John and Kylee: Holidays

Erica and Nancy Chandler came to Provo in early July. We went to the Bean Museum, and Miriam was the sweetest playing hide and seek with the kids. Lunch at the Creamery was chaotic! And I had to dash away to get my stitches removed. But this visit was the absolute funniest because Erica told me about her hometown's Turkey Festival. They would drop a turkey from an airplane, and the residents would hunt the turkey in the town (with guns and while drinking alcohol!). Hearing her talk about this made me truly astounded that no one got hurt that she knew of. Also, they had a drumstick competition, where young ladies would hold turkey posters over the rest of their bodies, but would show their thighs. Whoever won was called Miss Drumstick. Are you kidding me?! That is so wild and awful!

Independence Day was amazing this year. We were inspired by Splash Summit--Ellie's bosses announced there was an employee contest to dress patriotically while still looking professional. We blinged out her hat and got some face paint going. Doing this for her work shift ahead of time made us want to do it for everyone. So we blinged out our hats and planned our face paint and outfits. We headed to the Freedom Festival Parade. John dropped us off closer to the parade route, and we found a spot to sit while he parked the van. Even though we got there like 45 minutes early, I am pretty sure we got the last shady spot along the whole road. The parade was fun! It had been a long time since we had been to a parade. The kids were so cute, which I think helped them get tons of free stuff. We liked seeing the missionaries and Kalani Sitake (the BYU football coach).

After the parade Eliza had to go to her shift at Splash Summit. She was absolutely darling. They had the employees vote on who won the contest, which she didn't win, but her bosses messaged her separately to tell her they were giving her the prize anyway because they loved her outfit so much. It was a cabana day and free entrance and tube passes for her whole family. We used that day later on in the summer, and it was amazing.

That night we went to Stadium of Fire! We had heard that Rascal Flatts was going to be performing, but didn't jump on getting tickets so we had to get them second hand. It was a little more money, but not as much as I feared. We only took our older girls because it was pretty pricey, and we didn't know if the younger girls would enjoy it. Our younger girls hung out with the Heimulis at the Rimmaschs' big 4th of July gathering, which was so so nice of Norma. John and the older girls and I had such a great time singing Rascal Flatts at the top of our lungs and dancing the best we could in our stadium seats. (One benefit of not being able to buy the cheap seats was getting the seats with the backs!) They had some nice patriotic presentations, One Voice Children's Choir performed, and then there was the traditional Stadium of Fire songs and fire. It was so 80s, and the whooshes of fire could be felt even at the top of the stadium (from like a fire guitar and swords and things, it was wild!). Rascal Flatts was so fun to see in person. They changed some of the words and notes, so we could tell it just wasn't a recording. One of my favorite songs was "Stand." They played a pretty long concert and did all of their greatest hits. It was spectacular. I grew up loving their songs and seeing them live was surreal! The firework show was spectacular. It was preceded by a cool drone show that was themed around the Armed Forces. It was the 250th anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces. The drone show was pretty impressive--how can people program things like that?! The fireworks were incredible. They just went on and on and were so big and beautiful. That was the part that I was worried about my younger kids seeing (it might be too big and loud for them). One of my favorite parts of the evening was the yummy snacks that we got--loaded fries and gelati. It's a good thing I don't eat that food very often because it was so delicious that I devoured them. Getting out of parking lot was insane afterwards. We definitely want to go again, but we want to get seats next to an exit tunnel, and then we want to ride our bikes there so we don't get caught in traffic so bad. We anxiously check regularly to see if the performers for next year have been announced. We are eager to go again!

This summer we had big plans about going to Lake Powell when it worked on the weekend. We just thought we could see a free weekend, check the weather, and go down for a short trip. There was one major fallacy in that logic...the free weekend bit. I couldn't believe how every single weekend had something going on, especially because of the medical issues we were having. We can't go while Miriam has stitches in her foot. We can't go right after I have that gum graft surgery. We can't go on John's Mom's birthday party day. We can't go over the fourth of July because of stadium of fire tickets. We can't go right after Ellie has her wisdom teeth taken out. So we forced the quickest trip ever and just stayed in the hotel in Ticaboo for two nights, taking the boat in and out both days.

We left the Saturday after the 4th and after Oliver's baptism. I loved feeling the spirit at his baptism, particularly during the confirmation. It was fun to hang out with Erica and her twin sister Nicole afterwards. They have the craziest, most awful stories, like how at their high school they could opt to get spankings instead of detention. Like for real? In the 21st Century??

We went home and finished getting ready to Lake Powell. Everything went well until Price. We stopped at the Walmart to buy some watershoes that weren't available last minute anywhere else. We also picked up some Subway for dinner. When we were double checking the boat trailer afterwards, we noticed one tire was cracking. The tire center there didn't have the correct size of tire, but we were able to change the tire to the spare and refill it with air. I was proud of us for fixing that situation before it became an emergency like Marc had last year. When we returned after the trip John took it in and got new tires for both the main trailer and the spare.

We made it down to Ticaboo and to the hotel, which was pretty nice! The next morning we woke up and got the boat down to the water. I hadn't slept well because I had what I thought was a cold (it was the razer throat covid). The launch in the water was easy because the boat ramp wasn't crowded. I love the thrill of boating in Bull Frog bay after getting past the no wake zone. It is just so exhilarating and full of memories for me. I loved that I was the one to drive the boat this time. We went up to Forgotten Canyon first (where the terrible porta potty incident happened) and decided to hike to the ruins. It was hot, but decided to go for it despite not feeling well cause it is good to do hard things. The worst part was the hot sand that burned our feet when it came up over our sandals. The best part was when we found the spot that we could just walk up the stream. The only problem about that was that Darcy was scared to walk in the water. It felt so insane that she didn't want to do that. We made it up the ruins (barely) and I literally had to lay down for a while. I was not well enough to do that hike in those temps. The ruins were pretty cool though. The hot temperatures made it seem particularly crazy that people really lived in this climate with no modern conveniences.

After the hike, the frozen peaches tasted like manna. It was a Sunday so we had a devotional on the boat, which was lovely. We headed up to see Taspetry Wall and Knowles and Smith Fork (and even a little bit of Moki) canyons. We loved swimming, resting in the shade of an alcove, and seeing slot canyons. It was a bit of trouble to trailer the boat because of the breeze. It was good learning experience for me though. It took the last bit of energy out of me though. I was so sick on the drive back to hotel and just collasped on the bed and couldn't eat because I was so fevered (I eventually ate after I rested for a while). Stupidly I had listened to some other people who swear by packing minimally on trips, so I had next to no medication with us, and then of course there are no stores for miles and miles. Good grief, the one time I try to not pack too much I can't get the medication I need.

That night I slept a little better which meant feeling a bit better. It made for a nicer morning. We put candles in Miriam's chocolate muffin for breakfast because it was her 14th birthday! We noticed that John and Miriam had reverse ages. 14 and 41. We launched the boat and Lost Eden Canyon. We swam in two different slot canyons and even did a little hike to an alcove. We had lunch in the hugest alcove. And that was it! We headed back to Provo, listening to Harry Potter 6 on the drive. We stopped at Wendy's on the way home for Miriam's birthday. What a fun quick trip! (Except the whole being ill thing!)

We also found out that day that Ellie got a 5 on her second AP test! That girl is amazing. The next day we did a lot of clean up and sick time. After Miriam's well check we went birthday dress shopping. Miriam got 4 dresses at Pre-loved. I love thrifting with that girl.

The next day Miriam got an xray and found out that she needs a full time scoliosis brace. Poor kid! It makes me wonder how bad it would have been without bracing. Her curve increased by 7% with a really good night brace.

That night we had a birthday party for my dad. He's 75! Amazing food, and a lovely time chatting as a family. Anna came for a sleepover afterwards. So the next day we went thrifting with Anna so she could be apart of that experience, which I hope wasn't too scarring for her. We ended up rushing up to Miriam's new brace fitting appointment, and then we rushed back because Miriam's class came over for a quick swim party.

That whole week I was so sick, but there was absolutely no time to rest. I was waking up in the night because my throat was so sore. I had fevers on and off, but my family just had no time for me to be sick. Thankfully on Friday morning I could rest and just pick up the kids from swim. That afternoon Ellie had her wisdom teeth taken out. It was crazy because she was told she needed to fast all day so her body wouldn't get upset at the sedative and painkillers. So she fasted all day (her appt was at like 4), and then I called to confirm her instructions that afternoon, I found out she wasn't on their schedule! I told them how we had scheduled this appointment and how she had been fasting all day. They took pity on us and had her come in anyway. They probably stayed late on a Friday afternoon to accommodate us. We went in, and they took her back pretty quickly. I filled out the paperwork, and about when I had it done, they said she was done. It took them like 30-40 minutes. She was so, so asleep when I drove the car around to get her the back way.

I didn't know what to expect to from my girl on sedation. People tell the crazy stories (like kids giggling, insulting people, or even swearing a lot). It turns out Ellie just gets sad. She would wake up and just break down in tears. It was heartbreaking. She did have the cutest chipmonk cheeks.

Miriam did a swim meet in July and got 2 PRs in the same meet. So proud of her for working hard and pushing herself. We celebrated by getting kolaches on the way home.

The next week the girls went to FSY! This was kind of an ordeal because we signed them up together, but we thought they were going to be in the younger group. So later they decided to be in the older group, so I contact a woman in our stake who is high up in the FSY program to see if they could be switched. Turns out they were already assigned to the older group. Then Miriam got stitches in her foot and she couldn't put weight on it for 10 days. So I contacted her again to ask for advice. We landed on them going another week later in the summer. But in order to do that she had me sign them up for an FSY in Alaska and then transfer to BYU at the exact time they released some beds. It worked out but it felt a little crazy. Then when I went to drop them off, we were told they wouldn't be in the same group so I invoked this woman's name again to the people saying that she said they could be together, so that opened some doors for us. Thankfully that all worked out, but I felt pretty bad for bothering this woman so much. But the girls had the best time. They were so excited and cute when we dropped them off. They told me that they wanted to tell people that they were adopted, but actually they were asked if they were twins.

I'll let them tell you more about their experiences:

Ellie: FSY was so fun! I loved going with Miriam. This year's theme was Disciple of Christ, and I loved all the classes and devotionals. Our session director was super nice, and I especially liked the girls only devotional we do every year. The dances were a blast and I loved my group. We weirdly had like half of the group from Vernal, so there were lots of horse people, which was funny. I love feeling the Spirit so much and just being with such kind people.

Miriam: I loved FSY! I feel like we really lucked out with our group and I really felt the spirit and had lots of fun. Two devotionals that stuck out to me was one about Emma Smith and how strong she was and how she was an elect lady, and one about the crucifixion. They both just made me realize how hard that would have been. It was amazing knowing everyone around me felt the same way. I would look around and everyone would be crying. The dances were super fun and I liked doing the choreography. I loved our chant as a company.

While the girls were gone, Holland, Darcy, and I made cookies and dropped them off to John at work. We snuck up on him and made it a surprise. Afterwards we went on a little hike up Slate Canyon and enjoyed the view. Darcy loved the hike so much that she wanted to just run up the trail. It made me nervous she was going to trip and get injured. Also we didn't have proper footwear or water (again!). Why do we keep doing that?

The next night John and I did initiatories at the temple and ate at Fat Daddy's afterwards. It is officially the best pizza place ever. I love going there especially after the temple. Darcy asked us, "But wait, you were dating at the temple?"

Miriam and Ellie called us that night just gushing and sobbing about how wonderful their experience at FSY was being. It was the absolute sweetest.

The following night was my high school 20th reunion. It was so fun to see a few people. It was crazy how things change but also stay the same. John was my total arm candy--being all funny and handsome. :)

We went to the Caldera Summer Party. I loved doing the ropes coarse with Miriam and Holland. No one was nervous! Laser tag and bowling was also favorite. Darcy totally killed it with the bumpers and the slide. She got a spare with that set up!

Miriam and Ellie both did a summer class to help make space in their schedules for other classes they want to take. Miriam's was Fit For Life. It wasn't too bad for her, but at the end she had to make a lot of videos demonstrating different exercises at the end of the class. We spent the whole morning doing that one day. It was pretty adorable.

We had dinner with our neighbors, the Bills. That isn't their last names. We just have to older neighbors named Bill, and they get together and host people on Bill Gerow's patio. Speaking of that patio, one time Bill had to pull me aside to tell me that he wasn't copying our patio idea. He has been planning on doing it for years, but we were just faster. :) That evening was lovely though. I love how friendly my kids are with adults. They loved painting rocks after dinner. And the older people have so many life experiences and stories to share.

At the end of July we fit in another trip to Lake Powell. It was a different animal though because we decided to camp on the side of the lake. We had to buy a bunch of stuff for it because we had never done that ourselves before. And unfortunately some of the things we have used in the past aren't usable anymore. We found out down there that a water jug had a hole. The zipper on our larger tent stopped working all together. And then there were the camp chairs. Basically this trip was more expensive than you'd think because of those things. My favorite purchase was two tactical bags for our camping paper goods and kitchen supplies.

This kind of trip is a lot more work though, so I was grateful that it worked out to use the Saturday to prep, which is unusual for us to not use the day off to be on the trip. We used that time though. Our girls (even Holland) participated in a swim meet in Lehi. Miriam had a huge babysitting job that and earned $90! She is so good about putting all of that money in her college savings account. She babysits most weekends so that adds up!

We made it to Lake Powell the next day a lot more smoothly that earlier in the month. We loaded up the boat, and it was sitting low in the water. We made it over to Halls Creek bay without taking water, and even found a lovely large campsite. It is always a little bit nerve wracking to try to find a campsite at Lake Powell. You never know what it is going to be like water level wise, and you don't know what campsites will already be taken. It is the best feeling to find a good one and claim it.

We set up our camp and enjoyed the lovely sunset. Unfortunately there were some big wildfires in California that made the the sky so polluted. So yes, lovely but also kind of gross. I couldn't believe how orange the sky stayed and how red the sun was.

We used all of our new kitchen camping gear to make food at Lake Powell. It all worked pretty well, but I swear the biggest hack is the salad kits at Sam's or Costco. It is the hardest to prep healthy fresh food, and that makes it so much easier. I got a cast iron griddle because that is what my mom used, and it didn't turn out great for me. :( We definitely had burned pancakes for breakfast. But later we really enjoyed the sauted zucchini on it, so you win some you lose some.

That first day we went down to Bown's Canyon. Of course we couldn't really get to the pools where I was baptized and confirmed. We did have fun sticking kids in holes like we did when we were kids. Of course that place always reminds me of my mom and my grandparents. We also enjoyed some tubing that day and frozen peaches (a Lake Powell essential). Holland spent so much time gather little twigs and brush for the quickest, hugest, fire. It was probably 10 feet tall.

The next day we went to Slick Rock Canyon, which was too short, but had the best lunch/swimming spot under Alice J. Arch. The water was so green which was only a probably because of the reported toxic algae bloom. That made us a little bit nervous, but on the other hand the water was nice and warm. We headed up Lake Canyon which is super long, but was enjoyable to boat up. We even ran into a cute waterfall and a little slot canyon. We headed back to camp a little earlier because there was forecasted wind, but fortunately everything was okay--thank goodness! We used the rest of the day to do some tubing and swimming before dinner. We did a campfire dinner that night, which is so fun. We loved singing campfire songs that nigh, even if we don't know them as well as the rest of my family does. We could sing our own versions though including the Kauai version of "Oh you can't get to heaven..."

On our last Lake Powell day we cleaned up camp and enjoyed tubing for about 45 minutes. It was a blast. We headed up to Bull Frog after we loaded up the boat. When we got there we ran into a problem. The slats that hold the boat had lost their bolts, not all of them, but too many. John had tried to move one, but it had come out on the drive down the ramp. That whole board slots was just stripped. We tried that same move at the bottom of the ramp because then the weight of the boat would hold the board in place. This feels very dubious to write out, and maybe it was that dubious, but it was our best shot in that remote location. But thankfully that second bolt held while we trailered the boat and even in the decontamination tank. The decontamination tank took a while, but it was okay. We just haven't done it before so it's always feels a little harder the first time you do something. It was a long, hot day, but everyone stayed nice and patient, which truly felt like a miracle.

Nachos+swimming+sunroom=happiness

We’re so extra, and I love it!

Are you kidding me? She’s so cute!

Independence Day Gelato!

She’s darling

Love the seats with backs!

That’s a happy girl

That porta potty is always going to be no bueno.

I love driving the boat!

These shady rooms were so nice after the long, hot hike.

Swimming at Lake Powell actually feels like heaven on a hot day.

But the frozen peaches though.

Taking hats over to our family to protect their cute little heads

Birthday breakfast!

Twinners

Giving the kids my phone in the water proof case feels a little crazy in retrospect.

The sparkle reflection of the water is my favorite

Fish in the water

Birthday dress shopping with Miriam. She didn’t get this one, but it was so cute.

Morning preschool practice before swim lessons

Dad turned 75!

Poor cutie just got her wisdom teeth out.

FSY together!

Fun quotes from July:

D: If you were a swimming pol you would be full of lemonade so you could drink it with heart cups and a a heart umbrella. You would be full of love because of the heart umbrella.

K: Be useful Ellie!

D: Yeah, don’t just be a little rat!

D: Mommy, you know you can help load up! (As I was doing the cooler.)

D: Well, I am sorry to tell you but it isn’t as good as I was hoping. (About a Subway sandwich that she devoured.)

D: Do you think that is what a book looks like? It does not!

D: Holland, I want to be nice to you but I also don't want to be mean to the birthday girl. So your ice cream is only a titch beautifuller than Miriam's.

D: But wait, you were dating at the temple??

D: There are a lot of miracles that need to be done.

D: I only joke about actually funny things.

D: Bundy's Undies! Bundy's Undies! (in a singsong voice)

D: I am grateful but I am just complaining.

D: Miriam, I trust you, and I trust you with everything in the world except the big water bottle and Ellie's new waterbottle.

H: Ellie's just...Ellie's just...Well, you know, there's one in every family.

D: I love Daddy even though he does not want to go clothes shopping and I do. I love him anyway.

D: I am hot and thirsty and complaining.

D: Miriam, will you be a dear and get my swimsuit?

D: Mommy I have decided that I am never going to disagree with you.

The remnants of the cookies we brought Daddy

Mountain scramblers

So proud of Holland for working so hard at summer swim team

Emotional girls after Thursday night devotional

Ice cream shop for treat take out

We wanted to try the Korean Cupbop before my high school reunion, but it turns out most of their sauce has peanut ingredients. Without that it is pretty plain.