Manning Male-ness

 I think the title says it all. And it is really great. I wouldn't prefer anything else. We have lots of sound effects, jumping, gymnastic tricks, snacks and more snacks.

The big thing lately is starting a little school. We use that term in the loosest possible sense. It is a very low key and no pressure time to do school! I just think about basic reading, writing and arithmetic and it keeps me slightly sane to plan something. Chet is learning letter and numbers. He loves to write and draw and pretend. Wesley is reading pretty well and writing and doing math stuff. Their favorite activity is jumping on the tramp while they shout what their flashcards say. It is super cute.

Little Gus is adorable. He is the smiliest baby! He snuggles and sleeps for the most part. He doesn't like the car seat so don't plan on any visits for awhile!

Nick is enjoying teaching. He has started teaching guitar in a group lesson form and seems to enjoy it. We have been talking about the best way to fit our family in our house and have talked about extending out home or moving. I keep thinking that the Harts went for 10 years in their little house with 3 boys so maybe we can do that too!

That's about all!

Flake Fun

 

What an eventful month it has been! The highlights:

James is crawling like a champ and worked his way through the scoot (still his favorite mode of transportation), army crawl and has finally mastered the normal crawl! He is also starting to walk around furniture.  I remember being concerned when Rand started to climb. James has already put Rand's climbing to shame!  He loves to climb the stairs and has required last second rescues when he tries his hand at climbing off of the couch arm and back.  Climbing onto the couch poses no problem to him.

Robin and Rand are chattering away and love to repeat anything that they hear. They had quite an enjoyable time at Grandma and Grandpa's house picking berries, going on walks and swinging on the swing.  They are still talking about the tiny snake we saw on our walk there and about the owl in the backyard.  They were also quite enthralled with the large gopher snake in our backyard.  I'm sure I am exaggerating but I'm pretty sure it was 6-7 feet long! 

Our garden struggles along. We have had a few good tomatoes, a small harvest of potatoes, some large zucchini and loads of cherry tomatoes.  Hopefully next year we'll have a better garden. 

The neighbor's house has started and it going up really quickly.  Scott has spent a couple of Saturdays helping them.  The other day Rand told me that he was building a house. I asked him what kind of house and he answered, "a neighbor's house!"

Well, I hope that you all have a great week!! Love you all. 

Manning Madness

 It has been way too long since I wrote but we are alive and well! The big thing at our house is getting to know little Gus. He is one sweet, happy guy. He is smiling a lot and loves to grunt and talk as much as possible. He loves to suck his thumb and his brothers just adore him. My respect for Elise has always been way high but it grows each day! Our house is a mad house! I cannot believe the volume level and energy level around here.

So the boys move from one passion to the next. A few months ago the passion for alligators and crocodiles started and we had a mud puddle or two for catching alligators. Every string like substance became an alligator catcher including the strings from the rug! Well, that has died down slightly and we have moved into science experiments. Specifically explosions. We watched some Mark Rober videos to get away from the alligator videos and they particularly love the elephant toothpaste and Devil's toothpaste. So our mud puddle expanded to the whole yard because they are throwing water into our kitchen containers and seeing the explosion! They honestly did that for 6 hours a few days ago. But it is an obsession and we have run out of vinegar and soda a few times. 

Nick started teaching school this week and it has been very busy. It is always a little bit of a shock going  back but it is ok. I decided to start a little more organization with school like activities.  It has been pretty good but we have a lot of learning to do; mostly in the realm of human decency. Cute little people.

Well, we sure love you all and can't wait to see you soon!

Smithfield Scoop

 Mom has been very busy and apologizes for taking so long to contribute to the blog.  There have been lots of moms and babies to take care of - our own little "Gus Gus" being the most delightful experience of all!  Expectant moms and Covid are not a good combination, but things have calmed down a little bit as this post is being written.

The hot weather all summer has put a damper (or drier) on the garden and the lawn and lots of other things.  When it appeared like it would rain in the valley on a few occasions, the clouds would seem to split and bypass Smithfield.  In fact, we had some flooding in the northern and southern parts of Cache Valley, but very little rain in Smithfield.  Thankfully, there is enough water for now and we are healthy.

We have been happy to visit several of our families and enjoy any and all visits immensely.  And we are delighted whenever any of you are able to come to our place.

Emma and Cam are trying to teach us how to play pickleball and we have enjoyed that.  Yesterday, they came over and helped us prepare fresh corn for the freezer like we used to do in Hyde Park.  That was a delight and we were so grateful to get finished with the project in half the time it would have taken otherwise. We were very sad to have Emma and Cameron come after their rock climbing accident to see if we could help repair some of the damage - but it will definitely take time to mend her sad fingers!

We have enjoyed reading and reviewing family history material for our Family Matters Zoom meeting each week and we are grateful that you have taken the time to join us for those.  We hope the grandchildren are learning a few things about their wonderful heritage and that their hearts will continue turning to their fathers.

Dad has been making several batches of hummingbird food each week to keep the little feathered friends fed. There was an unhappy time when a flock of very beautiful but grumpy, stingy little guys flew into town and thought they owned the feeders and would attack any who came to receive refreshment! They have since moved on and peace has been restored, thankfully! One of these days, we may get some photos of them on the blog. 

This pretty little guy is the mean ringleader who would hide in a 

nearby tree, then dive in to attack any little bird who dared to try to get a drink. 

He didn't even stay on the feeder himself to get some food, but would 

simply keep everyone else from sipping. So silly and mean! Urrrrgggh!

We thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful production of "The Play That Went Wrong!" Everything about it was entirely delightful! The plot was fun, the acting was superb, the "wrong" things were hilarious, the supporting crew (Addy) was amazing, and it was overall such a great show! Thanks to Ian for writing and organizing and presenting a memorable, fun, exceptional play!

It has been lovely to take walks in the cool of the evenings, that seem warmer than usual. And to enjoy some amazing sunsets (in the north) from our windows and deck. We are content and at peace for the most part, most of the time. We love you all!!

                                                                First time fair showman

                                                           The Orangeglo melon- Yum!

The Monster!  73 pounds!

Happy 12th Birthday Emerson!

Nilsson News

 It has been a full and busy last few weeks.  The week of fair was similar to the way I remember it from years growing up.  Basically you live at the fair whether you have one animal or twenty.  We jumped into the fair scene very late in the season, only joining in July.  Addy decided to show Bumble and her new baby Betsy.  It was just for fun and we honestly weren't even sure if the animals were good quality or not.  Bumble is a spazzy goat and we were hoping she wouldn't go totally crazy in the show ring.  She was not happy to be at the fair but Addy handled her very well.  She ended up winning top in her class including the best udder in her age division.  Baby Betsy was a favorite of the judge and placed second in her class.  The judge asked to have a photo taken with Betsy to put on her Facebook page.  It was a fun learning experience.  Next year, we are hoping to put together a donkey class.  I have to write up the rule-book and figure out all the class information and then present it to the extension office personnel.  It's going to be a bit challenging since I have never even seen a donkey show!  Thankfully, nobody knows anything about donkeys around here.

This last week, Addy was involved with Ian's play which was very time consuming.  We went to the performances and were amazed at the talent of these young people.  They put together everything - the set building, practices, costumes, programs and performing, all in two weeks time!  The play was hysterical!  I don't remember the last time I laughed through an entire production non-stop.  I wish that all of you could have been there!  We were glad that mom and dad were able to make it!

We have been enjoying some good garden goodies and some varmints have as well.  We have set some traps but so far only caught a cat (they're varmints too, but I don't think it was the guilty culprit that has been attacking the corn).  

Well, we are needing to finish a few last minute projects before the start of school in a couple of weeks.  Can't wait to see all of you hopefully soon!  And Emma, we need to hear your injured hand story!  I'm sure you didn't mention it in your post because you were most likely typing with one hand!

Pictures will follow soon!

Hyde Holiday

 By holiday I mean summer, not anything more. We went to Kentucky for a month which was wonderful and very fun! I was able to work for most the time we were there and then we played one week by going zip lining, cave kayaking, hiking, and lots of lovely dives on gorgeous farm roads. Seriously y’all, Kentucky is gorgeous! Out of this world stunning. We need to do one big family road trip! 

Other than that not much going on over here :) we got to visit the Harts and Nilssons up in Idaho which was super fun! We played lots of spike ball and ate lots of yummy garden food. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone (hopefully) very soon! Love y’all!