Ryan Lott's Status Updates: Still more to come in 2022

(Boy is this taking forever. I really need to do this gradually throughout the year. To be honest the only reason I have so much time to do this now is because I am sick and can't really do anything else. Mike and Ethan tested positive for covid yesterday. Mine came out negative, but my symptoms have progressed and I really think I have it. I will retest in the morning. Also, I can't find the spell check button this time around. Hopefully I have done a good enough job proof reading. cool I just found the spell check by luck) (also, I did end up testing positive for covid)

2022 Summer of fun

We live close to Hill Air Force Base but have never gone to the airshow. Jaime and I really wanted to go this year. It was going to be really hot and have extra long lines due to it being canceled in 2020 because of covid. For this reason, no one wanted to go with us and we ventured there alone. We had a great day. It was hot but there was a nice breeze. We thankfully missed the extremely long lines and had fun talking to various people as we did wait in lines. The show was amazing. It's crazy how daring the pilots are.

We figured that most people leave right when it is over. We decided to not rush out like everyone else. It benefited us greatly. We were able to see a lot more things that we would not have been able to. The pilots talked to us and explained things to us. We also got to sit in many of the aircraft for a long time. We really had a blast and plan to make this a new tradition.

Jaime did not think I would be brave enough to ask them if she could have her picture taken with them. Surprise. She was wrong. Check out all the guns they have!!!

June 29, 2022

Ethan dared me to go off the high dive but I chickened out. I said I was too old. I did go off the regular diving board. There was 70 year old going off it- ha ha. We went swimming another time and Ethan had fun duking me and playing tag with me. At one point he was holding me and carrying me around like a rag doll. I guess I was in a good mood that day, as I usually don't like to get wet and duked anymore. I am sure it was a sight to see him dunk his old mom. Ha Ha!!!

Our dogs killed all of our chickens this spring but one. Luckily she was sitting on a bunch of eggs and so we figured we would see if our rooster had been successful or not. In the mean time my sister Deborah had four hens that had been raised in her daughter's high school class. They took the chicks at some point and didn't want them anymore and so I told her I would take them. I wasn't sure if any of our eggs would even hatch and so I ordered some chicks off of KSL. I like cute types- Polish and silkies I got six because some tend to die or are roosters. So, now we were to 11 chickens. Guess what our hen actually hatched 6 babies (I think there were 16 total. I am so glad she didn't hatch that many). One died, but five lived. It was so neat to watch the mom take care of them. They were so tiny and cute. Long story short, now we had 16 chickens all at different stages and in different locations. What a pain!!!!! It took a few months of building different temporary pens and trying to protect chickens from each other, as the pecking order is a real thing. I am happy they are all finally out in the coop and we have even started to get a few tiny eggs. Sadly, we also have five rooster!!!. Time will tell if they stay nice or end of soup- jk.

Three of the four chickens raised by the students are the friendliest chickens I have ever seen. They love to be held. They will even jump up on your shoulder if you don't pick them up quickly enough. It is really quite funny.

Watch out, they will peck your eye thinking it's food. Poor Ethan learned this the hard way. I am smart enough and wear sunglasses when they get on my lap. Ha Ha!!!

I have become the bird lady from the movie Home Alone Ha Ha!! I love to go sit out there in the chicken pen and watch my chickens. We have named a few but not all of them. The ones that were hatched do not like to be touched. Their mom was extremely protective and never let anyone near them.

July 25

Jaime tried on Ethan's friend's cowboy hat.

cantaloupe anyone???

Aug 5

My boys all went on trek this summer. Adam didn't want to go but I made him- ha ha. He ended up having a good time. Alex's boss is in our ward and was on the equipment committee. He wanted Alex to attend trek and help out. Alex ended up having a nice time as well. I guess all the kids thought it was pretty cool to have a real cowboy there. The weather wasn't great for them and it rained--That is why Adam is in shorts. I guess he totally forgot I had sent him with another pairs pants- he didn't like them and he probably forgot about them on purpose- ha ha !!

Fun at the Cache County Fair

August 12

Adam caught a "big one" in Yellowstone camping with the young men.

Aug 12, 2022

Random pics

July 15, 2022

The picture doesn't do this double rainbow justice. It was beautiful.

Harvesting peaches from a friends' tree.

Before...

After

First day of school

August 23, 2022

Adam- 11the grade

Ethan- 8th grade

August 31, 2022

spray paint art

Jaime made the painting on the right for our friend David Aua for his birthday. She incorporated the Papa New Guinea Flag and BYU. She entered it into the craft fair for Hooper Tomato Days and won first prize for it.

Jaime and David Aua

He was so thankful for her gift.

Sept 8

The night before Jaime headed off to Rexburg.

Alex and I can both touch our noses with our tongue

What a mess!!!

She is all packed and headed off to Rexburg. I went with her and helped her get settled. I stayed a few days with my niece who lives in Rexburg and then I rode the Salt Lake Express home. I will miss you Jaime. I am stuck with all boys again. Thank goodness we talk on the phone quite often and that's been great.

Jaime's new apartment

Sept 15-17

We did one last quick camping trip this year up in Mountain Green at my friend's property. Adam didn't want to miss school and so he stayed home. We had a wonderful time. It was so peaceful and we saw a lot of wild life. It was also great to only have one teenager with us and therefore no one for him to bicker with. We played games, watched movies, and just enjoyed relaxing. I did get brave and try this rope swing with Ethan. Because Adam was gone, Ethan made me do crazy things with him- ha ha!!!

Alex apparently plays on an adult flag football league in Ogden. (Who even knew something like this even existed.) During a game, him and another player collided and his knee was injured. After many doctors visits, an MRI, lots of swelling and pain, it was determined that Alex suffered a bone contusion. His bone was bruised severely causing many microscopic breaks that then caused the swelling because of bleeding. The doctor used a needle to remove the blood. He removed almost 1/2 a cup of blood and said it was the record for the amount drained at their clinic that month. Poor Alex was out of work for around 3 weeks and had to be on crutches. We feel very blessed that he didn't tear any ligaments and need surgery.

The white spot on the left shows the bruise. There is not supposed to be any white at all.

Sept 18, 2022

He was so swollen for the first week he had a hard time getting around. He couldn't bend his knee until the doctor drained the blood. Poor guy.

Sept 24, 2022

Ethan was so excited to turn 14. We let him open his presents at 12am on his birthday. Adam was already in bed asleep- ha ha.

Too much fun with filters on phones

Adam totally looks like my dad!!!

Ethan as a girl and old man

Adam as a girl

Mike as a little kid

Adam

Ethan

I came across these pictures of the kids when they we little. They are so cute.

Jaime

Alex and Adam (they still love ice cream!!)

Jaime and Grandpa Moon

Jaime and her cousin Bryan were blessed on the same day (I think). It happened to be at their Uncle Chris' mission homecoming. Pictured with Grandma and Grandpa Moon.

Adam was in a weird mood one night!!!!

Mike and I took at trip to Disneyland in October. It was great. We had so much fun together. It was so nice to be alone and not have fighting teenagers with us. Halloween decorations were up. I think this is my favorite time to go.

I got this Mike headband (from Monster's Inc) for Mike to wear. He was not a fan but did let me take a picture with him wearing it. He is faking the smile!!

We enjoyed lots of yummy treats each day in the park. We had so much fun sending pictures of us eating things to the kids. They were soooo jealous.

Check out my hair!!!

We ate at a lot of different restaurants that we do not usually go to when the kids are with us because they are a lot more expensive. It was nice to change things up.

The force is strong with this one, she told me.

All wet after going on Splash Mountain.

Helpful tip- if you go on the ride right before the park closes there are no lines. They also let you ride the ride multiple times in a row. It's super fun this way. You also do not get as wet with fewer riders.

Another tip- If you are in line right before the park closes they still let you go on the ride even if the wait takes you past closing time. We left the park each night after it closed. It was crazy to see Disneyland from a new perspective and without a ton of people.

We didn't go to Disneyland when we first got to California. One of the days we decided to go on a walk and we walked around the entire outside perimeter of both parks. It was strange to see them from the back side. You really couldn't see much. Most things are blocked pretty good. This is the back side of Star Wars land. I think it is the backside of the next picture below. I think we walked around 4 miles.

Mike got much more wet on this ride than I did. It was a hot day and so we were happy to get wet to cool off.

It's a Small World, or as Mike refers to it, It's a Sad World. Notice he is giving it a thumbs down. It's not my favorite ride, but I don't mind it.

Met some friends while waiting to go on the Indian Jones ride

The boys were so excited for us to leave so they could be on their own. They hung out with their Grandma Jeri a few times and had fun doing that. They both admitted they really missed us and were bored with us being gone. I figured Ethan would miss us, but was surprised Adam did, as he never wants to hang out at home. I guess they do need parents- ha ha. They missed me cooking food them- even though they usually complain about what I do cook. Hopefully this was an eye opening experience and they will appreciate us a little more now- fingers crossed.