Happy 4th of July (& beyond)

Happy Independence Day! I honestly can't believe we're already in July. June seems like a complete blur! This year the 4th landed on a Tuesday, but Jeff decided to make it a long weekend and took Monday off too. We invited his parents to go see the new Indiana Jones movie then we met up with Casey and the kids (Laurin was working) to go hike our favorite trail at the top of Santaquin Canyon. The canyon is still closed so we have to drive up Payson Canyon to access the trail, but it's worth it. I miss this little canyon! Jonas and I hiked this trail many times when he was younger. Because of mud slides, avalanches, and Spring run offs, the trail is wildly different than it ever was. There were moments where we lost the trail altogether and had to climb over some debris to find it again. We hiked for about an hour before we called it quits. Before we left the area, we walked down to the old campground, Tinney Flat,  that we used to enjoy over Labor Day weekend. Danny found evidence of our pellet gun target practices while Jonas remembered throwing the frisbee and sleeping in the tent. I miss that campsite! I really hope they decide to repair the roads in the canyon and open it back up one day.

For the 4th, we hosted another epic party. This year we had about 60 guests! I'm grateful for a home and land to have enough space to host events like this (although maybe we need to scale back our guest list for my sanity's sake. Haha!). The party started with lots of swimming and volleyball before we feasted. And, of course, the night ended with our best neighborhood fireworks show yet! (These get bigger each year too, but I'm ok with that.) I love the community we live in and the good friends (and family!) that we get to celebrate with!

Nichole and Kate were still in town for a few more days after the 4th...so the party continued! On Wednesday, July 5th, we dropped Danny off at the MTC (see Danny farewell post for further details). For the last 6+ weeks, we have been jumping from one party to trip to celebration for Danny so after we dropped him off, I didn't feel like doing much else. Thankfully, Nichole and Kate felt the same way. Kate (who was in Logan with other cousins for the 4th) had just made her way to Payson and was pretty exhausted from her own parties so we opted for a quiet night at home...and a quick trip to get ice cream at the Red Barn.

The next day (Thursday, July 6th), we sped things back up a bit with a girls day out. Jonas spent the day helping Jeff on a job up Hobble Creek Canyon. Nichole, Kate, and I started our girls day with a tea at Taste in downtown Provo. I love that Nichole and Kate will allow me to tag along on these girly outings. After tea (and indulging in some new chocolates), we headed to the mall to do some shopping. Once we finished there, we headed to the Riverwoods to roam around until we met up with Sandy for a sushi dinner. While at the Riverwoods, Kate found a cute bead store and made her own earrings. After dinner, we grabbed the Tanner kids (Krystle was at girls camp) for another fun few days!

I'm pretty sure that Jonas is going to hate the next couple of weeks when all the parties cease and summer just becomes "normal"! He had so much fun hanging out with his cousins! On Friday (July 7th), the kids grew fins and stayed in the water ALL DAY! They started just swimming in the pool, but we later met up with Cooper and Sandy at Payson Lakes for a couple of hours of swimming and kayaking. Jonas loved kayaking! Once the kids finally tired of the water, we headed back down the canyon for a treat at Soda Mix before making a quick stop at the Scottish Festival (Nichole and I just sat at the park while Jonas, Lincoln, and Addie played. Only Kate, Nolan, and Camden wandered through all the booths.)

Saturday wrapped up our fun week with a birthday celebration for Jonas. We always try to have a party while Nichole and Kate are still in town...and since we already had the Tanner kids, it was the perfect day to celebrate! This year, because of the novelty of the pool, he decided to do a pool party theme. I was all for it because the activity (swimming) was already inherent in the party! I didn't have to plan or prep any additional games, but we of course still had to have the traditional pinatas. This year, Jonas also invited some friends. Unfortunately, summer is busy for everyone so only one friend, Winston, was able to make it, but everyone who attended had a blast! I can't believe Jonas will be turning 8 at the end of the month! Time just needs to slow down...and so do I!

Finally, the Tanners went home that night and Nichole and Kate flew home on Sunday. Our busy summer is going to take a break for a couple of weeks at least...and I'm more than ok with that! However, we're not done with all the events and activities so stay tuned!