We are still alive!!!

Summer has hit! I remember being busy as a teenager, but never took into account that my parents had more than just me to deal with! Now I get it!

Derrek and Alec have loved being up at Scout Camp. Alec works for free and he is just in "training", but he loves it so much that he talked the director into letting him just go every week (he was only supposed to go for three weeks). They have had a friend that they met up there drive them to and from and it has been fun for them to have that little extra freedom away from mom and dad. We do have to remind them of certain consequences that come along with some of the things that they might choose to do :)

Calvin has wanted to be their age all summer. It's hard for him to be 13. But, he has been really nice to Dallen and Ashton and it's been fun getting to spend time with him as the "oldest".

Dallen and Ashton like them gone. They don't get picked on (as older brothers so lovingly do). Ashton had Scout camp this week...his first overnighter at Scout camp. As 11-year-old Scouts they go for two days and one night. I got a call about 10:15 pm, the first day, telling me I needed to come pick Ashton up from camp. He had been throwing up all day. Come to find out, the leaders had also lost his sleeping bag on the way up (the camper thing on top opened and it flew out!), and he didn't bring a lunch or water up and so he got sick. So, I went and got him (it takes an hour and a half each way) and got back around 1:00 am. The next day he was totally fine. Derrek and Alec were so nice to him and helped bring him to me when I went to pick him up. They then made him some things and brought them to him. They really wanted him to have fun up there with them. Maybe next year.

We have "adopted" a young lady to our house. Her name is Lauren and she just moved up here from California. She was going to get married and then she broke it off and tried to go back home, but there was no where for her to go because she was supposed to be getting married. So, she moved back up here on a Saturday and came to church on Sunday. Long story short, I felt impressed to talk to her and she asked if I knew where there was a room for rent that day because she would have to sleep in her car. We have taken her in and the boys have really loved having a "sister" around. She is only 4 years older than Derrek and it seems like we have met before. I told her that maybe when she found out what she would have to go through on this earth that when she made it to St. George, the Lord would direct her to our ward (of all wards to come to in St. George!) and we would help her through this time in her life. She has been in Foster care since she was 9 and has had some host families that are LDS to help her through. Scott and I both have felt that we need to help her. It's been a weird and cool experience.

Scott is almost done working at McDonald's. This will be his last week. He struggled with whether or not he should continue or not, but when he made the decision, there was an instant blessing that he received that helped him to know it was the right thing to do. He felt he needed to work there to help us through some hard times, and has really felt blessed because he chose to continue to do something to help out and the whole pride reality check has been amazing for both of us (Sunwest is still there, but it doesn't fill the whole day and we can't take full paychecks right now). We didn't think we were prideful, but having to take a job at $9/hour as a manager (I can't believe that is all a manager for McDonald's makes here!) has been humbling. Especially seeing people that work there who do it for less. We are humbled.

I had girls camp. It was really fun. I like girls camp. There was only a minimal amount of drama and it wasn't from girls that were supposed to go. I have really enjoyed being with the Young Women. It's been hard with summer, though, because there is just no one here. We only have 9 active girls and when it is summer, they haven't been here together...yet! But, they are all great girls and when I taught them in Primary, I truly grew to love them and because of that, that love it still there and it has just been really easy to step into this new calling. Next week we go on the Trek at Martin's Cove, Wyoming. My Cousin, Dave Gilgen, and his wife, Sherri, are the other "ma and pa" from our ward. They are going to hate living by us because we are going to rope them into everything we possibly can...our ward needs people to serve! We are excited that they would come, though. I know my kids are excited. They love the few times they have been around Dave...he's fun.

I also had my first root canal this week. Last Sunday my mouth started hurting really bad and on Wednesday it hurt so bad I couldn't even close my mouth. By the end of the day I was crying because I couldn't eat anything. The dentist was great in getting me in on Wednesday and was able to perform it on Thursday. I was scared, but got to watch a movie, and you tend to forget what it going on (I watched "Raising Helen"). Anyway, it is MUCH better now and just GRATEFUL I was able to have it done.

Today is my dad's 60th birthday!!! So, shout out a happy birthday to him!