Summer seems to be going by too quickly. I feel like I get up and have so much to do that my lists get longer each day, instead of shorter.

Ben had the stylist cut his hair really short this week. I can't believe what a difference it makes in his appearance. Where have my little boys gone? I am now the mother of a Senior in College (who is set to graduate in 35 days), a Senior in High School, a Sophomore in High School and a Fifth Grader in Middle School. What an exciting time in our lives!

Braden went on a triple date yesterday. The dates all ended up at our house playing a card game called, "Cursed." I had so much fun watching them play the game that I am going out to purchase the game for us to play. I love fun, quick games. Life, Monopoly, Risk, all those games take many hours to play and a lot of strategic thinking. Games like Uno, Apples to Apples, Clue, etc., aren't so intense and they make you laugh while you play. It was good to have so many of good youth in our home. I had to make them dinner, but I was thanked by them all for the food. It was a good time.

The group, along with Ben in tow, then went to the Church where they spent the night dancing with the youth from our Stake. This morning at 6 am, the Stake Young Men and Young Women boarded chartered buses and set off for the Church History sites in New York. They will watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant as a large group, sleep over in some Dorms, do a little more touring and a service project on Saturday, after which they will head back here to the Stake Center. Of course, it is supposed to rain in up State New York today. It does that every year around Pageant Time.

Mikaela, meanwhile, will be busy during the days. I signed her up for some of our School District's Summer Days. She has been swimming, bowling, playing games out side and enjoying meeting some of Braden's friends who are Day Counselors. She comes home from the events very tired. I wish that our School District would have had a program like this while we were growing up. Although, we did have 4-H Club programs that you could choose from, but they only met once a week. I am glad that Mikaela enjoys the events. They are doing a Hawaiian Day today and are learning how to play Hawaiian style games, as well as learning to Hula. Fun, huh?