July fun!

Lest anyone think that we have been hibernating this month, we have not! Just as in past years, we have enjoyed family visits and fast-paced fun for the past couple of weeks. Yes, COVID-19 is still an ever-present concern. Yes, we have had to wear face masks and been more aware of keeping our distance from others. No, that hasn't stopped us. Nichole and Kate flew up 4th of July weekend but headed straight to Logan to spend time with some of Ryan's family. Nichole flew home after the weekend, but Kate stayed all week. Finally, Saturday (July 11th) was our turn! Kate has been referred to as my boys' "summer sister". Jonas adores her...much to her dismay at times. Haha! She is learning patience. We decided to kick off our few weeks of fun with a trip to Lagoon. Jeff and I have debated taking a trip this summer or even in the fall; however, there is still so much uncertainty regarding what is open, state-mandated quarantines for visitors, etc. so we have opted to wait until things settle down (which right now, Utah cases are rising and we're not the only state). Therefore, we figured taking the kids to Lagoon for a day was the least we could do to make the summer a little fun. So we piled in the car, grabbed our face masks, and prepared for a day of stomach-churning rollercoaster rides. We met up with Kate near Lagoon then ran over to the park to enjoy our day. We split up for the first part of the day. Jeff and I took Jonas to the kid area while Scott, Kaia, Kate, and Danny headed to some of the bigger rides that Jonas can't go on yet. The kid rides are actually more my speed! I used to ride coasters without any problems, but in the past few years, motion-sickness has quelled my quest for speed. Jonas enjoyed the "little kid" rides but was anxious to try the bigger coasters. He is actually tall enough to ride several of the "big kid" rides. He was so excited! We all met up for lunch, cooled off with a quick ride down Rattlesnake Rapids, then headed for the "big kid" section. His first larger coaster ride was Colossus! He sat by me and had a look of pure terror on his face as we took off! I couldn't help but laugh. I think it was much faster and definitely loopier than he expected. Still, he was determined to keep going. Next up, Wicked! This time he rode with the kids...and was even more terrified! Let's just say, he didn't want to ride either coaster again. Yet, he was still set on riding all the rides he could. I was proud of how brave he was...although I'm pretty sure he was happy to go back to the "little kid" rides.  We stayed until everyone rode everything they wanted to. We enjoyed a leisurely ride on the gondolas, a sickening amount of sugar in funnel cakes, and several return rides on Bombora coaster (that was Jonas's favorite coaster because it was "medium"). It wasn't quite as scary as the bigger coasters, but faster than the kid ones. Finally, we were exhausted (and mildly nauseous). It was the best way to start our weeks together!

On our way south, we dropped Kate off with the Tanners to spend the first few days on her time in Utah County. During those days, Danny had drivers ed, Jeff had work, and Jonas and I got to continue to play. On Monday (July 13th), we met up with Kate and the Tanners at Sandy's house for some homemade pizza and yummy chocolate cupcakes! The boys loved playing in their pirate boat tree house.

We headed to Krystle's after that where I left Jonas for a sleepover with his cousins. Krystle picked up some cute crafts that kept the kids occupied for the evening.

The following day (Tuesday, July 14th) the kids decided to do a car wash. I'm not sure what was more washed when they were through - the car or them. They enjoyed a picnic outside and ice-cream-in-a-bag that evening. Jonas definitely didn't want to leave when I came to pick him up!

On Wednesday (July 15th), Jonas and I met up with everyone after swim lessons. This time, we met at a park in American Fork for a picnic. It was a cute little park with a stream running through it. The kids spent more time playing in the water than on the playground. Plus, they enjoyed scrambling up and down whatever tree they could climb. 

Kate finally got to come stay with us on Thursday (July 16th). We met up with the Tanners and Kate at Bridal Veil falls for the exchange. We hiked back to the falls then up the falls! Kate was determined to make it all the way up...and all the little boys followed! Unfortunately, once they made it to the top, a couple of the boys were a little freaked out. I took them down to a spot where they could sit while Kate, Nolan, and Jonas continued to explore the falls. I have to admit, I was glad once we finally made it to the bottom again with everyone in one piece!

On Friday (July 17th), I took Kate, Kaia, and Jonas to Splash Summit waterpark. This has been another fun activity this summer. Danny and Jonas have been several times and love it. Jonas is my little fish! The girls had fun too, but they were more than willing to leave after just a few hours...and I was more than ok with that. We made sure to sweeten the deal for Jonas with a trip to get a Gelata at Zeppes on the way home.

During our downtime at the house, the kids have had fun playing in the splash pad, water painting, playing the ukulele, coloring with sidewalk chalk, having picnics, jumping on the trampoline, dunking themselves in the redneck swimming pool, rode mules, drove the side-by-side, and so much more.

Saturday (July 18th), Kate, Jonas, and I got up early to hit the Farmers Market in Provo. Kate has had a "summer bucket list" that we've been working on. Because of the coronavirus, she's kept it pretty simple with things like make popsicles, roast S'mores, etc. She also included a farmers market so we checked that off the list! 

After we got home, we grabbed Kaia, Scott, Krystle, and Addie and headed to my friend, Shannon's, flower farm. The girls were super excited to wander through her garden and greenhouse! You seriously feel like Alice in Wonderland. Her flowers are HUGE! The girls got to pick whatever they wanted then came home and made a flower arrangement. 

That afternoon, Nichole finally flew back up to Utah to join us for Kate's final week of summer Utah fun. Kate was so excited to have Nichole back up here with us. Sunday (July 19th) we finally returned to church. We have not attended our ward since March. With the virus, there was too much risk to gather together. We have loved experiencing the ordinance of the sacrament in our home. We have enjoyed studying the scriptures together.(The following few pictures are of when we "buried our swords" after learning about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies earlier in the month.) However, it was nice to be able to be back at our church building with at least some of our ward family. (We still have to split the congregation to abide by government regulations for how many people can gather.) That afternoon/evening, we celebrated Jonas's birthday! I can't believe he's 5! I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have already cried just thinking about sending him to kindergarten next month. In any case, I'll chronicle his party and all the birthday fun in my next post. Stay tuned!

Monday (July 20th) we kept the fun going with an inflatable bounce house/water slide! We even busted out the massive slip-and-slide. All the kids (even the Tanner boys who had spent the night) spent the entire day wet and outside. And, of course, we had to wrap the day up with a trip to get ice cream at the Red Barn.

Tuesday (July 21st) was geared more towards the adolescents. Jonas is simply lucky enough to be an "only" little kid so it's easy to drag him along. First, we headed to Provo River to go rafting. I have never floated the river. It definitely wasn't the most thrilling ride, but we had fun.

Next, we headed to Deer Creek to let the older kids play on an inflatable obstacle course in the reservoir. They had a BLAST! I'm sure they would have stayed another hour or more if they could have. While they were climbing, jumping, falling, etc., Jonas and I swam in the reservoir. He is such a little fish. Thank goodness for swim lessons and lifevests!

On the way home, we stopped for some treats at William's Dairy Bar and Chip. After all, what's a family gathering without sugar?!

Wednesday (July 22nd) was definitely more low-key. We had originally planned to meet up with some of our Tarwater cousins for lunch then go on a little hike with the Tanners, but rain modified our plans. Instead, we went to Sandy's for lunch then Krystle and I took the little kids back to her house to play while Nichole took Kate and Kaia to the outlet malls. Thursday (July 23rd) we ramped up the activities again! This time, it was a girls day. Thank goodness for Kaia! She got to be my pseudo-daughter for the day. We met up with Nichole and Kate's friends, Alysha and Adele, for the day. We started with tea at Taste in downtown Provo. We all really enjoyed it! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was classy. 

Next, we decided to do a little shopping at the Riverwoods before our cake decorating appointment. I got a couple shirts and some yummy smelling hand sanitizers (I'm tired of the bland Purell kind, especially since it's become more utilized), but our favorite find of the day was Moon's Rare Books and Antiques! I'm serious! I have been raving about this place since we discovered it. This place is like a museum! This gentleman, Mr. Moon, has collected some of the coolest pieces of literature EVER! An employee, Karen, walked us through some of the collection. We saw a first edition Book of Mormon, a Bible from 1482, a "thumb" Bible, an oil lamp from Christ's day, a first edition Harry Potter signed by Daniel Radcliff, a copy of Thomas Payne's Common Sense, a first edition Federalist paper, and so much more. I literally called Jeff after we left the store and told him we needed to come back!

Finally, we went to Cake Creation's Studio so the girls could create their cake masterpieces! I am actually very impressed with all their abilities. The cakes were so cute! I really enjoyed spending the day with the girls. Being a boy-mom can have its limitations!

The following day was Pioneer Day (Friday, July 24th). Our week was coming to a quick close. Laurin and Casey drove down to spend the weekend with us. We woke up early and started our day with a 5k walk from the Provo Temple to the Provo City Center temple. Nichole and I did this "temple-to-temple" walk last year. We really enjoyed it. It allowed us an opportunity to reflect on our own pioneer heritage as we walked. It was the perfect way to frame our day. This year was a little different. Because of COVID-19, there was no official organization of the 5k. However, the walk organizers still made shirts, provided maps, and encouraged people to have their own walks...which is what we did. It was nice to have more of the family join us this year. I was even proud of Jonas who rode his bike the entire way! I thought for sure I'd be walking his bike part way and he'd be riding on Jeff's shoulders.

Just a fun truck we saw on the walk. Jeff rarely asks me to take a picture of him, but he seriously wanted this one!

The rest of the day we just chilled at the house with family. Sandy, Don, and Cooper joined us as well. That evening, we enjoyed our version of a pioneer feast with steak, chicken, baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, biscuits, and of course, pie! We ended our festivities with some fireworks. Jonas was excited that Uncle Scott got up on the roof with him to watch the show.

Saturday (July 25th), we headed up to City Creek Center to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and do some shopping. That night, the older kids got to do an escape room at Get Out Games while the adults had dinner at Black Sheep Cafe. (Jonas got to hang out with Gma Penny.) Nichole and Kate finally left on Sunday (July 26th). I was pretty sad to see them go. I miss having them around. I miss my parents too. They didn't get to come up this month because of concerns about the virus. I can't wait until life can return to some semblance of "normal". Still, we had a BLAST while everyone was here! I'm grateful for family. I'm grateful that, even with restrictions, we can still find fun. The next month will be interesting. Fingers crossed that in-person school instruction will resume next month. Until then, we'll just enjoy what's left of summer!