Half-way Through Summer!

Summer is zipping by...heck, this whole year is flying by!  We are more than half way finished with both!  We have been soaking up the sun and playing hard...playing the piano hard!  Ha! We had a piano recital showcasing these awesome students...

Each kid played a song or two and then a duet with their sibling.  It was great.  I may have cried a really ugly, embarrassing, 'hard to decipher what she is saying' kind of cry because it was Kassi's last recital.  I  never planned on being a piano teacher, so the whole process and kids quitting, kids excelling, kids whining about it, is unexpected and emotional!  Kids grow up-its fun (and sometimes hard!) to see. 

 

One lady, who I thought should always stay a kid, but no longer is, would be Miss Rebecca...or should I say Mrs Rebecca Whitney.  How weird to have a niece get married!?  Becca and Brett got married in June and we went to Manti for the ceremony, then back up here for the reception that evening. 

 

There was dancing...

Leatherby's ice cream (yum!)

Pictures, (here are the grandkids that made it), and well wishing for the newlyweds.  Happy marriage to Becca and Brett!

 

Dave had a birthday, we went to a Magic show that was awesome and disturbing-a guy totally ate razor blades and another fellow did Houdini's water escape.  I kept trying to find the explanations for the tricks, but it was just magic, plain and simple! Ha!  Last year for Dave's birthday, we went to the Arts Festival and loved it.  So, we decided we will make this an annual family event.  The kids were sports with the 100 degree heat and found their inner artists...

It is a fantastic event, pretty much out of this world...

 

Another annual event we look forward to is the community health fair at the hospital. 

Grant didn't shave for the occasion, but we were still able to get some interviews for potential construction openings!

 

 

  This year for the 4th of July, we went to our big,  new city park.   Our park had been closed, so before the fireworks could be hosted there for Independence Day, there was a grand opening party.  This party featured the Osmonds, Alex Boye, roaming princesses through the crowds, games, food trucks, lots of fun.  We all went, and while this was exciting, the kids were more riveted when a teenage boy punched a girl and was taken away in handcuffs.  That was probably the most memorable moment for them!  Ha!  I didn't take fourth of July pics, but we had a great time with family and friends at the park, playing games, getting sprinkled on, watching a 40 min firework display, and letting our festive food digest. 

 

 

 

Dave was super dad and took the older three kids on a trip to AZ to see cousins and go boating.  This was a driving trip,  mind you.  So, he, himself had to endure the endless questions about when they would be there, how many more minutes, when they could go to the bathroom, etc.  The first night, they stopped in Las Vegas.  Here they are at the Rainforest Cafe...

 

They slept in Vegas, and took off the next morning to go see Max and Karly (yes, Brent, Kimber and Brian too, but honestly, they just cared about the cousins!).They got to go boating

 

on Uncle Brian's boat.

 

These girls are way too cool! The boys, yea well, I'm not so sure...

 

Ha!  After 3 days of family fun, the drive home had to happen!  Dave did the drive home in one shot, but they did stop to look at some exotic cars. 

 

Grant said it was the best 30 minutes of his life.  True story.

 

 While the big kids were away, Harrison and I spent lots of time at the park
 

and running errands.  It was heavenly.  He really loves me, it makes me feel good.  The sentiments are completely mutual. 

This last weekend, Grant, Katelee, Brenna and I were in the Days of 47 youth parade with our church.  Our stake focused on family history.  It was such a neat idea.  Each child researched an ancestor, made a copy of their photo and carried them through the parade on branches, representing their family trees. 


Here is a pic of all the kids in our ward.

The weather was perfect, we had a brief and distant TV cameo and Brenna was able to wave to all her adoring fans!

While we have been super busy doing water slides, parks, play dates etc, its not all fun and games.  Chores have to be done everyday.  There is yard work,

(which is usually a family affair).

 

 

Blowing out...eh, I mean cleaning up the house.

And, we live in the kitchen.  Dishes all day long.  These little people never stop eating.  So, we cook and prepare food constantly.  I've employed this shorty, actually, he just won't leave my side.  Good help really is hard to find these days!

Finishing Touches

 We have been enjoying our summer break for nearly two weeks, but before school was released, we had some final events/activities to attend to.  Grant finished out his soccer season with the Pythons.  He had the best coach and learned a lot.  We had such a great time with this team, we signed up again for next year.  Grant played goalie almost every game for half of the time and I had a small panic attack every time someone shot on the goal. 

One of the Saturdays before school was out, we went to the school carnival.  The kids look forward to this every year.  It was a rain-out day, so we ended up in the gym.  Dave ran the Ogden half marathon that day, in the pouring rain.  He finished wet and sloshy, but hey, he finished!  School is so fun at the end of the year-math facts parties, field day, programs, etc.  One of the last days, we pulled up and we were welcomed by marshmallow bombs.  Some of the teachers slept over and went to the roof as kids were coming.  Katelee's teacher nailed us with those jet puffed fluffs! We will SO miss the wonderful teachers the kids had this year, including Miss Amy...

 

Miss Amy is so wonderful!! The preschool graduation program was highly entertaining.  Brenna had a front and center seat.  She sang her heart out and was by far, the loudest kid there!  Miss Amy came up to me after and told me how much she is going to miss that 'spunk!' She also said it wasn't a coincidence she placed Brenna right in the front and middle!  That girl loves to perform...



 Her dance recital was fabulous.  Brenna smiled and pouty faced and spun and shook it like she owned the place.  I don't know how much of a 'dance mom' I am, but I definitely have a dancer on my hands. 

 

And, so now we start summer...we have already had a slushy stand,

fun times at Classic, the Curiosity Museum, the park and the bowling alley.  There have been sweet moments

 (or deceptively sweet- see the choke hold Brenna has going on there?!)  and some naughty moments...

But, we have two and a half months to go! So, we are going to fill our summer to the best of our ability!  The other day, Harrison was screaming his guts out (a typical emotional outburst for our little precious boy!) and Brenna took him by the shoulders and said, "You are better than this!  Come on, you are better than this!"  This is my mantra this summer (and for however long I need) whenever I feel myself short of patience or just being not what I want to be.  Summer gives us lots of time to play and bond, as well as get on each other's nerves, so we are going to be aware of that and be our best!  Well, we are going to be our best right when we wake up at least, and then see how the day goes!  Ha!

We be trippin...

April was a fun filled month for us and it has just flown by.  Besides Katelee's baptism and family coming to visit, we have had a couple other big events.  #1-Family trip to Moab

 

 

 

For the kids spring break, we decided to head down to Moab and take a little hiking vacation...really the other outdoor activities there were not options with the littles.  We spent the first night exploring the rim of Canyonlands, which was exceptional and then a terrible dinner at a local grill.  Seriously, most bad restaurant experiences are not worth mentioning but after waiting 1 1/2 hours for food and then getting the gluten free meal wrong, there were people in tears at our table.  The next morning (it was are hard to tell if it was morning, considering I was up all night patting Harrison's back when he would wake up confused...two years away from sleep on vacations-I can do this!) we primped for our adventure in Arches National park.  And yes, I did say primped for the hike...

 

This little diva got all bejeweled and said, "I'm ready for my hike, do I look fancy?"  And off we were to Delicate Arch.  It was fabulous and the kids were troopers.  This is not classified as an easy hike, in fact it is labeled as difficult, so I was a bit concerned.  But, there was no need to worry-it was a blast!

We live in a magnificent state!  The hike was spectacular and entertaining with this crew, for sure.  Brenna approached Grant and said, "Grant, lets hold hands, remember how you like to hold my hand?"  Grant responded that he actually did not recall this, at all, but with some coaxing, he did grab his little sister's hand and help her along. 

Despite Brenna's face in this photo, we were all thrilled to make it to the top!

It was super windy and a narrow ledge, so Dad especially was concerned.  We were so proud of the kiddos.  It helped to have amazing scenery and good snacks.  I handed Brenna a beef stick that she could not get over.  She kept saying how much she loved it.  Finally, I said, "Brenna, I will get you a beef stick for your birthday."  You would think the girl had received the best news of her life.  As we were hiking, probably an hour later, Brenna yells, "Dad, I want beef sticks for my birthday!"  There were strangers cracking up coming down the rocks.  They were saying, 'did you hear that kids wanting beef sticks for their birthday!?  Ha ha!'  Good times.  A little over three hours later, Dave did end up with one kid on his back and one on his shoulders, pretty impressive Daddy-O!

Each night, we spent time at the Rotary Park in Moab. The kids were in heaven...

The next day we hit lots of little hikes to other arches, but it was so windy, we had to keep yelling, "take cover!"  Harrison was a bit of a grump not getting naps, so he would snooze in the car a bit with Dave while I ran with the big kids through the sand storms!!  Katelee is ever our adventurer and was up for everything!  We swam at the hotel, went out to eat, saw the incredible Dead Horse Point and just had the greatest time!  Love getaways with our little familia!  Brenna, however, was not impressed with driving...she doesn't drive on vacations, she informed me, she flies! 

 

The following week, I was invited by these two dears to crash their getaway in Florida.  A few days in Disney and Universal without kids?  Yes, please!!

 My mom and I flew out to meet Shannon and Blake who had arrived a few days before us.  Mom and I enjoyed a fanciful dinner at our amazingly classy hotel (booked by travel agent extraordinaire-Mr David McArthur) and we had a big sleepover where mom broke through the pillow barrier and karate chopped Blake in the night, no wonder he opted for the floor the next night!  Even with no kids, we hit the ground running-we got up early to hit an extra hour at Harry Potter world in Universal.  It really is spectacular!!

 



There is the infamous Gringotts Bank ride that we were determined to get on.  The dragon breathes fire, it is incredible.  While that was fun, it still isn't quite as magical to me as Hogwarts castle itself...

 

This is us after the Jurassic Park water ride where every inch of my body was drenched.  Seriously though, Hogwarts is just transcendent!

We ran from ride to ride, used our express passes, ate pasties and dined at Three Broomsticks, rode the funniest rollercoaster ever because it video tapes you in action.  I sat by Blake as he tried to hold his brain in his head and I had no clue he was looking as though he was going to cry and die until after the film.  We just about peed our pants laughing so hard.  The whole day was a blast!

The next morning we got to meet up with Paige and Jason at the wonderful world of Disney.  We started at Magic Kingdom to see the new Fantasyland-which did not disappoint.  My mom made me go in the bathrooms by Rapunzel's tower because she was enchanted by the decor of the lieu. 

 

It was a hot weekend, but Splash Mountain helped.  Best part of this pic-my mom.  Where is she you ask?  Oh, she is the pile of ponchos behind Jason...not one drop of water on her, please!

We ate at the funnest restaurant-the Sci-Fi Diner and I also partook of a little piece of heaven called a Pineapple Dole Whip Float.  I will never be the same again.  We went on the Star Tours ride a lot so I could break my streak of always getting a 'Wookie' World.  We got stuck on the Tower of Terror  and it literally was TERRIFYING.  It was pitch black, crazy Australian ladies on our ride cackling like witches, I had a minor panic attack, I bonded with a man on the single rider line of Rock-n-Rollercoaster where he told me he stopped breathing.  So much fun!!! 

Our last day was at Epcot, to see the World and the Garden Festival, or whatever it is called...

 It was really cool to see all the topiaries and garden sculptures.  We tried to pose as a few.  My goal for Epcot was to eat something from every land...I failed miserably.  I got way too full and ate too much in France, but I did had some delicious delights.  The other goal during our Disney time was to constantly use the cast members names as much as we could.  When else am I going to get to say the name Bertha? 

 

 Dave thinks I can't be serious in pictures, which is 85% true, so to show him that I can, I thought I would post a couple...

 We watched the fantastic Epcot fireworks and got to finish up with the Teacups where we spun the fastest in history of teacup spinning...okay, it wasn't documented, but it felt like it. 

Great trip with my mom and sibs!  (And Jason too, of course!)  And serious shout out to my mom...I mean she did just turn 70, and she was on her feet walking and riding every ride for 14 hours just one day alone.  She totally could have outlasted some people (ahem...Blake!).  It was a blast and I am so glad Dave was here at home to hold down the fort.  Thanks peeps!

 

 

Days that Matter

 

Every year there are those holidays and special events that you look forward to, whether they are reoccurring or a one time deal. Some days are more significant than others...like, Christmas is a bigger deal to us than, say, Arbor Day! Easter is always a really important date to set apart. This year we had Dave's friend Jon in town, so he got to spend the weekend doing some of our Easter traditions. We went to the city Easter Egg Hunt, which is more like Easter Prizes Mass Chaos Scramble. The thousands of kids separate into age groups and when that fire truck siren goes, it is every man for himself. It's a slightly frightening and yet thrilling experience!  It was general conference weekend, so we got to listen to apostles speak as we colored eggs.  It was lovely. 

Sunday, we had a little lesson about the Atonement and Resurrection, watched the last two sessions of conference, had an Easter dinner with Evan, Amy, Mark, Brandon, Malia, Malia's sister and Jack.  Good food and good times.  It was a neat day to spend with family as we thought about its eternal significance and listened to testimonies. 

 Another very special event happened on Saturday-it was Katelee's baptism. 

Katelee has been looking forward to this day for quite sometime and kept saying, "I can't believe its really here!"  She was just glowing, cliche, yes, but true. 

She had a lot of family come to support her-all the locals and Uncle Brian flew in, Grandma and Grandpa McArthur came from Florida, Uncle Brent, Aunt Kimber and Max and Karly drove from Phoenix to spend just the one day here.  That was a lot of driving and we were so happy to have them!  Katelee and Karly (and Grant and Max) have the best time together and want to use up every minute to play together...at the expense of sleep.  It catches up to ya, or should I say them, when the tears and tempers surface after the sleep deprivation!

 

Katelee baptism service was combined with two other kids from our ward-Landon and Breanna.  The program was so sweet and really spiritual.  Grandma Carolyn did a great talk on the Holy Ghost and the highlight was all the kids from the three families singing "I Know that My Savior Loves Me." 

 





Breanna is one of Katelee's closest friends, so it was nice to share the day with her. 

Dave performed the baptism and confirmation.  It is so wonderful to have him honor the priesthood and be there for Katelee.  As she was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, of course I was moved to tears, (but just small ones), because I felt the significance of those ordinances for her and for myself.  What a beautiful plan the Lord has set out for us.  Here Katelee is in her baptism dress ready for church the next day.  Shannon was so nice and did her hair in braids for the baptism, we kept them in all night and she was Miss Curly Q.   



 These momentous days are so amazing, it is hard to capture the feelings we experienced.  But, while I can't write it down, I know I can draw on those emotions throughout my life. I know the spirit will bring to my heart and memory those feelings.  I am overwhelmed at the love Heavenly Father and our Savior have for me and my family.  Those incredible days, that Easter long ago, the baptism of my dear sweet daughter make all of our days matter.  Every week may not have a big event, but because of the Atonement, what I choose to do with each day can bring me closer to my Father.  Because of one incredible day Katelee chose to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and receive the Holy Ghost, her every day can be filled with His influence.  How amazing it is that those big days make all the other days matter more!