Fourth of July

 We had two girls marching in the Idaho Falls parade (which had been canceled the year previous due to ... wait for it ... COVID), so the festivities were extra fun. Seth had saved us a primo location for watching, and he used his monopod to dissuade any kids who might want to encroach on our territory.

Andrea taking photos of Miriam and Winnie before the start of the parade.

Like this one of Miriam reading on her Kindle.

Seth with with monopod surveying his territory.

Seth and Andrea waiting for the parade.

Bekah taking care of her drum major duties which included spraying band members with water. She took part of a three-school band. Rather than having Bonneville, I.F. and Hillcrest bands all with separate spaces in the parade, they combined to form one "megaband."

Dashing between the rows of marchers.

Ana and her friends Lilli and Samantha handing out candy next to the Bonneville ballroom float.

A happy, painted Ana.

Seth dancing the macarena with one of the middle school cheerleader floats.

Winnie's parade enthusiasm.

Then we had a delicious barbecue lunch at Grandma Susan's house, followed by a couple of hours of chill time at home before heading to Rexburg for an evening of Hendricks cousins, more hot dogs/hamburgers, a gigantic slip n' slide down the hill, water balloons, nine square and fireworks. (No photos, but I swear it happened.) We all went home happy and tired.

Softball

Back in April when I contacted last year's softball team to see if we would have any returning players, I quickly found out that everyone had other plans. Everyone except my daughter and one other player. So I turned to Facebook and recruited players without teams. It was fun getting to know everyone, and it was great to give these girls an opportunity to play modified fast pitch.

Grandpa Scott, Bekah and Ana all helped with coaching again. Bekah was our coach pitcher for every game except the tournament (she had a band leadership camp that day). Ana kept stats at all the games. 

Miriam played pitcher (she pitched more strikes than anyone else this season), catcher, shortstop and right field. 

Winnie was a good sport to tag along. 

Our team only won one game the whole season, but each of the girls grew and improved. We were very happy at our progress.

The dugout crew. Bekah, Andrea, Ana and Grandpa Scott. (And Kennley who was sitting out that inning.)

Miriam, Ana, Bekah and Winnie enjoying a post-game snow cone.

Miriam backing up the throw to first base.

Andrea coaching first base.

Miriam at bat.

Miriam pitching.

Miriam pitching.

Miriam jumping, stretching, blocking and generally getting her mitt on the ball. She's an animal. 

At our end-of-season party, Miriam earned the "Elastigirl award" for playing catcher. I didn't even have to come up with the name because someone else did it for me. After one of our games, a mother of a player on the other team asked if that was my daughter who had been playing catcher. I told her it was, and she said, "She's amazing! She's like Elastigirl!" Despite her trepidations at playing the position last year, she has definitely proved that she's got what it takes to play it.

Bekah is 16

 This kid can date, drive at night and donate blood.

Our first family celebration acknowledging her birthday was held at Aunt Rachel's house. It was a birthday bash celebrating Seth, Kelsey, Bekah and Hudson.

She received money and a ding dong from Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis (included in the card she is reading) and a gift certificate to Chesbro Music from Aunt Rachel's family.

On her actual birthday, she received a killer hat from her family.

Rebekah signing 16 on her 16th birthday.

Opening her first present from family during breakfast.

A classic hat.

And then she started a weeklong marching band camp. Some kids might complain about having to spend their birthday week (Monday through Friday, 1-9 p.m.) learning about marching and playing while marching, but I honestly think that was the best birthday present anyone could give Rebekah. As one of the school's drum majors, she learned all about her role as such. At the end of the week (Friday, June 18), Miriam, Winnie and I got to see some of the things they had learned. (Seth and Ana were at a Young Women overnight campout.)

Bekah lined up with the drum majors from Bonneville, Hillcrest and Idaho Falls high schools and talking to her friend, Cameron. 

Showing off some of the drills they ran to help the kids learn about timing and movement.

Another movement warmup. She looks like a ballerina ... or chimpanzee.

Helping to direct the three-school band. 

We finally got around to having a Scott family birthday dinner for Bekah on Friday, June 25. She requested Domino's pizza and a Samoan cheesecake. Uncle T's family gave her a giant bag of Swedish Fish, and Grandma and Grandpa Scott got her wrist braces and elbow and knee pads. Why would a 16-year-old need such safety gear?

Rebekah had asked for a longboard for her birthday, so we ordered one ... then waited for it to be back in stock ... then canceled that order and ordered a different one. It did finally arrive, and she has spent several mornings wheelin' around the neighborhood.

Opening her late birthday present on June 29.

Trying it out on the driveway.

Hike #1: Cress Creek

 Arguably not a real hike, but it got us out of the house. On June 7, we loaded up Peach and went on the grueling 😉 1.1 mile loop near Ririe.

Crossing the bridge across the road from the trailhead. The girls just wanted to check it out.

Headed up the path.

Winnie looking out over the river.

Miriam, Ana and Bekah looking at the view.

Group selfie at the creek.

Spring miscellany

 

Andrea editing the 32 pages of the Fairview Elementary yearbook on March 31. The new kitchen island is exactly big enough to lay them all out. 

Andrea and Seth on a date at Scotty's on April 2.

Winnie counting her Easter eggs. Grandma Susan hosted an Easter egg hunt at her house on April 3. She let the other kids hide each others' eggs.

Ana holding Flee while hunting for eggs at Grandma's.

Miriam finding one of her eggs in the paper towel roll.

Bekah finding an egg in the downstairs bathroom medicine cabinet.

Easter dinner on April 4. In all my 38 years of living and nearly 18 years of being married, I have never been in charge of an Easter Sunday dinner for my family. Usually we are eating with my family or Seth's family. (We had dinners with them later.) 

Our lovely hot cross buns and other Easter fare.

Andrea with her first dose of the COVID vaccine on April 8. Seth, an "essential worker," had received his earlier.

Winnie in the canopy bed she constructed on April 10.

Miriam, Ana and Winnie check out something entertaining (I'm sure) on Bekah's phone after having dinner at Grandma Scott's house on April 11.

Seth wearing a napkin on a button on his back after dinner at Grandma Scott's. The girls thought the decorative button needed a more utilitarian purpose.

Four girls brushing their teeth in their bathroom on April 12.

Bekah and Andrea enjoying lunch and dessert at Freddy's on April 13. Bekah didn't have school; only juniors had to attend school that day to take the SAT. So the two of us at home had a little lunch date.

Miriam and Winnie with their stuffed animals lined up in alphabetical order on April 13.

Ana and Andrea enjoying a shake and cupcake from Cocoa Bean on April 14. Ana didn't have to be to school that day because she had already finished her ISAT testing, so we got our own lunch date. 

Seth, Ana and Bekah gather rocks from the yard on April 17. There is still plenty of yardwork to do after the house remodel, and the house must be on an ancient riverbed, what with all the rocks we have. So we made a couple of rock beds.

Winnie basking in the sun and reading on her Kindle on the floor of the master bedroom on April 18.

The carrot fence Bekah carefully constructed around her Jell-O to keep it safe from the roast and mashed potatoes on April 18.

We thought the carrot fence was hilarious and deserved to be photographically preserved.

Seth and Winnie head bang and "play guitar" in the living room on April 19.

Andrea and Miriam take a lunch selfie to send to Seth while he was on a work trip in Virginia on April 23.

A shark tooth Seth found at Fossil Beach in Virginia on April 24. Seth spent a week in Norfolk for work. 

Seth at Fossil Beach.

Ana digs as we try to find the lid to our septic tank on April 24. We had people coming to pump the tank the next Monday, and I thought we could find the lid on our own. But with the front door and porch having been moved on our house, it was a little more difficult to find. We ended up having to pay extra to have the pumping company find it. We were too close to the house. The lid is about four feet from the corner of the patio.

Seth at the pier in Norfolk on April 26.

Seth at Virginia Beach on April 28.

Winnie eating a hot dog in the teepee she made in the side yard on April 28. We burned a bunch of sticks that day, so we roasted hot dogs as well.

Miriam eating her roasted hot dog.

We ended the evening by reading scriptures on the trampoline. Of course Peach had to join us. Rebekah had musical rehearsals that week, so she wasn't eating with us.

My setup as I prepare for Sunday School lessons on April 29. I teach the adult Sunday School class, and it has been a great opportunity for me to really dig in to the history and scriptures.

Rebekah using a Bluetooth keyboard and her phone to do homework while we drive in the car on April 29.

Winnie and Miriam eating Orange Leaf frozen yogurt after the Hillcrest musical on May 1. Rebekah performed with the Hillcrest pit orchestra because Bonneville's pit orchestra didn't have a part for her to play. Rebekah was taking trombone lessons from Hillcrest's band director, so she had an in.

Seth, Andrea, Ana and Bekah eating Orange Leaf after the musical.

The Fairview teachers' lounge after Andrea and Ana decorated it for teacher appreciation week on May 3.

Winnie trying on a dress on May 4 that belonged to Grandma Scott when she was a girl. We were trying to find vintage dresses and aprons to recreate a family history photo. (See below)

On the left is my great-grandma Sarah (front row, right side) and her Relief Society sisters. On the right is the Scott women trying to recreate the photo. This was all inspired by a family history activity the Young Single Adult Ward was putting together. (Grandma and Grandpa Scott serve in the YSA ward.)

The brand new asphalt we had done on the north side of our property on May 5.

The sweet note Winnie wrote for her 2nd grade teacher during teacher appreciation week. Andrea and the members of student council set up an appreciation station in the hall outside the lunchroom during the week so that kids passing by could write notes to their teachers (former and current) and other staff members. 

Andrea trying out Creamy Daze rolled ice cream while on a date on May 7.

Grover girl selfie on the couch in the living room on May 8.

Winnie with tiny plastic cups for eyes on May 9.

Andrea with the Cinderella crabapple tree she planted on the east side of the garage on May 14.

Seth posing with the larper swords he found at Goodwill on May 14.

Winnie reading, snuggling and waiting for the doctor to take a look at her hand on May 15. She had been sitting on the pavement outside the shop and taking off her rollerblades when she scraped the back of her hand on a nasty metal edge of the shop's siding. We weren't sure if she could use a few stitches or not, so I took her in to an emergency care facility to get a doctor's opinion.

The gauze and wrap Winnie ended up with instead of stitches.

The scrape Seth got from the chainsaw while cutting down and blocking dead trees in our yard on May 15. Everyone was relieved that's all the damage there was.

Winnie rollerblading with an umbrella on the new driveway on May 15.

Winnie wearing her fuzzy cat hoodie and listening to a book the living room on May 21.

Miriam and Winnie dogpile on Seth and our bed on May 22.

Seth trying out a weird dummy face at D.I. on May 22.

Peach wearing a dandelion necklace Ana made her on May 25.

Bekah and Seth holding white lab puppies during a church youth activity on May 25. The youngest class of Young Women were in charge of the activity, and they decided to have all the Young Women go from house to house to meet their pets and animals.

Bekah and Ana with a tiny kitty. The kitten had just meowed its tiny little kitten meow, and Ana was overcome with its cuteness.

Peach and Winnie hanging out on the back porch on June 2.