Our much beloved old respite worker Meredith has moved back to Pleasant Grove and Sunday came over for dinner and to visit.  Our kids thought it was Christmas!  It was wonderful to hear about what she has been doing and the person she is becoming.  She has been a part of our lives now for 10 years and we just love her.

This week we had some fun at the pool as Robyn tries to spend as much time as possible with her friend Kelly before she moves.  Robyn would live at the pool if we let her.


One night Allison and her friend wanted to go to the mall - don't get me started on that subject, I cannot believe that is her choice of entertainment sometimes as she seems way too young!  I didn't want to drag all the kids to and from the mall to drive them.  So Allison suggested I take the other three kids to Trafalga to play while she windowshopped.  We had a great time and Spencer learned that he was tall enough to do the go-carts.

Robyn learned that she was not...

But everyone can miniature golf and Taylor thinks its fun 4-wheeling over the course.

Allison had her date night this week with me.  She chose to go see Million Dollar Arm (really liked it), shop for a purse and get a cupcake.  Is she a girl or what?!  But we had fun hanging out together for a little bit without any side kicks.



Friday morning cousins Garion, Kayla and Brynn came to spend cousin week with us.  With Allison's friend Kyla along to help shepherd little girls we went off to spend the day at seven peaks.  We were there the whole day with everyone staying happy and cheerful.  Taylor loves lying in the shallow end of the wave pool and hanging out with me.

Allison and Kyla laid down the law to the little girls about how they had to stay with them at all times and follow their directions.  The little girls were so happy to be going down all the slides they cheerfully complied.  Periodically Allison and Kyla would bring me the little girls and go take a break on a slide by themselves.  And I was so thankful for the nice lady who when all the girls raced down a slide together and Brynn ended up staying up on top freaking out, took Brynn on her lap and brought her down the slide back to us.  Follow a long day of in the sun with BYU ice cream, making pizza and cleaning the office and kids were ready to crash without a word of complaint.


Saturday some slightly sunburned kids got up early and we packed off to a new adventure.  Jeremy spent the day working and getting some home repairs done and Taylor had a babysitter for most of the day, so it was just the 6 kids and me.  We went up to the Golden Spike Monument in Promentory.  It is truly in the middle of nowhere.  Robyn and Allison had studied about the western expansion and the railroads at school and going there has been on my bucket list for a while.  Not sure if we will ever go back but had to do it once.  And we timed it so we arrived just as dressed up rangers re-enacted the whole event.  And if you are wondering where Spencer is, he is back in the shade because his sunburn hurt too bad to go stand in the sun - he was having his teenage moment.


Then we drove to Antelope Island for the day to swim in the Salt Lake.

If you look closely you can see little dots down by the water.  Those are people!  The water was so low it was a big hike through sand and walks to get to the water.  At the waters edge the water was hot and swarming with bugs.  But as we walked out the water stayed shallow, got cooler and we had a great time swimming around.


Some of my favorite moments.  Spencer in the throes of his teenage moment that was lasting way too long and reminded us that he should never have his meals late was being a negative pill.  Garion informed us that negativity was contagious but we all agreed we could withstand it and Spencer decided to run the grumps off and ran to the lake.  Then we were all in our happy place again.  Brynn did not like going out so far from the shore and when her sister wouldn't come back with her shouted, "Fine, then.  Have fun drowning!".  If you look in the picture you can see an island far off in the distance.  Spencer and Garion decided to swim to it.  It doesn't look to far.  After an hour though I couldn't even see their heads as dots on the horizon anymore and started getting a little anxious and praying.  At an hour and 45 minutes, I could see their heads again and girls swam out to them.  They said they never reached the island but started feeling like they should turn back.  I told them that was the Holy Ghost telling them that I was freaking out.  Allison was off showering Brynn who was really sensitive to the salt or I would have taken off after them.  Boys and their adventures.  We had a great time though floating around for a few hours.  You can practically sit in the water.

It has been a great summer week.  Allison has been doing tennis lessons and working on her pajama pants that she is making.  We got rid of the rats she was pet-sitting and I breathed a sigh of relief.  Jeremy and I got to do a long bike ride and dinner with some friends.  He borrowed a road bike and all my advantages in bike riding disappeared as he can just cruise on by me.  Spencer has been busy packing for EFY which he leaves for tomorrow.  He is a bit apprehensive about how much he will like it especially when he learned that he has to wear church clothes one day but we are all very excited for him.  We spent one night watching weird Al Yankovitch's new videos.  Allison got to do baptisms for the dead with the young women.  Spencer and Jeremy went to his end of the season volleyball party where they played volleyball and Spencer learned some humility and then Spencer got to try riding on the pool's flow rider where he managed to face plant at the end.

So a good, busy summer week where often bathrooms don't get cleaned or weeds pulled but life is mostly happy and kid thunder clouds pass quickly.  And if I don't put my phone away I get this: