July 2018

FOURTH OF JULY 2018
Scera Park, Orem Utah

We got there a little before everyone else so the kids and I walked through the displays. I saw that they had a boot camp starting in about an hour. I took the liberty of signing all the cousins up! The catch was that they all needed a permission slip signed and their hand stamped. Somehow I was able to wrangle the 18 kids who were blindly willing to participate and get them on the roster. I say blindly because none of them really knew what it was and they will forever remember it as the hot, sort of boring, loooooong boot camp that their crazy Aunt Abby brought them to. 

I won't deny that it made lunch more pleasant to have just the adults and babies. The kids got back in time to see something funny though; a lady walked by who came and helped herself to chips from our table. After piling her plate she walked off like it was the most normal thing in the world. Grandma Donna and Grandpa Mike joined us after finally finding which park we were at. They had mistakenly gone to Orem City Park and informed us, "There is a lot of shade and no one is there." I pointed to the Colonial village, "Nor do they have all of this!" Grandpa had to be reminded quite often what we were celebrating. "Our Nation's Birthday!" I'd remind him. "Oh! Wow, that is what all of these people are dressed up for? Wow." Exactly.

The extended family all left one by one for other engagements but we stayed a while longer. By the time we packed up to leave we were all hungry again so we went to Costa Vida. We got right in but by the time we left the line was out the door. Once we were back home we continued our National Treasure marathon from last year and watched Book of Secrets. We had to pause it partway through to head to Midway to see the fireworks on Memorial Hill. The main reason we go is to see how many times the hill catches on fire. We were not disappointed.

Game Faces

Grayson has been looking forward to a basketball tournament he signed up for with his friends Corbin and Taylor. He also convinced Adren and his friend Pedro to join, which made up their team of five. They had never played together before game day but they were certain that their combined hours of practice in the church gymnasium would prove a winning formula. As boys unloaded from buses with matching jerseys they realized the competition pretty quickly. 

 They had some time to kill in between games so they went over to City Creek and got lunch. It was weird picturing my Gray walking around downtown unescorted. He must have felt very grown up. Even though he is fifteen he has never done something like that. Matt, Jon and Shafer met up with the boys later that night to cap off the evening by watching the summer league game at Vivent Smart Home arena. Graham and the younger cousins got to join them as well. It was a real legit outing for the guys. 

While the boys were off doing their thang Callie was at a pre-campout-summer-slumber-party with the girl cousins. They toggled back and forth between Lehi and Provo wearing themselves out with swimming and fun. 

When Lindsey texted me this picture of the kids spending an afternoon at the park, I made sure to remind her that Callie brought her own money. She wrote back, "That is what we used to buy the pizza." This made me laugh because no one can out Abby Abby, except for Lindsey! 

I joined the fun the last day when we all went to the Museum of Curiosity in Lehi. It was HOPPIN. I think Gray and Adren have officially outgrown children's museums. While we ate at a park afterwards I got a text from Matt asking if I could pick up Katrina and Giuseppe from the airport. They were coming back their big French adventure! The boys and I got to the airport in plenty of time and were able to enjoy the sunset from the park and wait area. 

And you know what? I needed that sunset.

  

K and G said that flights to the US are pretty cheap on the 4th of July. They had a layover in Boston and got to throw tea into the harbor. This was not an organized event just their own doing. They wanted to be back in town in time for the next big family event...MINER'S RETREAT!

Miner's Retreat July 9th-12th 2018
Midway Utah

We thought about our missionaries, Mallerie and Sophie, as we gathered for our annual family reunion. The little babies, Solly and Ollie really kept us chuckling. Solly got in these saucy moods (as Ash calls it) where he just goes crazy. He filled the applesauce container with baby carrots. Ashley tried to get down on his level to talk to him about it but he held out his hand, "Stop!"  He wasn't all tough though. I could hear Cade trying to tuck him in at night. As soon as Cade left the tent, I could hear Solly, "heeeeeelp."

There was quite the drama when Hartman broke his arm on the way back from the boulder hike. Violet met me at the trailhead with the news, "If you don't see Sadie and Brent it is because they are at the ER." Christian was especially traumatized about his buddy. The cousins found comfort in water coloring get-well cards for him. We also said a prayer.  When Hartman came back the next morning all the cousins were a little awkward around him, all except for Ollie who walked right through the crowd, "Hey Hartman, I heard you broke your arm." Haha. Ollie had a tee shirt on that read, 'A little Kindness changes everything,' If you asked him what it said he repeated it perfectly.

The kids played capture the flag in the parking lot and one kid after another came back to the pavilion with injuries. Landrie's was the worst. Her knee probably needed stitches but Sadie didn't want to pay another ER bill so she got some medical tape and patched it up. Poor thing had to hobble like that at Lagoon all day. 

The rest of us were not without injury either. The mosquitos were such a bother! Our ankles were riddled with bites. Poor Graham got a bite on his ear and it started swelling up like Hitch. I thought it was a good idea to get some Benadryl in his system. However, it was a BAD IDEA. The stuff knocked him out all. day. long. On a positive note, the swelling in his ear did go down.

The dads rented a Polaris that sat six and the guys took turns taking people out for hour-long rides. I was in the last group but by then the heavens had opened and we had buckets of rain on us as Brent, Matt, Lindsey and Jon drove to return it. We wanted to go on some trails but they were closed due to a fire at Deer Creek. They think it was started by the train:/ 

We  now have to pile into two trucks to haul everyone to the trailhead for the boulder hike. I sat in the middle of the cab between Matt and Ashley. As I snapped photos of the kids in the back I admitted, "This is my favorite part of Minor's, watching the kids faces as we drive to the boulders...especially Ivy!"

La La Lagoon! July 13th 2018

Ollie loved the sky ride so much he wanted to go again and again. I said I'd take him. I forgot how nerve wracking it is to have a little one up there with you in the sky! I asked him, "Did your dad hold onto you when you rode with him?" He said, "No." Later I asked Shafer and he said, "My finger was through his belt loop." After we got off the lift and were making our way back to base camp, we passed some dancing skeletons. We stopped to watch. Ollie said, "Let's go sit down." So we did! During the show when some dramatic girls came out to dance he asked, "Why aren't they smiling?" And then all at once he said, "Let's go."

Henry was a big tease. He would tell Eliza he wanted to go a ride so they would wait in line. Once they were up to the front of the line he'd point to a different ride, "I want to go on that one," and get out of line. Kids!

Ava once again captured all the feels in a video montage:

No more brace face!

Ava got her braces off on July 17th.  She was so anxious to have them off that she counted down the days like it was Christmas, “Ten more days! Nine more days! Eight more days!” I told her she might as well have made a countdown chain. We celebrated afterwards by going to lunch at Medici and then got Sorbet at a new place called Mora. They are next to Macy’s and both very posh. Binnie is so much fun to shop and be with, and she even more beautiful with her new smile.

On our way up the canyon we stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. She said she wanted to buy a caramel apple...because she can finally eat one!

 She did such a great job speaking in church. She shared some of our ancestor's stories and presented herself so well. The bishopric said she really set the tone for the rest of the meeting.  

I had my new presidency sustained. I am excited to work with the new ladies.

With Girls camp, Youth Conference and the Family Reunion over, you might think our summer fun was winding down. Nope! It was now time for us to pack up for our much anticipated summer vacation, one where we could actually...RELAX. 
Go figure!