The Jackson Five: July 2010

Friday, July 30, 2010

Camp, Camp, Camp!

The past couple of weeks we have ALL been involved in Camps. Two weeks ago all my kiddos were involved in some type of Camp. I thought that was smart to have them all go the same week, but forgot that I'm only one person and I can't take five kids to different places all at the same time! It was crazy that week! Jon was in Argentina so he was no help but luckily I had friends' that also were doing the Camps so we could carpool! I had to write down where and when each kid was coming and going because my brain couldn't remember it ALL! So each day I wrote myself a list, here was Tuesday's.

1. Take Mason to BBall camp at 8:30 am

2. Have B & B ready for Girls Scout camp picked at 8:45 am

3. Take Maddie & Elise to Camp at Allie Connells @10 am

4. Take Morgan to the Dentist by 10:40 am

5. Pick up Brinley from GS camp to goto gymnastics by 12

6. Pick up Mas @ BBall camp 12:30 pm

7. Pick up carpool at Girl Scout camp at 3 pm

8. Pick up Gymnastics girls at 3:30 pm

Literally I was in my car the entire day! That week was exhausting! Morgan went to Dance camp with her new High School team Wednesday July 14-17. She had a great time and worked hard! They went to Portland State and spent the night in the dorms. She danced all day long and practiced into the wee hours of the night! Each day dancers' were awarded ribbons for their accomplishments. She was thrilled to earn four ribbons!

Margene and I went to see all the dancers perform their routines at the end of the week. It was fun to see all that they had accomplished in just three days!

For the past month I have been working on Beads for Girls Camp for our Stake. Any free time I had (which is not much during the summer) I would be doing BEADS! The past two weeks I have been cramming to finish them since I knew that we would be camping at Billy Chinook the week before Girls Camp. So while Jon was in Argentina I would stay up until 1 or 2 AM working on those Beads!!!

I had them all over my house but especially in the Den. It was crazy but I 'm glad to say that I'm all done with Beads and the girls loved them! Last Saturday Jon and I both worked on either Beads or Scout Camp the ENTIRE DAY! Jon was in charge of all the food for Scout Camp this year. He spent about 7 hours last weekend shopping for food, prepping the food and organizing the FOOD! This is what my garage looked like the night before they left, minus three huge coolers!

Let me tell you, those boys ate WELL and raved about Bro. Jackson's cooking! One of them kept on telling Jon, " Brother Jackson, you should open a restaurant!" Tuesday Morning at 4 am I sent Mason and Jon off to Scout Camp:

and Morgan off to Girls Camp that afternoon!

Everyone returns tomorrow! We are excited to see them and hear all about their fabulous week! Another year of CAMP is over, Sad! And now we only have one more month of Summer Vacation!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Third Year @ Billy!

We have been camping every summer at least once for the past twelve years! This summer WAS going to be the first year that we wouldn't be able to go camping. In years past we have always camped with friends'. This summer with everyone's schedules being so crazy we were having a hard time coordinating camping! Jon and I finally decided to just book something so we could take the family camping. So just three short weeks ago we reserved our campsite. For nine years we traveled up North to camp. We have very fond memories of camping at Anderson Island. But since we purchased a boat we wanted to do some camping that would involve boating and sunshine. There were many camping trips that were cold and rainy. Now our trips are hot and sunny! For three years now we have traveled South to Lake Billy Chinook, where the sun shines on the OTHER side of Mt. Hood. Sadly this being our first camping trip with just OUR family I got no pictures of us! Actually I got hardly any pictures of anything! Jon did take about 20 pictures of these dragonflies on a log that was floating nearby our swimming spot!

Each morning we would go on the lake early to Wake board. Everyone tried and succeeded. Brooklyn even got up for a short time. Morg, Mas, Cousin Emily and I all got in and out of the wake. Mas I think was secretively competing with Morgan because she got in and out of the wake first! We would eat our lunch at our favorite waterfall. The kids would swim, jump off rocks, and explore the waterfall. Jon and I would relax, enjoy the sunshine, and swim with Maddie!

The rest of the afternoon was spent tubing. Jon's a crazy driver and we all loved his tube rides except for Mason, a little too crazy for him! He ended up hanging with Maddie and taking a snooze together!

The kids' wanted to play at the beach before dinner. They decided to have a Cake Boss contest! Both of the days' the teams came up with an idea and Jon and I were the judges. They had a great time and they were both creative.

I'm so glad that we found the time to camp this summer! We squoze it in between Jon's two trips (His trip to Argentina and Scout Camp) We had a wonderful time creating memories with our Children!

Lindsey's Pictures!

A few months ago I asked a friend in the ward to take some pictures of Mason playing basketball. We finally got around to it about 2 weeks ago! I am SO pleased how they turned out! Lindsey is very talented and came up with some great ideas about how to shoot Mason! I'm going to print several of them up to put in his room!

This last picture is how Mas felt about LeBron leaving Cleveland. He was sad and mad. He decided a couple days' later that he still likes him and maybe will now be a Heat Fan??? What about all that Cleveland stuff in his room though?

Friday, July 16, 2010

Future Dentist???

Brooklyn has now lost a total of Nine Teeth and she has pulled Seven, (7) of them out herself! This evening she pulled number 9 out with no problem. No fear or tears from this girl when it comes to that, she should think about Dentistry!!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Lazy Days of Summer (NOT!)

Aren't summer days suppose to be less stressful, no schedules, and relaxing??? We are just over three weeks into our summer vacation and I'm feeling none of that!!! We have been very busy and constantly on the go since school got out. On our last day of school, June 15, I took the kids' out to lunch with our friends' the Zundels and the Phelons. This year we tried Sweet Tomatoes!

Two days later we took Grandma Baldwin to the airport to say our goodbyes. She had been visiting for ten days and attending some end of the school year functions with the kids'. She also watched them while I took a quick trip to Vegas with Jon.

That same evening I let Morgan and Mason invite some friends' over for an "End of The School Year Party".

The house was filled with 25 teenagers eating, playing bball, jumping on the trampoline, playing the Wii, dancing, laughing, and having a great time. I was exhausted and the kitchen was thrashed but everyone seemed to have fun! On June 18 & 19 Maddie and Brooklyn had their Dance Recital. They performed in the show Aladdin with the Evergreen Dance Academy.

Brooklyn's Jazz class were Tigers and Maddie's Creative Dance/Tap class were Red Parrots. They both did fabulous but they were tired since the show lasted almost 3 hours! I had to wake up Jon a few times (heee).

After the Friday evening performance we came home late to find some of our friends' the Dustins forking our front lawn. We caught them in the act!!! They were trying to rub it in that their "Beloved Lakers" won the NBA Championship!!!

On Saturday Morgan left to go with the Dustins to Lake Shasta in California. She was with them on an awesome house boat for five days! She wake boarded, tubed, and jumped off the top of the house boat like 75 times!!! We all missed her especially Maddie, she kept on asking me when she would be coming home!!!

While Morgan was vacationing we were staying busy at camps. Brooklyn and Brinley did Soccer Camp while Mason did a Basketball Camp. They were both held at Union High School. It was fun for all of them and kept them busy that first week of summer. While they were at their camps I took these beautiful berries

and made them into the most delicious jam! A week later I picked raspberries and made four more batches of freezer jam. We Looooove homemade jam! It's like dessert to us!

About a month ago our cousin's dog had puppies. Jon took the three oldest over to his brother Justin's house to see the puppies the first day. While he was there Saddie had two more puppies. My kids' have been freaking out over these puppies! They constantly want to see them, hold them, and of course want one!!! Brooklyn's favorite puppy is Charly!

She was there when he was born and she named him! She is trying to so hard to convince me that she should have him for her birthday (which is in six weeks) Both Jon and I keep telling her NO, but they sure are cute!

Thursday June 24-Saturday June 26 Morgan and Mason participated in Youth Conference. Jon and I were also involved because we were chaperons. Our Stake along with 6 other stakes in the area participated in a Dance Festival. Our youth have been preparing for this event for six months. Many of the kids' and adults were getting burned out on Dance Festival but in the end the event was AMAZING!!! Everything came together and the youth thoroughly enjoyed their experience. Over the two and a half days there were dress rehearsals, games, socializing, guest speakers, and three great performances! That was the best part of it, the performances! Some people even went to all of them because it was so wonderful. These performances brought people to tears and in the end to their feet! There were over 2000 youth ages 12- 18 dancing on the field.

Morgan participated in the Swing Dance with all the 14-15 year old boys and girls! This is the dance that Jon and I helped teach in our Stake. She also danced in a specialty dance, the Rhumba, with her friend Austin Sork. This entailed extra practices on several Saturdays. Her and Austin also would practice with other friends at our house to make it look just perfect! They did so great! They were right in the very front because they were so good:)! As she walked down the 30 yard line it brought tears to my eyes to see her, I thought she looked so beautiful!Mason age group, the Deacons, did a dance to The Eye of the Tiger. All those boys looked so tough but cute and they danced!They also performed in two big group numbers with all 2000 youth the Do, Re, Mi number and the popular More Dance that all the kids loooved to perform and still do!!!Morgan and Mason also had a great time socializing with many friends' and cousins!At the very end when all the youth came onto the field and sang How Firm of Foundation everyone had to have felt the Spirit! It was a great experience for all that were involved!

So that if how our Summer started and it's only going to continue to be this busy! We are looking forward to Girl Scout Camps, Dance Camp, Scout Camp, Girls Camp, Family Reunion, Camping, Activity Day Camp, High Adventure, Two Birthdays, and lots of swimming!!!