Utah and Family and So Many Blessings

We spent Veterans Day weekend in Utah so Ethan could receive his patriarchal blessing from my Dad.  Landon got his blessing about six months ago and Ethan has been waiting and wanting to get his too.  My dad was recently called to be a Patriarch and can give blessings to members of his stake and family members so we made this trip happen for Ethan. It was a fun trip! 

And lucky for us, the weekend also coincided with Megan's mission farewell so we got to gather with everyone (except for Marcus).  And since we like to take advantage of every moment in Utah, we met up with the Brandt's and Beeson's--two close family friends who moved from Washington who we miss  terribly.  

We also drove three hours down to Cove Fort to see Randy's parents who are serving there.  We got a tour and had a delicious lunch with them. They are 9 months into their 2-year mission. 

Pushing the metal rings around is harder than it looks! After driving back to Orem and hanging out with friends, we even snuck in a quick visit with Randy’s siblings.  We were busy!  We had fun!  We spent way too much time driving in a 4-day period.  

We toured the Orem Temple Open House with the Beeson’s and the Brandt’s.  The temple is absolutely beautiful!  The stain glass windows are unlike any I’ve ever seen before. After fighting the crowds at the temple we went to the Brandt’s giant house (everything is bigger, better, and costs less in Utah) for dinner. The kids played so hard and Henry was reunited with his best buddy James. All felt right in the world. 

The next morning was pancake breakfast at Dad’s. The kids played while the adults laughed and talked together. Chaos reigned supreme, as usual. 

Henry and the second generation of cousins. He was in heaven running around in the basement and it reminded me of when Marcus and Ethan were little. We played pickle ball at the park (hello sunshine!) and had pizza for lunch and then we were off to do the Flow Rider.

My boys improved a lot but it's nothing like surfing behind the boat!

Ethan did some cool tricks and barrel rolls

Then we went to Top Golf for dinner and golfing.  It's the most expensive family outing possible, next to skiing.  But the food is delicious and I got to sit and visit with April and Laura's family so it was even more fun for me.

Henry is actually pretty good.  He consistently hits it over his left shoulder and into one of the goals.

Ethan's not a golfer but he sure can hit it hard and far.

Parker might just have to start golfing with Landon and Randy.  He loves it!

The food is always a nice bonus

Ethan received his patriarchal blessing the next morning before we went to Megan's farewell.  She gave a great talk that only makes us miss her more.  Colorado Spring Mission is lucky to have her and we can't wait to hear about her adventures.

We are getting old!!  Mom and Linz were definitely there in spirit and we felt their
presence multiple times that weekend.  Heaven is closer than we think!

After all the reuniting and saying goodbye, we loaded up in the CIA and drove back home to Washington.  Yes, you heard that right.  I no longer drive a minivan.  I LOVE this car.  It is so roomy and the best road trip car ever.  The boys love it too and Ethan doesn't love driving my minivan but now he's extra motivated to work his tail off to purchase a truck.

The Johnson's Came To Town

 My sister April came up for their annual trip to WA.  I think they've managed to visit us every summer.  I'm glad they appreciate the awesomeness of where I live.  We did all the usual things with them including eating good food, swimming at Pine Lake every chance we had, and relaxing while the kids got plenty of cousin time.  Toby and April are always so good about keeping the kitchen clean and playing with my kids so I can get a break here and there.  Basically anyone who is willing to clean my kitchen can visit any time!

We drove up the Canyon to Denny Creek Falls to try out bum sliding.  The first time I did this was years ago after we just moved here from Okinawa and we had a blast but we've had a very dry/hot summer so there weren't as many water falls to slide down.  But it was still beautiful and the water is always refreshing.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but Henry is sitting in a pool of crystal clear water and loving throwing his rocks in over and over again.

These falls go on forever.  And Henry survived without any injuries or near death experiences so win for me!

Marcus was pretending to be dead.  He's getting too old and too teenager-ish to do these family fun things.  In his opinion.

 We spent one day at Chism Beach on Lake Washington.  We love this place for the sandy beach area and the fun dock to jump off of.  We like to get there before the lifeguards start working and ruin all our fun.

The boys quickly started digging a hole for the "hot tub"

Henry loved sitting in the hot tub

The Johnson's have become Sea Hawks fans so they got pre-season tickets to a game and Randy tagged along with Landon and Parker.  I've still never been to a game myself but I can't get over how huge the stadium is.  Randy said Landon and Parker were pretty weirded out by how loud it was and since they were in the nose-bleeds, it was really hard to watch the game.  But still a great experience for all.

While everyone was at the game, I was baking a delicious lemon cheesecake with shortbread crust.  It was divine and totally worth turning on my oven for over an hour on a hot summer night.

Every visit from the Johnson's means lots of cheese balls.  Toby brings a huge tub of the nasty things.  This was the first annual Cheese Ball Challenge.  Everyone vowed to eat one cheese ball with every meal.  Breakfast was the hardest to choke down but the kids took it very seriously and never missed a meal.  The parents are so proud.

April and Toby organized some fun outdoor games for the cousins to play together.  Henry got to experience his first water balloon fight.

 The marshmallow game involved partnering up in a large shirt and the person in back had to feed the person in front a mallow, the front person had to bite it, and the remaining mallow was stuck to their face.  Whoever had the most mallows (and could eat the fastest) won!

In this game they had to eat as many saltine crackers as they could in 1 minute.  Easier said than done.  Max won.  April will have more details of the fun on her blog but all these games will be worth doing again.

 Apparently if you put enough rubber bands around a water melon it explodes.

 Apparently Landon LOVES eating exploding watermelons.  I think this was the best moment of his life.

 No trip would be complete without a stop at Triple XXX for their giant root beer floats.  We've also added onion rings to the mix because they are amazing.  We all leave with tummy aches but it's worth the pain!

Sam got the bum end of this deal

 We had a fun summer evening just playing in the driveway.  Kids rode bikes and scooters, drove the jeep, played ball, danced to music, and it was chaotic bliss. And yes, Henry is starting to walk but mostly just stands for long periods of time until he speedily crawls away like a bear possessed.

 Here are some pics of the action on Pine Lake as Ethan got launched off The Blob.  I was always back at the beach watching Henry eat dirt and throw rocks.  Glad everyone else was having fun though!

Paddling into the sunset