On the Way Home

On our way back home, we stopped to see the sights! We hiked up this cool natural arch(that I of course forgot the name of) in our flip-flops! Sarah beat everyone up to the top, and she and Andy were the only ones that didn't have problems getting there. We found Jake and Grace's names carved into the rock too. I promise we didn't do it.

We went out of our way to stop at the monument at Four Corners--where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado all meet in one spot. Aside from the fun of having each of my four kids in a different state at the same time, there wasn't much to see. Just a lot of vendors. I kinda thought there would be a little museum or something, but there wasn't. No electricity out there either. I was hoping to be able to charge our camera battery for a minute to get a picture of my kids in 4 different states, but no luck. If I can ever figure out how to get pictures off my phone, I'll post one of Four Corners.

Our last sight-seeing stop was in Roswell, but the only alien we came in contact with came home with us...he is now on our refrigerator next to Mr. Jelly Belly, Mickey Mouse and a Canadian flag!

4 Good-Lookin' Kids!

Jake's Ordination

Not only did my first born turn 12 years old, but Andy ordained him a Deacon too! It was really great to have both sides of our family all together on this day. I really wanted a picture of all of the men who have been such great examples to Jake, and though several are missing, I love the picture of all the guys together. Jake is a lucky kid to have so many relatives who love him! I am happy for the righteous young man Jake is becoming. He takes his priesthood responsibilities seriously. He loves attending the priesthood session of general conference and passing the sacrament, and has been Andy's unofficial home teaching companion for a year now. He taught our Family Home Evening lesson tonight, and it was so fun to hear him teach and share his testimony with our family.

The Alpine Slide at Snowbird

After the Patrick Clan arrived in Utah, most of us headed up the canyon to Snowbird to ride the alpine slide. We had thought about going to Park City, but decided it was just too long of a drive for all the little kids. We were so happy with our decision. The slide was great at Snowbird! All of the kids were a little nervous about the chair lift, as they had never ridden on one before, but everyone made it to the top of the hill safely. Now to go back down! The line at the top was pretty long, but well worth the wait. I was so happy the kids all enjoyed it. We even went through the whole process to ride it again! My cute mom volunteered to stay at the bottom with the littlest Patricks so the rest of us could ride. Next time, she and dad get to race! While we were there, we even ran into some old friends from Beale who now live in Oklahoma, the Williquettes. Small world!

Backyard BBQ and S'mores at the Ricketts!

There aren't many things better than a BBQ at Vicki and Larry's on a beautiful Utah summer evening! It was filling and relaxing, yet very entertaining, to get to visit with all the Ricketts clan. The kids all get along so well whenever we're all together. I love having family--we always just pick up where we left off on the last visit! This evening was one of several large group get togethers that Vicki and Larry arranged while we were there. They really went above and beyond what I would have planned, and seemed happy to do it for us. I really appreciate them and the hospitality they always show us when we visit!

Jake's Birthday

My firstborn child turned 12 years old while we were in Utah! I still can't believe he is that old (or that I am)! He looks so much like his dad, and I laugh everytime he makes a face that Andy always makes...like the first one here. Jake is a great kid. He is friendly and reaches out to other kids who could use a friend. He does great in school, and is constantly reading. Jake has a fun sense of humor, and always has some interesting fact or idea to share. Grace, Sarah and Rachel love him and have even let him babysit them occasionally. He helps me out whenever I ask, and is quick about it too! He is becoming a great swimmer and has been moved up to a competetive team. Jake is a good-looking guy with a great attitude. It's so fun for me that he is older and we can have good talks. We love you Jake!

Armstrong Cousins

Our Armstrong cousins are such good sports. We called them up one morning and asked if they could play that very day, and they said YES, of course. Aunt Heather bought us pizzas and soda, which we ate at the park. Then back to their house... the kids played and entertained each other while Heather and I shopped the online Tupperware store. We always have a fun time with them!

Museum of Ancient Life

Grandma Ricketts treated us to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. This was one of Jake's favorite places when we lived in Salt Lake, so we had to go back! It was just how we remembered it. Everyone loved walking through the cool tunnel that was all dark except for the millions of little white lights all around. It just took a little coaxing to get Sarah and Rach into that dark hallway, but afterwards, they walked through again and again. Jake and Grace were always ahead of the pack, reading every information card on display, then leading the tour for the rest of us. The kids liked all of the computer stations throughout, and we found out that our combined weight would make us the same size as a... well I can't remember now. We especially liked the underwater room, and the huge room which houses the Ginormosaurus Rex(I used to know the names of hundreds of dinosaurs)! The kids had to play in the sand pits too (I think Jake did it for old times sake).

24th of July Celebration

We were happy to be in Utah for the 24th of July Pioneer Day celebrations. We started the day off by waking early and heading to Liberty Park in Salt Lake to see the parade. Grandma Ricketts treated us to snow-cones and fried twisted taters. Yummy. We claimed some territory on the grass(shady at the time) and enjoyed the parade. After a couple of hours, the kids were done, and we were all getting hot, so we left. We figured it would be best to leave before everyone started getting ornery... That evening we went to the Gray's house to have fun with cousins. We ate grilled pizzas(I had a BBQ chicken one which was delicious), played games, and made s'mores. Then Uncle Todd treated everyone to fireworks in the street, with an encore firework presentation the next night! I think the sparklers and a firework fountain called Silver and Gold were my favorites!