Grammy's House

We spent our traditional week in Indiana beginning the end of June. We had a great time, but really missed having everyone there. We miss you Janeen and can't wait for you to be back in Indiana! Jim and Cheryl decided to wait and come when the Hammonds could be there so that they could meet their new nephew Aaron. Here are a few pictures hanging out at Gram's.

The boys like to help in the kitchen - they really make Gram look small!

Emi brought everything to make their nails beautiful!

Justin "Vince" playing on the computer.

Jason and Ben love to sit around and think.

Playing on the computer again.

Hanging out after church.

More crazy cooking!

Will had a rock he insisted was his "baby".

Cousins love to snuggle.

Such cute girls!

Little Zoey's Birthday!

Our family has a favorite little one-year-old girl named Zoey. I am looking forward to having her 3 days a week next year (and Ed is thrilled that he will be working from home at least part of every week:). We had a great time celebrating with her and I just had to show some of the cute pictures. Happy Birthday Cutie!

6th Grade Graduation

Taylor is officially in Middle School! Bridge Valley had a graduation ceremony for all the 6th graders complete with songs, slide shows, and promotion certificates. Taylor looked very grown up to me all of the sudden and we were all a little emotional. As you can tell by all the recent posts, the end of 6th grade has been extraordinarily busy for her. I think she's ready for some sleeping in and relaxing!

Rain, Rain, and More Rain!

We've had way too much rain this spring. We're at something like 500% of normal. We've hardly broken 80 degrees and it's starting to get to everyone. The other day during a particularly hard rain something wonderful happened. Kids started venturing out to play in the rain and ended up having a blast in the small rivers running through our backyards.

Cami's Piano Recital

Campbell had her first piano recital with her teacher JoAnn Beistline. She played several songs, but her favorite was Easter Hymn. She has done a great job this year and looks forward to continuing with the same teacher.

Taylor's Piano Recital

Taylor had her first piano recital with Liz Forsyth. She played Divertimento by Josef Myslivecek. She also started taking organ lessons from her teacher this month and will alternate piano and organ next year. She's already beginning to use her piano skills almost weekly in Young Womens and has many years of musical service ahead.

6th Grade Sports Day

Taylor's 6th grade class spent the day at the sports center to celebrate the end of school. They rotated around to different activities and had a GREAT time. They have had a great year and are feeling a little sad about leaving Bridge Valley. This was a fun way to end the year!

Laser Tag was everyone's favorite.

Is it any surprise that Taylor climbed higher than everyone else for the picture?

Dodge Ball - a little too scary for me.

Nico and "Tiny Tay" (as he calls her) are good friends. They wanted to joust against each other.

She was only standing for a few seconds before he flattened her... and then felt really bad. No hard feelings on her side.

Everyone really got into the dancing. The guys were hilarious and had no inhibitions whatsoever.

School Board Presentation

Taylor was chosen to help with a presentation about 6th grade assessment for the school board meeting in June. She worked with another student and her teacher to put together a video presentation and also read a small part of her personal presentation.

(Taylor with her homeroom teacher Ms. Salon)

It was a great experience and she did a great job... even when a member of the board told the other members Taylor and Rafael would be happy to answer any questions they might have! She took it in stride and we were very proud.

(Taylor and Rafael with Ms. Carter before the meeting)

Mock Trial

Taylor's PEN class ended the year with a mock trial at the County Court House. She was the key witness, but was frustrated that none of the lawyers asked her the right questions. She knew all the information the defense needed but they didn't ask, so she couldn't tell what she knew. The kids did an amazing job and the judge was a riot, even asking the lawyers to approach the bench when they began to argue. He also gave out the maximum sentence and allowed the bailiffs to cuff the defendant and take her away. It was really funny.

Lost River Caverns

I went with Cami's class on a field trip to Lost River Canyons in Hellersville, PA. The river has created this cavern over the last 250,000 years. They don't know where the river comes from or where it goes. They have tried putting dye in the water and waiting for it to show up in a river or stream and they also put 1,000 ping pong balls with their contact information asking people to tell them where they found it, but none have ever been found. They think there is a large, red underground lake filled with ping pong balls nearby :)

The kids were so calm and quiet on the bus:


Just Kidding! They were CRAZY LOUD and had a great time.


The cavern is privately owned and has been, among other things, a dance hall (before air conditioning was invented) and a chapel where over 80 weddings have been performed. Can I just say creepy?!


Cami had a great time and I was glad I got to go with her.

Silly Dog

I looked out the window the other day and saw this:

She wanted to be in the little bit of shade the umbrella was making on the table.

When she saw me coming, she thought she was in trouble. Too Cute.

The Softball Slump

Cami loves playing softball. She also loves cheering from the bench, talking to all the girls on base, practicing pop-ups before the inning, and snack when the game is over. This sport is perfect for her because it lends itself to plenty of socializing. She has, however, always prided herself on being a pretty consistent hitter.

Until last week.

It started when she struck out (hey, it happens) and the coach started messing with her feet and her swing to try to help. Let me just say, as someone who played softball for 15 years, that it doesn't help to move a child around into unnatural positions and then throw pitches at them. I looked at Dallin and said, "Oh no, now he's totally messed with her swing and she won't be able to hit for at least a game." I was right and she was frustrated. Long story short, I tried to tell her to ignore the well-meant advice from her coach and just swing naturally. Many strike outs and a few tears later we came up with a plan. I created an Uncle John (or Jim - my kids are still debating) contraption (see below). After just a few minutes of hitting with this, she was fine again. She's had a hit every time except for one in the last two games and is feeling confident again.


I still remember my first slump when I was 5 or 6. I was so frustrated after every strike out. I remember my dad took me into an adjacent field to practice before my game with no results. We finally just stopped and said a prayer and I hit great the whole game! If I remember correctly, my parents took me to get something ironed on my jersey at the corner shop in Plainfield (which is still there). Ed and I were certainly offering silent prayers when she went to bat. These are small things, but as a child it was so important to me and I knew that Heavenly Father cared about me and my feelings. I remembered my experience after Cami's slump ended. I wish I had included a comforting prayer before her game. My father was wiser than I and taught me the valuable lesson that prayers are answered.

Here are a few pictures from her last two games, including a fantastic picture of her first post-slump hit. Way to go Cami!

She's telling the girl on the other team great job running to second!

Man was I lucky to get this picture just as the ball came off the bat!

She's developing quite an arm from the outfield.

Lacrosse Season Comes to an End

Taylor had her last official lacrosse game Saturday. The Central Bucks Lightning Lacrosse 5th and 6th grade girls were undefeated in their regular season!!! It was so fun to watch them play this year. They really started to get in tune with each other and would pass and move on the field with very little communication needed. All the girls really blossomed in multiple roles and their confidence grew.

They generally would start each game by quickly scoring 5 or 6 goals and then the coach would require them to run complicated plays before attempting to score. What a great way to learn to work together!

Anyway, we are very proud of Taylor and thankful that she has had the opportunity to play for such understanding coaches. Coach Stella and Coach Stout have been very supportive of her choice not to participate in Sunday games, practices, and tournaments. It means so much to us to have them supporting Taylor in these important decisions. We all look forward to her playing with many of the same girls next year. Go Lightning!

She's always in the middle of things.

Once she scoops the ball... she's gone!

There's no place I'd rather be on a Saturday morning, but Cami needs to play with the camera and make flower rings to feel content. She took this picture and made me some beautiful rings and bouquets during the game!