first week of June

Becky and her family came to town in June. We enjoyed a chilly picnic on the lawn before spending time at the I Am A Child of God exhibit at the Church History Museum. This picture is the group in front of a pioneer home just outside the Museum.

Later that evening the Techmeyers and Wrights supported Zachary and Anna in a performance of "Disco Musical, the Musical," a play performed at Wheeler Farm in conjunction with Copperview Community. It was a fun experience for Zachary and Anna (with slightly more enthusiasm from Anna).







A few days later we went to the Air Force Museum at Hill Air Force Base. There is a really neat interactive area for the kids. We also walked around looking at the planes. This is a picture of Grammy with the grandkids.

busy, fabulous summer

It's been the busiest, most fun summer. I'll drop in pictures of the highlights (We've taken 1130 pictures since the first week of June!) and then endeavor to keep our blog updated.

Griffin graduated from Kid First Preschool May 20. He recited Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by himself and did a very nice job. Miss Tiffany is an awesome preschool teacher!

Soccer

Soccer is a big part of our lives. Three team practices a week, three games a week, not to mention the individual practicing and skills drills in the back yard... It's been a fun season. Zachary's team cheer is some fabulous Polynesian war chant which sounds really cool. Anna's team has the funniest cheer: We don't play with barbie dolls, we just play with soccer balls, we don't wear our mini skirts, we just wear our soccer shirts, goooooooo pink pirates! Funny. Thanks to the coach's clear voice over the mumble of 5 year old voices, we can make out Griffin's team cheer: Together we get better. Go blue dragons!

Griffin

Griffin turned 5 years old on Tuesday! He requested pancakes and orange juice for breakfast and got some fun presents. Griffin loves soccer and his good buddy, Kaden, and his favorite game to play is Power Rangers and Transformers (the Transformers always win). Griffin likes to hang blankets around his bottom bunk while he sleeps--it's a club--and loves to ride his scooter. How I love Griffin!

James B. Techmeyer

My baby brother, James, left on Tuesday for basic training in Texas. Once he completes basic he'll head to beautiful Monterrey, California, to learn Mandarin Chinese. I am grateful for courageous and determined young men and women who choose the military path to defend the freedoms that we enjoy every day. James is a great kid and I'm proud of him.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day was quite a treat. The kids helped me pick out flowers to put in my front porch planter and Jeremy wired the sprinklers so they'll water that planter as well as my fuchia plant (which is gorgeous!) (I've got a bad track record for keeping plants alive). A big thanks to the public school system and a good preschool teacher as well for helping my kids make nice gifts for me too. What a blessing it is to be a mom. I am so grateful.

Arches National Park

We enjoyed a long weekend at Arches National Park with my family. We had such a great time and truly enjoyed the camping trailer Jer received for Christmas (long story, end result is a 1955 pink and silver Traveleeze trailer). Thursday was so cold and windy so we all jumped in the trailer, got the furnace running, and drank hot chocolate (with water heated on the pink stove). This is our little family (obviously) at Delicate Arch. This is a tough hike and very rewarding when you come around the last turn to see the magnificent view. When asked about his favorite part of the trip Griffin said "it was fun, but we sure walked a lot!" The kids hiked so well--even little Jane hiked a lot. There's something really cool and even rewarding about a relaxed conversation with the kids while wandering through God's beautiful country. What a treat.
We camped in the Devils Garden Campground inside the park with Mom, David & Hollie & girls, and James. Michael & Colette, Neil & Sarah, their friend, Kelli, and Uncle Daryl & Aunt Sybil stayed outside the park since they spent a chunk of their time 4x4ing. We all met together on Friday to hike The Windows together; then we met back at our campground for dinner and dutch oven cobbler.

We also hiked around in Devils Garden (this is Landscape Arch), Tapestry Arch, etc., and Jeremy & David took the older kids and hiked Fiery Furnace.





Mom was a real trooper on this trip. She bought a new tent and accessories and on the last day hiked Corona Arch with us all. It was a tough hike and she hiked the whole thing.


This is Skyline Arch, another short, fun hike the kids really enjoyed. We saw deer, rabbits, and tons of lizards. It was a fun, fun trip!

St. George

Our good friends, Sam & Rachelle, baby Seven, and Cash the dog, invited our family to go to St. George with them over Conference weekend. We stayed in Sam's parents' guest house which was awesome! We went shooting, hiking, walked around the St. George temple grounds, rode scooters (we towed Sam & Rachelle's down), walked through some art galleries, and went to the Children's Art Museum. It was such a fun trip and we can't wait to go back!

Jane

Jane turned 3 on March 29. Where does the time go? Jane is a sweet girl who loves to have her fingernails and toenails painted. She loves to play hide and seek and tag. She enjoys sleepovers with her siblings and is a happy girl. Jane is such a blessing to our family.

Anna

Anna turned 7 on March 27! She chose pancakes for breakfast and homemade pizza for dinner. She had soccer practice in the evening and her team sang Happy Birthday to her.











Anna got lots of fun presents for her birthday. She received a leather Book of Mormon with her name on in and a "pink suitcase" for her Book of Mormon that Jane picked out for her.











The next day at a special Citizenship Assembly at Sandy Elementary, Anna was awarded the Cooperation Award. This is Anna with super awesome Principal Houlihan.