- We spent lots of time in backyards and playing outside! Hooray! Zipline! Treehouse! Fairy Garden & Cars-land! Hot tub! Bounce house! Swimming pools! So fun!!
- We hiked to beautiful Stewart Falls with the kids and Grandma Nancy. It proved to be slightly more challenging and longer than we had anticipated! Kendall went back and forth between wanting to walk at her own pace and being carried and Andrew complained the whole way down. He kept saying, "My legs can't make it one more step!" but I kept him distracted by telling him stories. As long as I was telling stories, he kept going. For the record, I am terrible at making up stories and I seriously dislike making them up, so it was a sacrifice on my part for sure!
- Grandma Thompson moved and so we had a moving weekend / garage sale "extravaganza." It was a long weekend! Kendall lost her blanket in all the moving blankets, so she was without it for one night, but then Aunt Katherine found it and brought it back. Kendall was very "happy at her."
- We celebrated our 10th Anniversary at Blue Lemon for dinner and had an overnight date at a Bed & Breakfast. The kids stayed at my parents house and Cade slept in the treehouse with Andrew and Rachel - what a fun uncle!
- We met up with all the Hyde Park people who are living or visiting Utah. Bishop Cannon and his kids happened to be in Utah and brought Goose Island Rootbeer (Andrew and Rachel got their very own bottle and were thrilled). It was fun to catch up - once a Hyde Park-er, always a Hyde Park-er!
- We visited Grandma Parker in her rest home and the kids sung songs to her and her friends (they are known as the hallway crew). Andrew and Rachel were so sweet to her and all the residents there and they were giving everyone hugs. When we were visiting, Rachel wanted to sit right next to Grandma Parker and their arms were interlocked the whole time - so sweet.
- We somehow pulled off family pictures. But it was rough! For one, I spent way too much time prepping and picking out outfits. Then when we got to the location, Kendall was not acting like herself. After about 5 minutes of taking pictures, she totally barfed. Somehow she managed to keep it off her dress and only get a little bit on her shoes - good girl. She was so not happy to be doing pictures and was a little stink. It is amazing that any of the pictures turned out considering how bad the experience was, but we did get a few good shots. Relief!
- We introduced Rachel to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Scera Shell. It was the same production that I was in when I was 11 years old and brought back lots of fun memories!
- While Brandon was at home in Arizona for two weeks, I'm sorry, but he was being so needy and wanting to chat for hours and/or facetime every night. I cannot even describe how needy/lonely/bored he was. I love him so dearly, but it was out of control and we decided that he would not do well with traveling for work and we are grateful he doesn't do it very often!
- Grandma Nancy did one-on-one dates with the kids - Rachel chose to go to Color Me Mine, Andrew went to the Children's Curiousity Museum and Kendall went to Provo Beach Resort. We also hit up Thanksgiving Point with Grandma Nancy and the Murray cousins.
- When we are traveling away from home for more than a few weeks, there is always a rock bottom day where the kids are at their absolute worst. One morning before a super fun swim playdate with cousins, I asked Rachel to do 15 minutes of math practice. She started freaking out and it was epic. I remained calm as she thrashed and threw tantrums. I kept giving her warnings and told her when the playdate was and that we'd need to finish the math first. She pushed all the limits and the princess even bit me. I cancelled the playdate. I did not give up and kept putting her in her room until she calmed down enough to finish her math. What should have taken 15 minutes took 3 grueling hours - this is real life. Then that same afternoon, Kendall and Andrew started in because they had had too much TV time and not enough attention from me. They were grouchy and ornery all afternoon. I was counting down to bedtime for sure!
- We always be sure to visit Ellie's grave when we go to Utah. She has the most beautiful plot in the whole cemetery - it is right on top of the hill in a grove of trees and her headstone turned out perfect! This trip, cousin Mason was especially sweet to Kendall and they became fast friends. After Aunt Rachel talked to Mason about his special interest in Kendall, it came to light that Mason knew that Ellie would be 2 (like Kendall) if she were still here. So Kendall, in a way, reminds him of his little sister (Kendall and Ellie were only 7 month apart). What a good big brother he is and I know that Kendall appreciated the extra attention from her older cousin.
- On the way home, we stopped in St. George for church and surprised our friend, Bishop Chad Olson, who has been Bishop there for 5 years! It was fun to see him grin from ear to ear on the stand when we walked in and sat down. We also stopped by the St. George temple grounds and went through the visitors center there.
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