We went to the splash pad and park with the Falabella’s and LaNell! The kids played for an hour at the park with a stream and then we went to Bluffdale to try out the new splash pad there. It was pretty Awesome with a great park and lots of water. The kids were sad to leave so I’d say it was a success and I got to hang with Michelle and LaNell so double success.
The kids worked hard this summer and filled the chart with signatures and earned the trip to the drive-in! We decided to let Kelsey drive her car and join us for the evening. They were so giddy on the way there! We watched the Emoji Movie and Despicable Me 3. Kelsey introduced the littles to PIXIE StIX, we ate lots of popcorn and had a great night!
On Sunday August 13th we said goodbye to Carter! He’s going to serve a mission for 2 years! He left on Wednesday for the MTC. Then he will go to Lithuania! Benji spent the evening by his side soaking him in 🙂 He seems like he’s ready to go and serve.
Millie spent the night wrapping Sydney and the Webb cousins around her finger.
I wasn’t there but it looks like they had a blast at Deer Creek!
Tuesday afternoon conversation: Jana: I want to hike Timp sometime. LaNell: Lets go tomorrow. Jana: I can’t go tomorrow but I can go Friday. LaNell: Ill be here at 5:45am.
And that is how it happened. I hadn’t hiked Timp since 2004. And I hadn’t hiked anything that wasn’t kid friendly since Havasupai however long ago that was. But I got up early and LaNell and Moki picked me up and I LOVED IT.
We started hiking at 6:20. It took us 3 hours to get to the saddle (7 miles) and then another hour to get to the very top (8 miles total, 22,000 steps)!
We ate a little lunch in the meadow by the toilet trail and made it back down to the car before 2pm. My fitbit says that it took us 7.5 hours. We went 17 miles and had taken 44,000 steps.
The amazing parts about this hike was that I still had energy to do girls night with my girls and to function the next day! And Benji babysat all morning and into the afternoon so that I could be gone for 9 hours!
Benji made it home from Scout Camp on Saturday morning and played with cousins and then in the afternoon we asked him to do some chores and he just CRASHED. He couldn’t comprehend and had a melt down. Ben helped him figure it out and tried to teach him that even when we are worn out and tired we still have to choose to do what we are asked and we choose our attitude 🙂 His buddy Seth stopped by in the middle of that life lesson with a late birthday present.
And that night Benji got to babysit while we went to the game! I love being at the field and I love when it is good weather
On Sunday we had our Nettesheim Fireside and then celebrated Grandpa’s 70th Birthday!!
THESE GUYS! ready for JR. HIGH? I love that they still play and have fun and don’t have to be too cool.
Ray and Rose are so excited to start school. They both have the same size shoe right now.
 
FHE! FINALLY
Friends over at the house on a summer day: Millie made a new friend when LaNell brought Andrew over to play.
my genius child?
working on their Dr. Mario skills and getting high scores:
I am still the Wolf Den Leader:
Kelsey and I took the kids to the pond. We stopped and got XL drinks at Maverick cause they were free so… And then Brady! showed up at the pond and surprised us!
Thursday Night I went to Ben’s soccer game! He is blurry in the pic cause he was running really fast 🙂 And right after the soccer game we picked LaNell up at the mouth of the canyon and drove to Sundance to watch Jacob and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. We met the Hancocks up there and sat through a little rain. It was a fun show!
And then the kids finished THE SUMMER CHART!! They were so happy to be done!
Benji had his first year of scout camp this year! We got home from the cruise Saturday night and he left Monday morning!
 
He worked on 6 Merit Badges while he was there. He did Astronomy, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Woodcarving, Rifle Shooting, and Swimming.
On Wednesday night Ben went up for parents night and had dinner and campfire with the boys:
His leaders said he was fun and responsible!
He was pretty proud about doing the Polar Bear swim at 6:30am:
 
 
and something about going out with Ryan and trying to sink other canoes:
 
That’s about all of the detail that I know but he said he had a great time!
 
 
  
Wednesday after the cruise Josh and Mal and their 5 kids came to play for a few days. We just chilled and let the kids play for 3 days:
Laynie and Tiago had a great time trying to play.
 
lots of xbox for the older kids. They created lots of mine craft awesomeness:
 
We did leave the house on occasion 🙂
And Tiago has been obsessed with the “slide” so they all had fun doing that:
All of our peaches were ripe so we had a peaches lunch:
More sliding and exhaustion from no naps and lots of late nights:
Packer and Payton in the kitchen – did not turn out!
A bunch of us went out for dinner one of the nights – Us, Josh and Mal, Joel and Megan, Kelsey, Bracken and Talia!
Millie and Tiago LOVED having baby Eden in the house. They thought she was a doll and would not leave her alone. I also LOVED having a baby in the house 🙂
On Friday we took the kids to the new splash pad in Orem! Tiago took a nap first. Cali had a horrible stomach ache BUt we still had some fun and finished with a game of Red Rover:
And I sent Josh and Kelsey to Salt Lake to get me a Dr. Mario arcade game!!
Saturday morning we played a little more. Benji got home from Scout Camp! and Payton needed some Benji time and then they all left for home. It was fun to have some time with them and let the kids and us build relationships.
