♥: A Month of Fun

Hooray for summer! Hooray for sun! And HOORAY for family time!

Spending time in Utah has become a fun tradition for our summers. My kids anticipate the trip for weeks, and each night we would again count down the days until we got to fly away. They beg to go, and constantly I heard, "Mom, when do we get to go to Utah? ... "I wish we could just drive there"... wishing to see Aunts and Uncles, cousins, Grandmas and Grandpas.

Bridger packed his bags three weeks in advance, making it so most of June he wore long sleeved shirts because that's all he had left in his drawer. Myra also packed her own bag about a week early.

Flying with my three munchkins is an overwhelming prospect, so... Mom to the rescue! My mom took Bridger and Myra a few days before I was able to fly out with Sawyer. And she flew all the way back to Virginia with us when it was time to return! So thankful for her! I know I would have sworn off flying if it wasn't for her help.

It was a Sunday and my kids were away, but I was in Virginia. Because getting Sawyer to sit still and be quiet at the same time is basically an impossible task, Relief Society again, had to go on without us. Sawyer and I sneaked outside to Face-time the kids. Apparently the first thing Bridger wanted to do when he woke Sunday morning was to go fishing! Grandpa hooked him up with a pole and a line, and I watched as he let his line in the stream, and almost instantly pulled out a trout! One of his top-favorite memories is going fishing in Grandpa's stream. But that wasn't the only day he fished.

A couple days later, I found a flight to take me to Utah as well (not an easy task)! Burnt yellow grasses, sage brush, and dry heat starkly contrast to the green Virginia landscape I left behind. It always shocks me to realize the truth to the fact that all my teachers tried to tell me before... Utah is a desert! Until leaving and then coming back, I never believed them, and each time coming to that realization again, amazes me every time. But still, I have to cut Utah some slack... no, it does not have the naturally green beauty of Virginia, but it is still pretty! You just have to go off the freeways... something that few travelers ever do. Once one does leave behind the billboard dense roadways, and approach the mountains one finds the rugged, hidden beauty of Utah. Or... for one lucky enough to visit my parents (like me! woot, woot!), then the green landscape which was sought, with carefully manicured lawns and gardens, opens up beside a babbling brook for the viewers enjoyment, and what? ...fresh raspberries? Mmm... just another luxuriating bonus for the senses!

July was the month, Landon's homecoming was the purpose, 4 weeks was the time spent, and much playing was what we did! Fireworks, backyard shindigs, a 5K and 5-miler, pie eating contest, wave runners off the beach, messy challenges, tree-house building, chicken catching, yard games, Tolman's Lake, rodeo, Amy's baby shower, and (my favorite) hanging with family and friends was most of what we did in a nutshell.

We did so many fun things, its no wonder my kids look forward to this trip all year long. We have AMAZING family! Pretty great friends too! Nearly perfect, but just not quite because I missed Devin like crazy. So ready for home I was. Home to Devin, to Virginia, and to another move.

Welcoming Landon Home: