July fun!

It's July...and you know what that means... FAMILY'S in TOWN! Since I've been married, my sister, Nichole, her kids (although now that Tyler's an adult, he doesn't come anymore), and my parents join us for a week or more in July. It's probably my kids' favorite week. It's a week of non-stop fun! This year, Nichole and Kate flew into town on June 30th late at night and left July 10th. (They spent the 4th of July weekend in Logan with Ryan's family.) Mom and Dad drove up the first and stayed through the 14th. And, my cousin, Renee, and her kids (Azzi, Quincy, and Jet) along with her niece, Sadie, also joined us from the 6th through the 11th. There were a few days when people were staying at other houses, but for the most part it was a part at the Southwick's! Some days were more chill than others, but most of the time we were running from sun up to sun down! The party started on the 1st with a giant 25-foot inflatable water slide. I knew those who had just traveled weren't looking for a crazy first day so we got to chill at home while the kids enjoyed the water slide. I even went down a few times. It was fast! I couldn't believe how much air we would catch as we slid down. The kids had a blast! (Except Addie who simply preferred the splash pad.)

Once everyone was tired, we had dinner then headed to the Red Barn (a summer tradition) for ice cream. Krystle left from there and Nichole had previous dinner plans with friends. Dad took off with Jeff and Danny so Kate, Jonas, Mom, and I took the side-by-side over to the church to allow Kate and Jonas to practice their driving skills. Kate's going to be 14, but already looking forward to when she can get her license.

The next day (Friday, July 2nd), the Tanners went camping and Nichole and Kate made plans with more friends so Jonas, Mom, Dad and I took a picnic up Payson Canyon to enjoy the slightly cooler weather and beautiful scenery. I even drove them to Pete Winward reservoir where we practiced skipping rocks. 

On Saturday, July 3rd, we started our day with a stroll around Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. There was a Lego exhibit throughout the gardens that was fun to find. I love these gardens. Dad had never been here when it wasn't Christmas. He enjoyed seeing the gardens in their entirety and we all admired the countless hours of Lego creations.

That evening, we decided to hit Chubby's for dinner before watching the new movie, Witnesses, about the 3 witnesses of the Book of Mormon. This was the first time my parents had stepped back into a movie theater since the pandemic hit. Arizona has had more stringent restrictions for longer than Utah has. And of course, we had to take the BelAir.

My parents moved to Krystle's house to stay for the next few days on Monday, July 5th (see the 4th of July entry for details about how we celebrated Independence Day). Tuesday, July 6th, was a pretty chill day too. Jonas and I were able to get a few things done around the house before heading up to spend the rest of the afternoon at Krystle's house. We were there when Nichole came back to town and when Renee made it in as well. On Wednesday (July 7th), we picked things back up again! The girls went to tea at Taste while Jeff took Jonas and Jet to Lowe's to play. It was a win-win for everyone!

Once we finished up in Provo, we headed to Lehi to meet up with the Tanners and Mom and Dad. Nichole decided to take all the girls to Butterfly Biosphere while the rest of us took of rowdy boys (plus Addie) to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. I love that these boys get along so well. I love that they like to explore and experiment. It is so fun to watch their little minds grow!

Before we headed south, we took a little detour to see the largest US flag in the US. It is a 1/4 acre big and 400 pounds! I have seen it from the freeway but never up close. It was pretty amazing. The walk up to the flag was lined with the flags from all 50 states. Kind of a cool thing to experience.

Thursday (July 8th) we headed to Provo Rec Center for the afternoon. You can never go wrong with a day at the water park! We discovered an indoor, water ninja obstacle course that Jonas absolutely LOVED! The best part was the park had something for everyone. We spent a few hours there before going home to clean up.

That evening, we went to Sandy's for a big dinner with my Tarwater cousins. Many of us haven't seen Renee is several years so it was fun to get together to catch up. I am truly grateful for my family. I know we're not perfect. I know there are sometimes big emotions and hard things to deal with, but we keep showing up and keep loving.

Friday (July 9th) was by far our busiest and funnest day! We met up with Mom, Dad, and the Tanners at Ashton Gardens. Even though Jonas, Mom, Dad, and I had already experienced the gardens, everyone else wanted a chance to walk through as well. It was just a breathtaking the second time around. I love this little oasis in the middle of urban chaos.

From there, we split up again. Mom, Dad, and the Tanners went back to their house while the rest of us met up with Renee and Jet (Jet wasn't feeling well in the morning so they opted to skip the gardens) in Provo Canyon before heading up to Deer Creek. The rest of the night was a blast on the water! All the kids, Renee, and I got to experience the Wibit - an inflatable obstacle course on the lake. I have to admit I wasn't quite as adventurous as the others. However, I did delight in watching everyone take the occasional tumble into the water. I was really proud of Jonas. He was relentless! He never gave up. He conquered all the obstacles in his own way. 

When we finished with the Wibit, Danny and Jeff met up with us with the boat! For the next couple hours, we cruised around the lake, kneeboarded, and swam. All the kids agreed this was the best day of the whole week!

Saturday (July 10th) we slowed things down a little. We started our day with Jonas's birthday party (see Jonas's birthday post for more details). After the party, I took a small group to the Scottish Festival. Dad was most excited about this. He has done more of his family history to find ties to Scotland, specifically to a clan from the Highland. He was thrilled to be able to find his clan. He signed up for a membership and bought a shirt. Kate also enjoyed looking at all the different clan shirts.

After the festival, I took Nichole and Kate to the airport. The next day Renee and her kids left early in the morning to head to Montana to meet up with more of her siblings and nieces/nephews. Life started to slow down a bit. Mom and Dad came back to our house on Sunday (July 11th) to stay the remainder of the trip. Monday (July 12th) was an errand/chore day; however, Tuesday (July 13th) we headed back over to Krystle's for one last hang out before Mom and Dad left. Papa took all the boys to the park and to get ice cream at Arctic Circle. 

Mom and Dad left early the next morning. Wednesday (July 14th) was another day of chores and putting the house back in order. Family was gone. The party was over...or was it? Danny left the night before for a priest campout so on Thursday (July 15th) I took Jonas out on a little date. We've kept up our dates for the summer. Each week, we've tried to do something fun. This week, we decided to go to lunch then to see the new Boss Baby 2 movie. We were also able to fit in a haircut and a little back-to-school shopping. I can't believe the summer is half over. There are only 5 more weeks until school starts...and those weeks will go by just as fast as the previous weeks. Dallin comes home the day after Jonas's birthday then we have a few weekend trips planned before the kids go back to school. It's crazy! I don't know what I'm going to do when Jonas is in school all day. Time goes by too fast; I have to treasure the little moments, like this date.

Just to finish out the week, on Saturday (July 17th), Jeff, Jonas and I decided to hike the Y. I hate this hike! I'm not even kidding. It's a little over a mile straight up then a mile straight down. I prefer the down, but to get to the down, you have to go up. This was not what I wanted to do, but Jeff did...and that was all it took for me to be on board. I have to admit, after about the third switchback though, I started to feel a little better. Yes, it was hard. No, it is still not my favorite hike, but it was worth it for the lessons learned. Today Jonas learned he can do hard things. I was so proud of him! He didn't complain. He did want to stop to rest then he would get a burst of energy. He worked through those moments of wondering if he would ever make it. We discussed how life is much like that trail. We talked about how it's ok not to be the first to the top, but to never give up. It doesn't matter how long it takes; it just matters that we make it in the end. 

It has been a crazy two and a half weeks, but I loved it all! I love being with my family. I love that I am still in-touch with my extended family. I love that we have the ability to host so many people at our house. I love that we have the means to do these fun activities. I just feel extremely blessed!