Maiden Voyage!

I have posted in the past that Megan has been absolutely obsessed with looking for motorhomes. She has found them from Sandy to Logan, completely sure each time that it was the perfect one. Well, she did finally find the perfect motorhome. This one was in Logan. We had looked at so many that we really did know a good one when we found it. Despite the rain, we took it for its maiden voyage the weekend before school got out.

We still had soccer so we had to go close. Who would have guessed that there is cool camping at Willard Bay? We were completely isolated from any other campers and the lake was right by the camping spot. Jeff broke out the dutch ovens and we had a great dinner.

I should have taken more pictures of the outside of the motorhome, but this is as close as it gets. The rain held off while we cooked and ate.

The best part of camping is the fire and s'mores.

Then the downpour hit and we were ever so grateful we were in a motorhome and not a tent. The girls love the top bunk.

We stayed up late playing games and listening to the drum of rain on the roof. Nothing better than being dry and warm in a storm. We did feel a little sorry for the scouts next door that must have floated away in their tents during the night.

We ate breakfast and then headed home. A fast trip, but great fun!

DARE

The 6th grade curriculum includes learning about the dangers and risks of drugs through the DARE program. Each week for months, an officer with the Sheriff's office has come to the school to show movies and generally scare Megan. It has been good for her to see the effects of not only drugs, but gangs and other risky behaviors. I was always amused to hear what they had learned about and then to hear about her reaction.

Once the program is complete the officers put on a graduation program. All the students get a t-shirt and a certificate saying they will resist drugs and alcohol.

As the reward for graduating, the DARE program then hosts a day at Lagoon for the graduates. The 6th graders from all around the state were invited that day (as was every other jr. high and high school student). Megan met up with friends from a couple of different schools. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about her being at Lagoon all day by herself, so a couple of other Moms and I tagged along.

I have honestly never seen Lagoon as crowded as it was that day. We waited hours just for a few rides. I was frustrated, but the kids had fun.

The best part of the day was the giant snowcones.

Here are the 6th graders ready to hit it big in the world! I'm glad I went and could spend the day with Megan and her friends.

Economics Fair

Tyler's 4th grade class held an ecnomics fair to sell products they had made. Tyler chose to make Pop Rockets---film canisters that explode with Alka Seltzer. The boys thought they were cool and he and his partner sold out of their inventory---every business owner's goal.
There was much negotiating, trading, and discussing taking place in the market. It was fun to watch what the 4th graders thought was valuable and sold first. For some reason the kid with the homemade Pokemon cards was a big hit.

Tyler and his partner with their shop ready for business.

6th Graders

The 6th graders were treated to a nice lunch and dance instruction as part of their "graduation" into Jr. high. The girls were allowed to dress up as fancy as they wanted. Megan did her own hair complete with rhinestone clips and tons of curls. She definitely has a talent for hair.

She was so excited to begin go to school looking so grown-up.

Each girl was paired randomly with a boy in the class. Megan wasn't too happy when the boy she absolutely didn't want drew her name. She was very gracious though and endured the etiquette lunch. They were served chicken cordon bleu with all the fancy trimmings---much better than the usual cafeteria fare.

Megan did manage to smile even with her "date." I'm so glad we have 4 more years before we actually have to worry about this.

After lunch, a dance instructor came and tried to show the 6th graders the finer points of ballroom dancing. There were a lot of scared looks and some groaning when the girls were told to pair off with a boy, but in the end they all did it---barely. How different they will be in a few years!

There was a lot of concentrating on foot work and very little looking up.

I liked the fact that most of the girls are really a lot taller than the boys. The instructor tried to rotate the girls around so that they could try and dance with someone close in height. Megan doesn't seem that tall until I look at the boys her age. I think they all had fun and enjoyed their first grown-up experience. I'm still not ready for jr. high, though.

Beach Combers

I think we liked the beach this trip almost as much as Disneyland. We discovered beautiful beaches at Laguna, Newport, and Dana Point. The sand was great, but there were also tide pools nearby. Nothing is better than a nice sunny day, lots of shells, and the ocean in the background.
The waves were huge at Laguna Beach and Megan even had a hard time keeping ahead of them.
There are tons of shells and sea creatures to be found. We were all sad to head home knowing there was rain and snow, but we sure did enjoy the vacation while it lasted. We wish the accounting conference was in Anaheim every year.

Disneyland!

After 2 days of staying right by Disneyland and not going in, the kids were very anxious to go. We had a great time as always and Wendell was able to join us for entire days from Wednesday to Friday after his conference was over. I think we love Disneyland because we can all have fun together, whether it is breakfast with the characters, parades, or rides.

The O.C.

We just love this hot air balloon in California. It is completely free and really gives an amazing view of the O.C.

This is from 400 feet up.

Emily wasn't too sure about the whole balloon when we actually reached our maximum height.

We survived the ride.

The balloon is in a great big park that was once an air strip. The kids had a great time climbing, playing kickball, and just plain running. It is a great place to enjoy an afternoon of sun and relaxation.

After playing at the park all day, the kids were ready to eat. We headed to the RainForest Cafe to try restaurants that are different for us.

The kids loved the animals and especially the storms that hit regularly.

One of the best things about the conference was that it was held in the Disneyland Hotel and that meant we got to stay there and enjoy the pool. The water was warm and most of the time there were very few actually swimming. It's a great way to wear the kids out right before bedtime.

I love this picture of Emily in the hot tub with someone else's goggles.