the kids around the neighborhood trying to get Jacob to sleep. One block from our house, Officer Kerr pulled me over. I was ordered to appear in the Wellsville City Courts.
This past Monday I had my appearance. John was working late, so I had to take all the kids with me. I filled out the paper given to me, took my number and filed myself and the children into the SILENCE of the courtroom. Under my breath I hissed to the kids to "Be still, be quiet and DON'T YOU MOVE." They were perfect! Even Matthew, who normally can't resist climbing something or jumping off of something, didn't move a muscle. Just hearing the Judge yelling at all those rough looking delinquents for missing their community service details, or counseling appointments and sentencing others to 90 days in jail for road rage, driving while intoxicated and diving 66 in a 30 zone (some of the sentences we heard) was enough to keep them frozen in their chairs. When My number was called, I approached the bench near tears. The Judge looked at the computer screen and I assume my spotless driving record and smiled at me and waved at Jacob. He asked me if I understood the charges and I whispered 'yes'. Then he asked me if I understood my rights and I told him that I never heard my rights before. He smiled and said "Not those rights (Miranda), the rights on the paper you signed." I know I blushed and said "Oh, those rights, yes." "Then how do you plead?" I had to stand there, before my children and plead guilty to driving with an expired registration. It was horrible. He asked if I had taken care of it, I said yes and he fined me thirty dollars instead of forty. Nice, huh? He then smiled at me and said "So, I'm curious, were you not driving it or did you forget?" I explained that I was waiting for my husband to have a day off so I wouldn't have to drag my kids to the service station. He chuckled to himself and nodded to my kids, all stone still on the back row. I know he was thinking to himself, "And here you find yourself in court with all of them." The irony. I walked to the back of the courtroom, gave them the three finger (you three!)point and filed out the door. Later that day as I was feeling greatly somber, my highway patrolman neighbor cheered me up. He told me that it was actually a good thing for kids to see their parents take responsibility for their mistakes. They learn that it's expected of them, too. So there's the silver lining in my horrible day (okay, actually 20 minutes)in court. Lesson learned. Hopefully, lesson taught as well.