July Round Up

July has kept us busy and gone by so fast! July is a bit of rodeo because it is so crazy and I tried to round up everything we did best I could. ENJOY!

Every summer Andrew's violin teacher once a month schedules to go to assisted living facilities to play their fiddling songs. It is really fun. They are songs they work on year after year with levels of fiddling dynamics and fun. I also appreciate that they perform at assisted living facilities. We missed the first one just unfortunate timing with a pickleball tournament Andrew had so we were excited to go to this one. His teacher, Mrs Clawson, and he played the final piece, "Devil's Dream" together. It is a complicated piece where they push each other to go faster and faster, it was so fun to watch.

I also took him shopping to get a full size violin. Yep, we just bought the 3/4 in November but that kid continues to grow, he's now taller than me and wearing bigger shoes than everyone but Steve (I also have to buy him new shoes like every other month because of his growing 😂). I was so excited to take him then we got to the store and he refused to even really play the violins and try them out. The nice salesman said we could loan them and then take them to our lesson so our teacher could help us decide (thank goodness). So we left with 3 violins and 4 bows.

 

We love Mrs Clawson. She played each of the violins for us and gave us some notes. Then Andrew played and decided on a violin then it was time to pick a bow and he was waffling between a carbon fiber one and a really really nice one. So she had him sit with his eyes closed and listen. We decided to get the really nice bow. When we went back to they had their violin expert look it over and he said it needed to be glued in a certain spot and I kind of freaked out, it's an expensive item and I was then worried about it so I texted Mrs Clawson and she quickly replied that was an ok fix, WHEW!

We went back the next day to pick it up and the manager was there and he told us that they don't normally do trade-ups on a violin that is on sale but since we were already told that he would honor it but that we should know we are getting a steal on a great violin that should last him years! WAHOO! The hope is to leave Ellie's violin at school in a locker he can use for orchestra at school and then he can take his for performances etc. He is having to figure out how to peg tune which is tricky especially with a new D string that keeps pulling things out of tune, hopefully it will settle in soon.

 

We still try to have someone over once a week to swim. This week we had over my cousin's little kids because they are packing to move (tears) so we thought we swim with their littles so they could have some time to pack without a couple of distractions. It was a fun morning.

Friday, July 10th we drove Grandpa Stan back to Idaho (he had spent a week here with Venessa) in our new Ioniq. It was a fun trip and the boys were excited to be in Idaho and play with Anson. We drove by the pool to see the new sign recognizing my parents generous donation to the pool to put in a moveable cover so the pool can be used year around.

Ironically Lila was also on her way to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho for the Stake Young Women's High Adventure activity. She had a blast, they did Lava, ate yummy food, stayed at the hot springs way too late Friday night which cancelled the hike the next morning and they floated the river, along with spiritual devotionals. 

 

Saturday, July 11th the boys had another D&D party here at the house. They hopped in the pool for a bit and we barbecued some dinner for them. They had fun and they are always so nice to include Marcus. 

 

Wednesday, July 15th I dropped Lila off for girls glamp, they were in Bear Lake at a VRBO and did lots of fun things like the lake, caves, swimming, hiking, and playing games. Lila also had to give a devotional there (good for her 😉). 

Andrew finished up Weber State Prep, their summer STEAM program. He loved it. Marcus and I went to pick him up and walk the expo (Steve had a work party that afternoon -- Top Golf, see so many parties in one week). When we walked in Marcus was asked me if this was a Jr High and I said, "no this is a college, like where Ellie goes to school." He was amazed that Andrew was able to do classes there all summer and said he really wants to do it too. All of the teachers told me how much they enjoyed having Andrew in class and that he was a really good peer leader helping other kids as well as a good student. I told him that made me most proud is his kindness. Andrew showed Marcus some of the logic puzzles the students came up with.

 

And we picked a treat up on our way home to celebrate.

That evening I had a work party at the Rush and the boys really wanted to go so we went. They started at the climbing wall (no one else was there). Then we waited in the line to do the Go Karts which took forever but they had a blast. Then we went to check out the food and enjoyed yummy pizza, sodas, ice cream. Steve grabbed some food but ate the in car as he had to hurry off to his pickleball league. After eating the boys and I did a round of mini golf then grabbed another dessert and drink for the road. It was a fun evening.

It felt like we had lots of parties that week. We also took the boys to Surf n Swim for the mountain biking summer party. They had a blast swimming with friends and riding the waves. Steve and I enjoyed dinner and just visiting we didn't get into the pool. We had the Orthodontist swim party too but we opted to not go to that one as we have been busy.

 

Thusrday, July 16th the boys and I met some friends at Lagoon-A-Beach for the day. It was a blast. Seriously the moms found a shady spot and we just visited while the kids ran around swimming and hitting the slides. Marcus was braved and did all of the slides but the really steep ones (I don't think anyone in our family has done those yet).

Friday, July 17th the boys had well checks and we washed their sheets and just trying to catch up a little before our big camping trip next week. Then Saturday, July 18th was the much anticipated Bachmeier Football camp, the boys have been looking forward to it all summer. I was a little worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype but Bear, Tiger, and Buck were all there and my boys said they got to high five them multiple times and had a blast at the camp. It was all the way down if Spanish Fork so Steve and I had planned to do a hike while they were at the camp. We checked them in and then waited around for a bit and saw Bear and Tiger walk in and they are big dudes! Then we took off for our hike and enjoyed our time together. We were walking through a creek bed for part of it so towards the end my knee started to hurt but recovered quickly. 

On our way back to the camp, we stopped at Maverick to get the boys a slushy to cool off and then we went to pick them up. 

 

When we arrived at camp we, saw Andrew tackle the big old tire but didn't get our cameras out in time. Marcus came walking over towards me because his cleats started to fall apart. Thankfully I had packed his tennis shoes and sent Steve out to the car to get them. We picked up their signed pictures which was a fun add on.

We stopped for lunch before driving home. 

 

I thought we would get home about the same time as Lila but they got home hours earlier oh well, I'm sure she enjoyed some peace and quiet before we returned. That evening she was having her friends over for an outdoor movie. She has been trying to schedule it all summer and has been trying to coordinate schedules so the majority of them could come and wanted to do it before Tanner left, whew, I'm glad we got it scheduled and they had fun. They watched Little Rascals and I provided popcorn, miniature candies, and Olipops. Steve was a trooper setting everything up after our big day hiking down south.

I made a baptism temple appointment for a large group for Tuesday, July 21st so Lila invited her friends and took Andrew with them, yay!

There you have it our July, the crazy middle month of the summer when activities are in full swing and we are trying to pack every last minute of summer fun in.

250th

Lila has been dancing in a parade for almost 10 years (we missed a few due to COVID and a couple of vacations), but over all a decade of dancing in parades. This is her last year as she will be a senior, cue all the emotions!! Her sweet friend's Mom sent me the picture on the left and I started crying because they started dancing and doing the parades together so it was a sweet nod to the beginning (picture on right in 2018). They have turned into such beautiful young women inside and out. 💕

After we dropped her off at the staging area we came home and finished loading up all of our stuff to head out to our saved location. Steve and I went out early Thursday morning to reserve space and there were only 2 spots left in the area we wanted (they say 48 hours but we were there a couple of hours before that so people are not obeying that rule, it is ridiculous). They also started blocking more of the streets off the morning of so thankfully we had a back up parking plan that worked out great. However when we walked to our location we could not find our sectioned off area. I finally recognized the tape on the sidewalk and asked the cute couple sitting there if there had been any stuff there and they said no when they came out there was nothing there. I asked if they would mind sharing the space with us (we had blocked off 13'x13' space so we could put up our canopy) and they were very gracious about it, thankfully. We found out later some kids had gone by taking out peoples stakes and lots of people were displaced so we were happy that we were able to arrange something. Lila invited some of her friends to come watch with us and I'm so glad several came, it made it so much more fun and I really enjoyed visiting with Christi, Easton's Mom. At the beginning of the parade, the mayor usually passes out popsicles but because it was the 250th celebration she passed out pints of ice cream to everyone. It was so yummy!

 

We just missed seeing the dance team dance, (cry). Thankfully parents who were able to see it sent out videos. She came over and said hi to all of us. She said she thought it was cute I took a selfie with her (guess I don't embarrass her too much).

There were a lot of fun floats like a t-shirt making company that had Vote for Pedro, a team dressed up as Minions and just as they passed us a boy held up a giant plastic banana and yelled, "B-A-N-A-N-A" like a minion and we all yelled it back, it was hilarious. As a tennis team went by Marcus yelled, "pickleball is better" silly silly boy!

We came home and relaxed for a bit. Enjoyed some cool pasta salad then hopped in the pool. Seriously this week we have been enjoying a lot of yummy food with all of the holiday sales and I feel like I have been doing a good job cooking three meals a day for everyone and there crazy schedules with summer school, biking, and work. I love it but it can be tedious sometimes so I'm just grateful for the little moments of inspiration of what to cook or pair together to make life easier. Specifically on the 4th we enjoyed star shaped tator tots and strawberry pie and bbq foods.

 

Lila really wanted to go to a firework show so I mentioned that to her friends while we were at the parade and Finn said they go to Barnes and have front row seats so he offered to pick her up and she had a lovely evening with them. I asked her to take pictures but she didn't, thankfully I snapped one of her right before she left. I sent her with glow sticks and festive popcorn they all enjoyed.

 

We took the boys on a drive in the new car to see fireworks which was fun then they went out on the roof for a bit.

 

The next day was fast Sunday, July 5th, The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked us to participate in united fast of gratitude for religious liberty. It was something special to participate in, I feel like it has been since COVID we did a world-wide fast so this was neat to do it for gratitude and to think of ways we can support religious freedoms and pray for those that do not have that privilege yet. We truly are blessed to live in such a wonderful country and even though times can be crazy we need to remember our freedoms and continue to strive to live worthy of them.

Q the Fun

Summer keeps on flying by. Andrew spent the last weekend in June (well Wed to Saturday) at Deacon's camp. He really enjoyed his time camping with the group. The leaders do a fabulous job. Andrew enjoyed fishing and hanging out with the boys. We sent a wiffle ball set because they had a blast playing it last year but this year there were only 5-6 boys there so a much smaller group. He also came home with a bag full of dirty clothes which meant he changed his clothes more frequently than last year, yay! It was cooler this time around since they went in June instead of July which meant he was layering up. So grateful for all the leaders that make camps happen. 
 

Marcus did a round of swim lessons while Andrew was at Deacon's camp. Swim lessons were great for him. He and I even got in our pool Monday after the first day to practice a few skills and he really improved. His teacher said he was really coachable and tried everything and did really well. WAY TO GO!

 

 

Marcus also got braces on June 23rd. Lila was a trooper and cut up his food for him that first night as Steve and I had tickets to a play at Hale Center theater as a date night. We ordered Chic-Fil-A for the kids to support the Dance Company fundraiser.

 

We took the kids to Bountiful Pond to paddleboard, Thursday, July 2nd because Andrew had the day off from prep. It was a fun new location to explore. However we did see a kid get a fish hook stuck in his foot so I told everyone to make sure they put their shoes on as they were getting off their boards.

 

Steve and I went in to see Lila towards the end of her shift one Saturday and order food for dinner that night. She was crushing it and we tell her that every time she gets ready for work (she still has some major anxiety about going).

 

I've been trying to do a little exercise with the kids in the morning like walking or bike riding and Lila decided she really likes riding a bike on pavement (she was clear that she doesn't like mountain biking😂but she would like to ride bikes more often).

 

Steve and Marcus made a car ramp during lunch one day.

 

Lila enjoying my favorite couch out on the patio that got a new cushion for the summer making it even more comfortable and Steve just installed a fan out there too.

 

More swim parties with friends. We try to do it once a week and it seems to be a different group every time but so much fun.

 

Steve, Ellie, and I were able to do sealings with Stephanie, Doug, and Carole while she was in town on June 25th. Carole also came up to visit for Sunday afternoon which was nice.

 

We managed to sneak in an hour at Lagoon. I suggested it earlier in the evening but everyone was dragging their feet and by the time we got there it was 8pm so we hit a few rides then headed home. It was still fun.

 

Steve and Andrew have done the new mountain biking course at Snowbasin which is free with their ski passes we bought this season so they have done it a couple of times when the team has practice there on Thursdays (it's only open on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays).

 

Big news for us is we bought a car. It's the newest car we have ever owned. We are just out growing the Tesla with the jump seats in the back the boys don't fit back there any more. Andrew is growing like a weed this summer, seriously taller than Ellie and closing in on me fast. We have been looking at an electric SUV for a few years, researching and test driving and finally found a ripping good deal on a Hyundai Ioniq 9 in Carson City. It was preowned has 539 miles on it and has a few scratches on the bumpers so they gave us a good deal. On July 3rd Steve flew to Reno, took an Uber to Carson and finalized everything with the car and drove it home. He had a good time. The car has an average range of 330 miles when fully charged and will go from 10-80% in 24 minutes so charging only added 50 minutes to his drive time. We're still learning some of the quirks of the car but are really truly enjoying it. We thought it was crazy that he more than doubled the miles on the car getting it home and he took pictures of it at 999 turning over to 1000 miles. The other funny thing to note is after the first week of having it he said, "wow, Brit you put almost 200 miles on it in the last couple of days." Yep just normal driving the kids around, I wasn't even joy riding like I want to in my new car 😂we've just never had a new enough car to notice how many miles we put on it. We have decided to call it Q since it's name ends in a Q and it is techy like Q in James Bond. 

 

We didn't tell the boys about the car and towards the end of Friday, Marcus said, where is Dad because all the cars are in the garage. I looked at Steve's location and told them he was almost home and Marcus said, "I think the surprise is big, like a new car because how else would Dad be getting home." Oh Marcus using his skills of deduction.

 

Earlier that Friday, July 3rd we were dog sitting Kodiak while Ellie went away with some friends for the holiday weekend. 

 

And I took the boys to see the new Minions and Monsters movie while Lila was at work. We had a Fandango giftcard from some friends to use up (really we never go to the movies and now I've been 3 times within a few months so crazy!)

There you have some of our recent excitement.