Sunday, June 15
The Kids' flight was originally scheduled for 3:25 but ended up being delayed by a little over 2 hours. So Judi and I waited for them to get to the baggage claim, trying to guess what escalator they would come down. On the ride home, Lizi, Shelby, and Judi started talking about the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" which was really fun to hear about. They all liked it but liked the animated version better. Trey then told me all about his experience at young men's camp. He told a hilarious story about the last night which a bunch of Deacons with brooms like pitchforks trying to apprehend "evil Josh." When we got home, I made Pasta Roni for the older kids and Cheesy noodles for Judi. It was so fun to hear Judi and Trey playing out in the living room as I was making dinner. They seem to really love wresting around and having fun together. We opened pins that we got from Disney World while we ate dinner and Judi had a mishap when she dropped her Ratatouille pin into her cheesy noodles! Everyone laughed so hard. I then showed them the Disney room and we went to bed.
Monday, June 16
As I was drifting in and out of sleep in the morning time, I thought I heard someone up and when I ended up getting out of bed, I found out that Judi got up at 6:55AM! She was just so excited to play with everyone that she wanted to make sure she didn't miss out on anything. The next person up was Lizi around 9:15. Judi and I played a little Mario Cart before Lizi woke up and once Lizi got up, we all ate breakfast together. We then went outside and looked at the trees and just the yard in general while petting the pets too. Lizi and Judi then organized and traded pins while I started loading the car. Trey then woke up and ate breakfast and then organized his pins. He then went outside to look at the yard too. Lizi and Judi went outside to fill up water balloons and jump on the trampoline with them. It took them like 30 minutes to fill them up and they had all popped after about 5 minutes. So I suggested that they could move the trampoline to the grass and jump on it with the sprinklers on. They did that and got the hose out too. Before I knew it, Trey was jumping with them! Lizi and Trey would hold the hose horizontally, using Judi as the measuring stick and then the other one who wasn't holding the hose would jump over the water that was coming out of the hose. It was so much fun! We also brought the football out and first Trey and I played catch and then Trey played with Lizi and Judi. We came in and I made some hot dogs and sandwiches and then went to Costco to buy some things for the trip. When I got home, Judi was playing minecraft, Lizi was reading a book, and Trey came out of his room (Shelby was still sleeping). I then went to walmart to get the rest of the things we needed and grabbed a Pizza for dinner. Shelby was up when I got home. We watched Coco and ate Pizza and then I started cooking meals for us at Disneyland. Trey and Judi filled up the dogs food and water for me and Lizi emptied the garbage. Shelby worked on figuring out her fall semester schedule for next year for the rest of the night. The girls all also looked through Grandma Judi's jewelry and each selected a few things. We also had a pin draft before we went to bed too.
Quote of the day: Trey, after coming in from jumping on the trampoline in the water and throwing the football around: "That's what summer is all about."
Tuesday, June 17
We left our house around 9:15 and headed for Peter the framer's house to pick up a Jungle Cruise piranha prop, a snake from Indiana Jones, and a couple of Tiana boat pieces. After Peter's we went to company D and I got something for everyone. Lizi got a Cinderella cup, Shelby got a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt, Trey got a Star Wars Medallion, and Judi got Simba and Nala stuffed animals. After Company D, we went to check in at the Del Sol. We got room 222 which is kind of like a suite - it had 2 rooms instead of just one. It is also the farthest walk, but it was a good room. We had some ramen and chicken for dinner and then headed to downtown Disney to trade pins before coming back and going to bed.
Wednesday, June 18
California Adventure 8:00AM-10:00PM with naps in the middle of the day.
We had to do California Adventure today because there was a special event at Disneyland which closed the park at 8:00pm. We got their at 7:30 for rope drop. We split up in the morning so Trey, Shelby, and Lizi could go on Guardians and other big rides. Judi and I went to Toy Story Midway Mania so we could go on it a couple of times in a row before it got busy but we broke down on it for about 15 minutes so by the time we got off, the line was really long so we went on other rides. Judi went on Silly Symphony swings for the first time and loved it. She and I did tandem first and then she proceeded to go on it about 10 more times mostly with Lizi. We also got drenched by the geysers on Grizzly River Run. It was so funny to see Lizi's face after the geyser shot water all over her! She definitely got the most wet but we all were soaked for quite a while. We also went on Monsters Inc for the last time since it's closing for Avatar later this year. We ate dinner at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta since it is one of the cheaper options and, at the end of the night, we watched the World of Color show which everyone thought was one of the worst ones but I still thought it was good.
Thursday, June 19
Disneyland 8:00AM-Midnight with naps in the middle of the day.
We got to the park at 7:30 for rope drop. It was our first day at Disneyland but there was early entry so we weren't able to do our normal plan. So we headed to Thunder Mountain First and did some of the rides over there like Pirates and Mansion. We met up with Eric and Jack around 10:00. Some of the highlights were riding in the front of the Monorail, watching the Paint the Night Parade, and watching the Mapping show at Galaxy's edge at night. Shelby, Judi, and I got on Peter Pan right before the park closed and Lizi and Trey did Space Mountain.
Friday, Jun 20
Disneyland 8:00AM-Midnight with naps in the middle of the day.
We got to the park at 7:30AM for rope drop. There was no early entry at Disneyland today so we went to Peter Pan first which was fun since Shelby was dressed as Wendy and Lizi was dressed as Peter Pan. Some highlights were: Lizi and I went on Tiana's Bayou Adventure for the first time (at Disneyland), Judi lost a tooth in line at Pirates of the Caribbean, watching the Paint the Night Parade, and eating at the Blue Bayou. Trey, Lizi, Judi, and I each got the Prime Rib and Shelby got the chicken gumbo with shrimp. It was so fun taking them there since my mom used to take me there every year. At the end of the night we split and Shelby and Trey tried to go on Space Mountain but it was closed so they ended up going on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters while Lizi, Judi, and I rushed from Mr. Toad to Alice in Wonderland right before the park closed.
Quote of the day: Shelby at the Blue Bayou: "I wish cocktails didn't have alcohol in them because they sound really cool."
Saturday, June 21
I woke up around 4:20AM to take Lizi to the Long Beach Airport. I was so sad to see her go since she and Judi always have so much fun at Rock Creek together but I was grateful for the fun memories we were able to make at Disneyland. I got a gate pass to get her through security and to her gate. I sat down with her for a couple of minutes and then she said that I should go back to get some sleep which was wise since we had a long drive ahead of us to get to Rock Creek. As I was driving back to the Del Sol, she kept me updated on her flight and everything went smoothly. I got back around 7:00 and crawled back into bed and got another hour and a half of sleep before Trey, Shelby, Judi, and I woke up to start loading the car. Everyone was such a big help - Trey getting ice to fill up the cooler and Shelby and Judi both getting everything packed and loaded into the car. Trey did a great organizing job in the car with the luggage. We checked out and then went to Downtown Disney to trade pins and pick out our pins for the year. We got on the road around 11:20 and headed for Van Eaton Galleries which was in the middle of the first day of a huge 2 day auction they were doing. Eric was there and we sat next to him and watched the auction for about 40 minutes before heading out. The drive was a lot of fun - Trey put a playlist on and we each rotated picking songs on the drive up too. We got to Rock Creek at 5:45 and got situated. Shelby always puts all the food away and while she was doing that, I cooked chili for dinner and Trey and Judi made their Lorcana decks. After dinner, Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele and then we headed to bed.
Sun, June 22
Judi and I woke up early and walked down to the lake to fish. We originally tried to drive but the parking area was closed because there was construction going on on the dock. It was very windy and cold and we had to alternate what hands we carried the gear with so we could keep the other one in our pocket to stay warm. We went to our rock and Judi caught 2 fish and one was big enough to keep. I got some bites but didn't catch anything. We walked back to the cabin about 9:00 and as we walked up the road, we could see that the curtains were open so we knew the kids were up. Trey was working on his Lorcana deck and Shelby was playing the Ukulele. We ate some breakfast and then headed on our way to Yosemite National Park which was about an hour and 20 minutes away. As we got closer, there was a long line of cars waiting to get in and an electronic sign indicated that you had to have a reservation to get in which was disappointing especially since Zion doesn't require one and it's busier. So we turned around and found a couple of overlook spots and some snow to get out to play in. We walked over to a lake too and took some pictures by the dam. The road to get there that goes over Tioga Pass is really cool! It is cut right into the side of the cliff. When we got back to the cabin at Rock Creek, we walked down to the store to look around and buy some milk. We then walked to Rock Creek Lake to go fishing at our rock. Shelby and Judi both caught a fish that were both too small to keep and Trey and I got a few bites but couldn't bring anything in. After an hour and a half, we headed back and I made some chicken alfredo for dinner. While we were eating, we noticed a deer right by our back deck. It was fun to see wildlife that close. Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele before heading to bed.
Mon, June 23
Judi and I woke up around 6:30 and walked down to the lake to fish. It was a cold morning with cloud cover but not as much wind as the day before. Judi caught one fish that we had to throw back but because it was so cold we didn't stay too long and ended coming back around 8:30. Shelby and Trey were still asleep but Trey woke up pretty soon after and he and I got ready for our hike. We had decided to hike Mono Pass and possibly fish in Golden Lake (if we could make it there). So we drove to Mosquito Flats and started on the trail about 10:00. Fortunately, because it was a little cloudy and cold, there were still a few parking spots left in the parking lot. We started on our way and had some really cool views of the little lakes valley below. I hadn't hiked the Mono Pass trail since I was about 12 years old when I hiked it with Grandma Bobbi and my friend, Nate. It was definitely a more physically demanding hike than Morgan Pass because of the elevation gain. As we got closer to the ridge, we encountered a lot of snow, having to cross it a couple of times and walk through it other times. Some of the drifts were about 3 feet high. After passing through the Pass, we saw Summit Lake which still had ice on it. Both Trey and I made some videos to document the hike too and on one of my videos, as I was walking up to see what was over a ridge, Trey noticed that it had started snowing! We couldn't believe it! We took a break and used a large boulder as a wind break (it was really windy which I imagine made the temperature with the wind chill in the 20's) as we ate some snacks before heading back down. It was such a cool experience and Trey and I talked about how amazing the scenery was and the fact that we actually got it starting to snow on video too on the hike back. We got back to the cabin around 4:00 and Shelby and Judi were playing the Jungle Cruise game. They had also walked down to the lake to fish and got a couple of bites but didn't catch anything. They also picked and pressed flowers and drew some Lorcana cards and Shelby also did some other really cool drawings of her own. I made some macaroni and cheese and cooked the fish that Judi caught yesterday to go with it. We then played settlers and Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby took a shower and got ready for bed.
Tues, June 24
Everyone was feeling pretty tired and because it had been so cold the past 2 mornings, the kids all wanted to sleep in so I went fishing by myself. It was actually a perfect morning with no wind and not a cloud in the sky. I caught 3 small fish and had 2 more fall off my line as I lifted them to the shore. When I got back to the cabin around 9:00, Trey and Judi were at the kitchen table organizing their Lorcana decks. We ate some breakfast and then played Lorcana until Shelby woke up. We decided to go on a hike to some of the lakes at Mosquito Flats. We brought our regular and telescope fishing poles to possibly fish at Mosquito Flats and in some of the back country lakes too. We decided to go the Morgan Pass way since that's where most of the lakes are. We stopped at Box lake and climbed down the steep cliff to get to the lake. Everyone tried fishing for a little bit but Judi and Trey ended up doing most of the fishing and Trey ended up catching his first trout - a 9.5 inch rainbow. I was so excited for him! I was getting ready to put a worm on Judi's hook when I hear Judi excitedly exclaim, "Trey's got one!" so I looked over and sure enough, Trey was bringing the fish to shore. He hooked the fish good through the lip. He said that he started to real in the salmon eggs when he felt a bite so he left it there for about another 30 seconds and the fish bit again and got hooked. After a little more fishing, the clouds rolled in and it started getting a little cold so we decided to head back. We cooked the trout for a late lunch and then Trey, Judi, and I played some Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele. I made spaghetti for dinner and then we played Settlers and Golf Mania (our Rock Creek tradition). Then it was bed time so we finished packing up all of our things and went to bed.
Wed June 25
I woke up round 7:30 and started getting things all packed up. Everyone was up shortly after and Shelby cleaned all the counters and stove, Judi swept all the floors and emptied the garbage's, and Trey and I packed the car and took the garbage's to the bin. We went to the store to check out and bought a few last minute souvenirs - post cards for Shelby and stickers for Judi and Trey. As we were driving down the steep windy road that goes back to the main highway 395, I was overcome with emotion because of the fact that this will probably be the last time that I have so many of the kids together at Rock Creek since Trey will be leaving on his mission and Shelby will have so many responsibilities going on in her life as she gets older. I feel so blessed that I have had these special times with my kids and have been able to create memories with them that my mom and grandparents created with me. We took in the amazing scenery on the drive home, endured the windy, up-and-down, and sometimes one lane roads that lead from Rock Creek to Hurricane. Judi got a little car sick. We had fun taking turns picking a song to play on the speakers and we also made our traditional stop in Beatty for Subway and gas. We got home around 6:00, unloaded the car, got unpacked, and played with the dogs. Judi's mom came to get her and then Shelby, Trey, and I had dinner and watched quite a few episodes of Lost before going to bed.
Quotes of the day: Shelby (on the road from Rock Creek to home) "If I were a cow, I'd want to be here."
Judi (after driving on the windy, up and down roads: "If I go flying, my guts are going to go with me."
Thurs, June 26
Because we stayed up so late, everyone slept in. I went to the store and did some yard work and then Judi came back over. She gave Nana a bath and then we came in and Trey was up eating breakfast so I ate with him. He then came outside and helped me try to fix a weed sprayer and helped me trim the "Shelby bush" in the front yard. We came in and Judi, Trey, and I played Lorcana and then Trey and I watched an episode of Modern Family while Judi played Minecraft. Shelby woke up and booked her flight back to school while Trey, Judi, and I went outside and played football. First, Trey and I threw the ball back and forth, then we tried to kick field goals, and then one of us would stand in the pit and throw a deep ball for the other person to get. It was so much fun and something I'll miss so much when Trey is on his mission. We then rode our bikes to check the mail and I came home and made dinner. We watched an episode of Lego Masters and then Judi went to her mom's house and Trey, Shelby, and I watched episodes of Lost and then went to bed.
Friday, June 27
I woke up at 9:00 to go to the post office. Trey woke up about 11:00 and we ate breakfast. Judi came over around noon and we went outside and Judi watered the plants and I sprayed the apples and grapes for bugs. Trey and I then watched Modern Family while Judi played minecraft. Judi, Trey, and I then played some Mario kart and then Judi and Trey played a little Minecraft together. Shelby woke up about 2:45 and we all went outside and threw the football around and played with the pets. Judi and Shelby also strolled through the grape arbor and sampled the grapes. We went in and Shelby rested on the couch while Trey and Judi played on the Switch and I made dinner. I also brought in my mission bins and went through one of them with Trey and Shelby. We watched Lego Masters while we ate and then went back outside. We all threw the football around for a little bit and then Trey and Judi "trained" Nana and Shelby and I weeded the garden. I am so grateful for Shelby's help - it's such a big job for one person to weed the whole yard. Judi then went to her mom's house and Trey, Shelby, and I finished season 1 of Lost and saw the first episode of season 2. We then went to bed.
Saturday, June 28
Judi came back over just after 9:00AM and she played Minecraft for a little bit. Trey woke up around 11:30. We ate breakfast and then watched the Rocket League tournament. It was fun watching it with him because I know he really enjoys Rocket League. We also organized our Disney pins while we watched. We then went outside for a little bit and looked at the fruit trees and played with the pets. When we came back in, Shelby was awake. I started getting the Easter Egg hunt ready and then the kids went out to find the eggs. It is a fun tradition. We then did the candy draft. Shelby then went into her room and finished her Disneyland ride chart while Judi and Trey played Mario Odyssey. I made dinner and we watched another Lego Masters while we ate. Trey, Judi, and I then went back outside and threw the firsbee around, playing monkey in the middle. Judi went home with her mom andn Shelby, Trey, and I came in and watched a bunch of episodes of Lost and went to bed.
Sunday, June 29
We woke up around 10:00 and got ready for church. Shelby, Trey, and I walked to church which I love doing with them. Because it was a 5th Sunday, we all met together after sacrament meeting which was really cool too. When we got home, we watched the finals of the Rocket League Major Tournament which was fun and we ate some lunch while we watched it. Trey and Shelby then took naps for a little bit and Judi and I played Mario Kart. Trey got up and we went outside for a little bit to play with the pets. Judi and Trey then came in and played Mario Odyssey while I got dinner ready. we watched Lego Masters while we ate and then we all went outside. Shelby weeded the garden, Trey and I threw the football around, and Judi played with and trained Nana. Judi then went home with her mom and Shelby, Trey, and I watched Lost before going to bed.
Monday, June 30
Everyone slept in for quite a while today. Trey woke up first just after noon and we ate breakfast. While we were eating, Judi came back over and the three of us rode our bikes to the mail to get the Lorcana Cards that were in the mail box. We looked through our cards and did a few trades too. Shelby woke up and looked through our cards with us and then went outside to pet Nana. We then all went to play pickleball which was so much for to me. I love spending time playing pickleball with the kids. Judi then went to swim and Shelby, Trey, and I came home and ate dinner and watched Lost until it was time for bed.
Tuesday, July 1
We got up a little earlier than normal this morning so we could go on our hike down to the river. Trey and Judi tried the rope swing first and then we all had fun floating and cooling off in the water. It was slightly lower than normal and very clear due to the lack of rain that we've been missing. Trey also skipped some rocks and everyone tried the rope swing again before we left. When we got home, Shelby and I had an otter pop and we all ate lunch. Then Judi, Trey, and I had a Lorcana card draft with the leftover cards. Loki came in and tried to get each one of us to pet him. Judi left with her mom at 3:00 and Shelby and I went outside to play catch with the football while Trey organized his Lorcana cards and made more playing decks. While Shelby and I played catch, it rained on us a little which was a lot of fun - the sun was still out too. We came back in and just hung out on the couch until Judi came back at 5:30 and we ate dinner and watched Lego Masters. After dinner, we went outside and tried to throw the football through the frisbee which was so much fun! Trey got it through a few times, Shelby got it through, and Judi barely missed it on her last throw. Shelby and Judi also picked some grapes from our grape vine to eat. Judi went back to her mom's at 7:00 and Trey, Shelby, and I came back in and watched Lost until we went to bed. We got to the middle of season 3. Tonight I had such a strong feeling that I didn't want the kids to go. I have had so much fun with them and I realize now that they are getting older, their visits might start becoming fewer and for a shorter time. I am so proud of each of them and always look forward to all the time I can spend with them.
Wednesday, July 2
Judi came back from her mom's house early and we played Mario Kart and did our stats until Trey woke up. Trey and I ate breakfast and then Trey and Judi played a little Mario Odyssey. We then finished the Lorcana card draft and played a game. Shelby got up and had breakfast and then we all went to play pickleball which was so much fun again. Trey won every game! We came home and had otter pops and lunch. Trey and then Shelby called their mom to talk about their upcoming cruise and Shelby's play, Cinderella. While Shelby was on the phone, Trey, Judi, and I played Mario Kart and then Trey and Judi played Minecraft. I also booked some Vikings tickets for the Bears game in November for me and Trey. I'm so excited to take him to a game. We then went outside and tried to throw the football through the frisbee. Our arms were still a little tired from the past few days so we didn't have as much luck today. We came in and had dinner and watched Lego Masters while we ate. Trey, Judi and I then went back outside and Judi played in the sandbox making a volcano for Splash and Loki to hide in. Trey and I threw football routes. I would stand down in the pit and Trey would run "go" routes" and then punt or kick the ball back to me. He kicked some really good punts and kicks! Then he ran a few post routes. Throwing the football to Trey is one of my favorite things to do while he's here. Shelby packed while we were outside. We came in and decided to do a movie pick out tonight before sparklers so Shelby decided what movies we would watch while Trey, Judi, and I went back outside and played monkey in the middle with the frisbee. We came in and watched Monsters University and then went outside and lit sparklers as is our tradition for the fourth of July - since the kids won't be here for the fourth this year, we celebrated early. We then came in, read scriptures and went to bed.
Thursday, July 3
Judi woke up around 10:30 and we played Mario Kart until Trey got up around 11:30. We then all ate breakfast and Trey started packing so I went in his room and just hung out with him. While he was packing we heard Shelby's closet door close (which always sounds super loud in Trey's room) so we knew she was up too. The kids got all packed and said goodbye to the pets and then we headed out to the airport around 1:55pm. We dropped Judi off at her mom's and got gas on the way too. We chatted about our visit - Shelby said the highlights for her were playing the Ukulele at Rock Creek, throwing the football through the frisbee, and throwing the football in the rain. Trey said his highlight was on our hike at Mono Pass when we walked up to the ridge and saw over it and then realized that it had started snowing. It was such a fun visit even though it was shorter than normal due to a cruise with their mom. Saying goodbye was so tough because I probably won't see them together again for a few years with Trey going on his mission and Shelby in college and starting her life. I sure miss them already!
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