Primary Pioneer Day Parade

Our ward primary children had a parade last Friday morning in honor of Pioneer Day. They got together at the Primary president's house and decorated their bikes, scooters, etc. and then paraded around our neighborhood. (Fortunately in Utah, our neighborhood is pretty much our ward boundaries, so they don't go far!)
We all sat out on our lawns and clapped and whistled while they rode by. My girls LOVED it! They got to throw candy, just like a "real" parade.




After the parade, everyone met back at the Primary president's house for treats. One man in our ward owns a detail cleaning business, and has a high pressure sprayer that he was spraying to keep the kids cool. My children, as you can imagine, got SOAKED! It was a fun way to celebrate!

Pioneer Day Meatballs (aka Annette's Amazing Meatballs)

Today is Pioneer Day in Utah. We celebrate the end of a long trek for the pioneers, where they finally found a place to live where they could be free to worship how they chose. July 24 was the day the pioneers made it to the Salt Lake Valley. Also today, I was a pioneer in my own way. I made meatballs from scratch for the first time. Yeah me! I didn't have a recipe that I was following, I just made it up as I went along... My family loved them. I served them with spaghetti. Chloe said, "These meatballs are AMAZING!" I thought I would share my recipe, so you all could make them too!

Please note: I didn't measure anything so amounts are approximates. Use things to taste.
1 lb. ground beef (turkey would work too, I'm sure)
1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Italian seasoning
finely chopped bell pepper (maybe 1-2 Tbsp.)
1 egg, beaten

Mix bread crumbs and seasonings. Add meat and peppers. Mix together. Add egg and combine thoroughly. Roll into 1 inch balls and place in skillet that has oil covering the bottom, preheated to medium. Cover and cook until bottoms have dark brown crusts, and tops have turned light brown. Uncover and turn all meatballs over. Cook uncovered until bottoms have dark brown crusts. Drain off oil and serve with pasta sauce over cooked pasta.

Like I said, my family LOVED them. They were easy, and I started cooking them before the pasta, and by the time the pasta was done, they were done too! Enjoy!

Hanging with the animals

On Tuesday, the girls and I rode our bikes to the Willow Park Zoo, here in Logan. For those of you who are familiar to the Willow Park Zoo, please forgive the following. The Willow Park Zoo is the smallest zoo I have ever been to (lots smaller than the Chaffee Zoo if you can imagine). It is more like a really small fenced area where some animals are kept in cages for the adoring public to look at. (Just for a guage of the size of it... it costs 50 cents for children and 1 dollar for adults to get in!)

The zoo has lots of birds, a few monkeys (a recent addition), some coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, a fox, some deer, a porcupine and... my girls favorite... a chipmunk. Yes, our Zoo is not much compared to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park we used to frequent... but we like it.




So, before it got too hot on Tuesday, we rode our bikes to the park outside the Zoo and played for a while. There was only one other family there, which was really nice! Then we went into the Zoo and walked around for about 30 minutes looking at all the animals. When we had seen everything we wanted to see, we rode home. It was a very enjoyable morning and the girls really had fun.

Swim, swim, swim

We have been regulars at the Logan Aquatic Center this summer. Why, then, are we just getting pictures of the girls swimming? Well, it is because I am always there with them alone, and I am in the pool too. (I don't have a cool underwater camera that I can take in with me!)

Brooke and Autumn have really gotten good at being in the water! They love to jump in off the side, and float on their backs, and swim (mostly doggie paddle) around. It has been fun to watch their progression!



Last weekend, our ward had its annual pool party, and the whole family went. Dave was able to shoot some pictures of the girls, and I could still be in the water with them. It worked out nicely. It was a fun time... the girls loved showing Dave all of their cool water tricks. Fortunately, the Aquatic Center will still be open until Labor Day, so we will have many more opportunities to go this summer!


Ciera and Chloe have gotten really good at going off the diving board. They still just jump in... neither one has tried any dives or fancy moves, but they love to jump off into the water. Maybe, before the summer is over, one of them will try the high dive. We'll see...

The LAC has two water slides. One is a speed slide that goes straight down. The other is a winding, slower slide. Brooke is still too afraid to try it on her own (and wouldn't even go on my lap last time), but Ciera and Chloe frequent the slide. Autumn has wanted to go on it, but I can never take her when it is just me with them. So, at the ward party, Dave watched the other girls, and I took Autumn on the slide. She screamed with joy the entire ride down, and as soon as we hit the pool at the bottom she said, "AGAIN!" I think she liked it. We may not be ready to join the olympic swim team, but we sure do have a great time!

Autumn Susan, the Brave

Autumn has turned a corner in her development. Let me explain. Two weeks ago, Brooke and Autumn took swimming lessons. (No, I didn't take any pictures... bad me.) Brooke took a preschool class, and did great. Autumn took the mommy & me class (yes, I got in the water with her EVERY day... raining or not) and she had some success, but didn't come away from it any better with water. In fact, she was more frightened of water than before she started. Before swimming lessons, she would jump into the water to me, she would get her face wet, and she was comfortable in the pool. During lessons, she became so uncomfortable that she wouldn't let me move her from my hip. It was very frustrating.
Then... last week, we were at the pool and she jumped in off the side. Her face got wet. She LIKED it! She then jumped in, going all the way under water, again and again, and again, and again. Each time we go to the pool now, she jumps right in, goes underwater, and LOVES to swim. It is great. She even pretends that the bath is a pool, and puts her face in the bathwater. She has taken to swimming just like a little fish. (I promise I WILL take some pictures of the girls at the pool soon...)

There's Nothin' Like It

I have discovered that there is not anything that matches the taste of fresh garden produce. There is just something about vegetables that you have grown, that you have put time and energy into nourishing and protecting. I have yet to taste a pea that tastes better than one fresh out of the pod grown in my garden.


This year is our second time having a garden. We have never lived in a place where we had the space to grow a garden until this house. When we moved in last spring, we immediately planted a garden. We enjoyed it immensely (except for the awful hard work to keep it free of weeds!) and decided to continue growing each year.


This year we have carrots, onions, beets, tomatoes, corn, peas, green beans, green peppers and jalapenos (and a humongous cabbage plant that Ciera brought home from school as part of a competition). So far, we have had many peas, and last night had our first beets of the season. They have been so fabulous, and it is such a rewarding feeling to eat food that we have grown. I think it is worth every minute of the hard work, and we will continue to have a garden as long as we can!

Happy Independence Day!

I love living in such a great country. I am grateful for the men and women who sacrificed so much to make our nation such a wonderful, free country! Happy 4th of July!