Monday, June 12
Trey got in to the Las Vegas airport at 4:10pm and had the biggest smile on his face as Judi and I saw him coming off the plane. We got his bag from baggage claim and headed home, arriving just before 8:00pm. I started the oven pre-heating for pizza dinner and we went to his new pirate bed room which I think he liked. We then went outside to see the pets and Nana was extremely excited to see Trey. After playing with the pets Trey came inside to grad the football and we threw it back and forth. I couldn't believe how far Trey could throw it with such little effort! After a while Judi wanted to play keep-a-way and tried to get it away from us. I came in to finish getting the pizza ready and it made my heart jump and me laugh out loud as I saw Trey and Judi chasing each other with the football and the occasional "Home Alone" scream by Judi. We came in and dished up our Pizza but it was too hot to eat so we played Mario Cart while we waited for it to cool off. We then said prayers and we followed Trey into his room while he set up his new phone.
Tuesday, June 13
Trey woke up and I showed him all the new Disney stuff through out the house. While we were looking in my room (where Judi had come to sleep around 7:00am this morning), Judi woke up and we all ate breakfast. We then headed to Mollie's Nipple to hike. Trey and Judi both did so good! We made it to the summit in about an hour and spent about 15 minutes on the top looking at the amazing views before heading down. We had fun asking each other various Disney questions like, "If you could bring any ride back, which one would you bring back?" We ran a couple of errands to the bank and post office before returning home. When we got home, we played Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo and then ate lunch. After lunch we went outside and watched the animals play and relaxed on the swings in the pit by the clubhouse. We then came in and played some Mario Cart and then headed back outside because Judi wanted to play keep away with the football again. She loves to try to steal the ball and when she gets it run over to Nana and try to get her to protect her. We came in and Trey and I watched a couple episodes of the Office while Judi played Mario Cart. I then got dinner ready and we watched Cars 2 while we ate. After dinner, Trey and Judi jumped on the Trampoline. Judi would try to touch Trey and Trey tried to dodge her. It was fun to watch. We then played basketball and came back in to play Mario Cart before bed.
Wednesday, June 14
Judi woke up and we played Mario Cart until Trey woke up. When he got up, we ate breakfast and then took Judi to her piano practice. While she was at her practice, Trey and I went to walmart. When we got home, we got changed and went to play pickleball, At first Trey was on one side and Judi and I on the other and then we changed so I was on the one side by myself. It was so much fun to practice with them. They both did so good. After pickleball, we came home and played Mario Cart and had lunch. After lunch, we took Nana down to the river. It was pretty crazy, I opened the gate and let her through and put her collar on and she, by herself, got into the back seat of the car. Nana swam way down river and then would get out and run back up the bank to us and then swim way back down the river again. She did that a few times. Judi got all the way in too but Trey and I just got our feet wet. After the river, we came home and Judi found Splash and watched Puppy Dog Pals with him while Trey and I played Super Mario Brothers. It's so fun for me to play that game with Trey, just because I played it when I was about his age. I then made dinner and we watched Chicken Little while we ate. We then went outside and Trey and Judi jumped on the trampoline for a while and then we came back in and played Mario Cart until Judi's mom came to pick her up. Trey and I finished the night by watching an episode of the office, then we went outside to play some basketball. I love shooting around with Trey. We came back inside and watched a few more episodes of the office and went to bed. Trey had a little bit of a sore throat today he said.
Thursday, June 15
Trey was feeling sick today so we had a lazy day. When Trey woke up, we ate breakfast and then threw the football around in the back yard. We came in and watched the US Open and a few episodes of the Office. We then rode our bikes to the mail and saw that Trey's phone case had come. We got back and had lunch and watched more US Open and then Trey took a nap. When he woke up, we had dinner and watched a little more Office. Judi came over and we all played Mario Cart and then Judi watched Trey play Sea of Thieves which she had been begging to do for the past couple of days. We then went to sleep.
Friday, June 16
Trey was still feeling a little sick but he got up early because he was having a hard time sleeping. We ate breakfast and then watched a couple of episodes of the Office until Judi woke up. When she got up, we played Mario Cart and then she watched Trey play Sea Of Thieves while I ran to the store to get some orange juice. When I got back, we rode our bikes around the block and to check the mail. It was a cool, overcast day which is pretty unusual for this time of year. We ate lunch and then Judi went to spend a little time with her mom and Trey and I watched the US Open. We also watched a couple more episodes of the Office and had dinner. We went outside the throw the frisbee around and Judi came back over and spent some time outside with us playing with splash. We then came inside and Judi wanted to build her house out of Lego so Trey and I watched 2 more Office episodes and then we went to bed.
Saturday, June 17
What a day! Trey woke up and we went outside for a while with the dogs and cats. I let the dogs in the front yard and Trey watched Splash as he went into the garage. We ate breakfast and started trying to figure out the Summit Athletic Club Rock Hunting clues while Judi was still asleep. When Judi woke up, she ate breakfast and got ready and at about 10:45 we started out to look for the rock. We thought it might be near the Sand Hollow Aquatic center so we went there first and searched the trail there for about an hour and 45 minutes until the 1:00 clue came out. While we were looking, Trey even found a rather large orange snake. Once we heard the 1:00 clue, most people thought it was along the Pioneer Parkway road on the Lava Flow trail so we headed that way too. We had walked a long way in the time we were there and we were one of the last to leave since we had such a long way to walk to the car. We found the Harmons grocery store that we heard the trail was by and searched along that trail. We knew we were in the right place by the Jones Paint and Glass stickers all over the newly constructed building windows nearby because the one of the clues said "Jones, Jones, Jones, Jones, Jones." It got to be close to 2:00 and we saw a bunch or people gathered by a bridge for the next clue so we walked that way and then went past them just to see what the trail looked like on that side of them. Once the clue was read, everyone started heading our way so we walked the same direction as I read the clue. It mentioned something about "power" and there was a small power station in the direction we were walking so I knew we were going in the right direction. We looked in some black lava rock along the right side of the trail and then I noticed some people looking up ahead across the trail on a hillside of lava rock so I headed there to look as well. I didn't think it would be too far from the trail so I just looked in the bushes just of the trail. I had a strong feeling the rock was in the area because the clues also said, "look high" and "look at the black desert." I looked back to see where Trey and Judi were so I could call them over since they were still on the opposite side where we all had been looking but there were so many people around us that I didn't want to call everyone over to where I thought it was so I kept looking. A few minutes later I turned back and checked on Trey and Judi again and they were on my side now looking up on the hillside higher than I had looked. The next thing I know, I hear Trey ask "Daddy...is this it?" I was immediately excited because I knew Trey wouldn't be asking that if it wasn't especially with all those people around so I turned toward him and asked, "did you find it?" And he responded something like, "I think so" as other people nearby started yelling, "He found it!" I was so excited and immediately took out my phone to call Summit but I couldn't get through. Fortunately Amy and Marty from Kony Country radio and a representative from Summit was there and started interviewing Trey. It was such a fun experience and we were all so excited. We took pictures and called Trey's mom to let her know and texted Judi's mom too. We stopped at DI and Albertsons on the way home and then played Mario Cart a couple of times until I made some Spanish rice for dinner. We watched Luca while we ate and once it was over, Trey and I watched the US Open while Judi played Mario Cart. Shelby and Lizi and Trey's cousins all called Trey and he was excited to tell them all about it. After the US Open concluded, we went outside and played basketball and then Trey and I watched the Office while Judi took a shower. Once she was done with her shower, she played a few games of Mario Cart and then we went to bed. What an amazing day!!!
Sunday, June 18
I was so excited about Trey finding the rock that I couldn't sleep! In fact, it was 2:00am the last time I looked at my alarm clock. We woke up early to walk to church which started at 9:00am. There were only 2 other boys in Trey's class today but he said it wasn't too bad. After walking home, Judi really wanted to set up her new Nintendo Switch so Trey and I helped her with it. She then played for a little bit while Trey and I watched the US Open. I fixed some lunch and then we went outside and threw the football around a little. We came back in and played Mario Cart and a game of Villainous. I then had a webchat and Judi was excited to tell the girls about her Nintendo Switch and it was fun telling the story about the Summit Rock Adventure we had yesterday. After the webchat, we watched the US Open. Judi played with her plastic animals for a little bit too. When the US Open was over, we played Mario Cart and then went outside to watch Splash who was in one of his crazy moods and play fetch and catch with Nana. Judi then went with her Mom and Trey and I watched a couple episodes of the Office and went to bed.
Monday, June 19
Judi woke up first and we went outside for a little bit - Judi dug a little in the sand box while I started gardening and watering. When Trey woke up, we came in and ate breakfast and then went to the post office to mail the girls their letters and to Lins to look for sales. When we got home, Trey wanted to ride our bikes around the block so we did that and checked the mail. The wind was blowing hard which made the long uphill section more difficult but I was so proud of Judi for not giving up and pushing through the tiredness! When we got back, we played a couple games of Mario Cart and then went to the back yard and deep watered the grapes and fruit trees. Trey helped move the hose from plant to plant while I pulled weeds. Judi was playing with her plastic animals by the clubhouse but brought over sand on a couple of occasions to fill in sink holes. It was fun working with Trey to deep water. Nana and Splash were fun company also. After we deep watered, we came in and had lunch. After lunch we went back outside and played with the dogs and Trey and Judi had fun playing together. Judi sure loves Trey and Trey is so patient with her! It is fun to watch how cute they are playing together. We also had fun playing with Nana who is always around the action. We came back in and Judi wanted to watch Trey play Sea of Thieves so I played Age of Empires while they played Sea of Thieves. I then cleaned out the fish tank and started dinner and Trey and Judi went back outside to play. We watched some Disney "shorts" while we ate and then went back outside with the pets and shot some basketball. We came in and played more Mario Cart and then Trey and I watched Office while Judi played with Lego and plastic animals. We then went to bed.
Tuesday, June 20
We woke up early because the plan was to pick up our check from the Summit Athletic Club this morning but I received a text saying that the GM was sick so we would have to wait one more day. After eating breakfast, we went outside and played with the pets for a little bit before deciding to head down to the river. We were the only car in the parking lot and as we were hiking down, a DNR truck passed us on the hiking trail and got to the river just after we did. We had a fun time floating down the river on our backs although we forgot the inflatable rafts. The water was a little cold at first but felt warm once we got used to it. The water was still a little higher than normal from all the snow runoff but really, flowing perfect. we stayed for an hour or two and then headed back up the steep trail to the car. The wind was blowing which actually made it a little chilly just after getting out and the biting flies really wet after poor Trey! We came home and played Mario Cart and had some lunch. We then went to pick up Judi's piano books at her mom's and played pickleball. It was so fun to see how much both Trey and Judi are improving! Trey learned how to serve underhand and put spin on it really well and also spike better. And Judi hot some really good spikes too! When we got home, Trey and I watched a couple of episodes of the Office while Judi caught white butterflies outside. Judi then wanted to watch Trey play Sea of Thieves so I played Age of empires. After the games, while I made some dinner, Judi practiced piano and Trey was on his phone. We watched some Disney Cartoons while we ate and then played one round of Mario Cart before I had to go clean the rock shop in Springdale. When I got home about 11:00pm, both Judi and Trey were asleep.
Wednesday, June 21
We woke up somewhat early because the plan was to go to pick up the Summit Rock money at 9:30 but I got a text around 8:15 asking if we could do 10:30 so we went to a few stores in St George first. We went to Joann's to look at possible Disney shirts, then to Deseret Industries, then Deseret Book, then Legacy Media, and finally to Summit Athletic Club. Two girls at the counter greeted us and then got the GM and she and another girl came and took a picture with Trey, Judi, and I. After we got the check, we went to Albertsons because they had a sale on ice cream. We then ran the ice cream home and took Judi to piano practice. While she was at her piano practice, Trey and I went to Walmart. We picked Judi up from piano and then went to Chartway Credit Union to deposit the check. I gave Trey his $5,000 and then went to Wells Fargo to deposit some of my money there. After the banks, we came home and had lunch, played outside, and played one round of Mario Cart before I took Judi to her mom's. Trey and I drove up to see if the Signal Peak trail was open and it was. We also checked out the Oak Grove campsites just in case we want to camp there this summer. Trey said that being there reminded him of being in the High Sierras which gave him an idea to try to trick Lizi into thinking that we were at Rock Creek so he sent Lizi a picture of where we were and told her we were at Rock Creek - that tease! We got home and watched a couple of episodes of the Office and then I went to get some Pizza for dinner. We watched more Office while we ate dinner and then Judi came back home and I fixed her some cheesy noodles for dinner and we watched a few Disney shorts while she ate. We then went outside and played catch with the baseball and gloves and then hit the balls with the wiffle ball and bats. It was really so much fun! Both kids hit, threw, and caught the ball so well! We came in and Trey and I watched the Office some more while Judi took and shower and worked on her diamond painting. Then it was off to bed.
Thursday, June 22
Judi woke up first and did her diamond painting while I played Mario Cart. When Trey woke up, he came and played with me. We then all ate breakfast and Judi wanted to go outside and play baseball so we each took turns hitting the wiffle balls with the "Big Bopper" bat. It was a lot of fun. we came in to cool off for a few minutes and then we went to the pickleball courts to play pickleball. I can tell that Trey is developing a lot more confidence in his abilities. I have so much fun playing sports with them! When we got home, Judi wanted to watch Trey play Sea of Thieves so I played Age of Empires in the Disney room with them. We then had dinner and watched Hercules while we ate. After dinner, we went outside and played with the pets and Trey pitched to me and I found my old catchers mitt (actually it was Grandpa Rowlands' catchers mitt). It is fun to watch Trey pitch, I so wish I could have coached him in little league! We also threw the firsbee and threw Judi's stuffed animal fox around and then I would throw it out in front of her and she would try to run to catch it. It was a lot of fun. After playing with Judi's fox, we played ladder ball which was a lot of fun too. We came in and played Villainous which Trey won playing Cruella DeVille. After Villainous, Judi had a shower and played Mario Cart while Trey and I watched the office. Then we went to bed.
Friday, June 23
Judi woke up and we played some Mario Cart until Trey woke up. We all ate breakfast and then Trey and I hiked Mollie's Nipple while Judi stayed home and watched America's Funniest Home Videos and Lion King 2. Trey and I started at 11:11 and made it to the summit at 12:03, took about 8 minutes on the top to look around, and then headed back down, making it to the car at 12:42. While Judi finished watching her Lion King Movie, Trey and I played Mario Cart. We then went outside and Judi and I cleaned the clubhouse while Trey relaxed in the saucer swing. We played with the animals in the yard for a while and saw smoke in the air and heard sirens from firetrucks going down the street behind our house. We came in and ate lunch and Trey and I watched a couple of episodes of Office while Judi played a new game on her Switch called Mario Odyssey. We then rode our bikes to the mail and saw where the fire had come from - the house of someone in our ward. When we got home, Trey pitched to me while Judi played on the swing set. We worked on Trey's curveball for the first time. We came in and had dinner and watched Ernest Goes to Camp while we ate. After dinner, Trey and I watched the Office while Judi played on her Nintendo Switch and then we went to bed.
Saturday, June 24
Judi got up first and Trey was up shortly after. We all ate breakfast and then went to Walmart. After Walmart, we went to play pickleball. During pickleball, Judi's mom and sister came to pick her up and get a snow cone. Trey and I kept playing a little while longer and then headed home. We watched a couple of episodes of the office and then Judi came back home and we all went outside and Trey and Judi jumped on the trampoline - one of Judi's favorite things to do with Trey. After the Trampoline, we picked some apricots which Trey loves and then went down to the swings to relax and to watch the pets. Nana loves to eat the cherries from our cherry bush and its funny when I know she's over there but I can't see her because she's behind/in the bush, and I call her name and suddenly she sticks her head out of the bush. We came back in and Trey and I watched a couple more episodes of the Office while Judi played Mario Odyssey. We then had dinner and watched Ernest Goes to Jail while we ate. After dinner we went outside and played frisbee. Judi swung on the swing and tried to catch it while she was swinging and Trey and I threw it back and forth. We also had fun watching Splash pounce the frisbee as it landed close to him. We recorded some funny videos. We came back in and Trey and I watched a couple more episodes of the Office while Judi played Mario Odyssey then Judi went to take a shower and Trey played Mario Odyssey and when Judi was done she came to watch him and then we went to bed.
Sunday, June 25
We woke up early and walked to church at 8:00 for choir practice. Trey said he had a good time in church and that he liked his class which made me so happy. He mentioned that Trevor talked with him a little bit. When we got home, we played Mario Cart and then I had a webchat with Shelby and Lizi while Judi played Mario Odyssey and Trey was on his phone - although he did show off his $5,000 cash to both girls. After the webchat we went down to the clubhouse area and relaxed for a while - Trey on the saucer swing and Judi played stranded family. We came in and Trey had a webchat with his mom and Judi worked on building a house with Lego. After Trey's Webchat, we had ribs for dinner and then played a game of villainous which was so much fun! After Villainous, we went outside and Trey pitched the baseball to me and did really good throwing curveballs! It is cool to see him make the ball curve on just his second time trying. We came in and I went to go clean the rock shop in Springdale. While I was gone, Trey and Judi played Mario Odyssey and then went to bed.
Monday, June 26
Judi and I woke up and played Mario Cart until Trey woke up and he joined us. After a few rounds, we ate breakfast and took Judi to her piano practice. While she was at piano, Trey and I went to Walmart. We picked Judi up and went home to unload all of the groceries and then went to play pickleball. After pickleball, we came home and Trey and I watched a couple of episodes of the Office while Judi played Mario Odyssey. Trey then Joined Judi playing Mario Odyssey while I cleaned up around the house. We then dropped Judi off at her mom's while Trey and I had dinner and watched 2 more episodes of the Office before it was time for me to leave to pick Lizi up at the airport. I left at 7:00 and picked Judi up on the way. Judi was so excited as she always is to see Lizi. We got to the airport at 8:15 (Nevada time) and Lizi's plane landed at 9:32. It was so good to see her again! She and Judi were silly and having a fun time in the back seat on the way home. We got home at 1:10am and Trey was still awake playing Mario Odyssey. He told me that he had emptied the dishwasher, picked all the cushion stuffing off the lawn and swept the back porch while I was gone. Lizi was excited to see Trey again and gave him a big hug. We were all tired so we went to bed.
Tuesday, June 27
Judi woke up early after very little sleep because she didn't want to miss anything with Lizi, I think, which is cute. We went outside and I did some yard work. Lizi got up and ate breakfast while we were outside and then came outside to find us. We spent time with Splash in the front yard and then came inside and Lizi and Judi started setting up Lego Disneyland and Trey woke up and he and I played Mario Cart. Trey, Judi, and I then ate breakfast and then everyone was excited to do the Easter Egg hunt. I went out and hid the eggs and then the kids got their walmart bags and went out to find them. I got a ton of after Easter candy this year so it was fun to see their faces when they saw all the candy on the table for the candy draft. After the hunt and candy draft, Lizi and Judi worked on Lego again while Trey and I watched a couple episodes of the office. We then all went outside and Lizi tried one of the apricots and some grapes. Judi and Lizi played stranded family so Trey and I came back in and watched a couple more episodes of the Office. The girls came in and Lizi had some lunch and then we looked at Disney pins for a while. The girls played Lego some more and Trey and I played Mario Cart. I then went to get Pizza and we watched Inside Out while we ate. After dinner, Lizi and Judi went back outside. Lizi practiced her Matilda dance moves to music and she had a jump rope, which she also uses as part of her act. It was really cool to see her so dedicated to practicing it. Judi watched her and Trey pitched to me with the baseball. We worked on a change up today which Trey did really well. I love playing catch with him. Trey and I then went inside to watch the finale of the Office - we finally watched all 9 seasons. The girls came in and played Lego. We then all played Mario Cart together before going to bed.
Wednesday, June 28
The kids started waking up around 8:00 or so and ate breakfast and started helping me get things ready to go. We got the car all packed and started off on our adventure to Four Corners Monument. It took us about 5 hours to reach Four Corners and on the drive Lizi and Judi (who sat in the back) watched Peter Pan 2 and Trey put on his mix of music which included several Mario Cart tracks from the game. Lizi also read her book while Judi slept a little. The monument was very simple but it was a lot of fun to see where the 4 states came together. For our picture, I stood on New Mexico, Judi stood on Arizona, Trey stood on Utah, and Lizi stood on Colorado. We went around and looked at the things for sale by local vendors in the little make-shift stands and ended up spending $100 to buy 4 shirts. The wind was blowing sand in our face as we walked back to the car. We then headed to Hovenweep National Monument which was about 50 minutes away through back country roads which were really fun to take. We got to Hovenweep and hiked part of the Square Tower Loop which took us by several Indian ruins which were cool to see. We left and drove about another hour and 10 minutes to get to Mesa Verde National Park and then an extra 20 minutes to get to the Far View Lodge (the hotel in the National Park). Before getting to our hotel, we stopped at the Visitors' Center and got our passports stamped and looked around. We checked in to our room around 6:00 or so. We stayed in room 269. The units were really cool with awesome views of the valley to the south. I heated up some pre-made Spanish Rice, and Trey and I ate on the porch while Lizi and Judi ate on Lizi's bed with their Disney Pins out. After we ate, we did our Disney Pin draft and traded pins. We then went out for a walk as the sun started to set. Trey and I remarked that it was cool - just slightly colder than comfortable. With the elevation around 8,000 feet, the air had a slight chill to it despite it being in the summer time. When we got back to our room, we started getting ready for bed and the air conditioning started making a loud noise so we turned it off and opened a window to help cool down the room.
Thursday, June 29
Lizi and I had trouble sleeping all night with it being hot one second and cold the next (and I think the high altitude seems to affect my ability to sleep well too). The kids started waking up around 9:00 and we ate oatmeal for breakfast and packed up the car. We first drove down to the Spruce Tree House and went in the Museum and stamped our passports and looked at the displays. We then took the 2.4 mile Petroglyph loop trail which was a lot of fun. We saw many ruins and a panel of petroglyphs. The kids all did so well on the hike. We then drove to the Cedar Tree Tower and got out and looked at the ruins there. After that, we drove to the Far View Sites and we all hiked the quarter mile or so to the reservoir and then Lizi and Judi hiked back to the car while Trey and I continued on to see the Coyote Village which was really cool because it was the only one we were allowed to go in to explore. By this time I could tell that Trey had enough of seeing the Indian ruins and was ready to go - as were Judi and Lizi as well. So we headed on out, stopping one more time at the Montezuma Overlook so I could see what was there. We stopped to eat lunch at McDonalds in Cortez and then didn't stop again until Page where we tried to stop at the Glen Canyon Visitor's Center but it had already closed for the day. We ended up getting home around 8:10 and after spending a few minutes with the pets and Trey taking a shower, we ate some ramen for dinner and watched Monsters' University before going to bed.
Friday, June 30
Trey woke up first and he and I played Mario Cart while we waited for the others to wake up. Judi was up next and watched us play for a little bit. Once Lizi got up, we all went to eat breakfast. After breakfast, Lizi cleaned her room while Trey helped me deep water the trees and grapes and Judi collected sal bugs. We then all went to drop Judi off at her Mom's house and then we went to Joann's in St George to get Disney shirts which Lizi decided to make for us this year. I'm excited to see how they turn out - she is going to bleach them which will be quite different from how they normally look. When we got home, Lizi started working on the shirts, Trey emptied the dish washer with out even being asked and I started cooking tuna and noodles for dinner. We watched Hunger Games 2 while we ate and then went to pick Judi up from her Mom's. Judi and Lizi then played in the sand box for a little bit until Lizi came back in to work on the shirts and Trey and I played catch with the baseball outside. Tonight we worked on form. We came back in and Trey and I watched Modern Family while Lizi kept working on the shirts and Judi played Mario Odyssey. We then all watched 2 episodes of Alone and went to bed.
Saturday, July 1
I think I caught whatever Trey had because I was feeling a little under the weather now. I ran to the store to grab orange juice before everyone woke up. When I got home, Judi had just come into my room looking for me. Trey got up not long after and he and I went to hike Mollie's Nipple before Lizi woke up. We started the hike at 10:13 and made it to the top at 10:58 without stopping for a break once. After a really short rest on top we started back down and made it to the car at 11:35. When we got back home, Lizi was awake and practicing her Matilda outside while Judi was playing on the Nintendo Switch outside with her. Lizi then started working on our Disney shirts. They look so good! Judi's shirt was a little too light orange to work so Lizi and I ran to the store to try to find another one and Lizi re-made her shirt. After the shirts were done, I made some lunch and then Trey and I played Mario Cart and Lizi worked on her diamond painting and Judi did her beads. Trey and Judi then played odyssey while Lizi and I hung up pictures in her room and then played the Ukulele. I then started working on dinner and Trey helped me peal the potatoes. Earlier in the day, Trey just emptied the dishwasher when it needed to be done too. I am so grateful to have such helpful kids! We ate roast for dinner and watched Alone. Then the girls went outside and filled up water balloons and turned the hose on and jumped on the trampoline. It was so fun to watch them. Trey sat outside for a while and then went inside and played Clash of Clans on his phone. We came back in and all of played Mario Cart and then went to bed.
Quote of the Day: Trey (while on our hike) - "I sometimes feel like I'm your little clone because we're so much alike with having the same interests. I'm like Boba Fett and you're Jango."
Sunday, July 2
We all woke up and went to church. I love walking to church with the kids! Treyson Scott, the boy who remembered Lizi last time she was here, wasn't at church today so Lizi was disappointed but she talked with a girl named Kaitlyn. Trey had a good time in his class too. After church we came home and played Mario Cart which was a lot of fun to do all together. The kids then had a webchat with their mom and I ran Judi over to her mom's and when I got back, I tried to take a nap, which didn't work since my brain was trying to think of all the things I still needed to do for our Disneyland trip. After the webchats, Trey, Lizi, and I played Mario Cart and then I went to pick Judi up. Lizi and I went outside and had just a fun talk. I love being able to spend individual time with my kids because I feel like we both learn so much about each other. Trey played Mario Odyssey and Judi watched him while we were outside. We came in and Lizi worked on her diamond painting and Judi, Trey, and I played Mario Cart. Lizi came to play with us after one round. Lizi, Judi, and I then got our pins out and organized them and Trey played Clash of Clans on his phone. We then all got together to think of snacks we need to get at the store tomorrow for our trip. It was fun planning with everyone. I had to go clean the Rock Shop after that so Judi played Mario Odyssey, Trey watched Gravity Falls, and Lizi watched a movie in her room and then went to bed.
Monday, July 3
We woke up, ate breakfast and went to Costco to pick up our traditional muffins, chicken skewers, and snacks. We came home to unload the car and then Trey Lizi and I went to Walmart to pick up the remaining items we needed. We dropped Judi off at her Mom's on the way. It is a lot of fun to shop for the trip. When we got home, we ate lunch while we watched Mocking Jay part 1 and Judi came back about half way through so she played Mario Odyssey while we finished the movie. After the movie we filmed a video for my YouTube channel where we graded the rides at Disneyland. It was a lot of fun! After filming, Trey and I uploaded the videos to my computer and then his to edit them and the girls went out and jumped on the trampoline with water balloons and the hose. I then made dinner and we started watching Alone and stopped about half way through when the Desatoff's knocked on the door to see if we wanted to play basketball so Trey and I played Horse and Pig with them. When we came back in, we started watching Alone again but Lizi started getting a head ache so she went to bed. Judi, Trey and I went outside to throw the frisbee around and then we came in and Trey and I played Mario Cart and Judi kept stats and then we went to bed.
Tuesday, July 4th
Everyone got up early and ate breakfast so we could go to the traditional 4th of July races. We ended up parking quite a ways away and walked until we came to the parade which was still going on. We watched the parade and got some candy and then watched the flag ceremony which always brings tears to my eyes when I hear the National Anthem played as the flag is being raised. We then walked over to the race area and waited for all the different age groups to race until it was finally Judi's turn. She did good, finishing about 4th or so and would have done better but she tripped just before the finish line. Lizi was next and finished 3rd and won a 50 cent piece. I was so glad that Trey decided to race this year! He raced against the 16 and 17 year old boys and finished 5th which I thought was really good! After we got home from the races, Lizi and I started packing and Trey played Mario Odyssey while Judi watched him. Judi's' mom stopped by around 1:00 and played Mario Cart with the kids while I got lunch made and pre-cooked the meals for Disneyland. I jumped in here and there and played a couple of games with them too. I got Pizza for dinner and we watched Cheaper By The Dozen while we ate. After the movie, Judi's mom left and we went outside to ride bikes. We then came in and I continued to get ready for the trip while Judi and Lizi played with the Disneyland Lego creation they made and Trey played Clash of Clans on his phone. We then went outside to light sparklers and came in to get to bed.
Wednesday, July 5th
We woke up early, Lizi, Trey, and I ate breakfast and loaded the car, then we woke Judi up and got on the road at 6:30am. We stopped in Barstow for gas and bathroom breaks and ended up getting to the Van Eaton Gallery's Exhibition of Joel Magee's Auction items in Burbank at 11:20. There were some amazing items at the exhibition! Judi's favorite was the animatronic tiki birds, Lizi's were the Haunted Mansion control panel which played the script and the Doom Buggy, and Trey's was the Thunder Mountain train. It was SO fun to look around. At 12:30 Steve Hoffmann, Producer of "Up for Auction" who is producing the show about the Van Eaton Auction came to interview and film me and the kids for a possible appearance on the show. I was really feeling like I didn't do a good job on the interview but on our drive from the exhibition to the beach as I was silently stewing about how poorly I had done, Lizi suddenly spoke up and said that she thought I did a really good job on the interview and was amazed at how quickly I could think of things to say right after he asked the question. That really made me feel good. We got to Huntington Beach about 2:30 and stayed for an hour. It was really cold, especially when we first got there and I could tell that Trey was ready to go (as was I). But Lizi and Judi had a fun time getting in the water while Trey and I watched and then Trey went to lay down on the towel. After the beach we went to El Toro Memorial Cemetery to see where Grandma Judi, Grandma Bobbi, and Grandpa Rowlands were buried. I said what I remembered the best about each of them and then we left. We got to our hotel, the Del Sol, around 5:10 and Lizi and Trey unloaded the whole car by themselves while I put stuff away and Judi took a shower. I am so proud of and impressed by those kids! They do so much to contribute to our family. After unloading the car, we walked to Denny's to eat dinner. Lizi had nachos which ended up being too spicy for her. Judi had chicken strips with grapes and mac and cheese. Trey had country fried steak with eggs and hash browns. And I had the All American Slam. It really hit the spot! We walked back to our room and went to Downtown Disney to trade pins. Lizi got 4 real ones and I got a few that I really like too. Trey got one and I think Judi did as well. We came back to our room, divided up the snacks for tomorrow and headed to bed.
Thursday, July 6
Disneyland - We woke up early and got to the esplanade at 7:15 and got in the entrance line. We got in for the Rope Drop and went on Peter Pan first. We went back to the Del Sol for lunch and naps from 2:00-5:15. I made chicken alfredo for lunch. We went back to Disneyland and Judi rode Indiana Jones for the first time and we all rode Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway for the first time (having ridden it previously at Hollywood Studios in Florida). We watched the fireworks and the projections on the Rivers of America from the bridge above Pirates of the Caribbean and Judi and I got in line for Peter Pan at 11:55 and Lizi and Trey went on Space Mountain before close. We got back to the hotel around 12:40 and had Cup-o-noodles for dinner.
Friday, July 7
California Adventure - We got to DCA about 7:30 and were there for the rope drop. Lizi and Trey headed to Guardians first and Judi and I went to Luigi's Rolickin' Roadsters. We saw Rogers: the Musical in the Hyperion theater which we all thought was good. We went back for naps and I made Spanish Rice for lunch. We went on the Red Car Trolley for the first time and it was the first time that Judi or I had been on the Golden Zephyr. We watched the World of Color from my favorite spot on the bridge to Pixar Pier and headed back to the hotel when the park closed at 10:00pm.
Saturday, July 8
Disneyland - We got to the park at 7:30, a half hour before opening and once it opened, headed to Indiana Jones first but it was closed so we split up and Judi and I went to Jungle Cruise and Lizi and Trey went to Thunder Mountain. We headed back to the hotel for naps and spaghetti for lunch. We spent a lot of time trading pins in Frontierland with "real people" as we have come to call other non-cast members. Lizi, Judi, and I love trading but Trey isn't as into it. We watched the fireworks again - Judi and Lizi saved the spots for us while Trey and I did Rise of the Resistance. Earlier in the day, Rise broke down while Lizi and I were on it and we got to spend about 5 minutes in the Stormtrooper room! It was really cool! Once again, Judi and I got in line at Peter Pan right before close while Trey and Lizi did Matterhorn and Space Mountain. We had cup-o-noodles and chicken strips for dinner in our room.
Sunday, July 9
California Adventure - We got to DCA about 7:30 again and were there for the rope drop. I recorded it on my phone and then Judi and I went to Tory Story Midway Mania the Pixar Pal Around, Emotional Whirwind and Little Mermaid while Trey and Lizi did Guardians of the Galaxy and the Incredicoaster. We met up to have our picture taken with Pluto and then did Grizzly River Run which is one of our favorites. Trey and I did Incredicoaster while Lizi and Judi traded pins. We then ate lunch at Boarwalk Pizza and Pasta before heading back to the hotel for naps. When we got back to the park, Lizi wanted to do Grizzly River Run so she did single rider over and over while Trey, Judi, and I did Golden Zephyr and Jumpin' Jelly Fish. Judi then decided that she wanted to do Grizzly River Run too so she and Lizi did single rider and got put in the same raft twice in a row. It broke down for about 15 minutes on their second time around. We also did Animation Academy where we drew Remy. It is so much fun for me to see the drawings that we all make! I went to downtown Disney and traded pins on the way back to the hotel while the kids all went to the hotel to get the Cup-o-noodles ready.
Monday, July 10
Disneyland - After 4 days walking 10 miles a day and getting about 6 hours of sleep every night, we were all tired! But we still made it to the park at 7:30 and were there for the Rope Drop. We first had our family picture taken by Pirates of the Caribbean and then headed to Rise of the Resistance and were shocked to see how long the line was - already stretching to Dok Ondor's Den of Antiquities shop, near the eastern-most entrance to Galaxy's Edge. It was too long to go on so we split up and Judi and I headed to Fantasyland and then did Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway a couple of times in a row while Trey and Lizi did Space Mountain and Matterhorn. We than all did Indiana Jones and Trey and I did the canoes while Lizi and Judi traded pins. We then met at the Golden Horseshoe for Ice Cream and then went on Jungle Cruise before heading back to the hotel for naps and lunch. I made chicken skewers for lunch. We got back to Disneyland and did the Tiki Room and got our traditional Dole Whips. Lizi and I then did Rise of the Resistance and got rider switch passes so Trey and I could go on it next. Trey and Judi went on Pirates of the Caribbean and Autopia and Lizi and Judi traded pins. We all went on Pirates of the Caribbean before splitting up so Lizi and Trey could go on Matterhorn and Space Mountain. Judi and I did Star Tours and then got souvenir coins from the Space Mountain exit (waiting on some foreigners in front of us who were apparently trying to figure out how to press a button) and then went to Fantasyland and did Mr. Toad and Peter Pan to end our day. We headed back to the hotel and made cup-o-noodles for dinner and went to bed.
Tuesday, July 11
Trey and I woke up early to head to the Long Beach airport to pick up Shelby while Lizi and Judi slept in. When we got to the airport at 8:00, we found that Shelby's plane had been delayed by 30 minutes and the gate agent wouldn't let Trey go with me to her gate to pick her up so he had to wait for us. It was great to see Shelby and we went to the baggage claim to find her bag and meet up with Trey. Once we had her bag, we drove to Peter the framer's house in Lakewood (only 1.8 miles from the airport) and I picked up a Jungle Cruise propeller and coals from Pirates of the Caribbean. We then headed back to the hotel, packed up the car, checked out, and then headed to Downtown Disney to trade pins. It was fun having Shelby with us and we let her go first on most of the pin boards since we had already traded so many the previous days. After about an hour, we decided to make our drive to Rock Creek. Shelby sat in the front and Trey, Lizi, and Judi in the back. We were able to fit everything in the car with out putting anything on the roof which surprised me. We stopped for lunch at McDonalds and then got to the lodge at 6:20 but since it closes at 6:00, we met the King's daughter who gave us our keys and then we headed to the cabin. We got unpacked - Shelby organized the pantry as she did last year and did a great job! I made some chicken alfredo for dinner and after dinner, we explored the woods around our cabin for a little while. The mosquitos were worse this year than normal because of all the snow and wet ground but the bug spray helped keep them off of us. We came in and opened the pins we had got from Disneyland and made some trades and then got ready for bed.
Wednesday, July 12
Judi and I woke up early to go fishing since the fish bite best in the mornings and evenings. We drove to the Lodge first to check in at 8:00 and then headed to the parking area by the lake. We walked around to "our rock" but there were people on it so we decided to stop a little short of it and fish some of the deeper areas there. The lake was quite a bit higher than normal because of the record snow the Sierras had experienced over the winter. In fact, just over a month before we got there, they posted a picture on their Facebook page of snow still up to the roof of cabin 4. We found a small rock that jutted out into the water and allowed us to cast farther out into deeper water. We got bites immediately and shortly after starting, Judi caught her first fish!! I was so excited for her! It was a little too small to keep but the experience was so fun and I could tell that she was excited too! By the end of our time fishing, I had caught 4 fish and Judi caught 3. We were able to keep 2 of them (although the first one I caught was probably big enough to keep as well). We caught most on worms but also had some luck with Salmon eggs. We headed back to the cabin about 11:00 and met back up with the kids who had eaten breakfast and read their books. Judi and I ate and then Lizi and Judi went outside to build forts out of fallen branches and whatever they could find in the forest, They looked to cool! Shelby read her book as did Trey except for when he would call out the kitchen window pretending to be me to Judi, teasing her. Judi thought it was me calling her at first. I heard it all as I was laying down trying to take a nap but I could help but chuckle listening to the whole exchange. I got up and Trey and I drove to Mosquito Flats, one of the places with fond memories from being their with my Mom, Bobbi, and Dad. The girls decided to stay at the cabin. Trey and I hiked past Mack Lake and then decided to turn around because we wanted to hike farther the next day and didn't want to "spoil" our adventure. I tossed in a line a couple of times at the spot I fished with my Grandpa but the river was flowing so fast because of the snow melt that I didn't have any luck. We came back to the cabin and Shelby braided Judi's hair while Lizi braided Trey's. I cooked dinner which was both of the fish we caught and some chili and chips. After dinner, we decided to all head back to the lake to fish. I could tell that the kids were excited especially because of the fish that Judi and I caught that morning but we didn't have any luck at all. We only had a couple of bites but didn't catch any. We came back to the cabin and Trey, Judi, and I played exploding kittens while Shelby and Lizi got showered and ready for bed.
Thursday, July 13
This morning everybody woke up early to go fishing since the fish seemed to bite so well in the morning the day before. We drove down to the lake just before 8:00 and made the journey to the end of it by "our rock." The kids started there but after a few casts with no luck, I showed them where Judi and I had been catching them the day before and we moved down that way. After about 30 minutes, Trey decided that he'd had enough. He had gotten 3 snags with his first few casts and only 1 bite so he headed back to the cabin. Judi took the small rock that we were on yesterday and Lizi took a spot right next to it. Shelby switched places around them. I spent a lot of time baiting hooks and helping get hooks out of the fish that they caught. Lizi caught her first fish in the High Sierras which was a German Brown about 10 inches long. She was getting bite after bite and ended up catching 4 fish, 3 of which we kept (but one of which slipped out of my hands and back into the water as I was putting it on the stringer). Judi caught 2 more fish and we kept one. Shelby had many bites and had 2 almost to shore but they both fell off right before she could bring them on. I had one that fell off right before I could bring it to shore. After about 3 hours of fishing, we headed back to the cabin about 11:00 and met back up with Trey. Shelby forgot to bring my hat to wear and she got a little sunburned while she was out there. While we were gone, Trey had gone back to bed for a little bit and read his book. We took it easy around the cabin for a little while, eating breakfast and relaxing and then Trey and I drove to Mosquito Flats to hike. We started our hike at 12:30 and went towards Morgan Pass and passed Mack Lake, Heart Lake, Box Lake, and made it to Long Lake where Trey climbed up some steep snowy slopes to make it to the top to take some pictures. I wanted to get up there with him so badly but because of my knee injury 4 months ago, I knew that I better not. The back country lakes were so pretty and I had such a fun time exploring the High Sierras with Trey. My Mom would have loved doing that with us since she and Bobbi loved hiking that trail and others in the Sierras. We couldn't pass Long Lake because of all the snow on the ground so we decided to turn back. We made it back to the cabin about 3:00 and found Shelby still sleeping (she had laid down when we left). Judi and Lizi had taken down Lizi's old fort and made a new one together, It was fun to see the fireplace and shelves above it. It also had a small entry way and a roof that only needed some pine branches to be complete. I would have loved building that when I was a kid! After admiring their fort, Lizi, Judi, and I went to the porch and Lizi journaled while Judi drew rides for the theme park that she wants to make when she's older and I read my book. Trey read inside and Shelby slept a little longer. I then started some dinner, cooking the 3 fish that we kept (400 degrees for 25 minutes wrapped in tin foil). I also made some chicken alfredo to go with it. Judi got to eat the fish that she caught all by herself and it was so fun to see her devour that fish! She loved it and said it was the best fish she ever ate. Shelby ate the Brown that Lizi caught and I ate the other one, giving some of it to Lizi. Trey decided he'd just stick to the alfredo. After dinner, we played exploding kittens, Sabaac, and Play 9 and then went to bed.
Friday, July 14
I woke up around 7:40 and started packing the car. The kids got up a short time later and started to help as well. Lizi swept the cabin, Shelby, Trey, and Judi took the garbage down to the containers and then we all helped load the car after we took our traditional picture in front of the cabin. We headed to the Lodge to check out and look around and then got on the road around 9:50. The road just past Bishop is very windy, with a lot of ups and downs and even narrows to one lane for a brief section. It always makes Judi and Shelby a little car sick but they did good on this trip. We listened to Trey's music first on the way home and then when we stopped for gas and to eat at Subway in Beatty, we listened to Shelby's music. Lizi and Judi looked at pins and played games on their phone and switch and Trey listened to his music on his ear buds. Shelby and I talked about marriage and where to meet a spouse and some do's and don'ts. It was fun talking with her. We got home about 6:15, stopping at Little Caesar's for pizza on the way home. We took a minute to say hi to the pets and then unloaded the car and got some laundry going. We watched Disney shorts while we ate and then Lizi and Judi played Disneyland Lego (creating Indiana Jones ride), Shelby slept, and Trey and I played Mario Cart. Judi and Trey then played Mario Cart and Odyssey while Lizi continued playing Lego and I unpacked. Judi's mom came over and visited for a while and took Judi back with her for the night. While Judi was gone, we watched Hunger Games 4 and ate ice cream. We then went to bed.
Saturday, July 15
I woke up to get things done around the house before the kids woke up. Around 10:30 I got a text from Judi saying she wanted me to come pick her up so I ran to Walmart and the car wash on the way. Just as I was leaving, Trey woke up so I told him the plan. When Judi and I got back, Judi and Lizi played Disneyland Lego, trying to build Indiana Jones. I showed Shelby the new Disney items I got since she was here last and we walked around the back yard, picking some of the fruit that was ready like blackberries, grapes, plums, and peaches. We came back in and Shelby played with splash on the couch while Lizi and Judi played Lego again and Trey and I played Mario Cart and then he helped me enter some information into my auction spreadsheet for this coming week's auction. He and Judi also did their Disney Draft where they pick what items Disney items in our house they like the most. Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and I then all played Mario Cart while Judi watched. I started getting dinner ready and Judi and Lizi built Lego Indiana Jones attraction some more and Shelby watched them and Trey played on his phone. While we ate chicken and rice casserole, we watched Brother Bear. After the movie, Lizi and Shelby practiced their Matilda outside and Trey, Judi, and I went outside to watch. Judi's mom also came over for a little while. We came in and watched a couple episodes of Alone and then went to bed.
Sunday, July 16
We woke up early, ate breakfast, and started walking to church at 8:00 for choir practice. The choir sang today in church as well. Trey and Lizi had a good time at church today but Shelby didn't. We walked home and had lunch and did the Disney Draft and measured everyone. The kids then had a webchat with their mom. Trey and I edited the Youtube video we recorded a couple of weeks ago. Lizi and Shelby put together Indiana Jones Lego attraction while Trey was on the webchat and then I helped Lizi too. Trey, Lizi, Judi and I then played Mario Cart while Shelby was on the webchat. Shelby also showed me pictures of her recent trip to FSY. It was fun to see the friends she made and hear about all she did. We then had roast for dinner and watched treasure planet and Lizi and Judi played with Lego. Trey and I worked on editing the Youtube video some more and got it finished and then I helped Lizi find Lego pieces for her Indiana Jones attraction. I then went outside with Judi for a few minutes before I had to go clean the rock shop. When I got home, Lizi and Shelby were talking on their phone in their room and Trey and Judi were asleep.
Monday, July 17
Trey and I woke up at 6:15 to hike Signal Peak - the tallest mountain in Washington County, Utah at 10,369 feet. We got to the trailhead around 7:50am after leaving our home at 6:55. We got on the way at 7:52 and it was already extremely hot! The trail was much more overgrown than I remember it being from my previous hikes. The trail meandered at a pretty steep grade for the first 3 miles or so until we reached the ridge at 9900 feet. We then had to drop down the other side, losing about 200 feet of elevation that we had worked so hard to just gain. The back side was much more shaded by pine trees which was nice and we made it to Deer Meadow pretty quickly despite losing the trail briefly in a few spots. This is where I took us up the wrong mountain too soon and once we realized it, we had to descend the steep mountain we had just climbed. We went a little further to Further Water and then I took us up another wrong mountain but I realized it before we climbed up too steeply. I asked Trey both times if he just wanted to call it a day but he was determined to hike Signal Peak so we descended and continued on. I finally was confident that Signal Peak was just ahead so we started up the side of the mountain and finally made it to the top around 1:05. I called Shelby to let her know we made it to the summit. We spent some time drinking water, eating snacks, and taking pictures before heading back down. It was really fun for me to see Trey taking pictures of nature because it made me think, "man, he's really enjoying this." There was little cloud cover on the way back and it was really hot, registering 106 degrees when we got back to the car at 4:15. While we were gone, Judi woke up at 9:00am and played on the Switch (Odyssey, Crash Bandicot, and Mario Cart with Blue Shells). The she snuggled with Splash until Lizi got up at 11:00. They did legos together for a little bit and Shelby woke up a 1:00pm. They watched Lion King 1/2 and then painted their nails. When Trey and I got home, Lizi showed me the completed Indiana Jones Lego attraction which looks really cool! Lizi and Shelby went outside to practice their parts for Matilda and then Lizi and Judi played with water balloons on the trampoline. I made some dinner and we watched Big Hero 6 while we ate. Shelby went into her room and began reading, Trey was on his phone on the couch and I watched Lizi and Judi do the World of Color with their Legos. I love how creative they are! Trey then went to bed and I went in to talk with Shelby and Lizi for a while before I got Judi off to bed.
Tuesday, July 18
We all slept in a little but I went to the store while everyone else slept. When I got back everyone was still asleep. Trey was the first one up and we ate breakfast together and then turned on Mario Cart to play and Judi heard us so she got up too and we all played a little. Lizi was up next and ate some cereal. The big Disney Auction was yesterday, today, and tomorrow so I had it on and Trey and I practiced recording me bidding on items because I had to send some to the producer of a new Auction series coming up who interviewed me at the Van Eaton Galleries auction exhibition. Shelby got up a little later and we had a little bit of a lazy day, watching/listening to the auction, Trey and Judi playing Mario Cart, and Shelby reading. Lizi showed me the videos of her Disney vs Broadway performance. The videos were so fun to watch with her because she was able to tell me what she was thinking or going through at certain points in the performances. She is really talented! After the videos, I remembered about a CD that I have that I thought Lizi would like - The Parent Trap CD so we listened to it and I told her she could have it. We then had dinner and watched Disney short cartoons while we ate. Then Lizi and Shelby practiced their Matilda choreography while Judi played Lego and Trey and I recorded some bidding for the auction. During the breaks between items I was bidding on, we played a little Mario Cart too. We then all went outside and played knock out. That is such a fun family tradition/activity. It was the first time this summer that we all played and it was a lot of fun. When we came in, some of the kids had an Otter Pop and we watched Ratatouille and an episode of Alone and had Ice cream, cake, and popcorn while we watched them. Lizi and Judi then did the Main Street Electrical Parade with Lego and Shelby and Trey talked in Trey's room (they are still talking now at 2:00am as I type this!). I talked with Shelby and Trey for a little while and then watched the Electrical Parade performance. After the Electrical Parade, I talked with Lizi for a while and gave her my Parent Trap Sound Track CD and then tucked Judi into bed.
Wednesday, July 19
We decided to hike to the river today so we woke up before 10:00, ate breakfast, and got on our way. It was a really hot day so it was really nice at the Virgin River and the water temperature was so nice. Lizi got beat up trying to use a raft down the rapids and a couple of the floaties had a hole in them, but everyone had a great time. We left about 12:30 and Shelby drove us home. It was so cool to have her drive and she did a great job. When we got home, Lizi and Trey recorded me bidding on items at the Van Eaton auction and Shelby read in her room. Lizi then went outside and played Stranded Family with Judi and Trey played on his phone. Lizi and Judi came in and they played Mario Cart with Trey and I. Lizi and Judi then started painting and I started making dinner. We had spaghetti and watched Pirates of the Caribbean while we ate. I then ran Judi over to her Mom's house and Lizi put her Disneyland Legos away. When I got home, Trey, Lizi, and I played Mario Cart and then we all watched an episode of Alone. We then said prayers and Trey and Shelby went to bed and Lizi came out to chat with me - and we're still chatting right now as I type this. I love talking with her! (We talked until 2:00am)
Thursday, July 20
I woke up and did some yard work before the kids woke up. When I came in, I just about walked into Trey who was just walking down the hall from his room and Lizi was at the table eating breakfast. After a quick shower, I ate breakfast with Trey and then The kids all finished packing. When Lizi and Trey finished, the 3 of us played Mario Cart and Shelby joined us when she finished packing too. We got ready to go about 12:15 and it was very touching to see Trey seek out Smokey twice to pet him before he left. Smokey is 16 years old and I'm shocked that he's lived this long. Trey pet him when Smokey snuck in the house and after I put him out and Shelby, Lizi, and I had loaded in the car, I saw Trey bending over in the garage to give him one last scratch before he left. The 2 hour and 15 minute drive to Las Vegas was mostly a quiet one with just a few conversations here and there. This is the day that I dread the most every year - the day I have to take the kids to the airport after their summer trip. It is so hard knowing that they are getting older and soon won't be able to come visit for as long because they'll have other life endeavors that will be important. I just hope I have done enough to create traditions and memories so that they'll always know that I love them. We got to the airport about 1:30 Vegas time, checked the bags, went through security (Trey's bag was "mistakenly" pulled aside) and got to the gate about 50 minutes before the scheduled departure. I sat next to Lizi and we talked the whole time. It is so hard to describe our conversation because a lot of it goes in one ear and out the other just because I'm trying to take in every last moment I have with her and Trey and Shelby. It's like I'm hyper-focusing on everything, so I don't forget anything. I talked to the gate agent so the kids could board early so they could all sit together and after the "A" group boarded, I walked up to the counter with them to make sure they were allowed to board. Lizi and Shelby turned around to wave as they walked down the boarding ramp and they sat in row 21. I got a text from Trey around 6:55 letting me know that they had landed and Lizi texted me tonight about how short the wait times at Disneyland are right now! I miss them so much already.
No comments:
Post a Comment