Tuesday, July 1st, Danny returned home from his mission (see Welcome Home post). That evening, Jonas got to go spend the night at the Tanner's house. Their neighborhood hosted a little Canada Day celebration. They played street hockey, had poutine fries, and Canada Dry ginger ale. Nothing super big; just something simple for those Canadians that live in her area.
The next day (Wednesday, July 2nd), the Tanners, Nichole, Kate, and Jonas went on a hike up American Fork Canyon. The hike led them to some waterfalls where Kate encouraged Jonas to do a "polar plunge". I guess the water was pretty chilly. They lasted about 3 minutes.
Once they were done with the hike, Nichole and Kate (who had been staying with Krystle) packed up and brought Jonas south, but the day wasn't over. We loaded up the boat and headed to Yuba so Danny could get out on the surf board. That was the one thing he wanted to do right after he got home. He actually wanted us to show up at the airport with the boat, but we convinced him to wait a day. The weather held just long enough that Danny, Kate, and Jonas had some surf time then the wind picked up. Still, it was enough to satisfy Danny...at least for a little bit.
Thursday, July 3rd, Jonas, Nichole, Kate, and I went on a little excursion to Midway. This is seriously one of the cutest towns in Utah County. It looks like a little town in the Swiss Alps. We went to explore a Taylor Swift themed bookstore (Kate loves Taylor Swift) and found so much more! We stopped in a little Christmas store, grabbed some chocolate, ate lunch at a cute little diner, and wandered the streets of downtown.
After lunch, we met up with the Irons and Tanners in Lehi for a scavenger hunt. We've done these city scavenger hunts before. Just something fun to pass the time. We go to a location, upload a photo, then move on to the next. It was a little hotter than we would have liked, but everyone had a great attitude...and we grabbed some ice cream in the end.
That evening, we headed to Don and Sandy's to celebrate Don's birthday. The boys had fun throwing axes and of course, playing on the pirate ship.
The day after the 4th, Jonas and I met up with the Lowes, the Tanners, Sandy, Steph, and Cooper at a small reservoir in Pleasant Grove. Sandy was nice enough to haul all of her paddle boards and kayaks for everyone to enjoy. We even rolled out her foam mat to play on. Afterwards, the Lowes took Jonas to a candy store (of course, because Ryan was in town) before coming back to the house. It was a quick week with Nichole in town. We didn't do nearly as much stuff as we've done in the past, but I'm grateful for what we were able to cram into the few days they were here.
Sunday, July 6th, was Ava's baby blessing. This sweet little angel was blessed by her father, Casey, at church. After sacrament meeting, Laurin hosted a little brunch at the bowery outside her church building.
Jacob's birthday was that day too. Once our kids get married, I step away from the birthday party planning for them, but since he was at the house for a pre-dinner before meeting up with his parents, we shoved a candle in a blackberry and sang happy birthday. It's the thought that counts, right?
The month continued with fun activities and outings with Jonas and the grandkids. Summer is always more fun for Jonas when he gets to hang out with his nephews and nieces. From playing in the splash pad to wrestling in the living room, Jonas loves Carter, Everly, Beau and Ava.
On Wednesday, July 9th, we took the Irons's kiddos to the Butterfly Biosphere. The kids had fun playing in the museum area, but they all loved the biosphere best. Each of them were able to catch a butterfly to hold. We even placed one on little Ava. Jonas was excited to catch and hold different kinds. When we went with his class, he could only get the beautiful blue ones to hop on his finger. This time he got a red one too.
The next day (Thursday, July 10th), Jonas and I invited Carter to join us to watch the live action Disney movie, Lilo and Stitch. Carter had done so well helping out with his sisters at the Butterfly Biosphere that we felt he deserved some "big boy" time without the little girls. He actually did really well during the movie. I have a feeling we'll be inviting him out more often.
Friday, July 11th, I took Jonas out on a little date. Our summer has been so busy! We haven't had a lot of time to just hang out so we decided to take advantage of a free Friday. In the morning, we ran over to Shannon's flower farm to pick some flowers for Danny's homecoming that Sunday. Jonas likes to create his own bouquets so we looped this into our date day. We grabbed the flowers and arranged them then took off to Lowe's Xtreme AirSports. This has always been a favorite for Jonas. I've been bringing him here since he was a toddler. He loves to challenge himself with new jumps, twists, and tricks. This time, he actually made it up the warped wall! He was so proud of himself. We ended our date with our free slurpee since it was 7/11!
Saturday, July 12th, we took the whole family out on the boat. The weather was perfect!...and Danny finally got more time out on the boards/tubes. We spent the day buzzing around Yuba as the kids surfed and tubed. I even got out there with Carter, Everly, and Jonas on the tube. Unfortunately, we got dunked when the tube went under the water. Carter and Everly weren't super excited to get back on the tube, but they did...if only for a little while.
The following Wednesday (July 16th), Jonas and I returned to Lowe's with Carter, Everly, and Ava. Jonas isn't the only one who loves this place. I love it too because I can just sit back with Ava and let all the kids run until they can't run anymore. I have really loved watching the kiddos every week. Moments like these is what make life so fun! I loved it so much that even during Laurin's maternity leave, I still offered to watch Carter and Everly. Now that she's returned to work, we get Ava too. However, she's going to decrease her hours in September, which means that I may only have to watch the kids once a month...but I still may grab them for fun outings when I can.
Wednesday (July 23rd), Jonas and I got to hang out with the Irons again. This time, I took the kids to the main park in Spanish Fork while Jonas was in taekwondo then we moved to Cole Park in Salem to let the kids get wet in the splash pad and continue to explore the playgrounds. We had a picnic while we were there then grabbed a treat from Soda Retreat before going home.
Thursday, July 24th, was Pioneer Day...just another reason to gather with family and celebrate! Jeff, Danny, Jonas and I went to see the new F1 movie in the afternoon before meeting up with everyone else at the house for dinner that evening. We grilled steaks, had baked potatoes, biscuits, and corn on the cob with pie (of course) for dessert. Our pool was under repair for some fiberglass cracks so the boys busted out the large slip-and-slide. They had a blast careening down the slippery slope over and over again. As the sun set, we rolled up the tarp and brought out the bows. The older boys sighted in their bows while the kiddos enjoyed the Nerf bows and arrows. Once they tired of that, we sat down and had a ruckus game of duck-duck-goose. I don't think we've ever laughed so hard. We ended the night with a little fireworks show.
Tuesday, July 29th, Jeff, Jonas and I went to see the new Marvel movie, Fantastic 4. This summer has actually been a pretty decent new movie summer. I enjoy watching movies. I like that I can just step out of life for a couple of hours and be immersed in a different story. This wasn't my favorite Marvel movie, but it definitely wasn't my least favorite! What can I say? I'm still a sucker for the Marvel universe...even with some bad movies in the batch.
Wednesday, July 30th, was a fun-packed day! I was watching the Irons again so we decided to explore the new Kidstopia in Spanish Fork. I love finding new places to entertain the kids. They all had a blast! Even Ava.
That evening, we met up with all the big kids at the Rainbow Bay Aquapark for another fun adventure. Jeff and I bought these tickets for the whole family as a Christmas present. It took us a bit to finally find a day/time that would work for everyone, but I'm glad we did. We had the place to ourselves! It was so much fun watching the bigger kids run around all while slipping and sliding everywhere. The little kids stayed on the trampoline, except Everly who climbed onto a paddle board with me. I love that our kids (and grandkids) want to hang out together. Jeff and I are very aware that it isn't our sparkling personalities that draw them together. I just love being a part of it all.
Our month ended (and the next month began; July 31st - August 2nd) with a little Ralph Southwick family reunion at East Canyon State Park. This was a good majority of Rodney's siblings and their families. I can't recall a single Ralph Southwick family reunion since we've been married. Jeff had fun interacting with his cousins, aunts, and uncles. We played in the reservoir, hung out at a pavilion, and enjoyed camping in the trailer.
I wish I could say that things will slow down from here...but they won't! August will be just as packed with final summer fun...then school starts. I can't believe summer 2025 is nearly over.
