Melt Down

Somehow I missed these pictures from May, but seeing as it happened at the very end of May, I figure I can throw them in now while I'm only in June...or October. It's all the same, right?

Jarom and his brother Justin have decided they want to open a little mobile grilled cheese sandwich shack. So they've been busy building logos, thinking of names, and refurbishing this old 1950's Airline Streamer trailer. They want to go with a very retro look and feel. They have decided on the name "Melt Down", which I love, but I think I will forever endearingly refer to this little trailer as "The Cheese Wagon".

 

Taking a break from ripping out the entire insides.

Scraping layers and layers of paint. They want the inside tinny like the outside. 

 

Looking better, but the paint removal wasn't going very fast at all.  And they realized that they were dealing with OLD paint which was probably lead based.  So they stopped the process until they can come up with an environmentally and physically safe way to remove the paint.

Meanwhile, the kids had a heyday having free reign of Grampy's farm.

Nothing quite like playing "orphans" in a pile of barrels.

These two sillies made a baby from a hunk of perfectly curved wood.  It was hilarious.  They put a diaper on it and jammies and thought they were so funny with their wooden baby.

Fun's over for the day kids.  Time to head to the dump. 

So....you might wonder where they are at in the process now.  Exactly where they left off in May. HA!  But they do have big plans for the very near future which includes the use of a "soda blaster", hazmat suits, and masks. I can't wait to take those pictures! (And by the way, if you're thinking about stealing this million dollar money maker idea, forget about it. We'll send zombies to eat your brains and flying monkeys to lock you in a tower cell!)

4H Photo Camp

The girls took a photography class for a week through 4H. Here are a few of my favorites from each of them.

It was an argument, but Alyssa won the right to use my nicer camera. Now if only she would teach me how to use it.

She got some really cool "bug's eye view" and nature shots.

She seemed to really like this day, as there were MANY good photos to choose from.

Here's some from the "self portrait" and "subject" days. It was so fun for me to go through the pictures each day when the girls came home.  I loved seeing through their eyes the things they found photo worthy.

Halle had to use my little point and shoot camera, so the quality of her photos isn't nearly as good as Alyssa's, but she still managed to get some really neat shots.

"Bug's eye view" and "Nature" day.

"Self Portrait" Day. Halle is a regular old pro when it comes to self portraits as I am regularly finding them on every camera we own.  She cracks me up.

"Subject" day.  She even managed to figure out some fun functions the camera has.  I LOVE the skate/bike park shot.  So cool.

 

And I just had to throw this last shot on here because it cracked me up. They were learning how to "pan". I love how you can see all the kids with cameras behind the car. I can only imagine what the drivers were thinking as they drove by.

I think they both learned quite a bit from this week. Now I think I need to find an adult photo camp. Seems like so much fun to me.

Girls Camp 2012

Who's ready for a week of tent living, latrines, dirt, and fun at Girls Camp? The Rose Park Young Women are, that's who!

 

 

Time for the 7 mile UPHILL hike! Alyssa had been so excited/nervous about this part of camp and had been preparing herself by walking and biking.

 

Alyssa ended up with a group of girls who weren't able to make it all the way to the top.  Everything from heat stroke, dehydration, being out of shape, and plain old grumpiness played a part in this. She was admittedly frustrated, but chose to stay with them and encourage them to do their best. They ended up having to turn around at about the half way point. She has been told by several people that her attitude was MUCH needed in this group to get them as far as they did.  She knows she did the right thing, but still has the need for closure to finish this hike.  Guess I better get myself in shape so I can take her back and FINISH this thing.

Nights are chilly in the mountains.

 

Seriously, WHY does food taste SO much better when you're camping?

The best part about girl's camp, is not the hikes, the food, or even the fun, it is the appreciation the girls gain for their Creator.  Girl's Camp builds testimonies like nothing else.  I'm so glad Alyssa had a fun week and gained an even stronger testimony of God and the Saviour.

Horse Camp

June was a month of camps of one kind or another. So prepare yourself for a few more camp posts. And expect a lot of collages, because there are a lot of pictures I want to get on here.

The day after Halle got home from Twin Falls, she headed back out with the troop to Stanley, ID for a week of "Horse Camp". The troop had enough money to pay for all of the girls to go, so there was no way we could pass up the opportunity. It was a little nerve wracking as this would be the longest time and farthest away from home ever for Halle, and also, we didn't know any of the adults going. But we knew the girls had each other (and Halle's best friend Taylor would be her bunk mate) and had been taught well, so we sent them.

They loaded on the bus and prepared for a long 3 hour bus ride.

They arrived at camp, and the fun began! Halle said they called the nasty toilet "the buffer".

Everyone moved in and claimed a bunk.

 New friends were made.

And fun times were had.

But the real fun began when the girls got to meet the horses.

Halle getting to know Custard.

This is Taylor's horse, Captain.

Time to ride!

Halle loved the horse assigned to her for the week.  Custard was a gentle ol' thing and treated her just right.  She was a little nervous, as she had never ridden a horse on her own before, but Custard quickly eased her fears.

It's not camping without a fire and s'mores! Looks like girl scouts can build fires as well as boy scouts can.

Before anyone knew it, it was time to pack up and say goodbye.

And just like that, they were back on the bus for the long bus ride home.

She had a fantastic time, and couldn't stop talking for about 2 hours straight when she got home. I'm so glad she was able to go and make such good memories!

100 Years Celebration for Girl Scouts

Halle's girl scout troop went to a weekend campout in Twin Falls, ID to celebrate with other troops from around the state for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts.

 Tent time with a bunch of girls had to be full on craziness!

 One of the many fun things they got to do was the ropes course!  Halle was super excited to try this!

 She was successful and made it all the way across!

 Girls will be girls!

 The troop!

 Cora has been a saint to go everywhere and do all the sleepovers with these girls! We are a lucky troop to have her.

 It's good to know they did have to do a little bit of work.