Fun Times in the Sun and Sand

The HUGE sandbox we have in our backyard has been the best thing we could have ever done. Our kids have played in the sand for 1000's of hours. Every spring, I swear at the sand all over my kitchen floor. But then I see days like this.
It started with Colton's baseball team playing.(they did the same thing when they were 9).

Of course when they were 9, I think they kept their clothes on and the sand stayed in the sandbox not on each other!!

Then they tried to recruit the 15 and 16 year olds.

(Scary that they can now drive) They think they are too old to play with sand anymore. It looks like the beginning of a gang fight!!

Then the younger ones come to help.


And we ended up with a HUGE lake in our sandbox!! Wet sand is so much better than dry sand. It sticks to everything.

BASEBALL IS LIFE

Introducing the South Valley Slam in their rookie year!!

With their starting 1st baseman and only lefty--Mason Olson
The 2nd team is the Spanish Fork Red Sox, who won the RMSB Memorial Day Tournament.

And their lead off batter--Colton Olson

Next we have the Spanish Fork Starzz, led by their superior coach

And their STAR player, Morgan


And finally we have the Spanish Fork Mets' power hitter

And 1st Baseman

Kalin!!

Beauty Queens and Baseball Teams

That is what our summer is made of!!
Actually, just the first official weekend of summer. Memorial Weekend began with the Miss Spanish Fork Pageant. Morgan got to hand out the flowers to the winners and meet Miss Utah, Jill Stevens. Do you think she will have Princess Dreams?

What we did this summer

Seriously though-Summer is drawing to a close. Baseball season has taken a break. Football season is just barely getting started, so I thought I would take some time to update my blog!! Don't collapse from shock, but I will do a summary of what we did this summer.

15

My favorite time of the year!! I get to make my kids squeal by the mention of a number. They know exactly what that number means. Do you???

The Secret

The secret to a great Space Derby Rocket begins with a great shape. Using a potato peeler and sandpaper, remove most of the wood until there is only 1/4 inch of wood surrounding the middle. Attach the wings, paint, and decorate.
Spin the rubber band as tight as you can. Using a drill is not always the most successful. Sometimes it contributes to the rubber band breaking. Mason preferred to take his time and hand spin the propeller.Have an expert attach it to the Derby track. Dave Lewis helped Mason attach his rocket after his mom failed several times.
Balance the propeller for perfect release...
And watch as rocket after rocket falls off or breaks. Before you begin a space derby, make sure the track is in good working order or no rocket finishes the race.
But at the end, Mason's rocket went the furtherest. The cub scouts had a good time even though the races were pretty much a failure!!

While we are in the April snow...

Kalin and I got to go to Youth Conference together. We went to a camp in the mountain. They still had several feet of snow. They had a lot of fun activities. They even had a karaoke contest. The women leaders did "Leader of the Pack". But the most fun was planned by the coolest leader there!! Kalin learned why the s at s' Camp think I am pretty cool. We played cards, stayed up late, and laughed after others were asleep.