Summer Trip Week 1

Tonight B is at How to Train your Dragon LIVE with Jane and Bruce, so I have some time to post some pictures of our trip this summer.

I'm going to break it up in weeks.  I had over 600 pictures on my camera when we got back.
Here we go:

Week 1~ July 11th- 17th:
Wednesday: The kids and I flew into Salt Lake City arriving around 9:30 pm.   

My awesome nephew Andrew met us at the airport and drove us to his home.  As soon as we walked in Dylan and Tonya's home we were greeted with hugs, smiles, a happy-welcoming sign, homemade cookies, and lots of cousins!  We talked for a bit and then went to bed- (2 hour time change does make a difference.)

The next morning, Thursday, Tonya and I left early to drive to Provo, picking up my sister-in-law Kim on the way.  We were all headed to the Young Readers Conference at BYU where we met my mom and sister Joanna- both of whom I love love love and miss so much!  That day we heard from Nic Bishop, Jeanette Ingold, and Tom Lichtenheld.  They were all fantastic.  We had lunch at a new Indian restaurant and then later in the evening we went back to hear Ally Condie.  We also met up with Luana and it was wonderful to see her again. 

      Meanwhile my kids played all day with their cousins and Uncle Dylan.  I know that they had lots of fun, but I'm not sure what they did.

Friday- Again, Tonya and I headed down for day 2 of the conference.  This time we got to hear from Amy Kraus Rosenthal- LOVE her, and Jack Gantos-  he won the Newberry Award this year and was so fun to listen to.  We were laughing the whole time.  I bought a bunch of books and we ate lunch at Spark. We drove back up to NSL to see how the kids were doing.  Today Uncle Dylan and my dad took everyone to the indoor swim park.  They said that 1 of them watched James and the other watched all the other kids- that James is a daring one...

Saturday- We joined D&T and their family on a Saturday hike around Lake Solitude & Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood canyon.  I must have said it a million times while we were there, but I LOVE and miss the mountains so much. They are huge and beautiful.   My soul felt happy to be in them again. 

This is Jane's journal entry up to this point,

" At first when we landed in Utah I thought it was cold, after all it was night.  But, as soon as we stepped off the plane we were melting.  After 2 days at my cousins house it was a particularly cold morning so we went hiking.  Maddy and I went in the convertible.  Now, in the movies your hair blows backward but in real life it goes everywhere!  In your face, whipping your cheeks, too late for a hair tie! Plus it was freezing cold."

Dylan let me take his Pilot for the next 2 weeks- so nice- we drove down to Provo to my parents home that evening.

 My sister Joanna gave these cute kids presents.

Sunday- We went to church with my parents.  My mom was sustained as the new Relief Society President (it's the calling I have here too,) and we got to be with her when she was set apart.  They are SOO lucky to have her- she can do everything :)  For dinner Jason & kids and Jeff &Lexi came down and it was great to see all of them again too.

Monday- My sister Joanna and I decided to relive our BYU days so we took the kids to the Bean Museum to see the animals.  We were so sad to find it was closed and won't open for a year.

  Luckily the Dinosaur museum was a mile away so we went there and looked at all the bones.  After that she took me to this super fun indoor trampoline/ rock climbing 

 

 place and the kids had a blast! 

(Bruce found the bottom of the foam pit- in the other picture: Jane on the trapeze.)

 We got snowcones on the way home (the first of many, many, many snowcones.)

Tuesday- We went with my sister and her sweet 3 girls to the summer dollar movie- "Puss in Boots."  James got a little bored half way through but luckily Joanna had her handy dandy Kindle Fire to keep him entertained with all sorts of games.  The afternoon was spent swimming,
blowing bubbles,
and driving around the backyard.
That evening we all went to "Yogurt Land" and it was delicious.  They just opened up 2 places similar to Yogurt Land out here, but the one in Orem is still my favorite.