AUGUST HAPPENINGS

Our Henry boy had a birthday this month.  He turned eight and is preparing to be baptized.

He loves Minecraft and got new bedding and legos.  We bought him a remote control car that does fancy tricks.  We sure love our affectionate Henry!

We have been loving the summer season!  The kids love to come play in the water and have popsicles at Grandma's.  It is so fun watching the kids play under the big willow trees.  My heart is full when I watch the kids playing happily outside!
 

 Skylar had his birthday 2 days after Henry's.  He didn't want cake but wanted an ice cream bar, so that's what Sarah did for him.  She had at least FIVE different kinds of Tillamook ice cream.  We were all invited over and enjoyed the yummy dessert and spending time celebrating Skylar.  He just turned thirty two.  

Aunt Kendra is a favorite!!

In the middle of the month I spent a few days hanging out in Vegas and caring for my mom and dad.  I was able to get Mom out to church on the Sunday that I was there.  She doesn't get to go that often so it was nice for her to be there.  She had a lot of people come up to greet her, so that was nice.  By the time we got home she couldnt remember much of it but it was nice to get her out and hear her sing some hymns.  She loves music and hums to soothe herself a lot.  She is always really sweet and so grateful to have me there!

The day after getting back from Vegas (the 17th) I had carpal tunnel surgery on both of my wrists.  I will be the first to admit that I was not expecting to be so debilitated by this procedure.  It was difficult to do even the simplest of things.  The hardest part was not being able to take care of my own personal hygiene. Rick had to help me shower and wash my hair, and I couldn't even brush my own hair.  I am happy to say that now, a week later, I am doing much better.  I am able to get my wrists wet briefly and even though it still is painful it is a good feeling to be able to take care of myself.  I will get the stitches out a week from today.

This past Sunday we had a family get together to celebrate Merik's fifth birthday.  We had two cakes, and the kids enjoyed having a taste of both - topped with some ice cream.  

Merik was going to be starting kindergarten, but after going in for testing we (Kaitlyn and I) decided it would be better for him to wait another year to begin.  If he starts school this year he will be the youngest in his grade plus academically he really needs to wait another year.  There are just some things that he still needs to learn.  Kaitlyn felt good about her decision and is trying to get him into Head Start to help with his speech and learning issues.  I felt very good about this decision! 

Yesterday was the last day off of school so Kendra brought her kids over for some splash pad fun!

Rick and I have been tending the Phelps kids while Skylar and Sarah went on a hiking overnighter.

We had a lot of fun playing outside, and the kids loved sliding into Kendra's big splash pad.  The only pictures I got were of this cute boy.  Eric loved drinking water coming out of the splash pad.  

So cute!

Chloe joined in on the drinking fun!

Today school started for the kids.  Yes, I am very sad about it.  First, I just like having the kids out of school having fun everyday! HAHA!  I must be a party grandma!  Second, with the kids heading back to school that can only mean one thing.....FALL IS COMING!  While I love fall (it's my favorite time of the year)  I DO NOT want summer to end.  NOT YET!

 

That being said, Rick and I had an amazing summer and got to have lots of fun with family as well as just ourselves.  Let's bring on the football and soccer seasons and then let the fall fun begin!

Phelps Family Reunion 2022

Last post for July...

This year's family reunion was planned by Skylar and Sarah.  We met up at Mirror Lake this year.  When we arrived we were in the throes of a huge thunderstorm.  Rick and I had brought Rafe, Henry and Charles.  As we got closer to the lake the thunder and lightening show was grand.  The kids were getting a little nervous because the higher we got the louder the thunder.  As we pulled into the campground 

we could see Skylar had his tent up but the rain was sure coming down hard.  We drove over to our spot and waited for it to abate.  After a few minutes Rick got out to try to set up camp but shortly thereafter a huge bolt of lightening and a clap of thunder chased him back to the safety of the truck.  Next thing we knew Haivyn was at the truck door wanting in.  (Kaitlyn had followed us from Grantsville with her kids)  She got into the truck crying and screaming "We're gonna die!! Grandpa I'm scared"  Well, that woke up Charlie who started crying for his mama.  Henry immediatly went over to comfort Charlie and I heard Rafe quietly say, "I'm scared, Grandpa. We had already explained to the kids about being safe in a vehicle because of the rubber tires but the thunder was loud and scary.  It actually was quite comical...the level of pandemonium and fear inside the truck.  I finally said, "let's sing some songs while we wait out the storm".  That did the trick:)  Everyone calmed down and after about ten minutes the storm stopped, and we were all able to get out.  The kids started exploring the area which began their reunion adventure.

That night Skylar and Sarah were in  charge of dinner.  The rain continued on and off but we had the trailer awning up so we could eat and stay dry.  They served a delicious dinner of Hawaiian haystacks and then we celebrated Kendra's birthday (which was a couple of days earlier) with a Dunford donut cake, at her request.  We all enjoyed some donut dessert and sat around a smoking fire with wet wood while the kids played until we decided we should get to bed.  Kaitlyn and her kids had planned to stay in a tent but I felt bad for them since it was so wet so I invited them to join us in the trailer.  It was a cold night but everyone stayed warm.

The kids had a great time!

                                                                    Henry and Eric                                                              

Sarah doing Chloe's hair

 

     The next morning the rain had stopped, but it was very overcast still.  It did continue to rain off and on throughout the day but we made the most of it.  Brach and Kendra served up a mountain man and pancake breakfast that was quite delicious and a good way to start out the day.  Since it had stopped raining we decided to take a walk around the lake.  The kids loved watching for fish in the water and finding hiding spots to scare each other.   It's fun to see how they all love to be together.  I hope they look back on their young lives and remember the fun times that they made as kids.  We saw Brach and Skylar out on the lake in their float tubes enjoying some fishing.  The kids liked seeing their dad's out on the water.

Cuties!

Me and my sweets.  The view around the lake was amazing.

While the boys were out on the lake fishing we headed back to camp for some lunch.  It was a little chilly, so we started a fire with that awful wet wood that smoked more than anything:(

Later in the afternoon Rick and I took a drive into Kamas to pick up some ketchup for our dinner.

That night we made a delicious dutch oven chicken and potatoes dinner.  We also served corn and watermelon.  For dessert I had prepared brownies and then made a yummy hot fudge sauce to go over the top.  After dinner Sarah put on a cute magic show for all of us.  Skylar was the in-between entertainment with the telling of dad jokes.  

Afterwards we had an outdoor movie night; Wild America.  Rick and I provided the popcorn and goodies for the evening.  We were so grateful that it stayed clear for us throughout the movie.  A lot of the kids were asleep by the end.  They had worn themselves out!

We woke up to blue sky and wanted to take advantage of that.  After a cereal and fruit breakfast most everyone went over to the lake.  the kids did more fishing and we loved having the sunshine.  Rick and I took out our new raft and enjoyed about forty minutes on the water.  I was so sad to have to pack up and leave that day and was wishing for just one more day in that beautiful place.  

😍😍😍

Buddies

Rafe with his big catch.  

                          Henry and Charles also reeled in a fish and were happy about that.

We hated to see our reunion come to an end but stayed until the last minute before check out time.

We definitely want to go back....cant wait until next year!

South Willow Canyon Overnighter

Still back blogging for July.  After our trip to CA we knew we needed to get the grandkids' Canyon overnighter planned.  Last year we missed it because of summer going way too fast, and we didn't get it planned before school started.

Rick drove the trailer up to one of our favorite spots in South Willow at the Boy Scout campground.

It's the first slot in and is really large with lots of room for the kids to run and play.  While Rick drove the truck and trailer up the canyon and started preparing camp, I drove all of the kids up from our house to the canyon in the ranger.  It was a fun ride with the boys screaming with excitement in the back seat.  The girls were just a little more calm:)  It took us about forty minutes to get up to the campground.  I love living so close to such a beautiful canyon.  When we got to camp the kids immediately started exploring the area and playing in the water.  They mostly spent their time making "dams" in the stream.  They each built their own with hopes that they could trap and catch some fish.  I encouraged them in this knowing that "trapping the fish" would probably not happen:)  They had lots of fun!

Next, we roasted some hot dogs in the fire pit and had a small dinner.  We were trying to hurry because darkness was quickly coming and we wanted to ride up to the loop to find some deer.  We counted 15 deer between both the night and morning rides.  After our ride up the mountain we came back for some s'mores and some campfire songs and stories.  That didn't last long cause some of the kids got a little spooked.👀

We went inside and the kids played UNO while we got a movie and treats set up.  

The kids all slept soundly that night:)

Next morning we had some cold cereal and then went out for a drive in the ranger again.  We stopped at the cave and did some "quartz mining", and the kids were happy with what they found.

We also stopped at the stream swing, and all of the kids had a great time on the swing and exploring the area.  Then it was time to check out and head back home.  What a great tradition that we have made with these five oldest grandkids.  We'll keep it going each year as long as we can.

Here are some random pictures of our time there.

The last picture is so cute.  We wore Charles out with all of the excitement.  He fell asleep halfway home in the ranger and then continued to sleep a few more hours after he got home.

 

California Road and Temple Trip

After dropping Kaitlyn and the kids off at the airport, Rick and I headed north of Santa Barbara to a little town called Solvang.  My sister, MaryEllen had told me that her family likes to visit that little town, and so we decided we would go check it out.  It was so cute and we could have stayed longer, but we were there long enough to peruse some shops, get some Danish bakery items and have a great dinner.  This would be a recommendable place to stay for a night or two, but we had reserved a room further north at San Luis Obispo.  The drive there was so beautiful as we passed many vineyards and wineries.  Thankfully we had decided to bring the BMW for the convertible views and boy was it beautiful!

 The next morning we got up and went to the San Luis Obispo Ward.  It was a great ward with a lot of elderly people in it.  I just love attending church all over the world!  The spirit is always felt with people from all walks of life serving and sharing in their own wards and branches.  I love how the Gospel brings us together each week no matter where we are:)

We had packed a sandwich lunch for our drive up Highway One.  A sister at church had recommended that we stop at at the William Randolph Hearst Park for our lunch and that we not miss the elephant seals close by that beach.  There were many families there playing at the beach and a few families having picnics.  We found an empty table and enjoyed the sunshine and food:)

Just after lunch driving north we saw the sign for the elephant seal beach.  At first we saw just a few seals to the left of where we parked and enjoyed watching them, but then we walked to the right of where we parked, and...Holy Cow!  the beach was covered with these massive animals.  We stayed watching them for about an hour in total and just were amazed at their behaviors.  They wanted to be alone but couldn't stand to be away from the other seals.  It was quite hilarious watching the sparring and moving from one place to another.  Many of the seals would not be content and were constantly trying to find a better spot on the beach.  Well,  the elephant seals were definitely a highlight of the day.

Next we drove further up highway one.  This really is the reason that we brought the convertible.  I had seen a documentary suggesting that this was one of the most beautiful drives in the country, and I really wanted to see it.  And we did!  The top down the whole way!  We drove through fog, sunshine, over bridges, and by some beautiful beaches and views.  It took us all afternoon but what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

We arrived that night at the Courtyard in Salinas ready to be out of the car.  We enjoyed a nice peaceful rest and then got up the next morning ready for Carmel.  I had been to Carmel many years ago with Lynn and Mare.  For a long time I have been wanting to take a sister's trip there, but we just have never made it.  I knew that when we were planning to drive up Highway One we would not want to miss Carmel.

We started out at the chamber of commerce to find what to do in the few hours we had.  We talked of renting some bikes but decided to just foot it around the area.  We found a great little cafe where we had SUCH a good lunch.  We sat outside and just enjoyed eating and people watching.  Next we perused the shops and even stopped at a Thomas Kincaid gallery.  I came very close to buying a small print but decided against it.  The shopkeeper gave Rick a nice calendar because he helped her move a couple of heavy paintings around.  Score!  Before we left Carmel we stopped at a Dutch Door donut shop where they make the donuts fresh right there in front of you.  It was a nice sweet treat!  Here is a picture drop of Carmel.  I loved the quaint cottage homes around the area.  So cute!  Before leaving we drove past the beach.  Oh my goodness was it beautiful!

After leaving we drove North to South San Francisco where we were staying for the night.  We got checked into our hotel and then made our way to the downtown area to hop aboard a boat for a sunset cruise past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.  My goodness it was very chilly, but we enjoyed the cruise and the wonderful views it afforded.  Thankfully we had bought some sweatshirts in Carmel because Northern California and Southern California do not have the same temperatures!

The next morning we talked of renting some bikes to ride across the famous bridge but it was just too darn cold.  Instead we decided to walk around Chinatown for a bit.  

We stopped for an appetizer of Potstickers.  Then walked through a few shops.  I was able to find a kimono on clearance in just my size at a shop called Kim+Ono.  A great find!  

Next we drove a few blocks over to have a full-on lunch in Little Italy.  We shared a Calzone and it did not dissapoint!  The food was fabulous and then of course we had to have some gelato before we left:)

That afternoon we had an appointment at the Oakland Temple to do sealings.  We made our way over the Bay Bridge and found the beautiful temple.  It was recently remodeled then re-dedicated in 2019.  To me it looks very much like the ancient Angor Wat Cambodian Temple.  Something unique about the Oakland temple are the raised gardens on the second floor of the temple.  In the back you can see San Francisco and the bridges in the distance.  Pretty cool.  The inside was very beautiful as well.  This was the first of three temples we visited on this trip.  

The next morning we left the Bay Area and headed in the direction of Lake Tahoe where we were going to spend a couple of nights.  We stopped in Sacramento to visit the temple there.  We did initiatory work individually and then met up in the Celestial Room.  Not gonna lie, I started crying when I walked into that room.  It was so beautiful I could not control myself!  What a special moment!  My goodness, I love the feelings of peace in the temples.  I needed that.

After grabbing some lunch at Jimmy John's we drove the hour drive up to Lake Tahoe.  After arriving at our motel (and it was a motel in every meaning of the word) we hopped into the pool....well, really the hot tub.  It was a little chilly for the pool but the hot tub was just right.  

We had made reservations at the Riva Grill next to the beach and enjoyed a nice romantic dinner.  

I had decided in my mind that I was ready to get home so I mentioned it to Rick and he felt ready as well.  We talked over the fact that it would be a long day and I was worried about my hip hurting in driving that far but we decided to go for it.  We knew we wanted to get to the Reno Temple the next morning so when I woke up I started looking for times for endowment sessions.  Low and behold the last session of the morning was going to be at 10AM.  It was 8:30 and Rick was out exercising and we were an hour away from Reno!  Luckily they had an initiatory session available at 10:30 and so I made us an appointment hoping that we could get showered, packed, and left on time to make it.  We got left right away eating a continental breakfast in the car and made it just in time.  It was a beautiful drive out of the Sierra Nevadas into the Reno area.  The Reno temple is very small but is a great blessing to those in the area.  We loved our time there.  Rick and I determined that with the temples opening back up to full capacity we will try to get back on track of attending ten new temples each year.  We are more than half way through 2022 so hopefully we can make this happen!  Here is a picture of the Reno Temple.

From there we headed across the desert to get home.  We enjoyed good conversation and reading of some heroic war stories.  We stopped in Wendover for some delicious Mexican Food and then made the last hour and a half drive before pulling into our driveway.  It was a long time to be away so that made it all the better walking into my CLEAN house!  It was a wonderful trip and we made some great memories!