Events of past two weeks...

Well, it has been a very busy 5 weeks! John is back from training (YEAH) and we leave for Okinawa in 2 days!!!! YES, I AM TOTALLY FREAKIN' OUT!(in case you were wondering).

Anyway, it really has been a non-stop family party with everyone in town. I really never caught up on all the sleep I have been missing. I think my average bedtime this past month was at least 1:30am everynight. There just wasn't enough time in the day to get all the quality time together (really it was just that once the kids go to bed at 9pm, I couldn't go to bed because that was my "ME" time to hang out, talk, play games, watch movies or go out to dinner with old friends.

My camera battery is dead again, and I can't find the charger, so most of the pictures are from last week's activities:

Of course we can never get enough swimming and Ben has finally learned to swim all by himself and is confident in jumping off the diving board and diving for toys (no picture provided, but I thought I would share).

This picture is Amelia just hanging out:


My Sister Kim (who drove 24 hours from Texas to play with me these past few weeks, bless her heart) and I took the kids camping by ourselves. We took them to our favorite camp spot where our parents used to take us kids camping every summer.It was a lot of work, but the kids had a great time!

The hammock was a hit:

The tent where the boys slept...the girls got to sleep in the motorhome of course!

The cousins enjoying the afternoon fire!


My sister Kim and the Winnebago camper!



We also took the kids on a 2 mile (maybe longer) hike to see Donut Falls. The hike took us a little longer than usual because the kids insisted we take frequent snack and water breaks.


It was defiantly worth the hike in the hot sun. It's been 15 years since I have done this hike.




I was also able to meet up with some friends who whom I went to college with, who brought their kids swimming:



My parents church also had a fun primary activity at the Church History Center, and the kids got to learn about the early pioneers who settled the Utah Valley. They loved it!






In front of the Conference Center in Downtown Salt Lake:



It really has been an amazing and very eventful summer, and it's hard to believe we are turning in on a new chapter in our lives. A HUGE thank you to all my Family, extended family and friends, who were able to come and play with us this summer. I really will miss being able to see you all!!!!