This week we stayed at home but we were very busy!

I watched Avery on Monday and Tuesday this week. On Wednesday I got my hair cut and on Thursday I got highlights! All week I have done planning for Palisades and Nauvoo and did shopping. On Friday, we got new carpet in Cali and Cheyenne's rooms. Everyone helped move the furniture out on Thursday and back on Friday. Many hands did make light the work! We had water damage in Chey's room so the new carpet is very welcome! 

Savannah worked both her jobs this week. She also made us dinner on Thursday night! She helped with the landscaping at the temple as a service project with her YSA ward this week and met some new people. She also stayed late working on inventory at Funfinity since she will be gone with us for the next two weeks!

We all went to Sarah and McKay's on Saturday this week. Sarah hosted a work party to get some more stuff done on their backyard! She had workstations inside the shed so each of her sisters could paint a wall. Meanwhile, the men worked on making a gravel path from their patio out to the shed. It's a brand new shed where McKay plans on teaching music lessons and having his studio. Afterward, Sarah provided lunch for all her workers. We got a lot done and had fun doing it!

Megan and Ammon went to Florida this week! They stayed in our short-term rental and by all accounts, had a great time. I can't wait to hear more about it.

Meg made these shirts! This is them in front of Hogwart's Express.

Mariah worked at Earth Harbor this week. She also continues to work on her summer classes. She finished one and made a super-cute video to go along with it! She has been fighting a cold and a swollen achilles, but she continues to run and loves it.

Cheyenne continues to work at Heritage where she helps the residents and often gets questionable advice on life challenges. Ha ha! She feels pulled in many directions, wanting to show support for activities with her sisters, her friends at Wolverine Crossing, her friends in Springville, and a love-bombing boy named Tate. I think she would like me to take her away for two weeks, so I shall.

Calianne finished spring semester at BYU this week!! Yay, Cali! She had two classes--a writing class and a statistics class and they were a lot of work. She is super glad to be done and we are happy for her! She continues to enjoy spending time with Jordan and we see him here often. He and Cali even spent extra time at Sarah's this week doing the priming before the painting on Saturday.

Bethany finally blocked a super-needy boy that she has been trying to support but who pays her back with recriminations. Yay! We are looking forward to J-free days in the future. I am proud of her for taking a stand. She has been a great help watching Avery off and on this week. She also has been hanging out with her neighborhood gang. They even helped Max's mom get ready for the big stake activity on Friday. She and Ben both attended. It was all day Friday and they had a ton of fun with games, mission prep, family history, service, cotton candy, and even a rock-climbing wall!

Ben had a great time at that activity, too and was still playing nine-square when I came to pick everyone up! On Monday, Ben ran with the cross country team and had a tennis lesson about an hour later. He wore himself out and didn't wake up early for the cross country for the rest of the week! He's been staying up late to watch shows with his older sisters, too, so there's that. During the days, he's been reading and hanging out with the neighborhood friends. 

Kevin has been busy with work and all the projects at home. He has helped bring dirt to Sarah's backyard multiple times this week in addition to the rock moving on Saturday and the furniture moving at our own house. His biggest priority is to get several chapters of his new book recorded. Miraculously, he has also managed to fit that in and reach his goal for himself. What a guy!

 We had two major events this week.

First, Bethany and I went to Young Women's Camp! Our ward was planning on camping at Timpanoke Campground but, if you can believe it, the snow still has it closed! So, we changed plans and went to a short-term rental in Heber City. It was so nice and even had a fire pit and a swimming pool! It was definitely the most low-stress, comfortable camp I have ever attended! We did go on two hikes. We also had lots of devotionals. We did some crafts and learned a dance and some games. But mostly, we did a lot of swimming! It was really fun.

When we got back from camp, Beth and I got packed again. This time for Idaho!

Kevin and I with Mariah, Calianne, Bethany, and Benjamin took a quick trip to Idaho. We wanted to be there for the graveside service for Kevin's uncle. It was a sad occasion but we got to see lots of family that we hadn't seen in many years. Also, it meant that we got to see Matt and his family as well as be there for Kevin to see his dad on father's day! It was pretty great to visit with Val and Maria again.

We drove home Sunday and that night we had a dinner at Naoma's for Kevin and Jim. Afterwards, we took a walk as the sun set. It was a good week.

 

It was Art City Days this week!!

For Bethany that meant Parade Band Camp all week! She agreed to give marching a try with the baritone skills she developed in junior high. They met every morning this week from 8 to 10:30. She was a bit scared about it, but decided it turned out pretty decent. I think she liked the parade part. I'm not sure she'll do it again but we had a great time watching her in the parade! (More on that later)

Also, Art City Days means the carnival was in town! We pre-purchased discount wristbands for the kids and they used them on Thursday. Kevin and I joined them for dinner from the food trucks and we took pictures and it was fun. Ben also rode his bike down with Max on Friday to enjoy it all a little more. Mariah, Cheyenne, Calianne, and Bethany all signed up to work cleaning up the grounds during the carnival, too, so they were there quite a lot! Fun times!

That also meant the parade on Saturday! Sarah's new house is very close to the parade route, so we parked in her driveway, and tried a new spot for watching the parade! Megan and Ammon joined us, too! It was such fun and cheering for Bethany was our favorite part!

That night Kevin made us all hamburgers and we stayed up waiting for it to get dark because Art City Days also means fireworks! We went to our usual spot. It's all torn up because they're in the middle of a massive rebuild of the high school and its grounds but we found some grass and it all turned out fine. We loved the fireworks on a warm summer night. It is always magical and a fantastic end to a fun week.

I watched Avery a lot this week and we even brought her on our date Friday night! I also cleaned the van and worked on the devotional I'm giving at YW camp next week.

 We had a lot of family fun this week! Memorial day was Monday. Megan and Ammon were camping with the Gerbers, but the rest of us first went to the bookstore! Kevin wanted to congratulate everyone on working hard during their school years and also help kick off summer reading. We bought a lot of books and that is always fun for us. Then we went to a park, Grandma Gazdik met us there, and we had a picnic lunch and played some games. Afterwards, we had a work party at Sarah and McKay's new house. As many of us that could helped for a few hours on some of their projects. It was fun and they were super grateful. Afterward, we went to Jimmy John's for some dinner. It was a fun, fun day.

Then on Wednesday, we all drove to Cedar City for my niece's, Kayla's wedding! We rented an Airbnb and drove down on Thursday so we could be there for the sealing the next morning. First, though, we had a bridal shower. Emma, Cali, Chey, and Megan all helped and we played games, took pictures, unwrapped presents, and had a really fun time!

The next day was the sealing which was beautiful and always so full of grandeur and hope and promises. It never ceases to just fill me up with light. We took pictures outside afterward and then went to a park for lunch together with both families. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful place to be.

That night we went to the reception which was on the farm where Kayla will now be living and of which she will be a part! It rained before and was a little chilly but otherwise it all worked out and we had a lovely dinner and got to all visit, do some dancing, and light sparklers to send them off!

On Saturday, after cleaning up the bnb and packing back up, we stopped at the house of Kevin's past mission president from Taiwan. What a lovely couple! They were so warm and welcoming and so happy to see Kevin and meet his family. They even sent us off with some money for the twin's missions. It was definitely a highlight for everyone but especially for Kevin.

You may think we drove home and that's the end of the stories for the week, but not so! Savannah has been super excited for the next Spider Man multiverse movie, so she got us all tickets and we took up a whole row at the movie theatre Saturday night! Such fun! What a week!