The Kitchen

I know I've been terribly mysterious about the whole kitchen, but I wanted it done before I revealed. Unforunately I still have some decisions to make before it's done, so I decided we all couldn't wait any longer. I need to put in the cabinet spacers, and I think I'm going to change out the over-sink light, put some knobs/handles on the pantry doors, and put some sort of lights over the island. Here it is in all of its almost-complete glory. Again, thank you thank you for all your help.

And just because you were patient enough to last through those little teasers, here's the full tour, complete with Joshua trying to show off as much as possible.

Tigers at the Mall

We may live in a small town in the middle of nowhere but our small little mall had Tigers visiting this past week. Yes, real live tigers! And since our boys LOVE wild animals we thought we'd better go.

So, we drove over and had fun looking and then decided it would be worth the money to let the boys go in and play with the tigers. Yes, they let them go in and play with the live BABY tigers! It was awesome! Joshua liked it as long as they didn't get on his lap, so I tried to keep them on my lap for him to play with.

Michael and Jacob, however were unstoppable. I could tell Michael was a little nervous but Jacob did not hesitate one bit and played with them like they were his own pets. By the time we were done he had the cubs all riled up. Oops!

It was an incredible experience that I highly recommend to families of all ages!

A teaser

-- Post From My iPhone

My Father's Day

Well, it's been a long week, and I've been blessed by so many people who, together, made this one incredible Father's Day. A special thanks to Bryce, who took time off work, flew out here, and headed up a major construction project under the supervision of a neurotic and often undecided contractor. I know it wasn't my idea of a vacation, and we couldn't have done it without him, so again and again, my sincerest thanks. Of course I can't neglect the invaluable assistance of the true and ultimate supervisor, Michelle. You should have seen her supervise; sometimes she did it so voraciously that she had to take a nap just to recover so she could start supervising again. She was a trooper, and she earned the right to roll her breadsticks in garlicky, buttery goodness late Friday night. Dad even made it out for about 18 hours during our most critical period of construction: the cabinets, and we're all so glad he did. Thank you all, from all of us, for your amazing efforts in our behalf. We are truly blessed to have family who would rally their time, energy, and talent in our behalf. And I should definitely mention last night's visit by Ron Sevigny, a member of our ward. He graciously stopped by at a moment's notice to help me solve the leak issues under the cabinet and prep the gas line for the stove. His aid was a perfect bookend to our hectic week, and I'm grateful for his service.

So, for Father's Day I got to cook a meal in my new kitchen using onions, radishes and basil from our garden, do the dishes in my new sink, and enjoy a meal under my new chandelier in my dining room. Liz and I were up until 4:30 this morning cleaning, organizing, installing, and otherwise working like the maniacs we are to get our home in shape for the sabbath. It's amazing that only 7 days ago we were enjoying the crumbs of strawberry Nutella cake and singing Come Thou Fount over and over and over.

The long week seems to have paid off, however, and the kitchen is in final stages. I have to fix the island lights (same box, different lights—who does that?), install the light over the sink, touch up the paint, and do some trim work. Oh yes, and we're running back to IKEA this week to pick up new countertops and that elusive 12" wall cabinet. Dan and I are finishing the floors tomorrow, and hopefully getting the toekicks and side trim in so things are basically done. Did I mention I installed the island all by myself? Well, I did, and it was scary business. Virtually everything up to that point was fixable, fillable, or otherwise adjustable, but once I drilled a hole through that floor, mind-changing was no longer an option without a major tear-out-the-cabinets-and-half-the-floor redo. I'm relieved to say that everything worked out just fine. We were even able to use the not long enough countertops to cover the island—they were perfect. Sweet victory.

I'm not going to give a full reveal until it's all done, but here are a few teasers. We love you all and look forward to giving you a personal tour in our new space.

The chandelier

-- Post From My iPhone

Pipes

Just so we're clear, those are my pipes that don't leak.


-- Post From My iPhone

The floor

We will get this done yet! We took a little time tonight to have a grown up night out. It wasn't long but it was fun to play just a little in this hectic week.



-- Post From My iPhone

For mom

We're in the throes of the chaos, but the electric is done and we're on to the drywall. Here's photo evidence.








-- Post From My iPhone

In my car right now

I'm glad Bryce is driving while we get a little nap in.


-- Post From My iPhone

Baptism

I know I am one month late, but better late than never! Michael was baptized last month after turning 8. I can't believe my baby is 8! Several months ago Michael decided he wanted to be baptized by his Grandpa Hutchings, so we made plans to help make that a reality for him. Michael also decided to read the entire Book of Mormon before he was baptized. He finished a few days before. I was very impressed by his goal and his determination to finish. He is growing up so quickly! It was a great experience and a day we will always remember. We're very proud of Michael and the decision he made.

Family Vacation Day Three

After surviving the rain we took down camp, ate some pancakes and eggs and headed to Palmyra. We took the tour of the farms and really enjoyed being in those sacred places. After taking the tours in Kirtland the boys got bored of answering the same questions over and over but they still did it. The log cabin is always one of my favorites; the spirit is so strong upstairs where Moroni came to visit Joseph.

Unfortunately, I think the boys enjoyed their umbrellas more than anything else on the tour.

They also loved looking at nature, especially the chipmunks!

After finishing the tour we headed into the sacred grove. After walking for a bit Joshua looked over and said 'I think that is where the first vision took place.' I don't know if he was right or not but I do not discount anything he says, so it would not surprise me if that was the place. It was really neat to be in that sacred place as a family.

After visiting the farm we drove by the temple and peaked in the window at the print shop. We enjoyed a little ice cream cone--pretty impressive ice cream for soft serve!

Then, we headed to the Hill Cumorah. We drove up the hill and talked about how difficult it would be to find just the right rock to look under and how he never would have found it without the help of Moroni. We then enjoyed walking around the monument and watching them set up the towers for the pageant. That is definitely one of the largest cranes I have ever seen! The boys loved it!

Afterwards we jumped in the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Hutchings house. Everyone was exhausted by the end but it was worth every minute!

Family Vacation Day Two

After leaving Kirtland we headed to upstate New York for some more fun. Our next stop was Niagra Falls . . . Wow! Wow! Wow! I just have to say that if you are looking for a great place to go I suggest Niagra Falls. We first headed to 'Cave of the Winds' where we got to down to the bottom of the falls. They even gave us special sandals to wear down, so we didn't ruin our shoes.

We took an elevator down to a series of wooden decks that they have to rebuild each year. These decks lead you right up into the falls to what they call the 'Hurricane Deck' and let me just tell you that the name says it all. The boys loved it!

Then, we took the trolly around to take a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist.

I thought it was just going to be a nice little boat ride to get a great view of the falls, and it was but that was not good enough.

They took us right into the horseshoe falls for an up close and personal experience. And let me just say that it was AWESOME! It was hard to get a picture because of all the water but I think this one turned out nicely!

We realized later that we can now say that we went into Canada on this trip. It may have been on the boat ride but it was Canada nonetheless!

After our great boat ride we enjoyed a little movie on Niagra Falls, and we headed out to our campsite. It was a little ways away, so we had to work really hard to keep Jacob awake on our short drive. We then had fun setting up our camp and eating a little dinner including a fun treat of Timbits from Tim Horton's, a doughnut shop that James enjoyed while serving his mission.

It then began to rain, so we just stayed in the tent for the remainder of the evening. The boys enjoyed a movie during which two of them fell asleep!

They seemed to sleep well because Michael looked nice and refreshed in the morning! We were even still dry which was impressive considering the amount of rain we enjoyed during the night. It was our first camping experience as a family and I believe it was a success!

Family Vacation Day One

We planned a pretty exciting vacation this year which includes visiting family, seeing church history sites, camping and much more! Day one began around 2:30 in the morning when James and I got up and finished loading the car. We woke the boys up and were on the road just after 3 AM! We were headed to Kirtland, Ohio where James grandparents are serving a mission at the Kirtland church history sites. We arrived just after noon and relaxed for a bit until Grandma and Grandpa were free. We headed to the Kirtland Temple where we enjoyed the tour and looking through the temple.

Then, we headed out to the Morley Farm where grandma and grandpa took us on a little tour and told us some of the history of the area. We learned tons and enjoyed hearing their testimonies and feeling of the spirit at the farm.

Afterwards we headed to the quarry where we could see where some of the stones used to build the temple came from.

Afterwards we went to the main tour where we got to watch the movie and see the Whitney farm and house. We didn't quite make it to the mill that night but were sure to come back in the morning to finish the tour! It was incredible to learn of the important events that took place in that humble little town and to be in the same space that they took place. The spirit was very strong making a very incredible experience.

Our Butterfly Emerged

About a month ago the boys took a butterfly class from a local homeschooler who was teaching the class for a Boy Scout requirement. As part of the class the boys got to take home a painted lady caterpillar in a little cup with caterpillar food. We took him home and watched him eat and grow at an amazing rate! As he got larger we put him in a larger container where he crawled to the top and wrapped himself in his chrysalis. We then waited as patiently as we could for him to emerge. He finally did right before we left of vacation. Phew . . . that was close. We then watched him spread his wings, let them dry and straighten out and then when he was ready to fly on his own we let him go. It was an incredible experience and we all learned tons about caterpillars and butterflies!