Basket Ball Practice

Picture taken August 27, 2011

Ammon came home one day and announced that he needed to practice basket ball.

He explained, 

"I need to learn how to shoot the basket so I don't just have to pass the ball when I play with my friends."

Unfortunately, he was only able to find a soccer ball to play with.

Still, he was determined and spent some time working on his shot.

Ammon is not my child who usually expresses an interest in athletics,

so I was impressed with his drive to improve his skills.

And he even made a basket!

Go Ammon!

Ward Campout

Andrew had to work the morning after the ward campout - so we didn't camp.

But we did go up to hang out and eat dinner.

There was a great turn out and we had lots of fun.

It was a great way to spend a Friday night.

Ammon Starts 2nd Grade

My boys are growing up way too fast.

This year Ammon started 2nd grade.

We had a fun summer, but he was happy to be back in school

He had new clothes.

And a new backpack.

And lots and lots of friends to go to school with.

After school Gramma Peggy made a surprise visit and offered to take us out to lunch.

Ammon surprised us by NOT getting off the bus.

The next 40 minutes was a bit nerve-wracking as we tried to figure out where he was.

Andrew rushed to the school to see if he was there.

Peggy and I stayed home in case he magically show up.

Once Andrew discovered that Ammon was NOT at school, the office people contacted the bus depot.

From there, the bus drivers were contacted.

The bus drivers had realized Ammon was on the wrong bus and had met up with each other.

He was transferred back to the correct bus and then brought home.

Andrew got this information just in time to call me and have me run out to meet the bus.

Ammon was seemed a little uneasy but ultimately was no worse for wear.

We headed off to Red Robin and had a great meal.

All Ammon wanted to do was READ the books he had gotten from the school library.

Being back in school suits him - he loves to read and is great at math.

And he has never had another problem with the bus.

Ammon's Talk

Today Ammon gave a talk in primary.  It was about missionary work.  He did a wonderful job - he is very good at reading.  Here is what he said:

I was named after Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Ammon was a great missionary. After he was converted to the gospel, he taught many people about Jesus Christ. He taught King Lamoni and all of his people. Many of them were baptized and became members of the church.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are responsible to teach the gospel. We can teach by example. We can always choose the right, even when it's hard. We can also do acts of service for others and treat them the way Jesus would. When we do these things, others will want to know more about the gospel.

When I grow up, I will be a full-time missionary and teach people about Jesus Christ and His gospel. Full time missionaries teach five lessons. I can learn about them by reading Preach My Gospel. The five lessons are:

• Lesson 1: The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
  
  When Jesus was on the earth, He taught the gospel to the people. But after He died, the gospel was lost and people didn't know the truth anymore. Joseph Smith prayed to know about which church to join and found out that none of the churches were true. He was obedient to Heavenly Father and helped the true gospel be on the earth again.

• Lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation
  
  
  We lived before we were born. Heavenly Father wanted us to come to earth to get a body and to learn to be like Him. He knew that we would make mistakes called sins. He also knew that we would die. Those two things would prevent us from returning to heaven. Heavenly Father made a plan for Jesus to be our Savior. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can overcome sin and death and return to Heavenly Father. This is called the Plan of Salvation.

• Lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ
  
  
  In the 4^th Article of Faith we learn that the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel are, “First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second respentance. Third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
  
• Lesson 4: The Commandments
  
  
  Missionaries also teach the commandments from Heavenly Father so people can know what is right. Some of the commandments are to be obedient and to study the scriptures. It is also important to keep the Sabbath day holy and to follow the prophet.

• Lesson 5: Laws and Ordinances
  
  
  The missionaries teach people about temples and eternal families. I am glad that my family can be together forever. I want everyone to know how to be with their family for all eternity.

I know it is important to help everyone we know learn about Jesus and His atonement for us. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that President Monson is a true prophet.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Cow-A-Bunga Bay

Pictures taken August 18, 2011

This past winter, Andrew's parents moved near a fun water park.  Gramma promised the kids that they would get to go play there.  We waited and waited until it got warm enough.  Then, suddenly summer was over and we still hadn't gone.  Just before school started I realize that I'd better get them there before we faced another winter of unfulfilled promises.

Ammon was the perfect age for this activity.  He LOVED it and could have spent many more hours there than we did.  Peter also had fun, but was just as excited to go back to Gramma's house afterwards for some icecream.  Overall, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon and with it being in sight every time we visit Grandparents, I'm sure we'll end up playing there many times more over the years.

Lunch Date

Pictures taken August 13, 2011

For Andrew's birthday we had another "eat free" coupon for Tucanos.  Since Peter eats free we decided to take the kids with us again.  We probably won't do that next time as they got a little rambunctious.    But it was still a fun afternoon.  Like last time, Ammon loved the chicken hearts.  He hate at least ten of them.  And as always, everyone loved the pineapple.

Hanging Out With the Goats

Pictures taken August 12, 2011

We've gone to Heritage Park over and over again in the past several months.  We've been as a family, I've just taken the boys, we've been with several different cousins, we went with some friends, and this time we went with our neighbors.

Peter and I spent the morning there and headed home at lunch time.  Ammon stayed longer with his friend.  As usual - it was a good time.

I love how friendly this goat got with the baby.

But as you can see, the baby did NOT love the goat.

Trax and a Movie

Pictures taken August 11, 2011

Andrew was in a small little car accident which shockingly totaled our car.  We decided to attempt life as a one-car family, but the transition came at the end of summer and was a little rough.  After a week of being stuck at home while Andy had the car at work, the boys and I decided to take Trax down to meet my sister where she could then drive us to the dollar theater for a movie.  The whole trip was full of mishaps and adventures and took us over two hours to get to our location, which caused us to miss the showing we were trying to get to.  Fortunately, there was a later showing of the movie, so we still were able to enjoy Kung Fu Panda 2.  The boys had seen it before, but it was the first time I had viewed it.  We finished the movie just in time to meet Andrew at he finished his job for the day and we rode home together, discussing the merits of aborting our one-car decision.

Andrew's Birthday

Pictures taken August 06, 2011

This is the second year we celebrated Andrew's birthday at Silver Lake with his family.

It is a fun tradition and one we hope to continue.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Then walked around the trail.

We finished the party with cake.

Gotta love that frosting!

Mosquitoes and Mud

Pictures taken July 31, 2011

My mom introduced us to Silver Lake several years ago, and it has become a tradition that we go there at least a couple of times every year.  This particular trip was fun because Jeremiah brought dinner (and he is amazing when it comes to pulling together a meal) and because it was the first time Grandma Laurel and Grandpa Fred (my grandparents) had ever been.  It was NOT fun because of the rain, mud and worst of all - mosquitoes.  Quite honestly, it is the worst trip I have ever had to Silver Lake.  But the great thing about Silver Lake is that even the worst trip ever was still a good one.

This was also the day that I found out I was going to be the Relief Society President of my ward.  It was nice to get up into the mountain and spend time with my family after that exciting but overwhelming calling was extended to me.

Black Ridge Triathlon

Pictures taken July 30, 2011

Andy was at it again - he competed in his seventh triathlon!  Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is passionate about his interests and triathlons are definitely one of his passions!  He is not big on training, but he loves to be there for the event, and he will do it no matter what.  This triathlon was especially exciting for him because it was his first open water swim.  He signed up for an open water event last year, but at the last minute the health department shut it down and they had to swim in a pool.  This time he actually was able to experience the open water.  Sadly, I wasn't there to see that part, but it went well.  As he says - he finished and didn't die.

As a spectator, this was probably my favorite of all the races he has competed in.  The venue was nice, with a playground near by for the kids, and plenty of room to see up close as they rode into T2 and also came into the finish line.  It was a great race, and I look forward to him racing it again next year.

Five Stitches

You know I was distracted when I don't have pictures to show.  The same night Peter learned to ride his two-wheeler, Ammon was out on his bike.  Unfortunately, Ammon crashed and we had our first experience taking a child to the Emergency Room.  I heard what sounded like it could be Ammon hurt just outside my window.  But knowing Andrew was out there, I wasn't too concerned - until Andrew called out, "Jenny, I need your help!"

I went out to see what was wrong and found Ammon on the ground with several children surrounding him.  Andrew said, "He cut his leg and it's so deep I can see his bone."

The first thing I pictured was an accident I remember from my days in elementary school.  There was a boy who tripped on a sprinkler head and broke his ankle.  The broken bone punctured through his skin and stuck out of his leg.  The whole thing was very gruesome.  Picturing that, I was surprised to break through the crowd and find Ammon there with very little evidence of a problem.  He had a gash about an inch or so long on his shin.  It really wasn't even bleeding.  But as I peered into it I could see that there was something white and I realized that it was deep enough that Ammon probably did need to get into the hospital.

Andrew ran to his car to get his first responder kit.  He wanted to clean and bandage it, but Ammon was in pain and we are about three minutes away from the hospital, so I told him to just get Ammon some Tylenol and then take him to the ER.  (Later I was told that cleaning it would have been the right thing to do.)  I stayed home with Peter while Andrew took Ammon to the Emergency Room at Primary Children's Hospital.  Within moments of arriving, Ammon was happily playing with the Lego's in the waiting room.  He got called back fairly quickly and was given five stitches.  Andrew said that they considered giving him a sedative to help him stay calm and still during the stitches, but Andrew encouraged them to just explain in detail what they were doing.  He was confident that Ammon would stay still if he just knew what was happening.  They compromised by having the sedative on hand, but went ahead without it.  Andy said the staff was all amazed and impressed with how good Ammon was through the procedure.

Ammon came home happy as a clam.  I tried to take some video of him, but he was so distracted with the thrill of the adventure, and the new "toy" he received from the doctor.  A week later I took Ammon back to get the stitches removed and now he just has a big scab on his leg.  I don't think we could have asked for an easier "emergency" than what we got.  Over seven years into parenting with this being our worst story to tell - this experience is leaving me feeling pretty lucky.

Two-Wheeler

Picture and video taken July 29, 2011

Andrew was out working on his bike in preparation of his triathlon the following day.  Peter came over to him, grabbed a tool (the one they actually needed) and said to Andy, "I'm ready to take my training wheels off."

They worked together to take off the wheels and Peter got on his bike, turned to his dad and said, "Now push me so I go fast."

Andrew gave him a push, and Peter has been riding around on two wheels ever since.  After his initial ride he did ask us to push him again, but we showed him how to make sure his pedal is high, push down on it and just keep going, so that's what he does.  He is a pro on that bike, and we couldn't be more proud.

The Dentist, Cars 2, and Harry Potter

Pictures taken July 28, 2011

The boys had their six month check-up at the dentist.  We LOVE the office they go to now.  Ammon has the same crowded mouth that I have, so they are going to need to pull teeth in an effort to make room for the adult teeth that are growing in.  I was pleased that all of the adult teeth he already has are cavity free.  We had so many problems with his baby teeth that I've been really worried.  But they are still in good shape.  Ammon is very comfortable with the dentist and was happy to be there to earn the prize they give him at the end of the visit.  I was the same way when I was a kid.

Peter, being a little bit younger, was slightly more nervous than Ammon.  They did a great job reviewing with him all the equipment they use and what they would do.  He thought it was great fun.  It was absolutely adorable to watch.  Peter is also cavity free, which was a shocker.  After getting nailed with $1000 in dental bills about eighteen months ago, I am always just waiting for the hammer to fall.  But we got through another check-up and I was quite pleased that their teeth are doing well.

That night we took the boys to see Cars 2.  At the beginning of the summer, we had picked it as our traditional drive-in movie.  But I got lazy and decided it would be just as good for us to see it in the theater.  As it was, Peter was really tired and I think it still ended before the drive in would have started.

On our way out of the theater, Ammon couldn't help but notice this poster!  He is allowed to read the first three books and then watch the associated movies, but he won't get to read the other books or watch the last four movies (which are rated PG-13) until he is older (like maybe 13).  He is really accepting of that rule, though, and just thought the poster was cool.

One Last Zoo Trip

Pictures taken July 25, 2011

The boys and I got ambitious one day and decided to walk to the zoo.

I was impressed, but after watching them bike at Bear Lake, I knew they could do it.

I thought it was about half a mile, but it turned out to be a little more than that.

We looked at animals and rode the Merry-Go-Round.

We waited in the longest line ever to ride the train.

After we went home, I realized that our pass was going to expire soon.

Sure enough, it expired later that week.

With school starting soon, and us having a pass to Heritage Park,
I don't think we'll renew right away.

So we probably won't be back to the zoo until next summer.

I'm glad we were able to go one last time.

My Baby Brother Got Married!

Pictures taken July 21, 2011

I guess it makes sense... as I approach my ten year wedding anniversary, my brother, who is ten years younger than me got married.  Still, it seemed a little strange.  I remember when he was born.  I was always a very heavy sleeper.  But his crib was put into my room and suddenly I found myself waking up at night making sure the baby was breathing.

That baby kept on breathing and now he is all grown up with a job, a house and a wife.  Nikki and David are the cutest, sweetest couple you could possibly imagine, and I have never seen a more flawless wedding day.  They kept things simple and quick, which left no real room for things to go wrong.  The ceremony in the morning was lovely.  After some professional pictures, we had a nice luncheon and then went back to my parents home where my mom hosted a backyard reception from 4-7 in the evening.  Nikki was a beautiful bride and I'm so glad my brother picked her!  I couldn't imagine two people who compliment and adore each other more than they do.

Climbing Tree

Pictures taken July 16, 2011

Ammon has had a fun summer.

At the "lunch park" there is a perfect climbing tree.

Peter prefers to hang out below.

We have spent many of our summer days at this tree.

We eat our lunch, read Harry Potter, and watch Ammon climb.

Good memories.

Play Day

I had back to back fun planned beginning with a morning out with a bunch of Relief Society sisters and an evening with my husband.  The ladies and went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building downtown to watch the movie there.  It was a great experience.  Afterwards we went to lunch at The Lion House and everyone at our table swapped stories about how they got engaged (as was asked by the visiting mother-in-law of one of the ladies in our ward).  It was fun to listen to the experience everyone had - each with their own perfect romance.  I had just finished writing about mine, so it was fresh on my mind and was fun to tell to a live audience.

After lunch, I hopped on Trax and headed down to South Jordan/Riverton/Draper area to meet up with Andrew and the boys.  Ammon had attended a birthday party for his cousin and was invited to stay and continue playing.  Andrew and Peter picked me up from the Trax station and we went over to visit with my parents and grandparents.  From there we went to pick up Ammon and take the boys to Andy's parents house.  They were babysitting for us that evening so that we could go see the new Harry Potter movie.

Andrew and I went to dinner at Zuppa's.  We had only been there once before and it had been years ago, so we were excited to do something a little bit different.  It turned out to be really good and we would both love to go back.

On our way through the parking lot, after dinner, we saw Peggy's car.  We stopped in to see Derrick, Peggy, Ammon and Peter eating at Panda Express.  That is a favorite place of my boys and I know that was just the beginning of a really fun night they had with Gramma and Grampa Shadel.

After a quick hello and goodbye, we headed back on our way to the movie theater.  From start to finish, I had a very rare, but fun day of play.

Meeting Sam as a Family

Taken July 15, 2011

I was able to go to the hospital and meet my nephew Samuel, but the rest of the family waited until he was home.  Ammon, Peter and I had a fun play date at Jennifer's house and Andrew stopped by after work.  The boys fluctuated between being completely enamored with the baby and rushing off to play with the cousins that are their own ages.  Andrew acted nervous about holding Sam - he always says he's scared of babies.  But of course he is great with the little kiddos and looked like the most handsome uncle I know.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pictures taken July 15, 2011

I am not a morning person. I don't like to get out of bed.  And even when I do get out of bed, I don't like to eat right away.  I have spent my life with a weak stomach and I get easily queasy in the morning under the best of circumstances.  It just never seems appealing to shovel food into it.  As a result, my kids don't get great breakfasts when I'm in charge.  Truth be told, Ammon's school fed him breakfast all year last year.  It was a great situation for everyone involved, I think.  When Andrew is home for mornings, he will often make scrambled eggs and toast.  But when I'm in charge of breakfast, it is usually frozen waffles that just need to be popped into the toaster.  But despite the convenient habit I have developed of not giving much thought to breakfast, I AM capable.  So when Ammon came to me with a special request for pancakes, I was excited to do it for him.  I thought it was kind of random since it had been so long since we had even eaten pancakes.  I have no idea what made him think of it.  But his interest made a little more sense when he asked to add the secret ingredient - chocolate chips!  I enjoyed spending a morning making my boys a "hot breakfast" and catering to their simple wishes in life.  I hope that when they grow up they remember I did cook them breakfast at least a couple of times.

More Bear Lake Pictures

My mom took these pictures our first night at Bear Lake.  We were amazed by the lake.  The water levels are much higher than they've been in years past.  In addition, it was crazy windy when we arrived.  This made for some awesome waves and Ammon immediately fell in love with wave jumping.  It was just intuitive to him, and he had so much fun!

True to form, Peter was a little more cautious and stayed right by my side while Ammon ventured out and explored this new experience to the fullest.  Ammon had so much fun!   I can't imagine a more perfect night for him.  The adventure and excitement of the crashing waves combined with the tactile exploration of feeling the water and sand pounding against his body just created an experience that matches his love for living on the edge and figuring out new things.

Lunch Park

Pictures taken July 14, 2011

We have spent a lot of our summer eating lunches in this park.

On this particular day Ammon ate while Peter danced.

Looking back I wonder if this was the day that Peter later melted down into a grumpy crazy boy.

Caused by never actually eating his lunch.

It probably was.

Touring Salt Lake

Pictures taken July 13, 2011

My sister called one day and told me that she was planning to take her kids to see some sites in Salt Lake.  She had a whole list including the Church Office Building, (which is the tallest building in Salt Lake and has observation decks on the east and west sides of the building) the Beehive House, (an original home of Brigham Young - the LDS Prophet who settled Salt Lake) Temple Square, (which has multiple visitor centers, buildings and tours) and the Church History Museum to name a few.  We decided to join her on the outing.

We started with the Church Office Building.  They had a nice little tour and showed us a huge mural of Jesus with his disciples.  We also saw little pictures and statues along the way that made reference to some of the early pioneers and people who had settled the land.  We went upstairs (I think it was 26 stories high) and were able to look out over the valley.  It was a very hot day and the anomaly of being up so high and being able to see so many landmarks in the city wasn't nearly as impressive to the kids as it was to us.  By the time we headed back down, Katy and I realized that we would probably do the Beehive House and call it good for the day.  We headed to the Beehive house and Ammon's reaction was this:

It makes me laugh because I remember my mom dragging me around to these sorts of places when I was younger, and not feeling much different than him.  But it is one of those things that you grow up to appreciate. Andrew has never been on these tours and was jealous as all get out that the boys and I were there.  I feel like I have done my motherly duty - tormenting my children in dragging them to these places, and am now hoping to plan a date night with my husband when we can go together and enjoy the sights and information given on the tours.

Bear Lake

This year, our Bear Lake trip found me without a camera.  These pictures are from my cute sister-in-law, Krista.  Ammon, Peter and I drove up on Friday morning with my mom.  We made our traditional stop in Logan for some renowned Aggie Icecream.  Then we continued on to camp.  My sister and her family had arrived the previous day and were staying in a condo near by.  We headed over for dinner with them.  Peter had fun riding bikes with Isaiah while Ammon spent the evening swimming with Carolyn and Kylie.  My brother Joey rode up with Andy after they had both finished work.  They arrived around 8:00 at which point we began setting up camp.  My sister Rebecca, who had a later work schedule, arrived around 11:00 that night.  The following morning, Joey's family arrived on their way home from a visit to Idaho and our group was complete.

We spent the morning at the lake.  The water was high this year, and although that made the beach smaller, I enjoyed the shore line being so close to camp.  Andrew decided to do a one-man triathlon.  He started by swimming in the lake.  Then he took himself on a 10 mile bike ride followed by a three mile run.  We all gathered back at camp for a group lunch and then went on our annual bike ride.

The bike ride is just over three miles from the camp ground.  There is a nice trail and it's pleasant to travel.  To make it even better, our destination is a milk shake shack, so we all get a treat when we arrive.  Two years ago we had Ammon ride his bike and we were SO proud of him for making it all the way there.  Unfortunately we had troubles with our bikes (some flat tires and things) so Andrew rode back to camp to get the truck making the bike trip a one-way ordeal.  Peter had ridden in a little buggy pulled by Andrew's bike.

This year we decided to let Peter ride his own bike.  He had two cousins his same age that were going to be riding, so even though we thought he might need a car rescue at some point, we figured we'd see what he could do.  When it came down to it, though, he had one cousin who ended up riding in a buggy, and one cousin who rode a "pilot" (which is an attachment to his father's bike) so Peter was really the only one who was pedaling a little bike with 12 inch tires and training wheels.  We knew he would lag behind, so I got out at the front of the group.

We hadn't gotten more than a tenth of a mile, or so when Peter looked up at me, and with much discouragement said, "I can't take this much longer."  I figured we had made a good effort and was ready to turn around and take him back to a car when we saw my brother coming up behind us.  At that point, Peter's competitive spirit took over and he started pedaling with all his might, trying to stay ahead of Uncle Joey.  It didn't take long for Uncle Joey to pass him, but by the time that happened, someone else was coming up behind him.  Cute little Peter kept going and going until we were finally joined by Aunt Rebecca and Daddy.  The four of us stayed together and we eventually made it to a park about a block away from our final destination, where the group was playing and waiting.

After enjoying the playground and walking the boardwalk down to the lake, we continued our journey to the shake shack.

On the bike ride home, Andrew and Rebecca stayed with Peter while I rode ahead.  With every hill and long stretch of road I worried, knowing that my four year old was going to need to cover this same distance.  Once I was back in camp, I watched and waited for them to come back and considered going out in a "rescue vehicle" to pick them up.  I was already so proud of the distance Peter had accomplished.  I tried calling to see where they were at, but neither Andrew nor Rebecca answered their phones.  Finally, just as I was ready to drive and look for them, Rebecca called me back.  I was shocked when she told me how close they were, but still told her of my plan to come and get them.  She insisted that they were fine and that Peter would make it without help.  A few minutes later, Andrew and Peter came riding into camp.  I cheered for Peter as he completed his 7.8 mile round trip!

We hung and and played at camp, then went swimming in the pool.  Ammon played around in the deep end but still struggled with his swimming.  I went with him in the deep end and just dropped him in the middle of the pool, instructing him to swim his was to the edge of the pool at the shallow end.  He did a great job but stopped as soon as he could reach.  We repeated the exercise and that was when swimming really just clicked for him.  He easily swam the length of the pool.  He was shocked when he looked back and saw the distance he had covered.

I wanted him to get some more practice, but we started getting rain drops and decided to try to beat the storm back to camp.  By the time we got back, rain was starting to pound down.  (I'm telling you - we can't have a Nunes family camp out without severe weather.  It gets us EVERY time!)  We were all planning to head home after dinner, so we all raced around camp, packing everything up as quickly as possible.  Rebecca and Joe and his family decided to head straight home.  They met the storm in the canyon and said they drove through standing water on the roads.  Katy's family, my mom and us all hunkered down in the motor home and ate our dinner.  When the storm let up for a moment, we decided to make our run for it.  Although it rained a little on the way home, the roads were fine and we made it home enjoying the view of a beautiful rainbow along the way.

Samuel

 On June 30, my newest nephew was born.  Frighteningly, he was quite sick.  Fortunately, he had fantastic doctors and medical staff who took great care of him.  I was able to visit him in the NICU when he was just seven days old. 

My visit with him was a peaceful one.  Sam's mom took me into his room and told the nurse that I had permission to hold him.  Then she dismissed herself so that she could speak to the doctors about how he was doing.  We arrived just after his lunch time so he was full, happy and wide eyed.  I was able to talk with him for a few minutes (I LOVE talking to babies).  After a little while I just snuggled him in my arms and he fell asleep.  He is such a precious little boy who has already received so much love in this little life!  When Jen was done learning about the medical updates she needed on her adorable little boy, she joined me in his room.  We were able to sit and visit for a while.  Finally, we headed home, hopeful that he would be coming home in just three more days - which he did!