{4th of July}

Somehow, it always works out that I am in Utah over the 4th of July!  I love this because this holiday is one of the best holidays to spend time with and appreciate the gift of family an our freedom to celebrate together :) 

We started our celebration on the 3rd at the Colvin's house (everyone had the next morning off so we decided to do our family firework show and barbecue the night before).  Gracie was in a singing group that was performing in the Layton parade, so she gave the family a performance of all the songs she would be singing - it was so cute!

That morning I saw an "easy" project on pinterest.  It took all day to make this game but it ended up being pretty fun!  Luckily Erik had the tools we needed to throw the lifesize kerplunk game together.  The kids played it like twice, so yeah.  I don't know if I'd go to the effort to make it again, but it was a super cute idea! 

We had reserved spots on the parade route but Mom, Dad and I didn't make it over to where our spots were on time so we ended up sitting away from everyone else for the parade the next morning.  BUT we did get to see Grace beforehand and take some cute pictures with her.  She was so excited to be singing in the parade - it was adorable. 

 I love the 4th and the all the special memories we are able to create each year.  I am grateful for my country & my family - we are blessed!

{Summertime in UTAH}

For part of the move I landed in Utah for a few delicious weeks of summer.  Everyday spent with the cousins was cherished and Calvin certainly seemed to bond with the family during this time!  Here are a few of my favorite snapshots - 

Grandma had prepared the house for our arrival by blowing up this cool kiddie pool and filling it with balls!  This was the boys favorite place to hang during our stay.  It was NOT my favorite thing to clean up after though!

Uncle Grant bought a boat and we thoroughly enjoyed it during our visit!  One trip to Willard Bay and another to Pineview Dam completed our water sport events.  I loved riding the tube but it scared the crap out of me!  Even Calvin hopped on for a nice slow ride on the bay.  

Calvin and Wesley love the Treehouse Children's Museum!  We were able to visit a couple of different times and went with our cousins Molly, Grace & Lola.  

Another highlight was going to see the taxidermy work of our cousin, Ryan Cook!  He is kind of a big deal, as you can tell by some of his amazing work pictured above!  It was so fun to see him in his element and learn a little about taxidermy.  

On Sunday I went to church with Jana and got to see her in action teaching her young women in Washington Terrace.  Those girls are so lucky to have her - she is an amazing teacher!  It was fun to hang with the cousins and have a tasty Sunday dinner together.

We did a couple of days of "Cousin Camp" with Molly and Grace.  Pictured above was Dinosaur day - we painted dinos, learned fun facts, and then went to Dinosaur Park.  Calvin loved chasing them around and seeing the huge creatures in the park scared him a little :)

Another cousin camp day we spent at Krispy Creme Donuts eating ourselves into a food coma

An afternoon at the bounce houses - Classic Fun Center.  Calvin loved wrestling with his cousins and feeling like a part of the team. 

Quincy and Collin do such a great job looking after their little cousins

POOL PARTY!  Julie hosted ALL the cousins at her house for a swimming extravaganza - water balloon fights and ice cream.  It just smells like a good time!

Our last evening and morning in Utah - all the family came over to Mom and Dad's to see us off.  We played boggle, ping pong and had hand stand contests.  The next morning we ate a farewell Denny's breakfast - then the rubber met the road and we started out on the next adventure of our life.

To be continued...