Cecret Lake and Beyond...

This is definitely how I prefer Alta...green trees and plenty of sunshine! The wildflower festival was going on, and the flowers are just stunning! Sometimes I take it for granted that we live in such a beautiful state! We hiked up to Cecret Lake, and then continued on to Germania Pass. It's always so funny to see patches of snow when it's 95 degrees out, but it's all the more fun for the kids to throw snowballs and slide down the ice to cool off. Our kids have all grown to the point that they are good hikers and none of them had to be carried or complained. We did bribe them with a Slurpee though! Blaze refused to wear socks, and sure enough, he got a blister half way through the hike. So he chose to put a flip flop on his injured foot but kept his hiking shoe on his other foot. He's such a funny kid...whatever works I guess!

Goodbye's are Hard...

It was time for the Johnsons to take off for Texas. We had them over for breakfast and to say our temporary goodbyes. It was very sad, and I had to put on my sunglasses outside when we were taking pictures because I had tears! I had hoped to see these kids continue to grow up together and have as much fun as they have always had, but they promise to come back and visit us!

Provo River Rafting...

Another fun summer tradition has been our rafting trip with the Lombardi's and Saunders. This year instead of renting a raft from BYU and hauling it up the canyon ourselves, we found a Groupon for a company who shuttles you up and has rafts for you at the top of the river. It was much easier and just as fun. The river was really low, and our raft full of younger Lombardi's and Williamson's bottomed out a few times. It was fun watching James and Koy get out and pull us to deeper water though! This year no one was capsized, and the company didn't allow us to go under the bridge that has almost decapitated Chris before. We still had plenty of laughs when we lost a couple of oars and parents on tubes told our kids to spray their kids up ahead with water guns. We had a quiet and relaxing picnic dinner at Vivian Park, and then ice cream at the BYU creamery!

Willard Bay...

Caleb and Lauren recently purchased some wave riders and invited us to try them out at Willard Bay. I hadn't ever driven one, but it was so much fun and the water was so warm too! Of course, Alanna had fun entertaining Presley in a water tube, and James and I tried out the SUP. Paddle boarding there with all of the waves from the watercraft was a little more challenging than at the Reservoir, but much better than the ocean! Cache had fun squirting his sister with a squirt bottle, and luckily she thought it was hilarious!

Afterward, we went to Grandma Ce-Ce and Poppy's house for dinner and got to meet Perkins, Jess and Rob's Clegg's little boy who they named after Paul. We also played with their daughter, Lettie, and the kids got wet all over again in the wading pool and creek! They have such a fun backyard to explore and play in!

Float Preview Party 2017...

We went with the Perkins cousins to see the pioneer parade floats at the Sandy Expo Center. First, we had dinner at Blue Lemon, and it was really fun to put the kids at a separate table and to be able to talk with the adults! When we got to the Expo Center, the kids wanted to do face painting and balloon twisting which is free and you leave a tip. Presley walked up to the poster of choices and started pointing to pictures and paint colors and couldn't wait to have her cute little face painted. It was so much fun watching her get it done because that little girl usually doesn't sit still for anything, but she did to get pretty makeup put on her! She stared in the mirror while it was being done, and then she posed for lots of pictures to show off her pretty design. Jackson felt like he was too old to get his face painted, Alanna got a cheetah print, Paul got Captain America, and Blaze got a weapon to fight with Peter and Max!

Alanna's First Pedi....

While the Williamson's were still in town, the boys went on a little fishing excursion during the day up Tibble Fork Canyon, and so Grandma Leslie came with us to take the girls out to lunch and to the beauty salon! Alanna was so excited to pick out colors for her toes, and she and Kaia got matching colors of black and glittery gold. We ate lunch at Thanksgiving Point, and then of course, we got huge ice cream sundaes at the shop there too! The girls couldn't finish them, but they were very exited to get ice cream!

Duke Dog Peirce...

Our kids had the opportunity to take care of Duke (the Peirce's dog) while they were away for a few days. Paul is obsessed with dogs, so it was really a dream come true to pretend like he actually owned a dog. They fed him and played with him, but the boys kept "forgetting" to bring a shovel with us to collect poop from the yard! This is a pretty good arrangement because Lane really doesn't like Duke, but our kids can go over and play with him and walk him and I don't have to take care of a dog!

Since I had their house keys, I couldn't resist doing some redecorating! Lane had Brita, Michelle, and I watching Pretty Little Liars and it was such a waste of time and the whole series had a stupid ending. I keep teasing Lane that he loves the character Emily on the show, so I printed off a bunch of pictures of her and displayed them around their kitchen and front room. I put a particularly seductive one in Lane's golf bag, and it was fun hearing his shocking reaction to finding it there! I had told the Peirce's that Friday Night Lights is a great series, and that Tim Riggins is my (and lots of others) TV crush. She never ended up liking him, so I also put several pictures of him around the house. It was fun getting text messages every time they spotted a new picture in their licorice bin or jar of cheese balls!

,

Jackson is 13!!!

Scout camp got rained out Friday night, so Jackson was able to come home the night before his birthday! Just in time to go out to breakfast at Penny Ann's with his dad and enjoy some Jelly Donut Stuffed French Toast! Then we headed to the Rec center for a Williamson Family Reunion to celebrate Jackson's birthday. The kids all had a great time swimming there for 4 hours, and Grandpa Joe even impressed everyone and went off the high dive! We had dinner at Riverton Park afterward where Poppy met us to with Jackson a Happy Birthday. Alanna thought she saw Poppy driving through the parking lot in a convertible, but Paul said that couldn't be Poppy. A few minutes later he pulled right up beside us, and it was him in a BMW convertible! He finally fulfilled he dream of owning a convertible, and he got a great deal on his restored BMW. James was very interested and was checking everything out...I was really hoping that he would be inspired and finally get a different car! That still remains to be seen though. It was a really fun day for Jackson and he felt very loved!

I can't believe my first born is a teenager! I cringe to think about how these past 13 years have flown by, and to think about how fast these next 5 years are going to go. He's going to be on a mission and graduating from college before we know it! Birthdays are always a good reminder to me to make the most of our time and create lasting memories with our kids. He's been working hard this summer to complete requirements for his Eagle Scout, and he continues to love to read, play basketball, and play soccer. He's a great example for all of his younger cousins, and he is really good about playing with them and making them feel included! We love our hairy-backson!

Cow Appreiation Day 2017...

It's a tradition, and we were sorry that James and Jackson missed being with us this year! These cute calves enjoyed their free chicken sandwiches anyway!

Alanna's 9th Birthday!!!

We had to celebrate Alanna's birthday on the real day, even though we celebrated in San Diego, and even though James and Jackson were at scout camp. Poppy came over and we had Alanna's favorite dinner of Alfredo, Lion house Rolls, salad, and fruit. She picked out a Rolo trifle cake with layers of brownie, chocolate mousse, caramel sauce, and Rolo candies. It was very rich and delicious. She opted for money instead of a friend birthday party this year. I think she was a little stressed by making decisions about what kind of party she would have!

Our Lanna Babes has matured in so many ways, and she is such a great helper around the house! We can usually talk her out of her fits before they start now, and that has made a huge difference in the level of peace in our home. I love to see how determined she is when she decides she wants to master a tumbling trick, finish a book, timed math tests, and keyboarding. When we take a family hike she's always got to be in the front because she's not about to let her brothers show her up! This year in school she will continue to be stretched since she is in a new class (after 3 years), and will get to make all new friends and develop a relationship with a new teacher. I feel blessed everyday that she's my daughter!

San Diego 2017 Day #7... Balboa Park!

Hours were spent playing at the hotel pool, and of course, it was a highlight of the trip!

The entire 1st floor of the science museum was about the history of video games, everything from Pac Man to current day gaming. I couldn't pull them away!

Blaze and Cache were just as enthralled with the huge Lego collection upstairs as the big boys were in to their video games.

We celebrated Alanna's birthday a couple days early since James and Jackson would be at Scout camp during her real birthday. She was begging me to make her a cake, but we didn't have an oven or any kitchen tools! Thankfully, this Costco cake was enough for that day. She still created a cake she wanted for her actual birthday.

This is where I wish I had my DSLR! My phone just didn't do well for the evening shots!

This was our goodbye to the ocean until next summer probably. La Jolla Cove has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the country!