8/13/23

We're cramming in all the summer fun we can these last weeks! Drove down to Provo after morning tennis to drop Anne off at FSY, then enjoyed lunch and MOA before meeting up with Maddie and Emily for ice cream and then the Bean Museum. Tuesday was bonkers with tennis fundraiser, ward party, and soccer tournament all happening simultaneously! I got 2 salads and a raffle basket ready in the morning, ordered pizza for tennis, and left instructions to Brent and Brian to deliver everything, then took Lucy to Kaysville for back to back games. We did get a fun visit in with Amanda in between, Lucy won both games, and I was so relieved to just sit in the pleasant sun after such a hectic morning! We got back in time to hear how hilarious Dad was playing "Bad Bart" in a dramatic shoot-out at the ward hoe down as we helped clean up, and the kids were in HEAVEN with real horse-drawn carriage rides, cowboy games, and good food. By Wednesday, the house looked like a tornado had struck, Jane was sick with sniffles, and Lucy went to Bear Lake for a birthday party, so I got busy mowing the lawn, cleaning out the gutters and roof dryer vent (nice to have Brent here to help with the ladder!), then visited with Amber, and finally finished putting away all of the bathroom closet mess. There was a baby shower for a cute single mom that night, then I came home and folded lots of laundry without even feeling tired! Thursday I woke up exhausted, but took the kids to see Elemental (hooray for the cheap theater + $5 popcorn!) and got new tires on the car before dropping off dinner to the missionaries, and having a slow night at home. Friday we were back for the final game of Lucy's soccer tournament, and we ran a bunch of errands on the way down. I got home in time to enjoy Indian food with Dad for date night. We had a pretty tame Saturday as more of us have been battling sniffles, Dad worked on cleaning out his shop & I helped Joan take dinner to a couple of families in the ward. Today was Thomas's 3rd Birthday!!! so after church, we headed down to Syracuse to celebrate with Brian's family! Josh Payne spoke on his mission today in church (so did Brian's brother Matt in their ward!), and I loved how he shared that his mission president often taught that the Gospel is a Gospel of Relationships! That carried into open sharing with the sisters in Relief Society, the chance to be with family, and feeling so much of God's love. I also just saw that my cousin Chrissy's son just got home from Colombia! (Bogota). Thinking of you often--Love you so much! Mom p.s. Seth is spending SO much time on this 200 piece puzzle we picked up at the thrift store!--he's finished it 2-3 times by himself! p.p.s. SO excited Nick and Laurie's baby is coming tomorrow!!!!💗