Our summer kept up a pretty good pace through the month of July as well. We enjoyed a fun 4th of July weekend and a weekend at Lake Powell, but the majority of the month we just spent hanging out locally. I actually relished the few days where nothing was on the schedule...even though those days were few. I often got to babysit the grandkids, which meant fun play dates. We've been to Lowes, the Museum of Natural Curiosity, Kidstopia, the Natural History Museum, the Hive, and so much more.
When Jonas and I weren't entertaining the kiddos, Jonas got to choose some fun outings. We've seen a couple of movies, grabbed a couple of treats (can't miss 7/11 Slurpee Day!), made it to Lagoon with Kate, took a friend to Rush FunPlex, etc.
That brings us to Jonas's birthday! I asked him months ago what he wanted for his birthday and he agreed that he didn't feel like a themed party was needed (or desired). He simply wanted to decorate his own cake and hang out with his cousins. Well, he did both of those things and more! The weekend before his birthday (Friday, July 24th-Sunday, July 26th) was Pioneer Day weekend. I had reached out to the family and offered to host a Pioneer Day dinner with swimming and maybe some small fireworks (the fireworks ban was still in place). Dallin responded that he and Audrey were going to her grandparents cabin that weekend and that, as luck would have it, none of the Cummings family wanted to join them, which meant we got the invite! Since we were all going to be together (and rather than re-convening on Sunday night), we decided to have Jonas's family birthday dinner together at the cabin. The Cummings cabin is located high in the Unita Mountains at a place called Christmas Meadows...and it was soooo pretty! It's a cute cabin with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a sleeping loft upstairs then an open floor plan on the main floor with a half-bath, kitchen, and living room area. Even with the space, we still decided to pull our trailer up to the cabin for Laurin's family, Jeff, and I to sleep in. We made it to the cabin on Friday evening around dinnertime. We ate then simply enjoyed sitting on the big porch overlooking the meadow and exploring around the cabin. The boys decided to build a teepee out of fallen trees. They had a pretty good start for the time they had. Saturday (July 25th) was the only full day we had there because after a quick cleanup and pack up on Sunday morning, we headed back home so we could be in time for church. So, we had to take advantage of all the opportunities that day. Jonas, Jeff, Jacob, Beau, Casey, and I decided to do a morning hike. It was so beautiful (and I was so excited that my knee did great!)! The landscape is so green and moist. Little pine trees are sprouting everywhere. It truly does look like a Christmas tree farm. We hiked down toward the river that run through the meadow. We saw a HUGE crane by the river the took flight as we got close. We could hear its thudding wings as it flew off. It was pretty cool to witness. We threw rocks in the river then decided to hike along the river back to the cabin. Between breakfast and lunch, everyone (minus the Armstrongs) decided to walk down the road to the bridge at the beginning of the community. As we left the cabin, we noticed a moose hanging out on the neighbors property. We quietly watched as this big beast enjoyed a salt lick then moseyed back into the trees. We reached the river and everyone had a chance to splash and play in the cold water. We returned to the cabin for lunch and a couple of quick naps. Jonas took advantage of this down time to decorate his cake. Originally, he planned to make the cake too, but with the change in plans, he agreed that a Texas sheet cake (always a classic) was fine and that he would just take some piping bags and tips to add his own decorations. He, of course, chose to do something related to Percy Jackson. He wrote Percy then drew a sword (Riptide) and a trident (because he's the son of Poseidon). Also during this time, Jacob and Amber gave Jonas their birthday gift. It was a blow dart...and it was a hit! The boys played with that blow dart for the rest of the trip. Once everyone was awake, we grabbed some kayaks then headed to Butterfly Lake. This area of Utah is so breathtaking! The lake had a walking trail around it. We found a little beach area where most of us sat in the shade while all who wanted to rotated in and out of the kayaks. At one point, Jonas tried to float on a little log. He started off strong, but after a couple of minutes, he was completely submerged. We made it back to the cabin for Jonas's birthday dinner. He chose pasta alfredo with either chicken or shrimp, salad, and of course, Laurin's rolls. We finished dinner then sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed the cake. The rest of the night we just hung out playing games, chatting, shooting your blow dart, and enjoying the experience. We all wished we could have stayed longer, but we headed out early on Sunday. When we got home from church. Kate had already made some little cakes for her and Jonas to decorate. She showed him a couple of tips and tricks. Again, each cake was an homage to Percy Jackson.
Monday (June 27th) was Jonas's actual birthday. We met up with the Tanner kids for a fun day at Boondocks. In recent years, Jonas and I have gifted the Tanner kids an experience gift for each of their birthdays; then we usually get to cash in that gift around Jonas's birthday. This was the first year Jonas didn't really request a themed party. He was content to just hang out and grab a treat after. The kids enjoyed 4 hours of go kart racing, laser tag, ropes course, bumper boats, mini-golf, bowling, and arcades. When we finished, the kids convinced Krystle and I to let them have a sleepover. (It didn't take much convincing.) We grabbed some clothes from Krystle on our way south and stopped in Payson Market to snag some ice cream for the evening treat. The rest of the night was full of games and swimming. Even Carter and Everly got to join. They gifted Jonas a glow-in-the-dark capture the flag set. I can't believe Jonas 11! Time is going too fast for my mama heart.
As if all of that wasn't enough, Jonas and I managed to eek out one more little birthday treat. A couple days after his birthday (Wednesday, July 29th), Jonas and I went to Salt Lake City. This summer, we did a Summer Cooking Challenge. I had a list of various food related challenges to get Jonas used to the myriad of ways you can prepare foods and what foods to prepare. At the end, Jonas got to choose a restaurant that he would like to eat in - my treat, of course. He chose The Roof restaurant on Temple Square. Even though we went because of the cooking challenge, when asked if we were celebrating anything special, we said it was your birthday...that got us a free piece of chocolate cake! After lunch, we wandered around the few sites on Temple Square that were open. Lunch was delicious and we both enjoyed visiting the sites on Temple Square. At the visitors center, we sat in the room with the Christus statue for awhile, both lost in our own thoughts of our Savior. We then looked at all the temples worldwide and wondered what temple would be the closest to where he would serve his mission. He really liked the look of some of the temples in Asia. Secretly, I hope that's not where he'll serve though. We tried to see if we could visit the Church Office Building. I remember that we could go to a viewing floor high up in the building when I was young, but that didn't seem to be the case now. I think Jonas was a little disappointed. He mentioned that he had hoped to see a member of the Quorum of the 12 or another General Authority. Before ending our day at the City Creek mall, we visited the Church History Museum. Jonas really enjoyed the "Firm Foundation" exhibit for kids. It was all about the recent construction project on the Salt Lake temple to make it earthquake proof. There was an earthquake in March 2020 (shortly after the world shut down due to COVID) that knocked Moroni's trumpet off the center spire of the temple. That trumpet was now on display at that exhibit. It was kind of cool to see how big the trumpet really is. Many of the newer temples no longer have the statue of angel Moroni. Jonas really liked creating his own "stained glass" and building an earthquake proof temple. We meandered through Temple Square as we made our way across the street to City Creek. We admired various new statues, including statues commemorating the restoration of the Priesthood. We also entered the Tabernacle where we were lucky enough to happen upon an organist practicing the iconic organ. The sound vibrated through the whole building. It was pretty cool. I'm pretty sure this was both of our favorite date of the summer.
The last birthday we got to celebrate was my cute grand-niece, Zavia's, birthday. She turned two on Friday, July 31st. Jonas and I were able to make a quick showing at her cute dog-themed party. We watched her open her gifts and gave her a birthday squeeze.
Speaking of birthdays, I finally got to cash in my birthday gift from Dallin and Audrey (and my sisters). Krystle and Nichole sent me a gift card to Just Add Chocolate then Dallin and Audrey said they wanted to do a double date to Just Add Chocolate for my birthday gift. I guess great minds think alike. We had tried to schedule this at least 3 different times before, but something got in the way. Finally, we made it happen! It was super fun to make (and eat!) our own chocolates.
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