Sneak Preview!

One of many rest stops on the drive:

Catching lizards in Yuma, AZ:

Cooling off:

Playing with Grandpa T on Carlsbad Beach, CA:

Darth Vader statue made entirely of Legos at Legoland:

More fun in a swimming pool:

Dallin learning the word "fish."

In a shark cage:

Group Photo:

Stay tuned for complete stories and more photos of our adventures after we return.

Farewell to the Pfrenders

Seven years ago the Pfrenders moved to Logan where Mike had accepted a position as professor in the Department of Biology at USU. Ian and Garrett were only 2 years old, and Eric and Megan were only a year apart in age. The children became fast friends.

We traditionally celebrated Halloween together.
They came to our ward carnival a couple of times,
and we visited the North Logan Pumpkin Walk together.

We also attended Summerfest and the Cache County Fair together for several years.
Janet introduced us to funnel cakes!

Willow Park Zoo was a favorite place to meet for play groups along with the Zmola family.
We would walk through the zoo, then enjoy a picnic lunch by the playground area.

We participated in Eric and Garrett's baptism in 2005 at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

As frequently happens to our good friends, they are moving on to a new phase of life. Mike has accepted a job at the University of Notre Dame, and they will be moving in about 3 more weeks. As they are University of Michigan alumni and as Janet's family is all still in Michigan, they are excited to be returning closer to home and grandparents. We are excited for them too, but we will miss them.

We got together at Willow Park Zoo for a final play date and picnic.

Primary Summer Party!!!

Primary children gathered last Friday for our annual summer party.
We chose a Luau theme and had 4 different activities.
It was a lot of fun!




The children decorated foam sunglasses at one station.


















Originally the idea was to do the Limbo through the water, but the children had more fun simply running through the sprinkler and getting all wet.

















The water balloon toss was a favorite with the older boys.
April and Kevin combined creative efforts to make the palm tree target.

























The other favorite was the sand castle building which was Dena's idea.






















We enjoyed delicious fruit kabobs for a treat at the end.

Roomie Reunion

Three weeks ago, April enjoyed a "girls' night out" with Chris and Susie, two roommates from her BYU days. Susie was in town visiting family, and we hadn't seen her for 14 years since her wedding.

Chris suggested we patronize Sweetly Divine, a European-style pastry shop. We had a difficult time deciding what to try, so we ended up choosing an assortment of desserts and splitting them. The owner was very friendly and chatty, and we ended up with a complimentary sandwich and the day's special. He said we could stay until closing at 10:00 p.m., and we did! We ate and talked and ate and talked. It was a refreshing break. Kevin had a chance to bond with the children for the evening.

Summer Possibilities

What may happen when you let your 10-month-old help shell garden peas at the kitchen table:

Have teething pain? Eat rocks!

Is he smiling because he chewed on rocks or because of his accomplishment with the peas?

5:00 a.m. wake-up call!
What may happen if you agree to do your neighbors' paper route when they are out of town:

What may happen if a neighbor invites you to pick cherries off his trees:

What your husband may spend his time photographing while you are busy pitting cherries (it's a solitary wasp building a place for its brood in a hole in our bricks):

Neighborhood Stimulus Plan: How your children may help bring in extra income

Logan's Breaking News

Saturday morning started out pleasant and sunny as we traveled north to Idaho to join with the Wallis family for their daughter's baptism. It was a very nice service, and Melody was so darling!

Melody and her Father

Melody and her Family

Melody and "All the Girls"

Melody and Everyone
(note: Ian's pained expression is caused by Dallin pulling his hair.)

Afterwards, we visited and ate lunch at the Wallis' home while the children played for a while. Dixie drove Adam and Aurora back in the afternoon so that Adam could go to work. Aurora called shortly after saying that they were unable to get into their apartment because the island had flooded and a landslide had collapsed a house across the street from them. Homes all around them had been evacuated, the Red Cross had set up a station, and a ward building was serving as an evacuation center. We couldn't get any radio reception in Cub River, so we were unable to acquire more details.

When we returned to Logan around dinner time, we caught up with news on the Internet (see www.cachevalleydaily.com) and learned that the flood had been caused by a broken irrigation canal (one we have frequently walked along and ridden bikes). Adam and Aurora live in the basement of the brown house pictured below. Notice how the water came part way up the lawn, but didn't quite get to the house. Their basement was the only one in that section that did not flood! This is indeed a miracle for them. More photos of the entire landslide can be viewed here. Adam and Aurora are shown in the "More July 12 Landslide" album, accompanied by a police officer when they were finally able to retrieve some clothes and check on their place.



Tragically, a mother and 2 children who were in the house that collapsed are presumed dead. Fortunately, there have been no other casualties.

Happy Fourth of July!

Our annual scout pancake breakfast fundraiser was conducted on a stake level this year. It was a big success, they fed around 1600 people, and they hope they earned enough to fund the scout activities and camps for the coming year.

Ian helped fill cups with milk for his shift.




The day was overcast, which made for pleasant dining conditions.




Stalwart scouters Keith Munk and Jim Crook:
Keith's famous pancake recipe has been used for the breakfast for about 40 years;
Jim supplies all the grills and cooking equipment and basically runs the event.
If he ever moves from the stake, we'll be in big trouble!

With more help available this year, Kevin wasn't cleaning up until 7:00 p.m.
He was home by 1:30 so he could help set up some bunk beds we snagged from a garage sale.
(Photos forthcoming)