Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 1

We tried something this year that we had never really done before, a long summer vacation. We planned to go to Mount Rushmore, Church history sites in Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois, and then to the Mall of America in Minnesota. Our trip lasted 14 days and we drove 3400 miles. We had a wonderful time together. We bought a trailer to pull so we wouldn't have to get motels or camp out. It worked really well for us.

We left on June 24th and drove to Mt. Rushmore. We got there just in time to watch the evening lighting. We have been there before and really love the evening lighting. It is a powerful presentation about freedom and the things that our Nation should stand for. It is always a neat experience to see the lights come on the mountain.

Joshua's heart surgeries

I thought some of you might be interested in seeing more about the surgeries Joshua has had and the one that is still somewhere in his future. He had a BT shunt when he was 9 days old. The Glen was done when he was almost six months. The Fontan is what we are waiting for. He has to reach 30 pounds before the doctors want to do it. He weighed in today at 18 pounds. Typically, the children are between the ages of 2 and 4. I found these clips to be very interesting.

Click on one of the links below:

BT Shunt

The Glen

The Fontan

Clogging Performance

MaryAnne and Emma had a clogging performance in June. MaryAnne really wanted us to video it and put it on so her grandmas and grandpas could see it. They did a great job. I always really enjoy watching them clog.Bethany was there and ready to clog, but no one from her class came so she just watched.

Where did May and June go?

I think I am just a little behind. I don't know where May and June went, but I will try and catch up. Rebecca graduated from seminary on May 17th. When we got to the Stake Center in Cody for graduation Neil and I were surprised to see her name on the program as a speaker. I asked her if she knew she was speaking and if she was prepared. She had kept it as a surprise. She did a very nice job talking about her seminary experience.

Rebecca and Bethany went to EFY at BYU June 7-12. They had lots of fun. I don't think they ever really learned the campus and they would probably still get lost today if they were there. We also went to the Sharp reunion in Provo. It was lots of fun to see everyone. The rain held off until the very end, but then we got drenched!

I had my birthday on June 23rd and got a really nice, fun camera. There will be pictures coming. We left on the 24th to start our vacation, that will be another post and there will be pictures I promise.

Into the Woods

Hi, this is Rebecca, Sarah's daughter writing about Into the Woods, which I was in, performing May 6-8. Plot: Stephen Sondheim's play has several fairy-tales collide (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and a childless couple) in a musical explosion of awesomeness. I had a ridiculous amount of fun doing it, though I am sure that my family is thoroughly sick of it because I have been quoting and singing it for months. It is a fairly small cast compared to the past musicals that Powell has done because it doesn't have many "extra" parts (i.e. chorus, villagers), so we all got to know each other and became really good friends. Basically it was the best three months of my time here at Northwest College. :D This is a montage of pictures from it that I made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_A9XEkaGk8

Bethany's Birthday and another teenage driver

Well, Bethany turned 15 and to celebrate we took her over to Cody to take the test for her driving permit. She passed the first try!! One of the workers there told her that 75% of kids don't pass the test on their first try. She has been out driving a few times and is definitely catching on. We really didn't do much else besides presents, cake and singing. It was a very busy day at our house. The play that Rebecca was in was also going on that night. Bethany, Julia, Matthew, Emma and I went to watch Into the Woods that night. Happy Birthday, Bethany!! What a sweet young lady you have grown into. Thanks for your good example and loving kindness. We love you!!!

Joshua walking

We are all very excited that Joshua has started taking a few steps. I saw him take steps on his own at least three times today. It is really cute to watch him. He is pretty careful. I will miss his little scoot when he finally starts walking for good.