Let the family fun begin!

Today Nichole, Tyler, Kate and my mom came to Utah! This weekend we are having a Shumway family reunion at Bear Lake, but Nichole and Mom decided to make the trip up a little early to have more time. Nichole and Kate actually left the following day (Tuesday 6/28) to go to Logan to visit other cousins, but Tyler and Mom stayed. It was a semi-busy week trying to get ready for the reunion, but we still managed to fit in some fun. After everyone got here on Monday, we went to pick cherries at a neighbor's house. Kate loves the fact that we live on a "farm". This was their first cherry picking experience. I'm pretty sure they ate more than they actually picked.

Tuesday (6/28), Jonas and I took Mom up to Temple Square. It had been awhile since she had been there. We went to the Church History Museum, the visitors centers, and more. It was fun just spending the day with my mom (and Jonas of course).

Wednesday and Thursday were spent hanging around the house, packing, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. Dallin and Tyler still managed to fit in some time at the temple and (of course) all the boys found time to shoot each other with their new glow-in-the-dark Nerf bow and arrows. This week was just a small sampling of the fun we all knew was to come!

Doing chores around the house.

Nerf war!

Pools and pellet pistols

This week was the final week of camps! It has been a busy month, especially for Jeff. We've had scout camps, youth conference, and this week girls camp. Now Jeff wasn't involved in the planning or execution of girls camp, but he did have to go up for a couple nights to provide additional support. Can I just say that I'm glad the camps are over?! I think it's easier to count how many days Jeff has been home this month rather than how many days he's been gone. Luckily, the camp was up Payson canyon so I took Danny and Jonas up one day to hang out with Dad and shoot pellet pistols. (Dallin was in St. George all week at a basketball tournament. He has been gone most of the month as well! It will be nice to have both him and Jeff around more in July.) Jeff and I got to return to girls camp on Friday night for bishopric night. Jeff is in the leadership council of our church congregation (aka bishopric). While there are definitely times I wish he didn't have the responsibilities he does, watching him interact with the youth reminds me why the Lord called him to that position. Leadership opportunities usually aren't about us, but all about the people we serve. Jeff has a unique ability to interact with the youth in a way that they respond. They love him. He is like one of them, yet they know they can turn to him as a leader if they need to. I got the distinct impression while we were there that Jeff will have many more opportunities to continue to serve as a leader. As much as I sometimes wish that wasn't the case, I can't think of a more humble, merciful, capable man to do the job.

This was the gorgeous view from where we were shooting.

Jeff playing "big booty" with the girls at girls' camp. It was pretty hilarious!

Other than that, Danny, Jonas and I had fun at home. Danny has been spending most of his free time with his buddy, Noah. I'm grateful that my boys have good friends. One day, I took Danny, Noah and Jonas to Payson Pool to swim. Jonas LOVED it! He was still initially uncertain (like usual), but once he evaluated his surroundings and deemed it was safe, he was ready to go. He especially love the slide. He would start kicking his legs and flailing his arms in anticipation when I set him at the top of the slide. It was hilarious! I'm sure there will be lots of pool/water time in the coming weeks.

Life is good. I'm grateful for the summer months to be able to have more time with my kids and to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Father's Day

I think this is one of the most important days of the year (aside from Mother's Day of course). In this family, I think it's even more important than most. Jeff had been both father and mother to Laurin, Amber, Dallin and Daniel for so many years. He truly epitomizes what it means to be a father. It was easy to dote over him today. I wanted to do it. I can't imagine a better father for my children. Jeff willingly sacrifices so much for all of his children. His family is his world...and it shows in everything he does and everything he is. I can only hope that one day my children will grow up to be as patient, kind, generous, and merciful as their father. Sure, just like any dad, he has his faults, but those faults pale in comparison to the many positive attributes, actions, and unconditional love he expresses. Jeff is one of my heroes. He is my best friend, He is my biggest support. He is the perfect father for our children! So what better way to celebrate than with food! We started our day with one of his favorite breakfasts.

Afterwards, the boys presented Jeff with their gifts. They bought him a bean bag toss and ladderball game set. You can imagine what we did for the rest of the day (when we weren't at church).

That evening, Amber joined us (along with Jeff's parents) for a prime rib dinner with mashed potatoes and salad with Texas Sheet Cake for dessert. (Like I said, we like to celebrate with food.) It was a great day. Not only were we able to celebrate this amazing man, we were able to simply enjoy being together as a family. There is nothing more important in this world than family. I'm pretty lucky to have the little family I do! Happy Father's Day Jeff!

Quiet moments, ping pong and mission calls

This week was a little less fast paced as the previous two weeks. (Although this is just the lull before the storm! We have plenty more fun planned in the coming weeks!) It was nice to enjoy a week at home with all my boys. We were able to finish chores around the house and property that had been neglected (even though the work is never done around here). Generally, I like to start my day by doing various exercises (in my quest to lose that last little bit of pregnancy weight). Usually, I just go out to the shop to run on the eliptical or use the weights. However, I have spent a few mornings replacing my treadmill workout for an actual walk around our loop. I start my day when Jonas starts his so it tends to be pretty early, but I haven't minded one bit...not when I get to see the sun crest over the mountain range and shower the earth with its light. I love being able to see the earth wake up in the morning. It has provided time for thought and contemplation. I am truly blessed. I have no clue what I did to deserve all I have, but I will be forever grateful to God for the blessings I enjoy. I have a husband whom I adore; children whom I love and would do anything for. I live in a comfortable home with amenities many people never have. I am free to believe what I wish and live in land that is not racked with the torments of war. As I watch the sunrise, I give a silent prayer of gratitude to Him who makes it all happen. It is not surprising that it is often in the quiet moments that I feel the most peace.

One of my most favorite quiet moments.

Well this week wasn't all quiet! The boys spent one day swimming at the Provo Rec Center (I didn't go so there are no pictures) and another day at the movies. Another day, we drove up to Salt Lake where Dallin found a ping pong table for sale. He has been saving his birthday money and finally decided that was what he wanted to buy. The boys have been playing it non-stop since. It has been fun hanging out in the shop as a family. Jonas even likes to play with whatever ball he can get his hands on.

However, I think the most exciting thing this week was this:

Yup! Amber received her mission call! We have been anxiously awaiting her mission call even since before she put her papers in, and now it's finally here. We received the envelope on Friday but Amber couldn't come home to open it until Saturday evening...so the nerves just continued to rise! Finally, the moment of truth came. Amber was pretty funny. She would start to open the envelope then stop when her anxiety got the best of her. Finally, it was opened and she quickly jumped right to where she was going. There was no introduction. She just blurted out the mission - Spain Barcelona! We weren't sure if she was just teasing of if that was really where she was going. Finally, she read the letter from the beginning. Spain Barcelona Mission! She reports to the MTC in Madrid on October 4! I am so incredibly excited for her (especially because we'll be able to speak Spanish together!). Krystle and Jordan served in that mission so they are elated as well. I'm sure there will be much to talk about when they're here in a couple weeks. I'm still not sure the whole mission thing has sunk in for Amber. After she opened her call, she just kind of went about things as if nothing had happened. She did run to the computer to look up maps and other information, but other than that, life was just normal. I'm sure it will sink in soon. We have much to do to prepare! Spain here she comes!

Lake Powell and Shadow Mountain

We are into week 2 of our summer vacation and the party continues! This week, Dallin and Jeff left on Wednesday to head to Lake Powell for Dallin's high adventure scout activity. (I'm not really sure how "high adventure" it is to sleep in a houseboat and play in the water all day.) They had a blast! Dallin came back with several bumps, bruises, cuts, and scratches from playing king of the mountain (aka tube). Jeff said he was good and didn't get involved in all the tussling, but Dallin challenged him to do a backflip off the houseboat....and he accepted the challenge. He impressed all the boys and leaders when he landed it! (I think he might have even surprised himself a little.) I guess Jeff still has his skills...even in his old age. In addition to swimming, they also did a little fishing. Jeff seemed to enjoy the fact that he caught two fish. I think that was his personal highlight of the trip.

Tyler Chisholm and Dallin waiting to head out to the houseboat.

Since Jeff and Dallin left for Lake Powell on Wednesday, Danny, Jonas and I decided to have a fun day. We headed to Orem to run a couple errands before heading to the Brick Oven for lunch (because Danny had a free kids meal from making honor rolls this year.) While we were out, Danny bought a wooden box to paint when we got home. I love doing wood crafts. For awhile, I was doing several holiday wood crafts for the house. Danny always asked if he could do one...I'm finally making good on that promise. That evening, we watched the 3rd game in the NBA finals. Danny has gotten really excited about basketball recently...although I still think he enjoys watching it more than playing it.

On Thursday morning, I dropped Danny off at Wilson Elementary where he boarded a bus to head to Shadow Mountain camp. This camp was organized years ago as a way to help kids socialize with kids from other schools in anticipation of them all going to the same junior high schools. It has simply become a tradition over the years. Just like Dallin and Jeff, Danny had a blast! He came back tired, a little sunburned, and with no voice. I would say his campout was successful. He really enjoyed the glow-in-the-dark slip n slide and the "polar plunge" (which he says the water was 0 degrees but when we tried to explain to him that would have meant the water was ice, he still maintained it was 0 degrees). That just left Jonas and I here for the weekend. We went out to lunch with Katie and had breakfast with Gma Penny, Grumpy, Gma T, Katie, and Stan and Kristi (who were in town for the parade of homes). All in all, it was a great week for everyone! I do have to admit though, I'm really looking forward to the fact that there are no camps, conferences, tournaments, etc. this week! It will be nice to have everyone home and to get all the chores done around here that have been neglected thus far.

Danny and his friend, Wes, waiting for the buses.

Youth Conference

This week Dallin, Jeff, Jonas and I spent the weekend in Heber for Payson West Stake's youth conference. (Technically, Jonas and I didn't need to be there the whole weekend, but when I considered that I wouldn't see Jeff for 4 days this week and 4 days next week, I decided to tag along.) Each year the youth in our area (ages 14-18) attend a youth conference comprised of special speakers, fun games, dances, and good times. This year we were able to go to the Heber Valley Camp, which is a HUGE camp designed primarily for girls camps. There were nice cabins, running water, showers, kitchens, etc. It was an extremely nice facility. Jeff and I were invited up to help run the human "hungry hippos" game on Thursday morning. Jeff needed to be up there for his bishopric responsibilities anyways. Me getting invited up was an added bonus. We had a blast!..and I think all the youth did too. In addition to running our game, Jeff and I were able to participate in a couple of the special speakers they invited up to speak to the youth (Merilee Boyack and John Bytheway). They were both engaging, funny, and inspiring. I felt uplifted and renewed as I listened to them talk about "standing up in a sit down world" and "striving to the finish". I enjoyed associating with the other adults up there and watching Dallin interact with his friends. I am truly grateful for the youth program in our church. I believe it helps them find good friends who have the same morals and standards. I tried to keep my distance and not interfere with Dallin's interactions too much so the following pictures are ones I tried to sneak in here and there. I think he's to the point now where having Mom and Dad around isn't as cool as it used to be. Oh the teenage years! I don't know if I'm ready for another one. Still, I wouldn't trade the ones I've had. They may have their quirks and issues, but they are good kids. In any case, when Jeff and I weren't at the camp, we enjoyed spending time together in Heber and Park City. We made reservations at a hotel in Heber for the weekend to make things a little easier on Jonas (and to get some sleep away from the rowdy, energetic youth!). Thursday, after we left the camp, we checked in at the hotel then I took Jonas swimming while Jeff slept. I think Jonas likes the water; he just didn't like how cold the pool was. Jeff joined us for a bit after he woke up then we found a local spot to eat at before retiring for the evening. Friday, we joined the youth again in the morning, but that afternoon, we went back into Heber for lunch (at a little dive with great food - Tony's Tacos) before driving the back road to Park City where we met up with Nichole and Ryan (who flew up for Ryan's cousin's surprise 40th birthday) for about an hour before we had to head back and they had to get to their party. I stayed at the hotel while Jeff went back up to the camp for the last night. Saturday, we got up, packed up, then went back to the camp to help the youth pack up and head home. It was a really fun weekend! I am grateful for a loving and considerate husband who made me a priority this weekend even though he had to juggle his church responsibilities. Now on to next week's adventures!!

Dallin playing Hungry Hippos

Dallin (and friends) setting a squirrel trap.

John Bytheway

Dallin sitting in between all the girls. I'm not ready for this!

Dallin playing bean bag toss with his friends.

Jeff and some of the youth from our ward getting all tangled up.

Jonas and Nichole. We are glad we got to see her...just sad the visit was so short.