Summer 2014: Week 7 - More visitors!

Don't let the serene sunset picture fool you! This week was just as fun-filled, action-packed as the previous 4 weeks have been!! I can't believe that summer is more than half over...then again, when I consider everything we've done this summer, I can't believe we have any summer left! After returning from LA, we spent the next day cleaning the house and preparing for our next guests. On Sunday, (July 13th) my friend, Dana, and her 5 kids came up to visit. I've known Dana since my undergrad years at ASU. We reconnected when I bought my little townhouse and moved to Chandler. We served in the YW together and bonded during a few girls' camp adventures. She is such a remarkable woman. She is always serving others and is so patient and polite. She is also incredibly talented in all the areas I wish I had an ounce of talent. Sigh! Oh well...to some it is simply given to admire the talents of others. This was the first time her kids had been to Utah. They came up earlier that weekend to stay with some other friends and had already seen Temple Square and Provo. Sunday evening they made their way to our house for the rest of the week. We had dinner together then just sat out on the back deck to enjoy the sunset and plan the rest of the week. Luckily, neither Dana or her kids are very fast-paced so there were moments we were able to just enjoy sitting and chatting rather than being constantly on the go. In fact, her kids really enjoyed feeding the animals and just hanging out on the farm. 

TJ, Dallin and Danny shooting air soft guns off the deck.

Monday (14th) we spent around the house. Dana took her eldest son, TJ, to BYU for a week-long track camp (the real reasons they came to Utah). After she returned, we did a quick meal plan and headed to the grocery store while the kids enjoyed the slip-n-slide out back.

From left to right: Lydia, Natalie, Elaina, Danny, and Tyler

Once we returned from the grocery store, we took the Burnetts on a 4-wheeler ride up West Mountain. They were naturals!

The kids helping me put the tractor away after stowing the 4-wheelers in the shop.

That evening, for family night, we took the Burnetts to a couple houses in our ward to pick some fresh cherries and apricots. This was the first time Dana and her kids had even seen a cherry tree. They loved it! I had to keep reminding them to only pick what we were going to eat though. I think they enjoyed the picking process more than the eating process.

On Tuesday (15th), we took the kids to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. This museum has been opened for several months now, but is still SUPER busy! Luckily, it's a large enough museum that you don't feel over-crowded. We let the kids explore at their own pace. We brought along a picnic lunch to eat so that the kids play time wouldn't be interrupted. Again, I think these types of activities (especially if the kids enjoy them) are so fun...and educational.

Elaina, Natalie, Tyler, Danny and Dallin

Lydia, Natalie, and Danny in the background

Wednesday (16th), we took the kids to the Provo Rec Center to swim. My kids have Seven Peaks passes, but I enjoy the less-crowded Rec Center. Dana agreed that the price was better at the Rec Center and the enjoyment was just about the same. I even went down the slides with Danny and Dallin. We had a blast!

Danny, Dallin, Elaina, and Natalie

Dana and Lydia

 Wednesday evening, Dana and I got the kids set up then we went out for a little girls' night out (although we'd already stayed up chatting until 1:00 a.m. the previous morning). I took Dana to the Springville Museum of Art and out to dinner at the Art City Trolley. Unfortunately, I didn't grab any pictures (mostly because I left my phone at home), but we enjoyed our time away. Thursday (17th) morning, Dana's husband, Travis, flew into town. They spent the morning at our house while the kids showed Travis the farm, then they went to BYU to explore some more museums and watch TJ's final track meet. The kids and I decided to stay home. The girls have been working two jobs each now that cherry harvesting season has started...so when they're not at work, they're sleeping. We've hardly seen them. The boys have been enjoying all the fun activities of the last 5 weeks of summer, but I think they'd had enough of museums and needed a little rest. After returning from BYU, we waited until dark then set off some fireworks with the Burnetts. This is always a cool thing for Arizonans to do since fireworks aren't legal (well some little ones are) in Arizona.

Friday (18th) was the Burnetts last day with us. We woke up early that morning to take them on our favorite hike up Santaquin Canyon before they had to get back to pack and leave. It was so much fun having them visit. I have loved my ward up here in Utah, but I don't feel I've made many close friends as I did back in Arizona. There are so many wonderful women that live near me, but our busy lives don't lend themselves to really taking time out for a girls lunch or other activities. It was just nice to have someone visit that I've known for years. It was great to celebrate our lives together and catch up on what we've missed. Other than family, a close friend is the best company to have.

TJ, Natalie, Elaina, Jeff, Danny, Travis

Dana, Tyler, Travis, and Lydia

Danny, TJ, Elaina, Tyler, and Natalie

Jeff and I

After they left, the boys and I got to work cleaning the house before Laurin returned from her normal CNA job to sleep until she had to work at Payson Fruit Growers all night. It took a couple hours to get the house all cleaned and back to normal, but we did it. The boys are great at helping out! Sometimes they don't want to do it, but once they get started, they don't stop until we're all finished. I feel like a very lucky mommy to have such great kids! Once we did stop, this was how I found the boys! I think it's finally time for the summer to start to slow down!

Saturday (19th) everything was back to "normal" (if you can call anything the Southwicks do "normal"). The house was cleaned and back in order. Groceries were re-stocked. Weeds were pulled. The lawn was mowed...and we still found time to have some fun. Since Jeff and I bought a Thanksgiving Point membership, I've been receiving notifications about activities there. Some of the activities come at a discounted price and others are free. Well today's Jigglefest was FREE! You know me...I'm all about trying to find free fun. So what is a Jigglefest?! It is just a huge Jell-O fight. Thanksgiving Gardens decided to throw a party to celebrate all things Utah...or at least some things Utah. There was a Dutch Oven cook-off with funeral potatoes and fry sauce as well. Then, of course, you can't mock Utah without a jiggly jab at the quintessential Mormon go-to salad, Jell-O. They filled up baby pools with Jell-O every half hour then let everyone who wanted to join in a Jell-O fight. I went with the intention of joining, but after seeing the sticky, color-stained aftermath, I decided to let the boys enjoy it on their own. Once they filled the pools and let the crowds loose, I lost sight of the boys. I found out later that Danny jumped into the first Jell-O filled baby pool he came to and just started covering himself (and others) in Jell-O). Dallin was also at the same pool, but had enough sense to stay out of it and just throw handfuls of Jell-O in the air. Both of the boys were COVERED in Jell-O once it was over. Luckily, the event organizers were smart enough to turn on the sprinklers and let everyone rinse off. I enjoyed watching the boys have so much fun. At least now they can't claim I never let them have a food fight! It was a great way to end a fun week. I'm happy and a little sad that things are going to slow down. I'm also a little nervous as to how I'm going to deal with the "I'm bored" moments. Good thing there are always chores to be done on the farm. Plus, we only have a few weeks left to get the kids ready for school so there will still be plenty to do. This year we actually sat down with the boys (and will sit down with the girls) to come up with a back-to-school budget together. I don't think Dallin really enjoyed the process (because he likes spending Mom and Dad's money on all things Nike), but it was a good teaching opportunity to discuss needs/wants. I still think he was pleased with the outcome and also gained a greater understanding for budgeting. This may be an annual ritual.