Utah Fun!

 

I must back track a little to before we went to Idaho..... On Friday July 6th, Mom and Dad, Marilee, Julie and I headed down to Manti for our Cousin McKenna's wedding.  It was a bit of a drive, but the Temple there is beautiful and we had a great drive laughing, talking and recalling all the fun times and stupid things we did as kids.  Somehow, I didn't get a picture of us girls with Dad, but it was so much fun to spend time with my sisters and my mom.  I love them and would be lost without them!

 

 

On Saturday, we spent the day at a park with my Mom's Family Celebrating Gongy's 85th birthday!  Grandma (Gongy) is still as spunky as ever and it was fun a fun day!  I also got to catch up with many cousins and meet their kids.  I really do love my family!

Me, my cute kids and 'Gongy' Love this lady!

Love these ladies!  Wish we all lived closer together!

Campbell, Brook and Natalie - they didn't get to spend too much time together
but they got along great!

I LOVE this Pic (Thanks Julie M) Me and my siblings.  They are pretty great!

 

One afternoon while we were sitting by the pool we noticed some smoke..... then we heard some sirens....then the whole Mountain was on fire.  It turned into a huge fire and we we mesmerized watching it move up and accross the mountain most of the day and into the night.  The kids though watching the planes fly by and drop the fire retardant was great and would wave and cheer as they flew over head.  The dry conditions had everyone a little on edge especially since my Parents and Julie live up in the hills, but thankfully this fire moved up, instead of down the mountain!

 

Much of the rest of our time in Utah was spent by the pool.....like hours and hours by the pool.  It didn't ever seem to get old.  The discovering of some frogs/toads living under Nana's trampoline made it even more exciting.  The kids were all a bit nervous about catching them, but since we had much experience with catching frogs when we lived in Fresno Tyler showed them the ways and the kids would catch them and race them. 

 

At the beginning of the month Kari came over to swim with us and Maggie screamed and had a fit and was terrified of being in the water.  One day towards the end of the month Kari came over and Maggie had determined she was not going to swim and didn't even wear a suit.  Kari and I laid out and chatted and slowly but surely Maggie made her way over to the steps to put her feet in, then she was standing in the pool and before long she was all the way in and loving it.  She was so funny and soon she and Noah were going down the slide over and over and over again!

 

After McKenna's wedding we discovered that her husband Phil was a swim teacher and he started coming over a couple of times a week to teach the kids lessons.  Noah and Josh took a few lessons each.  Right before Noah's first lesson, we went out to the pool and I sat him on a chair.  Lindsay was out there with her girls getting everyone sunscreened.  I realized I had left something in the house and ran inside to grab it.  As I opened the back door to come back out, my mom yelled 'Heather" and I looked at the pool as Noah stepped off the edge without his floaties.  I screamed at Lindsay to grab him and she jumped in Coverup and all and snagged him.  He had never attempted to get in without his floaties and Lindsay had turned to rub some sunscreen on one of her girls.  I was so gratefull she reacted so quickly!  During Noah's first lesson Phil looked up at me and said, he is crazy - oh and he is, he LOVES the water and has no fear.  Phil tried to teach him that he would sink, but he just never believed it! 

Noah and Avery, they were sticking there feet in what we affectionatly call 'Toe Jam Creek'
And they are perfectly adorable!

Spencer and Ty after a few Frog Races.



Ty, JB, Spencer and Harris

Need I say anything??

Natalie, Marin, Grace and Brook

Maggie

Reecey having her swim lessons

Noah having Swimming lessons

Jake Catching Frogs!

Lastly if I didn't mention that we got to meet the baby Birds it would terrible.  My Dad was Richard Birds mission president and he has been a family friend ever since.  He and his wife Mahalia had triplets about 6 months ago and we got to meet them.  Mahalia brought them over for their first swim and the kids all took turns holding them, they are perfectly adorable....Dallin, Madison and McKenzie!

Dallin

McKenzie talking to Brook

I know Ty's eyes are closed and he won't be happy I put this in, but the boys were so adorable cuddling the babies.