Flaming Gorge 2022

I can't believe we've reached the end of summer! Each year, I experience the same mixed emotions. I'm sad to say goodbye to the carefree days of summer, but I'm ready to welcome back the routine (and sanity) of the school year. But, before welcoming back that peace and sanity, we spent one more crazy weekend enjoying the last of summer at Flaming Gorge. This year we had a smaller group with us. In fact, it was just our little family minus Laurin, Casey, Carter, and Everly...and plus one of Amber's friends, Sarah. All in all, there were only 8 of us. I was a little sad that we didn't have any of the Irons with us or Scott or Kaia, but even with a smaller group, we still had the maximum amount of fun. We got there on Thursday (August 11th) with enough time to set up camp, grab a quick bite to eat, then head out on the lake for a couple of hours. This time, it was just the boys and I; Jacob, Amber, and Sarah hadn't arrived yet. We went straight for the bridge to do some cliff jumping before Danny and Dallin took some time surfing. All the boys were in heaven! Jonas was just content to swim. The first time he jumped in, he exclaimed, "The water's thick!" We are not sure what that meant, but we know he loved being in it. He wasn't really interested in getting on a board that night, but Danny introduced him to what we affectionately called "bubble jumping" and he LOVED it! Basically, Jeff just takes off and the boys jump in the "bubbles" created from the boat's wake. I'm sure the boys would have stayed on the water all night if they could have, but once it started to get dark, we pulled the boat into the marina for the night.

The next day (Friday, August 12th), we started the day on the river. We grabbed our raft and a couple kayaks and floated the river twice. I always enjoy this day. The river is so pretty and it's just a slower day. When we're on the boat, the kids want to crank up the music and it's always go, go, go with the water sports. I love watching them on the boards and I'm ok with the music (sometimes it's louder than I would like), but there's just something about slowing things down and enjoying some physical activity as we paddle down river. Of course, we stopped at a few rocks so the kids could jump, and of course, there were a few water fights, but all in all, I just enjoyed slower pace.

That evening, after we returned the rafts and grabbed dinner, we sped things up a bit and went back out of the lake for a couple hours before the sun set. Jonas did more "bubble jumping" and the boys surfed. Jacob wasn't feeling well all weekend so he either opted to stay at the camp or just chilled on the boat. Amber and Sarah were just content to enjoy the boat that night as well.

However, the next day (Saturday, August 13th), the girls joined the boys on the boards. It was a first for both Amber and Sarah to get up on a wake or surfboard. They were pretty excited!...and so was Jonas! Yup! He actually decided to give it a try. Danny jumped in the water to give him some pointers and help him get up...and he did! I was screaming pretty loud when he finally popped up. He did it about 3 times. I was so proud of him for trying and even more excited to see him succeed. Dallin also jumped in the water with Amber to help her out. I'm grateful for kids who love and support each other. My mama heart smiled wide as I watched them help each other out. They may have their disagreements (and that can be putting it mildly at times), but they are always there for each other. The kids also found places to do a little cliff jumping and swimming as well. Jacob stayed home during the morning, but we picked him up at the marina mid-afternoon. We found a couple of places that he could go fishing. The kids jumped on the rocks with him the first time, but Jonas was the only one to join him during his second time/location fishing. We stayed out as long as we could on the lake. No one was in a hurry to end the fun. Finally, we pulled the boat off the lake and headed back to camp. We spent the evening playing games, grabbing ice cream, and just hanging out. Sunday morning (August 14th) we enjoyed a yummy breakfast, some more games, and a gospel discussion before finally packing up and heading home. It was a more somber ride home as everyone realized this was our final weekend of summer break. Summer 2022 has been a blast!

Lagoon

Today Jonas and I decided to join the Tanners for a day at Lagoon! Now, you'll soon see that Jeff joined us as well...although it wasn't his first choice. Because of my bout of vertigo a month ago, we weren't sure how I'd react to the rides and even with Jordan and Krystle there for back up, Jeff felt like he needed to go too. Thankfully, I did great! The vertigo didn't seem to effect me at all. I was so excited (however, I do still have moments when I feel a little dizzy or unbalanced; I'm still hopeful that I won't have to go through what I did on the 4th again)! Jonas had earned his Lagoon trip earlier in the summer, but we decided to cask it in when the Tanners would be there too. Jonas had a blast with his cousins! It was so fun to see them go on rides together without us (although we were still close by...they haven't reached the stage of total independence yet). We all had so much fun! I'm not sure Jonas will want to go to Lagoon without his cousins ever again! (What was even better is that we took all the boys home with us for one last summer sleepover before school started. It was a double fun day for all of them!)

Hello Miss Everly Rae Irons!

At about 2:00 this morning, I received a phone call from Casey. Laurin's water had broke an hour earlier and it was time to head to the hospital. Jeff and Danny had gone on a church camp out so I woke Jonas up (which is no small feat) and headed across town to watch Carter while Casey and Laurin headed to the hospital. She had considered waiting a little longer, but thankfully they didn't! Only about an hour and a half after they arrived, Miss Everly Rae made her appearance...and our hearts are bursting! The human heart is an interesting organ. Just when you think it couldn't possibly have any more room for love, it expands just enough to allow another person in. Everly is just perfect! She was 7 lbs, 18.5 inches long, and has a full head of red hair. Thankfully, there were no complications. Once Jonas and Carter got up, we went back to our house to play until I took Carter to the hospital. (Unfortunately, because of Jonas's age, he wasn't allowed to go to the hospital so he met her the next day...even before Jeff and Danny, who were still on the campout). I was grateful that I had the opportunity to see Carter meet his sister for the first time. It was the most tender experience to witness. He was so soft with her (which isn't totally out of character for him, but at the same time, he is a little boy who can sometimes be rough). At one point, he grabbed her little head and embraced her. I'm certain he understood more than we thought he would. He knew who this little angel was and immediately gave her the love and protection of a big brother. She is seriously the sweetest thing. I loved being able to hold her. I forget how tiny babies are. She was alert and awake as I talked with her. 

The next day (Thursday, August 4th - her actual due date), Jonas and I headed to the mall to buy Everly and Carter some gifts then we grabbed some chocolate chip cookies (because it was National Chocolate Chip Cookie day) and headed over to Laurin and Casey's house. Jonas was super excited to meet his niece and play with his nephew (earlier in the week, he lamented having to go back to school because he was concerned that he wouldn't get to see Carter as much and that it would affect their "bond"). Jonas just loved baby Everly! He wanted to hold her. Obviously, she didn't do much other than sleep, so he'd hold her as long as his attention would allow him, then pass her off to me, go play with Carter, then repeat.

Finally, that evening, Jeff and Danny met her (Dallin, Amber, and Jacob met her in the hospital the day she was born after Carter and I had left). They returned from their campout so we went back over to see Everly (which I didn't mind one bit!). Watching Jeff as a dad has been rewarding and almost sacred as I see him labor with his divinely appointed duties as father, but watching him as a grandfather is just as rewarding. He teared up as I showed him the video of Carter meeting Everly. His little girl just had a little girl and he couldn't be more happy.

We rounded out the introductions on Friday, August 5th, when Gma Penny and Grumpy got to meet her. To say we're all smitten would be an understatement. Jeff and I feel extremely blessed to be in this chapter of life. We are humbled that our children love us enough (even in all our flaws) to still want to be around us and share their children with us. Family truly is the only thing that matters. There are many things I wish I would have done differently in hindsight or aspects of parenting that I wish I didn't still struggle with, but I keep trying and I keep showing up...and I think that's all any of us can do. In the end, it's these small moments that matter most. It's the expanding of the heart that is the greatest reward.