Too Legit

Much has happened since the last time I posted but I haven't had the time just yet to get caught up.  Hopefully soon
(can't promise though!)

In the meantime, I want to share this goody taken at Midway's Swiss Days Saturday...

Yeah, it speaks for itself!

Tradition! The Freedom Festival Grand Parade

One of our favorite family traditions is the Provo Freedom Festival Grand Parade on the 4th of July.

We are parade people.

Some people don't like parades but we do.

Lee and the boys go and stake out our spot early every year and spend the night out on University Avenue in Provo.  The girls and I go over with dinner in the evening and stay until the police start clearing the street of parked cars (about 11:00 pm).  The girls then go home and come back the next morning with breakfast and stay for the parade.

This year was a little different for our family.

Jake and Scott weren't there.  

Scott was in the MTC (of course) and Jake was in Minnesota for an I.W.W. conference.

It was still fun, but definitely not the same.

This year was crazy.

The boys usually head over to our usual spot (east side of University Ave. between 1st and 2nd North) at about 12:00 noon on July 3rd every year to stake out our spot.  This year, Lee decided to go check things out at about 8:30 am and people were already there!  He called me and I brought him a couple chairs, his work bag, a drink, and Max for company. :)  It was his weekly day to work from home so he just did his work from the parade route.  (He went inside the car to make phone calls).  They were allowed to have chairs they were sitting in as long as they were inside a building alcove and not on the sidewalk until about noon.  

Lee is such a good sport when it comes to this!

He's done this for many years and we have made "parade friends".  

There's a ward from the Grandview area of Provo that is always next to us and Floyd is their fearless organizer.  Floyd knows the kids' names and is quite the joker!

It's a lot of fun but it is super hot!  

Lee staking out our spot.  :)

This year, we borrowed a canopy and were able to set it up around 3:00 which helped a little with the heat of the sun. 

 It was still super hot!!!

The girls and I usually bring dinner to the boys but this year Craig and Sarah were awesome and brought us pizza and bread sticks!  (yum! Thanks!)

Beth and Emma having dinner at the parade spot.

Emma and Max waiting at the parade spot.  Max brought his ukelele  to entertain. :)

Jonathan and Ethan joined the boys and spent the night.  Also, our friend, Rob Merrill, and his daughters spent the night this year.  Emma decided she wanted to spend the night also.

The next morning, Elisabeth and I brought donuts and orange juice for breakfast.  

We were joined by Papa Peterson (I wish I would have gotten a picture with him in it!), Craig and Sarah's family, the Merrill family, and the Mansfield family (another family from our ward).

It was a good time!

I doesn't look like Emma got much sleep out on the street!  She actually did have a great time! :)

Wahoos!

Cole with the beauties!  Glad I got a picture with Cole in it!

I don't think Jonathan got much sleep out on the street either.  :)

Gotta love traditions!

Yep, it was a good time!

Update on the Houghton's...

Well, we've kinda been in a fog since Scott has left.

We are emotionally and physically exhausted and we've pretty much done nothing for the past week or so.  Hopefully this will pass soon!

We've gotten two letters and an email and he is doing wonderfully!

We couldn't be more thankful!

***

I finally have his blog completely updated.

(www.elderscotthoughton.blogspot.com)

I've added our last few days before he reported and when we took him to the MTC.

I have pictures of all of us hugging him goodbye but I couldn't bring myself to post them.

I didn't want him to see them and get upset or homesick.

***

Life is getting back to normal.

It's kind of weird.

I still catch myself trying to call or text Scott.

I keep forgetting he's not really at school anymore.

But it's all good.

We are trying to get busy with a new project.

(I'll write about that soon.)

***

Cole has applied to a couple of colleges already.

I can't believe that he'll be graduating this year!

It's amazing how time flies!

He bought a used (very used) road bike off of Craigslist and is restoring it.

It's going to be pretty cool when he's done.

He's still working making crepes and golfing like crazy this summer.

His score on his last 18-hole game was a 76!

Pretty darn awesome!

***

Jake will also be graduating from the UofU this next year!

He's going to be applying for graduate school soon.

It's pretty crazy!

He's in Minnesota right now at a conference.

He's attending workshops and classes for the next week there.

It's going to be weird not having him and Scott with us on the 4th of July this year!

***

Elisabeth is doing great!

She was accepted to be an emints teacher (I can't remember what they call it in Granite School district).

This basically means that her class will have ipads at their desks and she will be teaching using extra technology.  She will be training this summer and for the next couple years and learning how to incorporate technology into her class.

It's pretty great!

She's really excited about it!

She will also start teaching English to people who are trying to become U.S. Citizens starting in August.  She's really happy to get started with this.

She's also had a great time Lindy dancing all over the Western U.S.  She just got back from Seattle and will be going to San Francisco this month. She's loving it!

***

Max is totally tan from his million times going to 7-peaks this summer!

(ok, not really a million but he's gone a lot!)

He's been busy having a fun summer.

He's taken Scott's challenge to read the Book of Mormon very seriously and reads every night before bed.  :)

Other than reading the Book of Mormon, he hasn't done anything to keep up his school work over the summer.  I need to get him to review his math and work on his writing so he doesn't lose what he worked so hard on last school year!

***

Emma is keeping busy this summer with one project after another.

She is always making something which I totally love!

She's watched a lot of cooking shows and every now and then, 

she will get down the fancy dishes and serve Lee and me a snack or the other day she made us toast for breakfast and put it on the fancy dishes.

I love this girl!

She was assigned a talk today in Primary and she came right home and wrote it.

She's growing up so fast!

***

Lee's working hard at work and on a side business to earn some extra money.

He's (hopefully) going to be teaching businesses how to use social media and how to set up a marketing plan using social media.  He's got some leads that are really interested so hopefully it will take off!

***

I'm plugging along trying to keep up with everyone else.

I found out I'm getting a pay cut next year because the grant I was paid with is going towards something else now. (totally stinks!) But I still have a job since my principal wants to keep me so that's a good thing.  I am going to try to re-purpose and refinish old furniture and try to resell it.  

I found a couple of fun things at garage sales Saturday so let's hope this can make a little money too.

So this will keep me busy this summer.

***

So, that's basically what's going on with us.

We are looking forward to the 4th of July.

Emma and Elisabeth will be walking in the parade with Emma's Girl Scout Troop.

Emma is so excited and I'm so glad Elisabeth is happy to walk with her!

We will be sleeping on University Avenue Tuesday night to stake out our parade spot.

Good times!