Swim Lessons

Miles is very apprehensive about swimming. I signed him up for a daily lesson this week at a nearby home. Miss Betsy was great at pushing Miles to do things he was not confident doing, and he made great strides. Now, though, when we are swimming in our own pool, he thinks he can't do what he did in her pool. I guess we still have some work to do! But I am thankful for Miss Betsy. She was awesome and we will surely be back.

Eventful Weekend

Last weekend was full of fun. My mom was here and offered to watch the kids for a night so that Neal and I could enjoy some alone time. We went to Dallas for the Coldplay concert (our fourth one)! We spent the evening in a quaint hotel in town and rode the urban commuter train to the show.

By the time we got home on Saturday, Neal had finished his negotiating with a car dealer in Rockwall, so we cleaned up the old green Yukon and bid her farewell. Neal traded her in and came home with a shiny new charcoal metallic Yukon for us to enjoy. We are so blessed and I am so grateful for a new set of wheels.

Time with Callie

We are always so excited when Callie gets to come to Dallas with her dad. It means BFF time for these two girlies! We had a fun time: frozen yogurt, pottery painting, movie-going, swimming and chilling. I love these sweet little friends!

Grateful Sunday

Me and my Daddy, Balboa Island, August 1981. I keep this photo in a frame next to our guest bed. I love it!

Today, I am grateful for:

• my dad and the loving influence he has been in my life. I am so blessed to have the parents that I have. I have countless memories from my childhood involving happiness, abounding love and sincere concern. I know that my parents love me because they tell me that they do. They always have and I have always known it. I love you, Dad!
• Neal, the daddy of my children. They have so much fun with him. He is crazy, happy, and silly. All of the things that make Daddies so great. I am so blessed to have found Neal almost 15 years ago in that sea of single people (Provo).
• time in the temple with Neal yesterday. It was not easy to get there (basically, the freeways in and around Dallas have completely exploded and have made general travel nearly impossible). The route to the temple is now, literally, nearly impenetrable. So not only is it difficult to go because it's always difficult to go to the temple, now you really just can't get there. BUT, we did make it and spent some time with lovely people from our ward. A dear friend, named Scott, went through the temple for the first time and we were so honored to be there with him.
• Parker's attitude about baseball. He has not been on a winning team this year, to put it nicely. As one mom yesterday said of their complete lack of wins, "We are defeated." But Parker consistently gives it his all and has great games. Maybe the rest of the team isn't having such a good game, but Parker is succeeding. On to the next season! We are ready to be done with this team.
• a successful Father's Day Pie Fest hosted by the Senior Primary today at the end of church. We had lots of pies prepared and lots of helping hands. I expect the kids to get a little bit out of their comfort zones and approach and serve dads in the ward who may not be their own. They did a great job!

Marshall Creek Ranch Horse Camp

Audrey attended a horse camp at a nearby ranch this week. It was Monday to Friday, 8-4, and she had a blast! She went to camp with her friends from third grade: Delaney and Farah.

Audrey's horse was named Kahlua. He was huge! One of the tallest horses of the week.

The campers made scrapbooks during their down time.

The campers put on a show for their families on Friday. They had to take their horses through certain obstacles (poles, a jump), then they had a relay race where the campers bobbed for apples (which they eventually gave to their horses). At the end of the day, the campers received awards. The camp director had some nice things to say about Audrey and her riding. You can see some videos below.

Horse Relay from lesliehorn on Vimeo.

Horse Show Awards 6/12 from lesliehorn on Vimeo.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Parker attended Cub Scout Day Camp this week. It was a blast, but boy howdy, did it wear that boy out! They met at a Baptist church in Southlake and were busy all day from 8 am -3 pm for four days. I chaperoned on Wednesday and snapped some photos.

The camp was Dinosaur-themed and Parker's Bear Den was dubbed the Velociraptors.

 Most of the activities were held outside, rain or shine, but they did get to play dodgeball in the gym.

Tying knots under a tree.

Fossil digging, I think.

They were able to shoot BB guns and practice archery each day.

Our den was in charge of the skit on the third day. Parker's performance skills from DI came in handy (he's on the far left)!

 Some of his fellow scouts.

Swimming Lesson

Miles was invited to participate in a world record-setting event at the Great Wolf Lodge on Thursday. He took part in the "World's Largest Swimming Lesson" with about 30 of his closest friends under age 6. At resorts around the country, at 10 am sharp, swimming lessons commenced and I guess there were enough kiddos participating that the record was set! We spent the rest of the day at the lodge, and Audrey and Parker and Neal joined us later that afternoon. Such a fun place, and now we have got it out of our systems so we don't need to go back for a long time! :)

 Miles will be taking real swim lessons in a week or so. He is very anxious about swimming and has yet to figure out the breathing tricks associated with going under water. It drives me crazy that he is so hesitant, I have high hopes for his teacher being able to convince him that he can be a swimmer!

 Miles and some friends with the Great Wolf Lodge character bunch.

We took Miles' buddy, Zane, with us that day. They had a great time together.

Miles with Wiley after the 8:00 storytime. I think that's his name . . . It was almost like we were spending the night! (The lodge is 10 minutes from our house.) Thanks again to my friend, Jill, for the hook-up!

Grateful Sunday

Stephanie and me, before the fireside last Wednesday evening.

This week was so very fun! I am so grateful for all of the wonderfulness that happened. I am thankful that:

• Stephanie was able to fly in to visit. Discount airlines are the best! She was able to fly round trip from Mesa to DFW for $97. This is a great price, made even greater by the fact that all she brought was a purse (they charge for carry ons, and other incidentals, like seats). Sure, she had to fly overnight both times, but without kids, this is doable. And so we shall be doing it again. We will be taking advantage of this offer often, I hope! We had such a great time: eating out, sitting around, shopping, laughing. I love you, Steph!
• Stephanie and Christian Nielson were able to come speak to my ward (and some others) last week. It was such a blessing to hear from them and to feel the spirit they brought with them. They are such examples of faith and happy endurance. I am so grateful for their safety and their willingness to come share their story with us.
• Miles had a great week at Rangers camp. I will post some photos tomorrow. He had so much fun being a baseball dude every day!
• Neal was able to go to girls' camp as a Priesthood leader. I am thankful that he is a good man who does what he is asked to do and happily serves.
• it rained this week. Hoping it keeps up for the rest of the summer.
• my friend, Jill, for coming to my aid after I volunteered to do a spreadsheet for a local charity and then realized I am really bad at making spreadsheets. Thanks, Jill!
• Audrey and Parker have a week of camp ahead. Parker has Cub Scout Day Camp and Audrey has a pretty intense horseback riding camp. (They were bums last week while Miles was busy.) Miles and I will be laying low; maybe we'll set up a playdate or two.

Pedis

I am so lucky to have my friend, Jill. Not only does she do an incredible job as Primary Secretary, but she also rushes to my aid late at night when I need help making a spreadsheet. One of the other perks of being Jill's friend is that she is the corporate spa manager for Great Wolf Resorts. So when they need guinea pigs for new employees at the kids' spa, Scoops, Jill calls me! :) Audrey and her friends, Madie and Kaitlyn, were treated to pedicures at the lodge on Saturday. The boys played in the arcade and the moms got to catch up. A nice afternoon. Thanks, Jill!

The Nielsons' Visit

A happy confluence of events took place last week. Glenn Beck and his family are in my ward, as are several of his employees. They are all really wonderful people and we are so grateful they are here. Stephanie Nielson, who is a friend of my sister and my parents, and who is a Mormon celebrity of a sort because of her blog, her beautiful life, her faith and endurance, and now her book, was here in Dallas to tape a show with Mr. Beck. I was able to attend the taping (and was on camera for way too long after asking Stephanie a question during the show)! Our Bishop also had asked me to organize a fireside where Stephanie and her husband, Christian, could speak. I was happy to do so, and we ended up with a few hundred people attending and had a great evening. The best part was that my sister, Stephanie, flew in from Arizona to see the Nielsons (and me) and to attend the fireside. (Lots of Stephanies in this post.) Such a great week!

Friends from my ward that attended the taping.

I had met Stephanie briefly before, but it was such a pleasure to get to know her better. She just glows with love, confidence and fortitude.

My friend, Stephanie Read, snapped this picture of my friend, Lindsay, and I talking with Christian. Charlotte, the Nielsons' baby, was quite the draw, too. She is just precious. Stephanie signed books for all of us and though we took way too much of her time, she was so sweet and gracious.

I was grateful that my family could attend the fireside the next evening, too. There weren't a whole lot of men there, but Neal and I have prayed for and watched Stephanie and Christian recover for years now. I have talked about "Aunt Steph's friend who was in the plane crash" to Audrey and Parker so many times, I thought they should hear her message, too. Audrey sat with her friends, Kaitlyn and Madeline. Sweet girls. (I snagged this photo from Madie's mom, Christine!)

Texas Rangers Mini Camp

Miles attended Rangers Camp last week. He was so excited and had such a great time. Luckily for both of us, he spotted one of his fellow all-stars, Alex, on the first day. Alex's mom and I decided on the spot to carpool the rest of the week (Arlington is a good 40 minutes away). Camp was from 8:30-11:30 and the weather was perfect.

Miles and Alex, Rangers Camp, day two.

Little Boy, Big Ballpark.

We grabbed a bagel one morning when we arrived a little too early. I love this little dude.

On the final day of camp, Miles got a certificate and lots of really high high-fives from the coaches.

Here is one of the hits he got during the little scrimmage they played one day. They also got to use the Major League batting cages that the Rangers use and he got to meet a former Ranger, Mike Jeffcoat. An awesome week, can't wait for next year!

Grateful Sunday

Audrey and I took Trooper for a walk the other night while the boys were playing baseball down at the elementary school. Trooper voluntarily got in the creek, which was extremely shocking. Audrey couldn't stop giggling; she loves that dog so much.

Today, I am grateful for:

• maxi skirts and long dresses. I have a really gross-looking spider bite on my left ankle (that's what I get for trying to exercise outside!), and it has caused my left leg and foot to swell to really unattractive proportions. I am thankful that maxi dresses are in and that I had one in my closet for church today. Cankles are not cute.
• the friendliness and patience of the lady I rear-ended last week on the way home from picking up Audrey and friends from school. I had turned around while "stopped" to have a look at the yearbook page that Audrey had designed. I was not actually, completely "stopped" and rolled into a nice mom who was just as nervous as I was about it all. She has been gracious ever since and keeps telling me to stop apologizing. :/
• summer summer summer. Friday was our first day of no school and Parker woke up thinking it was Sunday. It all added up: we were in PJs at 10 am; Daddy wasn't home; we were in no hurry to go anywhere. Welcome to summer, Parkie!
• baseball. What would we do without it? (I know the answer and it is yardwork.)
• a visit from Stephanie this week!! I am so excited. She is flying in to attend a fireside that her friend, Stephanie Nielson, is speaking at. I can't wait to have her here for more than 24 hours!

Parker's Third Grade

Parker had a great year in third grade. When his teacher called last summer to tell me he was in her class, I nearly cried tears of gratitude. Audrey had Mrs. Smith for third grade and she is such a perfect fit for my kids. I know that Parker had the best year possible! (Minus that bully incident!)

The third graders ended the year with a fun field trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. Miles, Audrey and I tagged along.

Parker and his buddies, Reed and Noah.

Audrey and a creepy spider crab that she was really excited about.

 It was like a mini Costa Rica in there. The kids loved it, but of course it doesn't compare to the real thing!

Cute little Barred Owl that Audrey wanted to take home.

As the kids accepted their awards last Wednesday, they were allowed to "dance" across the stage. Lots of kids did shy little moonwalks or flashed peace signs, but Parker went all out. 

Here is a still shot of Parker's moves:

 He had all the administrators cracking up.
Parker received:
A Honor Roll
Citizenship
Study Skills
Reading Olympics Championship Level Award
Way to go, dude!

See the video below (it's not showing up for me in Safari. I have to view it in Firefox.):

Parker and Mrs. Smith. We will miss her!

On the last day of school, at 7:15, we had a little donut party with the kids we have carpooled with all year. I am so grateful for the friendships that carpool has enhanced. Both for me and for the kids! We will miss seeing these faces every day!