Jul 19 - 25

 

Monday, July 19 - Liz decided to update our website with bio's of each of the employees that work for her. This is mine. :) I was happy with how this turned out. She is so talented!

Tuesday, July 20 - I had a sleep study tonight because I supposedly have "nocturnal sleep hypoxia" in the night. All those wires laying across the bed were attached to me while I slept! I should find out the results in about two weeks.

Wednesday, July 21 - Jenni and her girls (plus Kaison) joined us for a perfect summer movie today: "The Grinch". Haha! It was a little Christmas-y but the kids loved it so we had a good time. We had Cafe Rio with them after the movie. We love cousin time!

Thursday, July 22 - Liz sent over our family pictures and they turned out amazing! I love them so much!! She did such a great job! I can't wait to get them printed and put them up in my house.

Friday, July 23 - Liz brought Nora and came over after we worked today. She is going to Hawaii and wanted her finger and toe nails done. She chose a super light pink with daisies painted on them. They turned out so cute, Kendra decided that she wanted them too! :) 

Saturday, July 24 - Happy Pioneer Day! For this fun holiday, Dad reserved the Stairs Picnic Area for our family. We invited a bunch of family and friends but not a ton of people came up. We didn't get up there until around 2:00 and unfortunately, everyone started leaving around 4:30/5:00. Luckily, Amie and her family came up later so we stayed and hung out with them. We played soccer and basically just sat around visiting for a few hours. It was a fun day!

Sunday, July 25 - After I got Ricki's hair done for church, my family pointed out that her parts looked like a "P". Haha! We celebrated Simon's birthday tonight at my parent's house. He requested shiska-bob's. Yum! I brought banana cream pie for dessert with whipped cream. Nick kept begging me to let him spray the whipped cream in his mouth but I told him no. Next thing I know, I turn around and my dear sister is spraying it in his mouth. Thank heaven for fun aunts that trump mom's decisions every once in a while!

Jul 12 - 18

Monday, July 12 - Simon ordered him and I a new pair of Shady Rays sunglasses. He was hoping that they would come before we left for Vegas but didn't think they actually would. Well, they showed up today so in plenty of time! I'm excited to try mine out! I told Simon that at $25, this is the most expensive pair of sunglasses I've ever owned! :)

 

Tuesday, July 13 - Liz asked Marisa and I to write a brief bio of ourselves for our Instagram page and website. This is what I wrote about me and it prompted a lot of questions from Liz about what Diamond Art is. I explained what it is and sent her this picture of the Eifel Tower Diamond Art I just finished up. I'm thinking...maybe a little gift for her for Christmas? Or birthday?

Wednesday, July 14 - We have been waiting and it has finally arrived! Our fridge was delivered today while I was at work! Yay!! Our kitchen is getting more and more complete. Now all we need is the faucet, backsplash, and microwave (which we have but we have to wait for the backsplash to put it in) and then we are all set and the basement will finally be 100% done! 

Thursday, July 15 - I can't believe this day has finally arrived! We packed up and headed out to Vegas around 10:30 this morning. We stopped to eat at Beaver Taco on our way down and made it in pretty darn good time. When we had just arrived in Vegas, Simon mentioned that maybe we should find a gas station before we go to the hotel so we found a Costco right off the strip and pulled in. The line was forever long to get gas but we decided to wait in it because we were already there. Sure enough, before we had gone far, the car started idling hard and shut off. We ran out of gas! At the gas station!! Haha! Alex and Simon had to get out and push us along the line to the pump. It was kind of hilarious! :) Glad we ran out of gas at the station and not somewhere along I-15! P.S. In Simon's defense, our car said it had 9 miles till empty and we can usually drive on zero miles for several miles so he wasn't worried. It's just that when the temperature outside is 106°, the gas vaporizes and you don't get as much mileage as you normally would. I was just happy it happened the way it did and we were totally fine.

Friday, July 16 - Happy birthday to the man of my life! We got up...when we wanted to...and headed to breakfast in Boulder at The Coffee Cup. We went there with Gary and Alexis a long time ago and it was yummy. It didn't disappoint this time either! After breakfast, we headed to Lake Mead to hang out and do some paddle boarding. It was way fun but super hot and oh-so windy! Simon kept stressing out that the easy-up would break and sure enough, around 4pm, a strong gust of wind came and broke one of the bars he was trying to hold. We were almost done anyway so when that happened and we had no shade in 111° heat, we packed up and left. We went over and checked out the dam and the Pat Tillman bridge for a bit (and even drove over the bridge...yikes!) then headed back to the resort. We had made sandwiches to bring to the lake but between the huge breakfast and the heat, we didn't eat them so that is what we ended up doing for dinner. We swam in the amazing pool at the resort for a while then when it got later, we dried off and went to Kate's Korner for some ice cream. That was Simon's request for his birthday and I didn't disagree! I never want this vacation to end!!

Saturday, July 17 - We got up late again this morning, made breakfast in, and then went to the pool for the day. The lazy river was amazing and the temp outside was 108° so it felt so nice to jump in and cool off. I also got to read for a bit and even fell asleep for a few minutes! Around 4:00, we went back to the room to shower and get ready for the evening. We had some places we wanted to visit while we were in Vegas. First stop was the Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders (formally Oakland Raiders) now play. That was extra exciting for me because I grew up with an avid Raiders fan (dad) and just found out his brother Ahmad is a Raiders fan too. We hope to meet him there this year and go to a game so the nostalgia of what may be hit me. After that, we had dinner at a nice restaurant called "Yard House". It was very good! We then moseyed over to the strip, parked at Caesar's Palace, got Amie & Alex a drink outside, walked through the Bellagio, then stopped to watch some fountain shows before heading back to the resort around midnight. Today was another fun-filled but relaxing and perfect day with the best company I know! 

Sunday, July 18 - Well, we're home. Booo! We had to check out by 10:00 Vegas time/11:00 Salt Lake time so we got up early, checked out, and hit the road. We did stop for a while in St. George to have brunch at Bishop's Grill, which never disappoints either. We only made one more stop on the way and got home around 6:15. We dropped off our friends, said our goodbyes, and went to have dinner and pick up the kids from Dave & Viv. It was such a great weekend, I didn't want it to come to an end. I just love how fun and easy it is to be with Alex and Amie. They are great friends and I look forward to more adventures with them!

Jul 5 - 11

 

Monday, July 5 - Happy Birthday Mom! To celebrate her big day (and because everyone had the day off because the 4th of July fell on a Sunday), we went to Tucanos for "linner" (lunch/dinner). Yummers!!

Tuesday, July 6 - We were supposed to go on a hike today but that got cancelled so we decided to do some adventuring on our own. We went to the library to turn in our summer reading cards then we went to the Riverton Park. I told Ricki that they could get a little wet and she came back over by me completely drenched. Haha! The joys of summer! Dave & Viv came over tonight and gave the kids Outer Banks shirts. Look how cute they all are!

Wednesday, July 7 - Kam and Kayla fly out to Florida on Friday with Heather Hitchcock so mom decided to quick do the boys' campout before Kam goes. We were supposed to have the kids overnight anyway so I sent Kam with my boys and we kept Kayla. It was so fun to have some one-on-one time with just her and the girls and I know the boys had a blast at the campout!

Thursday, July 8 - We had to "rip off the bandaid" again! Saying goodbye to Kam and Kayla was so hard today! Just knowing they are moving so far away is killing us and I kept hugging and smooching on that baby before she left. The kids were sad but we're all thankful we can look forward to getting together in just a few months (December) again. Bye to the "Little Howard's" for now. We will sure miss them! Later tonight, I went on another kids shoot with Liz. This one was great! I am always thankful when they go without a hitch and everything turns out perfectly!

Friday, July 9 - Happy 10th birthday to my main man! I didn't end up having to work this morning so Zack and I ventured over to Walmart to buy everything we needed for his birthday dinner and party tonight. The cashier asked if he wanted a sticker and I made a comment about him getting a sticker for his birthday. She said he deserved a balloon if it's his birthday and it came attached to a Smarty candy. So cute! Tonight, we purchased the movie "Black Widow" on Disney+ and he had these cute friends come join him for his party. After the movie, they went outside and played night games on our street with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood. I love summer, Zack, and getting to celebrate him!

Saturday, July 10 - I started my day off at baptisms this morning. It is always special to get to be there with the kids while they get baptized. It is always spiritual and enlightening just to be there. When I got home from that and a massage, Nick and Simon went with my parents on a side-by-side ride up above the copper mine. They had an amazing view that would have only been better if the air wasn't filled with smoke from the fires burning in California and Oregon. Later in the evening, we went to dinner with Andy and Jordan Henderson then stopped by Nick Crawford's wedding. It was so fun! They just had a big party and when it was time for the bride and groom to go, they jumped in the pool! Followed by their entire wedding party and even the parents after much coaxing and chanting. It was so fun, we kept saying we were leaving and then we would stay longer. Haha! I'm glad we went. It was such a fun and happy way to end a really great day!

Sunday, July 11 - We went to Dave and Viv's for dinner and to watch the Euro Cup. England was playing Italy and I don't know why in this picture it says 2020 because this picture was definitely taken during the game that night. Either way, England lost to Italy in penalty kicks...darn it!

Jun 28 - Jul 4

 

Monday, June 28 - Katie came over today to get her nails painted for the 4th of July. She loves glitter nails so that's what we did on her fingers and then firecrackers on her toes. I was so happy to get some solid time with her before she leaves for Florida. Kenny and Kayla also came so we got to see everyone but Kam today.

Tuesday, June 29 - This was Nick's first time driving to Grandma Sandi's and he did a wonderful job! We made it there in one piece! :) Our family got together today to have lunch and tie-dye shirts for July. We love this annual tradition that mom does of making matching family shirts. They all turned out unique but really really cute too!

Wednesday, June 30 - Some of the neighborhood ladies, Meg, Jenni, Marisa, and I went to the Provo Rec Center today. It is super fun! They have an awesome indoor area as well as outdoor waterslides, a wave pool, and a kids pool. The moms spent most of the time visiting while the kids were off on water park adventures. It's always a fun time at the Provo Rec Center. 

Thursday, July 1 - Mom sliced up some avocado at her house on Tuesday but we didn't eat it all so she sent it home with us. Zack's favorite thing is "homemade guacamole" (which is just mashed up avocado mixed with some salsa) so I sent this picture to mom to thank her for the leftover avocado. I brought a few things home from work to try on and I loved this dress...so I bought it...in two colors! Haha! Somebody stop me! :)

Friday, July 2 - Katie wanted to take the girls to Lagoon for one final girl-hoorah so they went to Lagoon today. Mom met them up there after work as well. They had a great time! They got done in enough time to meet us in West Jordan for the Western Stampede Rodeo. It was a great rodeo this year! I definitely missed our July traditions last year when everything shut down! I am so glad we got to spend this time together as a family!!

Saturday, July 3 - We are having lots of family togetherness and I am loving every single minute of it! :) Kenny and Katie keep telling us that they don't need any help with their move but we figured if you've got the help here on this end of the adventure, why not take it?!? So we all showed up at their house this morning at 11:30 to load up their moving truck. They were honestly really ready and packed, the truck just needed to be loaded up. We stayed until about 1:30 and then left so that we could hurry and get ready to go to lunch at Texas Roadhouse. We all went together and that was fun too! We even made mom get on the saddle and yelled a big whopping YEEHAW for her birthday! Afterward, we went over to Sandy City. They still have the parade, live music, and vendors cancelled because of Covid but we sat in a big ole' circle and hung out until the firework spectacular started. I don't know about everyone else but this day, for me, was as good as Christmas. I just love the festivities of July!

Sunday, July 4 - We celebrated mom's birthday at Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Jim's. Dinner was good, dessert was wonderful, conversation was the best, but the goodbye was hard. Kenny and Katie drive away first thing tomorrow. "How lucky [are we] to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." ~Winnie the Pooh