On Saturday (June 29th), the Tanner kids were anxious to get back to their house and see how Lincoln had done. Thankfully, the surgery went well and should restore/improve his hearing, but, as you can imagine, the recovery process isn't going to be fun. He has to be very limited in his activities. We stayed awhile playing video games before Nichole, Kate, Jonas and I came back to Payson for a farm fun evening. We went to pick cherries and flowers before grabbing some ice cream from the Red Barn.
The next week we were creative in the activities we planned. Monday morning (July 1st), Nichole and Kate took Jonas out for an early birthday treat. He, of course, chose a donut. Afterward, we ran a few errands to prep for the 4th of July party then went back to the Tanner's house. Jonas got to hang out with the boys while the rest of us girls (minus Addie) met up with Kaia for an intimate baby shower celebration dinner. We weren't able to make her actual shower so we decided to wait until Nichole and Kate could join us for a dinner. It's so crazy to see her pregnant. She's so cute...but I just remember how small she was when she was a baby. We are super excited for her!
On Tuesday (July 2nd), we met up with the Tanners in Provo for some ice cream at the BYU creamery to fuel our brains for our CIA themed escape room adventure! Jonas had a blast! No...we didn't escape, but we were so close! All the kids participated. It was so fun! Nichole had dinner with a friend that night but that didn't stop Kate, Jonas, and I from having a little more fun. Kate wanted to stop at her favorite greenhouse while we had the time then we went out to dinner that night and continued our Marvel movie marathon.
Wednesday (July 3rd) we opted for a zombie themed scavenger hunt in downtown Provo. We had certain items we had to find and challenges to complete with (or at) said items to hopefully avoid the zombie apocalypse. Jonas didn't love the idea of zombies so, in his mind, we were preparing to escape the encroaching enemy before a war broke out. Either way, it was fun...and thankfully one of the stops was a convenience store where we got a slurpee to cool off. It was a little toasty! Jonas got to spend the night with the Tanners (and Nichole and Kate who had moved up to the Tanner's house) that evening where he enjoyed a trip to the Snow Bros for some shaved ice.
Thursday was the 4th of July (see previous post). Friday we all took a little break to get some needed chores done and errands ran, but by that evening, Jonas and I found our way back to the Tanner's house to hang out. He got to spend the night again that evening. The next day (Saturday, July 6th), Jeff and I first met up with Jacob, Amber, Dallin, and Audrey at Cracker Barrel to celebrate Jacob's birthday. I truly am grateful for my sons-in-law. They are both incredible men who care deeply for our daughters. Next, we met up with the Tanners, Nichole, Ryan (who finally joined the party), and Kate in Salt Lake at the Tracy Aviary. That was my first time there. It was actually a pretty cool place. There were so many diverse birds in different habitats. It was kind of cool to see all of them. The owl is still my favorite winged animal. On our way home from the aviary, we stopped at this root beer store and bought a few different kinds to taste back at the Tanners. I love doing taste tests. I enjoy trying new foods. The root beers were pretty diverse. We all agreed that Abita root beer was the best.
By Sunday (July 7th), Nichole, Ryan, and Kate headed north to meet up with the Lowe family for a big reunion. While that gave us a a few days to recuperate from all the previous fun (and for me to go to girls camp! Yikes! I know how to cram it all in! Thankfully, it was only 3 days, but sadly I don't have any pictures to show for it. I had sprained my ankle pretty bad and was just focused on not exacerbating the injury), by that next weekend, we were already welcoming more guests! For those few days, I cleaned the house and prepared for our next guests while Jonas attended piano lessons, taekwondo, and anticipated the fun to come. We even found time to grab a free slurpee for 7/11 day. By Friday (July 12th), our house was full again. Michael, Jackie, and baby Samson flew into town that morning and my parents followed that evening. We mostly just hung out at the house that day.
However, on Saturday (July 13th), Scott came over and we headed into downtown Payson to attend the annual Scottish Festival. Carter and Casey joined us there. Dad loves this festival because he gets to enjoy his clan's roots. We come from the Cameron Clan. Dad loved learning more about the clan with Scott, Mikey, and Jonas. Afterwards, we headed to the Red Barn for a sweet treat before going home to prepare for another big family party! This time, my cousin, Cherice, and her family were visiting from Ghana (on their way to Nepal) so we decided to invite as many other cousins who were here locally to join us for swimming and a BBQ. Nichole, Ryan, and Kate made it back in time too. We almost had all of my parents kids and grandkids with us - just missing Amber, Jacob, Danny, Kaia, and Tyler. It was a fun evening! We stayed up way later than I normally do just laughing with each other. Family really is everything.
Sunday (July 14th), Nichole, Ryan, and Kate flew back to AZ and the rest of us moved the party up to Krystle's house. We slowed things down and simply hung out. This time, Kaia, Jacob, and Amber were able to join us. At least my parents got see everyone who is here while they were up here.
Monday (July 15th) morning Michael, Jackie, and Samson flew home. My parents spent time catching up with Byron (my mom's brother-in-law) who was driving through town as he headed north to meet up with all of his kids/grandkids for a reunion. The first time they had been all together since Aunt Anamae died. While they were doing that, I met back up with Cherice and two of her daughters for a little girls afternoon out. We walked the Riverwoods, made bracelets, and got a sweet treat. I'm grateful that Cherice takes the time to reach out while she's local because I'm not sure I'll be visiting her in Nepal anytime soon.
Tuesday (July 16th) was my parents last full day in Utah. It was a quick trip, but a fun one. We headed back to the Tanners to spend a little more time with them. Because of Lincoln's activity limitations, we just hung out at the house then went out for a treat before Mom, Dad, Jonas and I headed south again. On our way south, Mom and Dad took some time to celebrate Jonas's birthday a little early. They gifted him some money which we used at none other than the Army/Navy surplus store. Jonas will always have fond memories of bonding with Papa over military stuff. Then, as if one treat a day wasn't enough, we stopped to get another one in honor of his birthday.
My parents flew home the next morning (Wednesday, July 17th) and life slowed down...a lot! I loved having all the fun summer activities, trips, and visits, but I was grateful for a slower pace. We spent the next couple of days cleaning the house and restocking the fridge. Thursday (July 18th) evening Jeff came home and wanted to take a little hike up Santaquin Canyon. This is still one of my most favorite canyons. It has been closed the past few years due to massive mudslides that occurred after a bad fire season. However, when we reached the gates, we saw several workers heading home.We were encouraged to see all the progress that had been made to shore up the road against any further erosion. It was a beautiful evening for a hike. A little late summer storm rumbled through while we hiked along the river. I was grateful that Jeff had the idea to hike. Yes, my ankle is still tender and healing, but it was just good to slow things down and enjoy the beautiful area in which we live...and the amazing people I get to share it all with.
On Friday (July 19th), I took Jonas and his friend, Lane, to Lowe's Xtreme AirSports. He was excited to have Lane join him. They jumped, flipped, and climbed for two hours before we grabbed lunch then came home.
Saturday (July 20th) Jonas and I did a little back to school shopping. He hates it when I say the "s" word - school - haha! He is definitely not ready to go back. Thankfully, he still had days to hang out with friends or let his imagination take him to far off lands where he engaged in unseen battles. I love his imagination. I love that he isn't afraid to go outside and play by himself. I guess he doesn't have much of a choice since it's often hard to coordinate times with friends and he doesn't have a sibling near his age. Recently, he took the swings and used them as a ladder to get higher on the chains. He would then tell me that when he was swinging, he was imagining that he was flying in a fighter plane. I know our summers are often busy, but those moments, when I see him playing outside or riding his motorbike with all his military gear on, make my heart happy.
Wednesday (July 24th) we celebrated Pioneer Day! Jeff, Jonas, and I headed to Heber for lunch at Granny's before meeting up with Jacob and Amber at Deer Creek to play on the inflatable obstacle course. We had a blast (although we missed the others)! Jeff, Jacob, and Jonas ran all over that course while Amber and I floated serenely on the paddle boards. After we were thoroughly exhausted, we went back to the house where Laurin and her little family met us for dinner, more swimming, and a fireworks. I can't say we've really established fixed Pioneer Day traditions, but any excuse to have fun and get together, we make happen!
That weekend we celebrated Jonas's birthday (see next post). I can't believe he's 9! As if all the parties weren't enough, we decided to head to Lagoon on Monday, July 29th. It was just Jonas and I. He has been working hard to read enough pages to earn this reward. Reading is not his favorite thing to do, but with a little incentive, he achieved his goal. We had a blast! It was a looong day...and Jonas, of course, wanted to stay until nearly closing (we left at 8:00, when some of the bigger rides started to shut down the lines), but we rode all the rides we wanted to and many of them several times. I love making these memories with Jonas. I love that Jeff works hard for us to play. Haha! (Actually, he was invited but quickly passed on that opportunity. Lagoon is not his favorite.) I only have so many summers with Jonas...and I can't believe this one is almost over!
