Looking in my window like a creeper...

Today is Pioneer Day, and it's the first one I can remember that actually feels like a holiday. Now that Nils works at the Church, he gets to observe this holiday! Hoorah! Last night we spent the evening out shopping. We got the kids new shoes for school, and got some camping supplies, since we're going on a little campout this weekend and have nothing but a tent.

When we got home, we spent a couple minutes outside observing our baby grass, as we do about 14 times a day. I stayed outside after everyone had gone in. I went in the backyard, because the grass back there has grown in amazingly well, and it was freshly mowed yesterday. It looks like a real yard back there!

I lay down on our crappy trampoline ($40 temporary replacement for the one that blew away) and looked at the stars. I looked at the back of our house, where all the windows to the living areas are. The blinds were open at 10:30 at night, and all the lights were on, so I could see inside and watch the kids go back and forth doing their thing. Sometimes I feel sad that our house is a bit removed from the rest of the street, but last night it was amazing. I don't worry if our blinds are open at night, because no one lives close enough to look in (unless they're being a creeper like I was).

This house has been, and will continue to be, one huge, ridiculous project after another. I've worried about my kids lately, more than ever. This old world is a scary place, and I fret about it. I want them to be happy, I want them to make good choices, I hope they know I love them...and if they make one more mess I'mmabout to lose mah mind.

Anyway, I had a real moment on that trampoline last night. I lay there and was so full of gratitude for all I have been blessed with. All is well. We love each other. Our yard will look nice one day. Our house is exactly what we needed in a house space-wise and location-wise; and as an unexpected "bonus", we got this crazy yard that keeps us up at night, but has tons of potential.

We're having a Pioneer Day block party tonight with the people on our street. We're going camping this weekend with friends from the old 'hood.

Nils came looking for me, and I told him to come join me- "I'm having a moment!" The kids eventually came outside in search of their parents. We all sunk togther to the middle of the trampoline and were squished like sardines. We stayed like that for a good hour, looking at constellations and the milky way. We found the Little Dipper and the North Star, and we all really had a moment! It was peaceful and intimate and love-filled.

I'm so thankful for those moments that put everything in perspective, and help us feel the love of God and each other. May we have many more.

Summer of Utah Randomness Part 1

The kids are getting older and more difficult/complicated/expensive to entertain. If it were up to them, they would happily sit in front of a computer/iPad/Xbox all the live long day. I banned computers/iPads/the Xbox a couple of weeks into summer break, because I could see the children's brains melting out of their ears. 

We don't have a lot of neighbors yet, and it really hit me when school let out that moving to a different neighborhood has indeed affected our lives. No longer can the kids simply step outside and be magically whisked away to fun and entertainment by the neighbor kids-- because there are no neighbor kids. It's kinda (really) sad, and we are praying that all the people building houses by us will have kids that match up to ours. Not a lot to ask, right?

Anyway...

The Summer of Utah Randomness has been my answer to summer boredom. Once or twice a week I try to take the kids somewhere new. Utah is a pretty cool place, and there are lots of things to do and see. I'm willing to drive a little ways and take some day trips.

As mentioned in the last post, at the beginning of June we went to Richfield for the Fremont Indian State Park, and to Hill Air Force Base.

Mid-June, we visited the Gilgal Garden in downtown Salt Lake. I'd heard about this place and how weird it is, so of course I had to drag my unsuspecting children to it. At first glance, it is a little weird- but the more I walked around and read the informative pamphlet provided at the garden, the less weird it became to me. I actually found it really touching. All of the sculptures are representative of the artist's testimony, and I thought it was pretty fantastic. I'd recommend going.

When I told my mom we were going there, she perked up and said she wanted to come. She remembered my dad talking about this place- I guess the guy who made the sculptures lived in my dad's neighborhood when he was growing up, so he would sneak into the guy's backyard and check it out. Anyway, it's cool.

I only took one picture, because I was accosted by this random dude who kept telling me that the world is ending on July 15 (just FYI), and I didn't know how to end the conversation, and it was super awkward. I finally had to just turn my back to him and walk away...so I forgot to take any more pictures. Thus, we have this one really bad picture.

The lone photo

After Gilgal Garden, we hit up Litza's Pizza and the State Capitol. We had a jolly good time touring the inside of the capitol building. We had an even jollier time rolling down the hills surrounding the capitol building, and having shoe-throwing contests down the hills of the capitol building. 

Is this frowned upon? I care not. 

That's Addie's shoe up there by the rotunda roof.

Litza's Pizza. Nils I and discovered this little gem when we were first married. It's a SLC fave of ours. 

The next week I was feeling a little more local, so we hiked to Battlecreek Falls in Pleasant Grove. It was a little underwhelming, but it took up a few hours of the day, so mission accomplished. The kids all claim they hate hiking, but I don't care. We will hike when I say we will!

Our next adventure was a drive around the west side of Utah Lake. It's really pretty boring there in the desolate wilderness. We made a pit stop in Santaquin and got a milkshake and fries, and then we made a super quick stop at the Lotus Temple in Spanish Fork. I let Anders and Addie bring friends along, so they thought it was a hoot and a holler. The friends...probably not so much. Hahaha.

Emi, Addie, Ava, Belle, Anders, Isaac. (Aani had other plans that day- she's so popular. ;))

Stay tuned for more! We're currently touring Southern Utah, and this place is just chock-full of cool randomness. I'mma make believers of these here kids o' mine.