Cardboard and Duct Tape

We had a fun activity this week for Young Women. We were divided into three teams and each team was given the same materials - Cardboard box, Styrofoam pieces and a roll of Duct Tape - with instructions that we had 30 minutes to construct a boat that could float a person down the canal.

Each team came up with their own boat designs. On the left you can see a canoe cardboard construction, ours is in the middle (the BEST) and on the right was your basic box-all-sealed-up-with-duct-tape-so-it-won't-sink construction.



My Team! Ashley, Renee and Heidi. What do you think of this unique design? We even used the PLASTIC BAG that all the stuff came in. Pretty smart, eh?



Here is team 3 with their box. Will it float?



With a person inside it?? Hmmmm....




Box-all-sealed-up isn't lookin so good.


Going under


This is where the pictures get kinda fuzzy - sorry. I was using my cell phone and I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold the camera still.

Mayday!


She's taking on water - but she's still AFLOAT!!



Okay, so we had some minor design flaws.


The girls were all troupers and still raced each other (albeit underwater) for 3 blocks.


No one is dry.



Tips for cardboard boat construction:
Duct tape works really well.
Styrofoam will only keep your boat afloat as long as no one is IN it.
Build a deeper boat, because even a tiny 85 lb girl will sink it.

Newton Dam

We took advantage of Matt's "no school" weekend by pulling the camper out to Newton Dam. We thought that it would be a good idea if we took it out Thursday night so that we would have a nice spot reserved before the weekend rush took over. It was a good thing we did too! As we pulled in Friday evening we found ourselves surrounded not by a sea of water, but a sea of TENTS. One family decided to pitch their tent literally 1 foot away from our camper. It was a little strange... but didn't stop us from having a fun time! Since the three older kids were with their dad again, it was just Matt, me and Shelby.



We invited our niece, Jamie to come jet skiing with us on Saturday. She and I had a lot of fun cruising up and down the lake together and she only fell in once! I make it a point NOT to fall in - especially when we are at Newton. I have seen the monsters (Tiger Muskee's) that live in this lake - they are beyond CREEPY.



Saturday evening we were joined by some more friends and their kids. They all jumped in the water to swim and ride the jet skis. Tyler (the acrobat) got Laci up on his shoulders and that started a round of "Me Next!" from all the kiddo's.



Todd and Tyler then started up their stunts and recreated their signature move of Tyler climbing up on Todd's shoulders. This isn't an easy task. Take a look at what kind of jet ski they are on. Yeah, the kind that's hard to get up on with just ONE person. So Tyler starts out UNDERNEATH the steering bar. Once Todd gets it moving Tyler crawls under Todd's legs and then Todd crouches down. Tyler then climbs up on his back and on to his shoulders. Todd then has to stand up while steering and maintaining his speed. Pretty cool?! They are masters of these kinds of crazy stunts!



In between swimming and standing by the fire to keep warm the kids had fun on the rope swing. The water was too low for them to actually swing into the water, but they still had fun seeing how far out they could swing!





We did have one mishap though - Laci went on the rope swing after dark and missed her landing, running smack into the tree. We thought that she might have to get stitches but she didn't. She was a little bruised at church yesterday - but all smiles as usual.

Couple cute shots of Shelby

Finally sitting up!


Her new favorite toy

When my sisters were here

Brenda and Jana and all their kids came up last week for a few days and we packed in as much fun as we could!



I was just finishing up the last pint of Apricot Jam when they arrived. Look at this beautiful tribute to my father-in-law's apricot trees!




On Monday we went to Willow Park - Logan's version of a Zoo. It's a fun place to take the kids and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.


Brandon feeding fish food to the ducks



Tuesday we hit Bear Lake again. It was a BLAST even without the jet-skii's. The mom's just sat in the shade eating treats and visiting (the best past-time EVER) while the kids played in the water.

Trevor


Madison


Lauren and Shelby


Isaiah was more interested in chasing the seagulls (with his aquired saftey tube) than he was in swimming in the lake.



Isabella. Just to clarify, those are not cookie crumbs on her face. It is sand.


Brenda and Shelby and the rest of the gang





Sweet Isabella. She cannot bear to be out of sight from her mom right now (you all know the age that hits - right BEFORE they are 18 months and can FINALLY go to nursery). But I gotta say, mom took a distant 2nd to the water in Isabella's eyes. Once she got her feet wet, she couldn't have cared less where Jana was. She just wanted to be in that water!


Lauren gets Isaiah in the WATER? How'd she do it?? The whole day we begged and pleaded, bribed and sweet-talked this kid to try and get him in the water. All I can say is, Lauren, you are a GENIOUS.


Me and Shelby having way too much fun


Everyone but the photographer (Brenda)

I'm Back, Baby!

Oh it's so good to be back! Did anyone miss me?? Yes?? Hello?... anyone? Did you um, even realize I was gone??

I guess the separation anxiety was more acute on my end of the line. You see, my computer got a (I suspect it was more than one, but I can't prove it) virus and crashed. It ended up in the computer hospital to be rebuilt and even though it got well and came home yesterday (THANK YOU MATT), it still has AMNESIA. It doesn't remember much from our previous life together. So it is going to take some time to fully recover. It could have been worse though. Much, much worse. I find myself changed by all this. I feel like I'm going through some sort of PTSD. I am so afraid! Afraid that any link I click on might crash my computer again. That every pop-up box is really a disguise for an evil virus that wants to eat away my hard drive. I don't dare do ANYTHING. Has anyone else experienced this?? (BTW I believe I got the virus from trying to download a program that was supposed to help me make my - OUR - blog look cuter. So be aware that this is probably about as good as it's gonna get for awhile.)

So, since I haven't had a computer these last few days I was able to devote the extra time to reading THE BOOK. I finished it yesterday. I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read it yet, so I will keep my comments for a future post. Anyone else reading it?