Sanchez Family Visit

Welcome to Nevada, Sanchez Family.  Well some of you anyway.  My mom and dad came to visit us from Maryland.  My sister, Abby, and her sons, Eli and Sam, and my brother, Carlos, and his wife, Sarah, and their son, Alec, came from Utah.  They came for Makinley's baptism and then stayed for several days after.

I hope they had fun.  Our air conditioner broke on Saturday.  It was in the 90's and so hot.  Monday we called for service that didn't come until 7pm.  But we took advantage of Tahoe's beautiful weather.  

Monday started early with a hike for me, Sarah, and Carlos.  Carlos just tagged along to take pictures.  But it's pretty ugly in Dayton.  So I don't know what kind of pictures he got.  We went up to Emerald Bay and out to lunch for the rest of the day.  I love driving up to Tahoe.  It's so pretty.  There's nothing in the world like it. 

Tuesday we spent the day at Sand Harbor.  Oh, how I love this place.  We went to Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' at 10am and it was really good.  The kids loved it.  

Then it was time to hit the beach.  And I was ready for some warm sun.  We were sitting in the shade and I was getting a little chilly.  By the time we got to the beach, it was lunch time.  The kids had so much fun in the lake and Sarah and Kennidy even persuaded Abby to jump off the rocks into the lake.  It was soo cold.  I was strong and didn't fall into peer pressure.  I was glad when she finally jumped because the scenery was getting ugly.  Some teenager with a speedo was standing on the top of the rock they were jumping from.  Nasty.  Coming home Tuesday was so nice.  Air condition!  It felt so good.

Wednesday we tried to go to the Train Museum but it was closed and we ended up at the '3 story park' in Carson City and then going to Reno.  Mom treated us all to Fuddruckers!  OH MY GOSH!  So yummy!  I loved every bite of my burger and a few of Kennidy's.  So good.  Then we hit the shops at Legends.  We rode the ferris wheel in Scheels first.  

Then, Mom treated us all to frozen yogurt and smoothies!  That made the heat tolerable. 

Mom, Abby, and I found some cute things at Gymboree.  I found an amazing deal at Off Broadway...80% off.  I paid $17 for 2 pair of shoes.  Love it!  And Kennidy found a cute shirt at Forever 21.  I told her we'd come back and go school shopping here because they really had some good deals.  We just needed more time.  That night we had a birthday party for Alec.  Sarah and Carlos made a Dragon Cake for him.  It was really cute.

Thursday Abby, Sarah, and Carlos headed back to Utah.  It was a lazy day.  I needed a nap pretty bad.  Then after hearing some stories about my dad's childhood, I took everyone to Smith's to play the Dinner Game.  Everyone had pulled a slip of paper from my camera bag that had one of the following on it: Main, Side, Dessert, Drink.  Grandma got Steak.  Grandpa got Strawberry Shortcake. Kennidy got Root Beer and Diet Caffeine Free Coke.  Adam got Garlic Bread.  Makinley got Goldfish crackers.  Ford got Watermelon.  And I got Dutch Apple Pie.  This was a fun game to play for dinner.  We have to do it again.

Friday Grandma and Grandpa flew home.  It was really quiet in the house.  And we miss them.  It was so nice for everyone to come and support Makinley.  We hope you all had a good time in Nevada.

It's Great to be 8!

Turning 8 is a big deal in our family.  You see, we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  And when a child reaches this age, he or she is now at the age of accountability.  This means that they are old enough to know right from wrong.  And they can choose whether or not they want to be baptized.

Makinley met with our Bishop a few days before and he asked her questions to see if she was ready and willing to be baptized.  He asked her is she believed in Jesus Christ.  He asked her if she believed in a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  And if she wanted to be baptized.  We believe that we all have free agency.  Which means we have the right to choose.  And we wanted Makinley to know that it was her choice to be baptized...not ours.  Although it makes us super happy.  I think this made her feel a little grown up.  And she liked it.  To make a choice for her and nobody else.  That's pretty huge.

Makinley, we are so pleased that you have chosen to follow the example of your Savior and be baptized.  We know that He lives and that He loves you.  We know that by being baptized, you have entered the gate of the straight and narrow path.  We know the Holy Ghost is a powerful member of the Godhead and will always be with you to testify of things that are true.  We know that we aren't perfect.  We know that it's really hard to be good all the time.  But we know that we can repent of our sins and be clean again.  Repentance is so important.  If we sin and then repent, we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven again.  He has given us repentance and we must use it or we can not live with Him.  I am grateful for the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Makinley, I know that your Heavenly Father is pleased with your decision to be baptized.  I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.  He loves you.  And wants you to be happy.

Makinley's 8th Birthday

Makinley was so excited to turn 8.  She has been planning for this day for a long time.  Makinley got her ears pierced the day before her birthday.  And she chose some gorgeous earrings.  I just love them.  She was so brave and told everyone, 'I didn't say ouch or cry.'

Both sets of grandparents were there for her birthday party!  That was really fun.  She got money, gift cards, lots of earrings, a cool purse from Tatiana, Asher, and Melissa, scriptures complete with tote and Children's Songbook.  For dinner, Makinley wanted Chicken Pot Pie with Oreo Shakes for dessert.  We had such a good time.  We love you, Makinley!

Makinely has the best primary teacher. Sister Thomassen is not only a talented photographer, she is also a talented crafter. She made this blanket comforter for Makinley. With the blanket came a story about 'The Comforter' aka the Holy Ghost. I read it to Makinley and had to fight back the tears. Sister Thomassen had personalized the story just for Makinley. It was so cute and the best part was...I could feel how much love Sister Thomassen has for Makinley. And I know that Makinley love her! Thanks, Lynda. That was the perfect gift for our 8 year old.

Sand Harbor

I don't think I could say it enough...WE LOVE SAND HARBOR!

Pickled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

So we tried something new at our house.  It was crunchy and believe it or not you can't taste the pickle.  I mean you know it's there but the peanut butter and jelly mask the tangy taste of the pickle.  This is us trying new things.

Angora Lakes

For my birthday last year, Paula gave me a book of Easy Hikes in Tahoe.  Brandon and I picked an easy, easy one to do as a family.  Angora Lakes is south of Lake Tahoe.  We passed Fallen Leaf Lake and up to Angora Lakes.  Ford and I hiked here in the fall when the cabins are all closed up.  But being summer and the 4th of July weekend, there were people everywhere.  A small beach and cliff diving are some of the attractions to this small lake.  It was a nice hike and now we get to cross it off our list of hikes.  One down...24 to go.

When I Am Baptized

Idaho Cabin

2 weeks after school let our we headed up to the Idaho Cabin with the Dustins.  Brandon and Kevin left on Sunday night to start their 3 day Golf Trip!  What fun.  I don't have any pictures documenting the fun they had but maybe I could ask Brandon to email me some of the pictures he took with his phone.

We all got to the cabin Tuesday night.  It's always fun going to the cabin with friends.  I learned how to play Horse Shoes.  I have never had the desire to play.  But I relented if it meant spending time with Brandon.  There's not much I wouldn't do for him.  Moving on.

We had yummy food, I gained 5 lbs. by the end of the week.  The weather was a bit cold...in fact Wednesday morning I had to go into town and get a fleece.  I only paid $5 for it so I was happy.  Then we made our way to Wal-Mart to get things for Father's Day.  The girls wanted a date night with dad so we got candy and movie tickets.  The boys wanted to golf with dad.  So we got a Callaway cap, view finder that tells you the distance to the flag, tees, and golf balls.  

The kids only really swam one day.  It was really kind of chilly up there.  We went to the head of the ditch, tradition.  The kids found a few 4 leaf clovers.  I tried to capture them but all I got were blurry pictures.  Blast.  Brandon and Kevin played Sequence, tradition.  The kids did sit-ups on Brandon, tradition.  I made Makinley's baptism dress.  We did lots of reading and naps, tradition.  And we tried to stay up late and watch movies, tradition that is slowly dying out as we get older.  Friday, we headed into Boise to watch 'Toy Story 3'.  It was really funny.   

We had a good week.  It was nice to see friends and wish we lived closer.

How Much Can You Squeeze In?

We stayed in Utah for a day and a half.  What did we do?  
Shopped at DI, TJMax, and Target for camp shorts.  
Stopped at Costco for last minute snacks on the way to Idaho.  
Grabbed lunch at Subway and Nielsen's Frozen Custard.  
Rode scooters outside Grandma Creswell's house.  
Went to Gateway and played in the fountains.  
Shopped at DownEast.  
Spent hours playing with Fun Fusion.  
Went shopping for Fun Fusion.  
Played Pirate's Chess with Aunt Melissa.  
Visited with Aunt Abby, cousins Eli and Sam.  
A short visit but worth it.

Sacramento

Throughout this post there are numbers in ().  This means there is a whole story that goes with it.  The stories will appear at the end of the post in chronological order.

Early Thursday morning I started getting ready for Sacramento, California.  We were really excited.  I had loaded all the kids bikes on the back of the van (1) the night before and just needed to pack food and life jackets.  Wake the kids up, make sure they got dressed, feed them breakfast, and brush their teeth and hair.

I got everyone up and dressed when Makinley comes to me in the kitchen and says that Ford is throwing up in the toilet.  'Oh no', I thought.  He had a low fever the night before but I chalked it up to not enough water on Tuesday.  When I came in my room he was laying on the floor and looking very pale.  I asked him how he felt and he shrugged his shoulders.  I called Paula and asked, 'Am I a bad mom if I make him come?'  She said, 'No.'  I decided to see how he felt as the morning went on.  I loaded all the kids in the car and by this time he was feeling much better.  And he continued feeling better and the morning went on and he drank some water and ate a little bit.

With fevers and throwing up behind us, the Heussers and Creswells headed for Sacramento.  Paula told me it took 2 hours to get to the temple and so we left at 7am to get there by 9am. Little did we know about the 50 Horse Wagon Train (2).  And some construction.  We reached the Sacramento Temple at about 10am.  Paula and I spent 1/2 hour in the temple, took pictures of the kids outside the temple,

changed our clothes, and headed off for our bike ride.  I forgot my helmet and my shoes.  Luckily, I travel with  friends who are always prepared.  Paula had an extra pair of shoes I was able to borrow.  Thanks!

The bike trail we went on was a total of 32 miles, no we did not ride the entire distance... though if we had time I think we may have tried.  It was a nice ride.  There were little inclines or hills, as Ford calls them.  Jaynie and Ford did awesome!  I was so proud of these little kids.  Everytime Ford saw a hill...I would say, 'Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!' (3).

After our bike ride and lunch...we headed for the Folsom Aquatic Center.  WOW is all I can say.  Here is a picture of the lap pool.  

Ginormous Wipe Out Courses and a Rock Wall.

Here is the 3 Story Slide.

And here is the Kiddie Pool.

Paula said that leaving Dayton can be dangerous to the point that you may never come back. And she isn't kidding.  The kids had so much fun playing in the cold water.  Poor Jaynie!  Everytime she came out the of the water, her teeth would chatter and she'd run back in to keep warm.  The kids finally found a bigger pool that was warmer...probably from pee.  That's what I always think.

  

We spent a good 2 hours there and it wasn't long enough.  But we had to get back for Makinley's baseball end of season party.  And whenever dinner is prepared by someone else I don't say no.  We went to the Pizza Factory.  The kids had fun, ate pizza, and Makinley got a trophy and a picture with her coaches, Zach and Josh.  She just loves them.

1.  Let me just say that if you are looking to purchase a bike rack...make sure the rack is kid and woman bike friendly.  I don't even know if these kinds of racks are made.  I had a terribly frustrating time getting all our bikes loaded up.  The 2 little ones fit in the truck.  Then I had to figure out how I was going to get Kennidy's and Adam's bikes on the rack.  After scratching paint of each bike, including mine, I was able to get them all on.  Then I had to figure out how to attach the safety strap so no one could steal our bike rack.  I watched an installation video online and still couldn't figure it out.  I texted Brandon, he was in Colorado, to see if he could give me any tips but he couldn't.  So I called Paula.  She came over with the Bishop, her husband, and it took us watching the video again and another 20 min. before we figured it out.  HOLY COW!  It was suppose to be so easy!  I'll know better next time.

2.  So we come to a stop in the middle of no where.  And we notice a bunch of wagons, buggies, cowboys and cowgirls on horseback.  Then this man starts handing out magazines to all the drives in each car.  And that explains it.  The 50 Horse Wagon Train from Zephr Cove to Placerville, California.  The participants were all decked out in pioneer and indian clothing.  It was pretty cool.  We had to drive behind them for a time but were able to pass and see those beautiful animals.

3.  We were on our way back to our cars.  The trail was a little windy and downhill at times.  I told Ford not to be afraid to brake when going downhill.  So we're approaching a downhill slope that made a sharp turn left.  He was flying!  I could see his tire on the edge of the trail where it meets the gravel and told him to 'BRAKE!'  He kept going!  At full speed...around the corner...down the hill...around another corner...AAUUUHHH!  'BRAKE! BRAKE!'  But he didn't.  And he didn't fall!  I saw his life flash before my eyes but he didn't fall!  I was so scared and breathing so hard as I tried to stay close behind him.  When we leveled out I asked him why he didn't brake.  He said, 'You told me not to.'

Summer = Lake Tahoe

This was our first Lake Tahoe trip of the summer.  

Summer Chores

This past school year was a joke when it came to chores.  So now that summers here...I have to get organized.  I presented the kids with a new Summer Chore Chart.  They are super excited for Cooking, Craft, and Activity Day.  And we can't forget earning money.  My kids don't get a regular allowance and so when ever they are in the mood to do extra chores for money...they love it.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednes.	Thurs.	Friday	saturday
Kennidy BH&T= Brush Hair & Teeth	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Piano (15 min) Laundry Plan for Craft Day Story Time	AM Get Dressed BH&T Pack Food for Tahoe (Lunch, Snacks, Drink)	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Yard Work  $ Cooking Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Piano (15 min) Laundry Craft Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Yard Work  $ Activity Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Kids Bathroom
	PM Load Dishwasher	PM	PM Load Dishwasher	PM	PM	PM
Adam BH&T= Brush Hair & Teeth VUDRT= Vacuum Under Dining Room Table	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Wash Dining Table VUDRT Plan for Cooking Day Story Time	AM Get Dressed BH&T Pack Van for Tahoe (Life Jackets, Blanket, Beach Umbrella, Beach Toys, Towels)	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room VUDRT Yard Work  $ Cooking Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Wash Dining Table VUDRT Craft Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T VUDRT Yard Work  $ Activity Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room 1/2 Bathroom
	PM Fold Kids Laundry  $	PM Load Dishwasher	PM	PM Fold Kids Laundry  $	PM  Load Dishwasher	PM
Makinley BH&T= Brush Hair & Teeth VH&L= Vacuum Hallway & Living Room	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Unload Dishwasher VH&L Piano (15 min) Story Time	AM Get Dressed BH&T Unload Dishwasher	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Unload Dishwasher Yard Work  $ Cooking Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Piano (15 min) Unload Dishwasher Craft Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Unload Dishwasher VH&L Yard Work  $ Activity Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Kids Bathroom
	PM Set Table	PM Make Juice	PM Set Table	PM Make Juice	PM Set Table	PM
Ford BH&T= Brush Hair & Teeth	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Unload Dishwasher Sort Laundry Story Time	AM Get Dressed BH&T Unload Dishwasher	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Unload Dishwasher Yard Work  $ Cooking Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Unload Dishwasher Clean Mom’s Toilet Craft Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Unload Dishwasher Yard Work  $ Activity Day	AM Get Dressed BH&T Clean Room Empty Trash Cans Unload Dishwasher
	PM Make Juice	PM Set Table	PM Make Juice	PM Set Table	PM Make Juice	PM

Chores to Earn $

Vacuum Van $3.50 (this includes cleaning out all the trash first, remove floor mats, then vacuuming)

Washing Outside of Van $3.50 (this includes using soap and water and washing the entire van)

Washing Inside Windows of Van $2.00 (this means using Windex on all the windows to remove all fingerprints and smudges)

House Windows $1.00 (All windows excepts Living Room windows are $1.00.  Living Room windows are $1.00 for top and bottom)

Windowsills $0.25 each (wipe dust and dirt off with wet rag)

Sweep Backyard Patio $2.00 (remove balls, shovels, hoes, and any other item that doesn’t belong there)

Sweep Driveway $2.00 (this includes front door area of any and all dirt, rocks, or dead plants)

Baseboards $0.25 for each wall (front door wall and corners are included with the wall next to it)

Dusting Couches $0.50

Dusting TV Hutch $0.50 (this is for both the top and the shelf the TV sits on)

Summer Achievement Rewards

Kennidy -

Adam - Earn a round of golf for each Webelos Pin you complete this summer.

Makinley - Read 10 books this summer and get a FREE book at Borders.

Ford - 

Village Frock

Makinley and I have been looking for a baptism dress and have not been successful.  We don't want fruffy, frilly, I'm-going-to-the-prom-even-though-I'm-only-8 kind of dress.  So when I found Sugar City's blog I got really excited.  

I saw their Village Frock on a site months ago but didn't think my girls would like the pattern.  Much to my surprise, Makinley loved it!  So I went to purchase the pattern and they were Sold Out!  Okay, don't panic.  I emailed the company and they said the creator moved to England and thought it would be to hard to reprint and send abroad.  I was so sad.  

Well, I didn't let it stop me.  I went to work to create my own Village Frock.  I pride myself on being a copycat.  And I must say...I did well for myself this time.  

 Sugar City's Village Frock Pattern.

And here is mine.

I really can't get enough of this dress/shirt.  I made a mock shirt first...learned some things... then I made this dress.  Learned some more things.  I think I am ready for the baptism dress.  I really wanted to make it out of linen, like the pattern calls for, but she won't wear it till July and I am afraid she'll be too hot.  So we'll stick to cotton for now.

Art Pin

Adam has been working on his Art Pin in Webelos.  As one of his projects, he had to create something out of clay.  He chose to mold a Centaur.  He's been reading the Percy Jackson series.  This is the final product.

I think he did a great job!