Summer is off and running! The kids got out of school the end of May, and we've been enjoying the sunshine and lazy days. Summer naps are fabulous, even when you're so tired you only get half-way on the chair before falling asleep.
Believe it or not, Brevan's organizational skills improved a lot this year! He actually kept papers in binders (for the most part), but he still refused to throw away anything, even if it wasn't needed anymore. This is only half the stack of papers he had after cleaning out his locker. At least it's better than previous years when he carried a cardboard box of papers everywhere he went.
Brevan didn't feel like going to school the last couple days of the school year, which was completely fine with me. I took him to Chick-fil-a for lunch while we talked about life. I love hanging out with this kid.
After school on the last day, Ryan and I took a group of awesome teenagers to see "Maleficent" in the theater, as a goodbye party to Brittin, who moved to Utah. Pictured are Brynlie, Brittin, Brevan, Jojo, Katelyn and Katie.
We decided to go boating/camping as a family at Smithville Lake so Brevan could finish some of his Eagle Scout requirements. Brevan then invited Anthony and Ethan to come with us, and fun was had by all...until late at night when I decided a soft bed sounded much more enjoyable than sleeping on a tent floor. So I talked Ryan into staying with the kids while I went home. I'm sneaky that way! Brynlie and Lindsey actually decided to join me at home, so the boys all camped out and the girls had a slumber party in my bed.
Our beautiful campsite right on the lake.
Brevan, Ethan and Anthony
We took Bella on the boat for the first time and had fun watching her Doggy Paddle. She was not a fan of the water, so we bought her a life jacket for next time!
The boys played frisbee until late. We roasted hot dogs, made s'mores and cooked peach cobbler in the dutch oven. Yummy!
The 3 oldest kids had orthodontist appointments the other day, and Brevan was told he gets his braces off at the next appointment. Finally a light at the end of the tunnel for one of the expensive kids!
Just a cool picture Brynlie took with her phone. That's the most creative way I've seen to shoot hoops!
Lindsey and Chloe have played together for hours every day this summer. They find interesting ways to entertain themselves while their siblings have swim practice, including this house made for butterflies and fairies.
I have stacks upon stacks of bills. It's stressful to match up all the bills with the insurance statement as I try to figure out what we owe each doctor. This bill came the other day, and it reminded me to be grateful for insurance! So far, the costs of Ryan's chemo treatments have reached $100,000.
Brynlie's dance studio had their end-of-year recital, and Brynlie looked great on stage! She has improved so much in the past year. These are a few snapshots taken by her dance teachers. Napiers and Condiffs came to watch Brynlie perform, and even brought her flowers.
About a week ago, Parker and Logan had the idea to dig a tunnel through the dirt piles in our backyard. When the tunnel started getting larger, they decided to dig until they reach Provo, Utah so they can see a live production of their favorite show, Studio C. They have literally spent hours every day working on the project, and now they even have steps leading down into the hole!
The project began during a huge rain storm, so the boys were covered in mud for days.
Working hard as the hole gets bigger.
And now Logan has even convinced Ryan to help with some digging haha!
Lindsey and Logan have participated in 2 swim meets so far this summer, and they are doing great! Lindsey and Chloe wrote "Eat my bubbles" on their backs at the last meet (as a taunt to all the kids behind them in the swim races). Cute girls!
Logan is trying hard to enjoy the swim team and meet new people. He is shy by nature, and making friends does not come easily to him. At the last meet, he whispered in my ear, "Mom, there's a boy I think is nice, and I would like to make him my friend, but I don't know how."
All lined up and ready for their turn in the pool.
Brynlie went to her first year of Girls Camp this last week, and she loved it! She didn't allow her fear of meeting people to stop her from making new friends. When I picked up a carload of stinky girls at the end of camp, Bryn ran up to me and said, "Mom! I made new friends! I'm so excited that I've been telling everyone all day!" I'm glad the awesome girls in our ward are troopers because a strong rainstorm came through the first night of camp, and everything the girls took was soaked. They were pretty miserable and muddy, but the leaders said they didn't hear one complaint. The weather was perfect the rest of camp, and Brynlie is already excited for next year!
I took this picture before the girls headed up to camp. Brenda pretended to be one of the girls!
These pictures were taken by leaders at the camp. Pictured are Bryn, Madelyn, Jillian, Chloe and Desiree.
Christine took this picture of Madelyn and Bryn when I brought them back home. They were dirty, tired and silly from their days of roughing it!
Logan has been trying to earn money lately, and he convinced me to hold a garage sale. I HATE garage sales, but I love him. Parker decided to join Logan on the money-quest, and the Napiers ended up having a sale, also. Lindsey and Chloe did not want to be left out, so they came up with the idea of a bake sale. They spent a whole day cooking and making a sign for their event. Our kids are great entrepreneurs! The girls ended up making $15, and Logan ended up making $50. I was just glad to get rid of clothes and furniture we no longer use, so I had Logan sell the items for very cheap.
Parker and Logan combined their garage sales in the Napiers yard. They didn't actually look this unhappy when they had customers!
We found this snapping turtle in the road during the garage sale. Rusty was barking at something, so Bella ventured over to make friends with the new creature. Suddenly she jumped and screamed before realizing the turtle was not friendly. She got bit twice before we finally took her home so the poor turtle could continue on it's way.
Christine took Chloe and Lindsey to Target after they made money at their bake sale. They lost their purses after setting them down in the toy area and having them stolen by another customer. They were crushed as they searched everywhere, and finally a Customer Service rep found the purses in an abandoned cart in the parking lot. I guess the thief had a change of heart before driving away. The happy girls then bought matching Barbies with their hard-earned money.
More summer fun:
- Brevan got hired as a paid intern at Ryan's work! He has been working full-time this summer in the IT department, proving his work ethic to his managers. Several people have told Ryan how impressed they are with Brevan. His politeness, punctuality, and technological knowledge have surprised the adults in his department. I'm ridiculously proud that Brevan is proving himself to be a responsible worker. Last week, Ryan received this email from one of Brevan's co-workers:
Ryan also forwarded me the following email, which was sent to the entire company, so I could "see that Brevan is contributing in a big way":Mr. Ellefsen,
I believe very much that one can determine a bit about someones character by how his/her children act. Your son, Brevan, is very courteous and otherwise (from what I could tell) well-mannered. This sort of behavior does not always accompany children whose parents are in positions of authority or might be well-off. Thank you for raising a courteous child. - Aaron Babbitt
To All,
We have recently installed a new Wireless Access point at main for use with Laptops, Tablets, IPad's, Smart phones, etc. Any equipment owned by NMR will be configured by Brevan so please assist him by allowing him to configure your equipment. Brevan will be coming around to configure your device for use based on whether or not your equipment is owned by NMR.
Brevan also made an appointment with the counselor at the High School on his own because he wants to be sure he is making the right decisions for his future. I went with him to the appointment, and watched in amazement as he presented his thoughts and questions in a mature way.
- I was released from my church callings, and asked to teach Lindsey's Primary class. I'm excited to be back in Primary with one of my kids! After having substitutes for much of the past year, the large class was disappointed to find out I expect them to learn the Old Testament without weekly treats. Ryan is also still teaching the 8-year-olds in Primary. He has a co-teacher since some weeks he isn't feeling well enough to attend church.
- There are 7 weeks until the end of this semester. As much as I'm enjoying my classes, I desperately need a break! I've started counting down the days until the semester ends, because it has become increasingly hard to study with Ryan's health concerns and the kids home for the summer.
- I'm heart-broken about missing the wedding of my oldest nephew, Brandon. I'm glad I met his awesome fiancé, Angela, last summer, but I wish I could be with them on their special day. They are getting sealed in the Portland, Oregon LDS temple on July 1st, and I will be home taking care of my hubby after his final chemotherapy treatment.
- Last week was rough physically and mentally for Ryan. On Wednesday I took him to the Cancer Center for his weekly blood work, and the nurses wouldn't allow him to leave until he was given fluids and a full bag of nausea medication through his line. Within an hour, he started feeling much better, so I learned to watch him for signs of dehydration. I'm grateful for the kind and knowledgeable nurses that take care of him.
- Ryan's parents and our ADORABLE nieces (Sean's girls) are coming to visit for a week! They arrive tomorrow and we have a lot of fun activities planned. The kids are ecstatic about their cousins coming to visit (but not so happy about the deep-clean I'm making them do on the house today)!
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