Done camping for now...Yay!!

I know that I've been needing to update my blog with our many adventures, but a lot of times I sit down at the computer and then get busy (sidetracked) looking at everybody else's blogs. Well, today (for the past 3 hours!) I've been enjoying a very peaceful Sunday afternoon because I've had two sleeping boys and a sleeping husband, so I feel rejuvenated and ready to update my blog for those of you who have been anxiously waiting (okay, I know my blog might be a little boring sometimes, but it's good for me to get these things written somewhere before I forget them.)

Where to begin? Josey finished remodeling the bedroom in our basement. He worked so hard on it and learned a lot about home improvement so now I think he's ready for any project I put him up to. The only thing we have left to do is order carpet. The second he finished the bedroom, he started working on the front porch/deck, which needed sanding and restaining. This has turned into quite a big project, and we're not quite finished. Luckily, Jan was here for a few days last week while Arielle was at VB camp at BYU, and she helped us out quite a bit. When it is finished, I think it will look great.

Last weekend, we went to the Squires Family Reunion in Polaris, Montana. This is Josey's grandma's family, and it is always a fun reunion with lots of people. We went to Bannack, a ghost town that was the first capital of Montana. We camped in a pretty campground (and luckily Lyle & Jan camped next to us with their trailer so it wasn't quite roughing it in the wilderness.) Josey & Jesse took Jordan digging for crystals. It was a nice weekend to relax and have fun with family, although Jarrett did get sick with croup and by the last day he was really miserable. The poor little guy sat in his carseat on the way home for 7 hours without ever getting out or crying. He slept for about 3 hours and then just had this miserable sad look on his face for the rest of the way. I was happy to be back home.

Jordan & Jarrett climbing the rocks in our campground
The boys throwing rocks with grandpa

Jordan in timeout in Bannack

Our family in Bannack

Jesse, Jordan, & Josey with the crystals they dug
I should mention that to prepare for this camping expedition, Josey made us set up the tent in our backyard for 2 nights before we left so the boys would be prepared for the camping experience. His plan worked somewhat (Jarrett progressed from waking up at 5:30 to 7:00), although during the second night of backyard camping we had this huge thunderstorm and I was scared (I tried to make it seem like Jordan was the one who was scared) so we finally went inside around 3:00 a.m. Needless to say, these 2 nights of camp preparation wore me out and next time I think I'll let Josey prepare the boys on his own.

Jordan has also been taking swimming lessons for the past 2 weeks. He's done great and he's loved it (some of the kids in the class NEVER stopped bawling the entire time). I've always wished I would have learned to swim because I still don't know how. I can stay above water, but I don't actually know how to swim properly, like if I wanted to go swim for exercise. Maybe I could still learn. Anyways, here are some pics of him learning to swim.