Jer's recent pastimes...

Lately, Jer has been busy doing lots of great stuff!

He's been sketching some amazing pictures...(he's an incredible artist!)

He built a harness in which he uses a pulley to get himself to the top of one of our trees...(the neighborhood kids LOVE this one!)...and a zipline connecting two treetops!

He has been studying every garter snake that turns up in our yard (and the neighbors' yards, too!)

If this is any indication, this summer is going to be so full of adventures!

My Grandpa and Grandma Larson

Here's a cool picture of my Grandparents in Finland in June, 1938.  They were mission presidents in Sweden until the war broke out in Europe.

Interesting notes: they left on the last boat out of Europe before Germany invaded Poland.  A couple of years after they got home, they had my mother!  Their family was always influenced by this Swedish history, as well as my Swedish ancestry.

Grandpa was a professor of Utah history.  He also was one of the first Institute teachers.  I wish I had known him better, but he passed away when I was only 4.  I do remember sitting under his desk when I was little!

My Grandma was a very well educated, artistic, and social woman.  She was so kind to everyone.  It seemed like anyone who stopped by her home for a visit would leave with one of her famous angel food cakes (or two!)  Today I'm making a couple of them and thinking of her...  I love you Grandma!

Spring Break 2012, a.k.a. The Perfect (Snow) Storm!

This Spring Break, we actually had two vacations. The first half of our time off was spent relaxing at home. The weather was gorgeous--warm and sunny! The kids spent plenty of time riding bikes and playing outside with the neighbors. We deep-cleaned Jer's room, and we spent time just doing non-scheduled things. It was wonderful!

The second half of our vacation was spent at the cabin. We had heard there might be a little snow over the weekend, so I crossed my fingers tightly and packed sleds, boots, and gloves. We headed out on Thursday, and much to my chagrin, we reached a very dry, snow-free Panguitch by the end of the afternoon. I was so embarrassed driving through town with four brightly-colored snow sleds tied to the top of our family minivan. I felt like a fool. It was sunny and dryyyyyyy.

We continued on up the mountain. I decided it didn't really matter--we'd have a good time together no matter what the weather decided to do, and thank heaven for dry roads to travel! By dark, we had arrived, unpacked, and settled in.

Friday morning, we woke up to--could you guess?--beautiful falling snow. The storm had arrived, and it continued through all of Friday and into Saturday afternoon. It was quite warm, so there wasn't much accumulation Friday (though there had been 18 inches predicted!). Friday night cooled off, though, and by Saturday morning, there was almost a foot on our front stairs! We headed out and sledded most of the morning! The snow was "white, cold, and plenty of it!" After a winter of almost no snow at all, we finally got to do some serious snow play. It was fabulous! There was very little traffic in the neighborhood, and we sledded down our favorite street to our hearts' content! What a wonderful day.

By Sunday, the weather warmed, and, by the time we headed home, the main roads had dried. Can't say the same for the street in front of the cabin though. :)

Jer's Aquarium, part deux!

This spring, we thought we got off easy. Our annual spring visitors--the dryer-vent-nesting starlings--had come to check out their site early in the season. Usually, after their initial visit, they are back in a few weeks to attempt nesting in our duct work. This year, they didn't come back. Granted, the weather has been less than conducive, but I figured they must have changed their preferred location. Whew!

Well, when we got home from our trip Sunday, we discovered the birds had, in fact, made themselves at home again in our dryer vent while we were gone. Hmmmm. The joke was on me. They just waited till we were gone and we couldn't block the vent! Though I was less than happy, Jer and Mike were thrilled! They immediately set to catching the birds! Fortunately, Jer had a vacant shark aquarium just waiting to be filled with some form of wildlife...

Before we knew it, Troy, Tony, Isabelle, and Emily were tucked in the glass box. Jer researched what kind of birds they were, how to tell which were girls and which were boys, what food these little friends prefer... He worked really hard to make them comfortable. He built perches, and he (along with many of the neighborhood kids), dug up fresh worms to feed them. Jer even added a bird bath!

Jeremy was in heaven for a couple of days! He finally had birds in his room!! Tonight, however, he and Mike decided to let them go. It was a sad end to a very fun couple of days!

Jer got his Bear!!!

Jer got his Bear tonight at Cub Scout Pack Meeting!  Woot!  Woot!

Jen's Country Report

Today was the country fair at school.  Jen's report was on Brazil.  She did a fabulous job!

(...and here she is with Emily and Madi, too!)

Jer's Aquarium

Jer has always got plans for a new pet. Usually, he's hoping for a dog or a specific kind of bird. Lately, though, his plans have taken a new turn. He found a few unused glass shelves in the basement two weeks ago. It, of course, took only minutes for him to formulate a plan, and thus, a NEED for these pieces. Mike gave him permission to use them...carefully. He decided they'd be perfect for a cage for a snake ("The Incredibly Deadly Viper", from his current favorite book series, "A Series of Unfortunate Events"). He also confessed that if I wouldn't let him get a snake, they could create a wonderful aquarium for a red-tailed shark, which needs, apparently, at least a 20-gallon tank.

Mike said he could build the aquarium, (it would be a good project,) though we did not promise he could get the shark. Once permission was granted, Jeremy immediately set to work. He carefully measured the glass panes, and he drew up a detailed plan and list of wood parts and hinges needed. He also wrote a gentle request of a note to his Daddy for shop time.

Mike took him in to the shop last week and helped him cut the wood:

Once he had the pieces home, he duct-taped the glass together (he couldn't wait for another day when Mike could help him caulk--he needed to see NOW how it would look...). He then set the wood pieces in place, and voila! Steps one, two, and three completed!

He has since securely duct-taped all four corners, added a beautiful piece of pull hardware that Mike had around for a handle on the soon-to-be-hinged top, and painted the top and bottom wood pieces. I'll try to included another picture soon, but this report's continuation must be saved for another day...