Summer must be wearing on.  I had some children this week who were bored to tears.  This saying is so apt, but it is not tears of quiet pathos.   They are tears of rage and anger and “Mom, do something about it!” 

Good thing Sarah had day camp this week.  It gave everyone something to do in the mornings at least.  Megan helped Sarah every day and was Sarah's perfect assistant. Sarah had everything planned out and did a super job.  She had six little girls come in addition to Cheyenne and Calianne, and on one day, two little boys came as well.

On Monday they made hats and went for a nature walk and decorated pet rocks.

On Tuesday they played kickball and other games.  They made beaded necklaces and painted each other's nails.

Wednesday was water day.

On Thursday, they practiced a play and made masks and invitations for their families to come see it on Friday.

On Friday the crowd made pizzas and cupcakes.  They practiced the play one more time and were ready to go when their families came to watch the play and eat the treats.  The play was The Four Goldilocks and the Four Bears.

It was really cute and a lot of moms commented to me that their daughter loved  day camp and that it came at just the right time because they were so bored but this past week they'd been so happy to go to day camp and excited every morning to go again. Sarah really enjoy doing it too although I think she got a bit worn out toward the end. On Friday when they were cooking she said to me “Mom!  This is insane!”  I had to laugh.  Cooking with little children is insane. She was right and that was just one of the many things she learned this week including organizing, leadership, income and expenses, and people skills.  It was a great project for her and I'm proud of all the good she did.

Savannah finished her assignments for her health class that she was doing online. She and Sarah also got to go on a hike with the young women on Tuesday to Stewart Falls and they had a great time doing that. Megan helped Sarah every day and also played with her friends in the afternoons and got to go to Hannah's birthday party on Friday night with Sarah, too. Sarah also got to go to a birthday party on Saturday for her friend, Allyson, and had a great time there. Mariah was one of my children bored to tears but she was inspired when she saw a little purse I was working on.  She decided to make one, too.  So now she has a cute shoulder bag that's green with flowers on it.  She was thrilled and she does a good job with the sewing machine

Calianne and Cheyenne love day camp and they continue to play outside everyday even in this hundred degree heat or almost.  They have dark tans and blonder hair every day. 

Whenever anyone leaves without Bethany, she now calls after them and yells, “Come back here!”  It's very cute.

Benjamin continues to grow.  He is starting to reach out for toys and even hold them for a few seconds. I love him.  He is so precious.

I know that I told you the softball season was over, but apparently it is just starting for our Ward.  Kevin went and played in the Ward softball game on Thursday night and is now known as the Ward's “Homerun Hitter!” Mariah went to watch and cheer him on.  The rest of us stayed home out of the heat!

We had our first complete week of the summer where we didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything.  Nice!  No summer is complete without at least one or two weeks like that!  Alas and alack, however, it seems I don’t take any pictures on such weeks so too bad for those of you who prefer illustrations to my cheery literary wit!

Actually, I do have pictures of Calianne dancing.  Here’s one for your enjoyment:

My biggest success this week has been in the discovery and implementation of parental controls on the internet.  All of Savannah’s favorite sites are now blocked every morning when she wakes up until her work is done.  Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha!  She is taking an online class this summer for high school credit so she tends to stay on the computer for eighteen hours a day telling us all that she can’t get off because she’s working on her homework and then said homework assignment doesn’t get done for three days?  This week, she had a homework assignment done every morning and piano practiced all before lunch every day.  It was amazing how those homework assignments suddenly weren’t so hard anymore?  Anyway, she does try to figure out my passwords which she assures me is just her way of nurturing her “inner detective.”  She’s so cute.

Savannah has also, through the resources of her good friend, Miranda, found a free play in which to take part this summer.  She plays the part of Sebastian in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” So, three or four times a week she goes to play practice over at the library.  She also goes around the house exclaiming, “A pox on your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!”  She finds it thrilling to be able to curse in Shakespearean.  I mean, who wouldn’t?

Sarah spent alot of her time this past week planning a day camp for little girls.  She made flyers, passed them out, got commitments, -made a plan for each day’s activities, and went shopping for supplies.  It should be tons of fun.  I’m impressed with her planning and take-charge-ness so far.  I’ll let you know next week!

Megan has been enjoying a little more computer time now that Savannah’s tyranny has abated somewhat.  She also has played mucho with her favorite neighborhood girlfriends, Hannah and Rebekah. 

Mariah likes to play on the computer, too.  She also likes to pull out a felt dollhouse project she works on sometimes.  She’s the only one to really go out to the new hoop and shoot baskets.

Cheyenne and Calianne rode their bikes and played with neighborhood kids and joined various swim parties thoughout the neighborhood.

Bethany follows her big sisters around relentlessly!  She continues to say, “Hold me down!” when she wants to be picked up.  She is also afraid of bugs (my first little girl ever!) in spite of the fact that she sometimes greets people by assuming a fighting stance, sticking out her arm and yelling, “Hiya!”

Benjamin has started to coo.  He looks right into our eyes and smiles and coos and coos.  He’s so excited.  It’s so fun.  He has also started to suck on blankets.  Hey!  You take what hobbies you can get when you’re three months old!

To the joy of all, river walking was revisted this week as a favorite summer pastime!  Savannah, Sarah, Megan, and Mariah all went down to the river two or three or four times this week with various other kids from the neighborhood.  I love those old-time, no-cost pleasures. 

As for me, I did a lot of reading in these soft, green summer days.

Kevin finished up his softball season with a few evening games in Provo.  He also took the older six girls to the Springville pool on Saturday and helped the twins practice swimming.  He was so sweet to go as Calianne really, really wanted to go!  What a guy!

Well, the big news of the week is that Mariah and Kevin’s team went three days in tournament (which is unheard of in previous Skinner experience) and placed fourth overall!  Holy Cow!  Such excitement!  They each got medals and they announced their names and sent them down a tunnel of clapping hands!  It was way fun.  Kevin missed a lot of work because of all those wins, but I know he wouldn’t have traded the victories for him or for the girls on the team.  It was HOT (it always is at tournament – the season starts too cold and ends too hot) and the games are played in the middle of the day, and poor Mariah had a cold.  She was so miserable, but she was a trooper.

On Saturday, the coach had a barbecue for the players and their families.  The girls each got a trophy for placing first in Springville!  They gave coaches signed softballs and some other nice thank you’s.  It was a good season – for all our players.

 

On Monday, before softball started, Kevin had the day off so we decided to go check out a place I had heard of called Burraston Ponds.  You drive and drive out to the middle of nowhere (or rather, Mona) and you find a couple of ponds.  They are quite pretty and the water is clear and they have some campground and picnic spots tucked in the trees.  We had a nice picnic.

We noticed several cars while when we arrived, but as we ate more and more kept arriving.  I’m not talking 5 or 6, I’m talking 30 or 40!  We finally went to go see what all the fuss was about – we had a hunch.

It was the rope swings!  People were lined up to climb up these platforms and swing out on the ropes into the middle of the pond!  It really is just a little unmarked place on the outskirts of a little in the middle of nowhere town and you would have thought we were at Seven Peaks commercial water park.  We think it was mostly college students there that day.  We wished we had known about it when we were at the Y.  As it was, we didn’t swim that day, but we’re thinking we’ll be back.  It was fun just to watch.

On Friday night we went to the ward party over at the church.  Megan, Mariah, Cheyenne, and Calianne were in a group of kids who practiced this week to do a cute dance to the song, “I Won’t Grow Up!”  It was so cute and it’s fun to see Megan be the oldest with her little sisters.  It was a fun party, too with lots of good food, songs, and ward olympics.

Bethany continues to follow her big sisters everywhere.  When they go outside, Bethany goes too – after she tells me “Bye, bye, Mommy!”  blows me a kiss and says cheerily, “Be back!”  I just blow her a kiss and wish her well.  She is not a wanderer like my other children were.  She always stays where the action of her big sisters is.

Benjamin remains the prince in our house. 

He holds on now when I hold him.  It is so precious.  I love him.  We all do!

What do you think?  Does the boy have a chance to NOT be a Cincinnati Reds fan?  In all fairness, we’ve owned the outfit on the left for 15 years and even though all of our girls have worn it, it hasn’t yet produced a Reds fan!  The outfit on the right is new, though, bought for our son by my dad at preseason baseball training camp in Arizona.  That has to carry some kind of magic, don’t you think?

 

Even if our daughters aren’t Reds fans, they do play some pretty good softball! This is Sarah and Megan’s softball team this year – the Shockers!  They had their last games this week . . . and lost all of them.  BUT that must have been because Sarah wasn’t there!  Megan can’t be expected to carry the whole team herself, now can she?  I’m just joking, of course.  They had a lot of good players on their team and had a great time playing together.  I had a great time watching them pitch and hit and steal bases and catch balls.  What a great thing to do on summer evenings!

 

Mariah had her last games of regular league play this week, too, but her team came in first in her league!  Woot!  So, they will play in tournament this coming week.  I’ll get you pictures then.

 

Sarah wasn’t at softball games because she and Savannah left me ALL WEEK LONG!  They went to church Young Women camp.  I would say that the house was quieter with two less souls, except that the crying of the two babies for whom they usually care was louder, so I think it all balances out. . . Anyhoo, we missed them heaps, but they had a fabulous time!

Sarah looks like she just got back from Hawaii due to Hawaiian day.  As for Savannah, when Megan saw her she said, “Savannah, you’re wearing something in your hair and your nails are painted!  What did they DO to you?”  Savannah replied in the same aggrieved tone, “They curled my hair!!”  Yeah, you gotta watch out for those girls at girls’ camp!  So, they stayed up late and went on hikes and did the challenge course and sang songs and did their certification and went canoeing and grew spiritually and emotionally and made memories that will last a lifetime!

 

Their little sisters did miss them, but they didn’t sit around moping, exactly.

Especially not when there is a summer rainstorm in which to play!

 

Calianne, not to be outdone by Cheyenne, lost TWO teeth this week!

 

Cheyenne overcame her fear and finally learned to ride a bike!  Look at her go!

 

And to celebrate the girls getting back from camp, we shot off fireworks!  Wasn’t that the reason?  Oh, maybe it was the Fourth of July!  I can’t believe it is here already!

We also almost exploded our neighbor’s son . . .

 

He came through unscathed.  It was sure fun to watch, though!  Hee, hee.  :)