July

 This is my monthly post where I just unload all of my pictures for the month in all their random glory!

 

First off, Meili took swimming lessons. I don't know why it makes such a big difference for someone else to tell her something as opposed to me (even if that person is a girl in high school that she's never met.) But for whatever reason, that seems to do the trick. She got a lot more brave in the water, and figured out floating on her back. She swears that she is fine to swim all by herself now. I think... not.

 But what do I know? She did get a sucker to prove her accomplisments.

This kid is going to have so much blackmail, we won't know what to do with it all. He recently discovered high heels, but mine are too big, and Meili is currently missing all but one dress up shoe. So, we finally found the perfect pair at my mom's house. As happens with most people, after walking around in them for a few minutes, Grant decided they're not all they're cracked up to be.

One of the few traditions that Josh and I have as a couple is going to the Rocky Mountain Review. Josh always says, "We've done that every year we've been together... except the years that they didn't hold it." (Which happens to be quite a few of our nine years together :)

One of my goals for the year was to do a triathlon. I finally found one in Logan that seemed to be an okay price, and it was local, etc. It was on July 11th, and started at the Aquatic Center. I was pretty nervous about a triathlon because 
A) I am not a good swimmer,
B) I'm not great on a bike,
C) I don't own a road bike,
D) I have super dry skin that doesn't respond well to swimming, chaffing, sweating, etc.
and last but not least,
E) I'm really not a great runner either.

With all that being said, I REALLY loved it. There are very few races that I would say I actually loved the race. Usually I love the feeling after completing the race, and I love challenging myself, and having something to work toward. But this was race was super fun. I really loved it. There are some things that I could work on for the next one (and there WILL BE a next one), but overall, it was not bad for my first try.

The biggest thing about the swim is that I under estimated myself, because I literally had no idea what my time would be. So most of the swim I spent trying to pass someone else. Next time, I will line up for a faster time. 

The bike was the part that dragged on for me the most. Not that it was hard, but it was just the longest part of the race, and we were on a straightaway the entire time. I just used my mountain bike, and I definitely learned that having a road bike would make a HUGE difference.

I thought my run was awful because I couldn't feel my legs for most of it, but as it turns out, I ran faster in the triathlon than I did at the Honeyville 5K. Now that is sad. 

So here are my times broken up: 
Total: 1:29:56
Swim: 13:37
Bike: 48:36
Run: 25:10
 

Just some random pictures we took when we were goofing off...

I just had to get a picture of this sometime. Grant has learned how to get along in our family. He knows that if there is food or treats coming from the front seat in the car, that if he just sticks his hand up, and asks "Treat?" We will eventually put something in his hand. The thing is that now his ears are super-attuned to wrappers, so if he hears anything crinkly (paper, cd wrapper, anything) he automatically asks for treats. I tried to talk to him about the beautiful trees when he was restless in the car one day, and he put his hand up and starting asking for treats. Ugh...

For my birthday, I told Josh that I wanted to go skydiving or something since it was the big 3-0. Josh said, "I will pay for you to go skydiving. I will even talk Teep into going with you. But I'm not going skydiving." Even though sharing my birthday with Josh's brother sounds super romantic, I decided that I would opt for spending it with him, and compromising a little on the activity. So he got passes to go to the Flow Rider, and IFly in Ogden. We finally had the chance to use them on the 18th. Between an air show in Logan that morning, a swimming party at my parents' house, and then this, we didn't plan super well. So we had to stop and pick up some clothes to wear for the Flow Rider, and then we ended up late for our IFly appointment, and the only times they had available for for the FlowRider, meant leaving our kids with my parents pretty late. Anyway, when all was said and done, we didn't stay in the FlowRider thing as long as we could have, but it really wasn't a big deal because we (especially I) were pretty crappy at it. It would take going quite a few more times for me to figure it out at all.

But there is some very fuzzy proof that I have attempted. The people in front of us in line said that it is a lot like snowboarding-which is true, if snowboarding were uphill and someone kept pushing you over. But what do I know? I was pretty bad at snowboarding when I first tried too.

I figured that based on my Flowrider experience, I would be too uncoordinated for IFly too. But it was actually super fun and both Josh and I figured it out well enough that we could do a few little tricks with our instructor. (Nothing compared to what our instructor could do. THAT is crazy.) But it just made me feel even more like we need to go skydiving. After it was over, Josh said, "If skydiving is anything like that, I could handle it. You don't even feel like you're falling." He quickly took back his statement when I started planning our skydiving trip though. :)

Sometimes I forget what it's like to just be Josh and I again because I am so wrapped up in the kids. So it was super fun to hang out with just the two of us.

For Pioneer Day, Josh and I went to the Bountiful festivities with my parents and sister on the 23rd.

When Meili was a little bit older than Grant, I took her to this fair, and put her on the train. She acted fine sitting in the little car, but as soon as it started moving, she burst out crying, and the driver stopped the train so she could get off. Grant rode on the train once with Ruby and Meili. I didn't really know how he felt about it, but they all got off the train, and he got right back on. No crying. Just like he was saying, "I will be riding this again." I didn't want to pay for Meili to go again, because she had other rides she wanted to go on, and they said that adults weren't allowed, so I just asked some little girl if he could sit by her. She was fine with that, and so was he.

Ah... I love summer! We stayed the night at my parents' house, and went boating at Willard Bay with Josh's family. I didn't take pictures, (because we had kind of a crazy day, buying two vehicles-but that is a story for a different day) so when I get some from someone else I will post them.

Tony Grove

 Some of my friends and I took a short day-trip up to Tony Grove because it is beautiful and we've been trying to do play dates every Wednesday during the summer.

 What can I say? It was beautiful and truly enjoyable.

 The kids loved climbing the rocks and the moms loved being together and getting out of the house.

 See? Beautiful.

 

This is our group of kids-although we had my friend Kira, and her kids: Tyler, Perry, and Nash join us at the end. So the kids in the picture and who they belong to: Isaac (Alisha), Caden and Hallie are in the middle (Lacey), between Isaac and Hallie is Sky, and then on the other side, her two sisters Talia and Ruby (Sarah) and their sister Coco was in the baby backpack. Then Meili and Grant was with me.

Independence Day

 After not-enough-sleep after the fireworks, we woke our kids up too early to head over to the Honeyville Independence Day festivities. Josh and I both ran the 5K. Josh ran the whole thing, which I think is a feat in itself-seeing as how the most he's run in probably 3 or 4 years is a mile. I, on the other hand, didn't do as well as I thought I should have, but hey, it's the Honeyville 5K and that's how things go. I did, however, get second in my age group-after Grayce.

Then it was time for the parade. Even though it's against the rules according to the boys in Josh's family, I tried to actually plan some things for the float ahead of time-as did Josh's mom and some of the sisters-in-law.

 And this is the finished product. (In reality, it's probably not that much different than all the years that the boys planned it over breakfast.)

 I had this brilliant plan to have some of the kids ride bikes, and Grant would push his little car alongside of the float. And I was going to decorate his car like a bee. In the end, there weren't enough kids that could ride bikes, so Meili opted to be on the float, so I didn't really follow through with decorating Grant's car. I was just going to have him on the float with me, but Josh said that since we had taken the car all the way over to Honeyville with us, we might as well use it. We just put Grant on the ground right in front of Josh's family, so he was really confused about what was going on, and didn't push his car-Jenson did. Anyway, all in all, I thought that part of the parade was pretty much a fail, but I'm sure no one else even thought about it.

 Meili liked throwing candy though, and the people at the very beginning of the parade were definitely spoiled by her!

 

At least we can say that Jenson was a really good sport about helping Grant!

 

 Then we went to the park for the carnival. Meili is finally old enough that the thought of catching a live fish was gross to her, and she wasn't in to it. Grant loved splashing in the water until a fish touched his foot and then he wanted nothing to do with it.

 At least Carson got one!

To be honest, I think by the time of the carnival we were all really tired and REALLY hot, and Josh had to get home to fix something for work, so I was more than happy to use that as an excuse to get in the air-conditioned car and take. a. nap.

That night we went to our neighbor's house for a little celebration, and then the kids and I tagged along with Josh for work to take the radio station's music van out to the Hyrum fireworks. 

I was talking to my sister-in-law about how every year the 4th of July ends up being 2 or 3 days of late nights, early mornings, disrupted naps, and so much tiredness, and grumpiness. But when it's all over that's not the part any of us remember. We remember all the fun and traditions and I love it!

Fireworks

 

We debated back and forth whether we would rather watch the Logan fireworks from inside the stadium, or watch them outside in a park or something. The decision was made easier when Josh was able to get quite a few tickets through his work. It helped that Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band was playing there, and they have a few songs that I really like.

 Because he got so many tickets we were able to go with my parents, and my brother Nick's family, Josh's parents, his sister Marlyse's family, the Hunsakers, and Jake and Kami's family. (Look at Chalisse, already teaching Meili to make a kissy face. Ah!)

 Grant loved an endless supply of treats, and dancing on Josh's lap.

 Meili, Shasta, Shelby, and Grandma did some dancing of their own!

 Grant, clapping along to the music.

 When the fireworks started, Grant kept pointing and saying "boom!"

 The older I get, the more I really appreciate Independence Day and watching the fireworks. I understand a little better how truly blessed we are to live in this country, and know that God has had his hand in establishing the freedoms we enjoy.

 I love this picture, and how it truly sums up the whole night for me!