Tuesday, June 11
Liz went to pick up the kids in Texas since I had to work. Their plane was delayed about 50 minutes while in line for take off due to rain. They finally got to our home about 9:15 and all came and gave me and Judi hugs (we were waiting outside for them). Then they all went to see Daisy and Wendy. Daisy, who is usually a little scared of people she doesn't know, knew who they were and was so excited to see them! Lizi and Judi went into to Lizi's room to play with legos while Trey, Shelby and I went to the Disney Room and then talked in the living room and looked at pictures of Star Wars Land. We didn't want to go to bed but finally decided we better get some sleep at about 11:30. Fun first day!
Wednesday, June 12
Despite going to bed so late last night, I heard Trey come into my room to see if I was awake at 6:45. He went outside a few times and came back in a little after 7:00 so I got up and went outside with him. Shelby was outside as well playing with the animals. Lizi came out shortly too and we all rode bikes for a little while before coming in to eat some breakfast. Lizi and Judi then started playing with legos and Trey, Shelby, and I went to the Disney room. Shelby and I worked on a Dumbo puzzle while Trey set up his Star Wars legos for a battle. Trey, Shelby, and I went back outside and played frisbee, rode bikes, and threw the football around. We then came in and had Pizza for lunch. After pizza, we watched "Up" and then rode bikes again. Lizi and Judi played in the sand box while Trey and Shelby played volleyball. We then came in and played a new golf card game which Shelby won. We had Spaghetti for dinner and then Shelby, Trey, and Lizi worked on drawing Disney characters. We watched 2 episodes of "The Amazing Race" and then got ready for bed.
Thursday, June 13
Trey and Lizi got up early again. Lizi went into the Disney Room and actually fell asleep in there for a little bit and Trey came out to the Living Room and waited for me to get up. Shelby got up and then Judi and we all talked a little in the Living Room. We then ate breakfast and then Trey and Shelby went out to ride their bikes. Lizi played with legos and Judi was feeling a little sick from a spider bite. I had to go to work and the kids watched Duck Tales. Shelby and Trey went outside to play with pets and ride bikes and Lizi stayed in and played with legos. Then Jenna took Trey and Shelby to Sand Hollow Reservoir. Judi slept and Lizi designed her Disneyland bag and played legos. Trey and Shelby then came out to see me at work and they practiced putting and played a couple of holes while I worked. Liz, Jenna, Judi, and Lizi went bathing suit shopping for Lizi. We ate dinner and then played the golf card game and watched Amazing Race before bed.
Friday, June 14
Trey woke up and came to the living room where Liz was sleeping. He fell asleep on the couch and they wandered back into bed. Lizi got up and started organizing her pins. I came and watched her. Judi then got up and got her pins and sat next to Lizi organizing them. We went to the table to eat breakfast and Shelby joined us. I had to go to work and the kids watched a cartoon. Then Shelby went outside and brushed Daisy, Trey rode bikes, and Lizi and Judi played legos. They then all worked on a father's day gift for me. They then all went outside and rode bikes while the bug guy came to spray our house. They then came in and had lunch and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3. After the movie, Shelby, and Trey came out to the golf course to play some golf with me. We played holes 10 and 11 today. While we were playing golf, Judi and Lizi were doing the Main Street Electrical Parade with their legos at home. When we got home, we rode bikes. Trey and I worked on fixing his brakes and then Trey fixed Lizi's seat and I worked on her kick stand. We then ate dinner and watched a couple of episodes of The Amazing Race and went to bed.
Saturday, June 15th
We had decided the night before that we would go hike Mollies Nipple in the morning. But as everyone started waking up, they seemed to be less excited about making the attempt. After eating breakfast, though, Trey and Shelby decided they wanted to try. So we headed out for our hike. Little did we know what Liz, Lizi, and Judi decided to try to have a little fun with us and drive up to Mollies Nipple the back way and be on top when we got to the top. The joke ended up being on them, though, because the road was a little too rough for the mini van so they had to turn around. Shelby and Trey did pretty good for not having been on a real hike for quite a while. We made it up, spent some time taking pictures and resting on top, and then headed back down, playing "would you rather - Disney attraction version" with a few Disneyland trivia items thrown in for good measure on the way down. When we got home, we filled up a pool in the back yard and Lizi, Trey, and Judi had fun playing in it while Shelby took a nap. We then all had lunch. After lunch, Shelby, Trey, and I rode bikes while Lizi and Judi played with legos. We then came inside and we all played a golf card game for quite a while and watched the US Open. When we were done, we all went outside and rode bikes again. Trey, Shelby, and I created a track and timed ourselves to see how fast we could do it. Shelby had the record for a while but Trey broke it at the end of the day. We then had dinner and the kids got all their Disney Pins ready for our trip. Trey and Judi then went to bed while Shelby and Lizi chatted with me for a while while spoiling me with a foot massage and hand massage. We then all went to bed.
Sunday, June 16
We woke up and had breakfast. Shelby and I worked on the puzzle and Trey played with his Star Wars legos. Lizi and Judi played legos in the living room. We all went to church a little early because I had choir practice. Shelby talked a little bit to Addi Johnson and Trey sat by Corbin and Wyatt. After church the kids had a webchat with their mom and then we had dinner. After dinner, we brought the posters that the kids made yesterday over to Sister Arscott. She loved them! When we got home the kids gave me father's day presents and a neat banner they made for me. I gave them some pins that I got for them at the Disneyana Collectibles Show. After the presents, Shelby and I went to the Disney Room to work on our puzzle again while Trey joined us to play with his legos. And Lizi and Judi went outside to ride bikes. I started packing for Disneyland and Trey went outside to ride bikes. Shelby decorated her Disney bag. Then Liz's Dad and Brother Carl and his family came over. Shelby went outside and rode her bike. Then the kids went outside and had a water fight with Carl's kids. They had so much fun! Trey and Ryker teamed up and sprayed everybody else. They all came in and Trey and I watched the US Open while Shelby helped Mrs Liz sew our Disney shirts and Lizi and Judi played legos. Shelby and Trey then joined Lizi and Judi at the lego table and started playing with them too. we then had dinner and went to bed.
Monday, June 17
June 17, 2019
We woke up, ate breakfast and got on the road at
about 8:25. I was so excited to show the kids the High Sierras and Rock Creek
because they were such a big part of my child hood and meant so much to my Mom
and grandparents. We took a slight detour and went through Death Valley,
stopping at the Furnace Creek visitors center and also doing the short but
pretty Zabriskie Point hike. Next we stopped at the McDonalds in Lone Pine for
lunch. I should also mention that the kids all did so good for the 9 hours we were
in the car. Trey and Lizi sat in the far back next to a large pile of bags and
food that kept falling down on them every time we made a sharp right turn.
Shelby played with Judi for quite a long time which was cute to listen to. We
got back on the road and got to Rock Creek at about 5:15. We all went into the
General Store to check in for our cabin. It was such a cool experience to bring
my kids in there. We looked around for a bit and then went to our Cabin - #7.
It started to rain as we got out of the van and the ground was a bit muddy from
all the snow they received this year – in fact we were told that Mosquito Flats
just opened today! We quickly unloaded the van and had fun exploring our cabin
and taking pictures. Trey, Lizi, and Judi went to their room and started
playing “hot potato” and the golf card game. It was so fun to listen to them
playing. Shelby worked on an ankle bracelet. Then we all played the Golf card
game in the dining area while Liz made Pizza for us. After pizza, Shelby,
Jenna, Liz, and Trey were hanging out on the fold out bed in the living room
having such a good time looking at Jenna’s phone. But the cutest thing was
listening to Lizi read the Disney Trivia book to Judi, quizzing her on all the
questions. I then went into Lizi’s room and read the trivia book to her. We
were soon joined by everyone which was fun. We then decided it was time for bed
and went to sleep. Shelby and Jenna slept on the sofa bed in the front room, Trey had a twin bed and Lizi and Judi had a double bed in one bedroom and Liz and I had a queen bed in the other room. We stayed in cabin 7.
Tuesday, June 18th
We woke up and Trey, Lizi, and Judi went outside to play in
the snow. Shelby and I read Disney books on the couches. We then ate breakfast
and explored a little stream just behind our cabin. After exploring it for a
while, we loaded up in the car and went to Rock Creek Lake to go fishing.
Shelby caught a small German Brown but we had to throw it back because it was
too small. Shelby and Trey wanted to fish a little longer than Lizi and Judi so
I stayed with Shelby and Trey while everyone else came back to the cabin. Lizi
and Judi just played in the snow and around the cabin. Shelby, Trey, and I
didn’t get any more bites at the lake so we headed back to the cabin. We had
lunch and then Lizi and Judi played outside in the snow while Shelby, Trey, and
I read our books and I ended up falling asleep for a little bit. We got up and
went to Mosquito Flats to fish (didn’t catch anything) and we hiked up the
trail until we got to the Morgan/Mono Pass trail junction, which is marked by a sign. There was so much
snow up there! I had never seen it like that since I usually came up to the
Sierras in August with my family when I was a kid. We took some neat pictures
and then headed back to the car. Shelby, Trey and I went back to Rock Creek
Lake to go fishing while everyone else came back to the cabin. Judi and Lizi
played the golf game and Banagrams. We then got home and had dinner. Trey went
to bed early and Lizi, Jenna, and Judi played UNO. Shelby sat and relaxed on
the couch. Then we went to bed. Taking the kids to Mosquito Flats was very special to me since I have a lot of great memories fishing with my Grandpa there and hiking with my Mom and Grandma.
Wednesday June 19th
Trey was the first one up, reading his book in his bed. Lizi
came into our room next, and finally Shelby heard us and popped up her head from
the sofa bed in the living room. Originally we planned to go to Yosemite National Park but Tioga Pass was still closed due to snow. So we ate breakfast and then Shelby, Trey and I
went to Rock Creek Lake to go fishing. Shelby caught an 11 ½ inch rainbow trout! We were all so excited that she caught it! I could tell though that she felt bad as she petted it on the stringer. We brought him back to the cabin and Liz cooked it up for lunch. It was delicious! All the kids tried it although Shelby and I ate most of it. It was so touching to remember that I
had walked that trail around the lake with my Grandpa countless times and now
my kids were walking the same trail – in the same footsteps. Both of the fish
Shelby caught were on red salmon eggs. After about 2 ½ hours fishing, we headed
back to the cabin and ate lunch. All the kids tried the trout (except Jenna)
and seemed to like it pretty well. After lunch we went to try to find Elani
Lodge, where I used to go with my family before Rock Creek and where, before
that, my grandpa used to take his employees at MONY on company getaways. We
almost didn’t find it, as it was on a narrow, winding dirt road through overhanging brush. But it was just as I
remembered it, if not somewhat smaller. We got pictures and then went to the
Rock Creek General Store where I got each of the kids a t-shirt to remember our
trip. Shelby, Trey, Lizi, Judi, and I then hiked back up to the cabin which was
so much fun to do with them. When we got back to the cabin, the kids all played
in the snow, making a fun road and slides, and even with places for snow ball
storage. They put their names in the snow with sticks. We then came inside and
traded pins and had our traditional “pin draft.” We then had dinner and played
the golf card game and got packed up. Trey, Lizi, Judi, and even Shelby for a
little while, played with Todd and Pega, Lizi and Judi’s two long tailed
stuffed animals. Shelby and Trey were the hunters trying to kill them, or at
least that’s what it sounded like to me. We then all got ready for bed and
everyone is in bed and Shelby is reading one of my history of Disneyland books.
Thursday, June 20th
We woke up early and got on the road about 6:45. After 6 1/2 hours of driving, we stopped to eat lunch at McDonald's before heading to the El Toro Memorial Park Cemetery where my mom and grandparents are buried. I brought some pine tree limbs from Rock Creek and the kids helped me put them on their graves. I was so glad that the kids were interested in visiting their graves. After the cemetery, we went to Huntington Beach for about 2 hours. It was a little bit cold at the beach but the kids had fun digging in the sand and Shelby and Jenna had fun going out into the waves. We drove to our hotel, the Del Sol, where Liz made us a little dinner. We then walked to Downtown Disney to trade pins and look in the shops. Shelby and I stayed a little longer than everyone else and bought t-shirts for everyone and Limited Release Star Wars pins. We then headed back to the hotel and went to bed - Trey in the top bunk, lizi and Judi in the bottom bunk; Shelby and Jenna in one Queen bed and Liz and I in the other.
Friday, June 21st
This was one of the most anticipated days of the trip. I woke up about 6:00am so we could get ready to get to Disneyland early in preparation to going to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. I had made a reservation about a month ago for this day from 11:00am-3:00pm. We went on Peter Pan as our traditional first ride, then a couple other Fantasyland rides and then we headed to Tomorrowland and Star Wars Launch Bay to check in for our Reservation to Galaxy's Edge. We got there right at 9:00am (you were allowed to check in 2 hours before your reservation). We received red wrist bands that had the date and time of our reservation on them. We then went on Autopia and another ride or two before heading over to Critter Country to get in line for Galaxy's Edge (The entrance that was used to access Galaxy's Edge was the Critter Country entrance). The first thing we did was get reservations for the Cantina since that was reportedly the hardest thing to get into. We got our reservation for 1:50pm and then explored the new land a little bit. We went to eat at Docking Bay 7. I had the fried Tip Yip which was very good! Unfortunately they messed up Liz's order a few times and when they did get it right, her salad wasn't very good. We then tried the blue and green milk. Liz and Jenna liked the green milk best. Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and Judi liked the blue milk. When I first sipped both of them, I liked the blue better, but as I drank more and more of each one, I think I liked the green better. We then went on Smugglers Run which Shelby and Trey liked. Judi didn't like it at all and Lizi was ok with it. To me it seemed like a big video game and it made me a little sick when I got off, so it wasn't my favorite attraction. We then went to the Droid Depot where Trey and Lizi made BB units and Shelby and Judi made R2 units. Although they were $99 plus tax each, they were pretty cool and the kids liked playing with them. After building the droids it was time for our reservation in the Cantina. We ordered the Jabba Juice which was really good, and the Cliff Dweller which wasn't so good. After the Cantina we explored the marketpace which is the most detailed place in the whole land. The stores are painfully small but the detail is amazing! After Galaxy's Edge, we went back to the hotel for naps, as we typically do every day and then returned to Disneyland later that night and stayed until midnight.
Saturday, June 22nd
Sunday, June 23rd
Monday, June 24th
I was a little nervous about this day because it was the first day that reservations weren't required for Galaxy's Edge so I expected Disneyland to be packed. We got up a little earlier than normal because we had to pack up all of our things and load them into the van so we could check out of our hotel. When we got to the security checkpoint at Disneyland, the lines weren't nearly as long as normal. We got right into Galaxy's Edge. The Smugglers's Run attraction had up to a 240 minute wait so we didn't go on it but we walked around and explored the new land again. We then went back to Disneyland and went on a few rides, the Tiki Room being our traditional last attraction before we left. We also ate at one of our favorite spots, the Golden Horseshoe at our normal table on the top left. The car ride home wasn't too bad and the kids all did really good on it.
Tuesday, June 25th
After getting home around midnight, I had to go to work today and the kids slept until about 11:00. Shelby, Lizi, and Judi played with legos and Trey went outside and played on the tramp with water balloons. When I got home, we got all our pins on our pin boards and traded a few as well. Then the kids all designed Galaxy's Edge, Jungle Cruise, and Peter Pan rides with legos. It was SO fun to listen to them making them and then playing with them as I downloaded the Disneyland pictures from my phone to my laptop. We then watched Amazing Race and got ready for bed.
Wednesday, June 26th
I had to work again today. As I was leaving, the kids went outside and picked weeds in the grape arbor for about an hour. They then played legos and ate lunch. After lunch they watched Pocahontas and then Liz had to go to the hospital to do some training so Shelby watched the kids. They watched the little mermaid. When I got home from work, Trey was excited to show me the Kinex that he built. Trey and I played basketball and Lizi and Judi played in the sand box. Shelby joined them for a little bit too and picked some tomatoes and strawberries in the garden. It was also so fun to watch Shelby run with Daisy in the back yard! She had the biggest smile on her face and was genuinely having so much fun. Shelby and I then came in and worked on the puzzle. Trey came in the Disney room with us and looked at his Disney binder. We then had dinner and watched the Amazing Race finale which was very suspenseful! We then got ready for bed.
Thursday, June 27th
I went into work this morning. All the kids were still in bed when I left but Trey was the first one up and hopped in the shower. Lizi and Judi played legos and Shelby came in sat on the couch as she woke up. Trey took apart his Kinex and then all the kids ate breakfast. Lizi and Judi then went out to the sand box to play, and Trey and Shelby played legos. They then ate lunch and went to the fish store to get fish. When they got home from the fish store, Trey came to play golf with me and Shelby and Lizi watched Madagascar and then part of Thor. Trey hit some of the best golf shots he has ever hit. I was so proud of him! When he drove to the fairway where I was working after hitting a great golf shot, he had a big smile on his face which turned into an even bigger smile with a hint of "sense of accomplishment" when I told him what a great shot he hit. When we got home, Shelby, Trey, Liz, and I played Bocce Ball while Lizi and Judi played in the sand box. Bocce ball was so much fun. All the kids then played in the sand box together until it was time for dinner. After dinner I got Judi to bed and had a shower and the kids played in the sand box and then Lizi and Trey came in to trade pins. We then watched a show called Alone and went to bed.
Friday, June 28th
I went to work in the morning. Liz took the kids to Cottonwood Park in Colorado City. They had so much fun going down the long slide. They also went to get snow cones. After snow cones, Trey came out to the golf course and we played holes 1 and 6. We came home and had dinner. Then we played Bocce Ball and picked some things from the garden. I then got Judi to bed and we watched 2 episodes of Alone. Trey was so excited to watch it - it was fun. We then talked for a little bit in Shelby and Lizi's room and went to bed.
Saturday, June 29th
We woke up, ate breakfast and went to play pickleball. After pickleball, we went to the Werner Valley Dinosaur Tracks and Fort Pierce. The kids had fun! We then ran to St George to run some errands and came home. We ate lunch and then Shelby and I went driving (practicing Shelby's driving). Lizi and Judi played in the sand box and trey was watching a show. When we got home, Trey, Shelby, and I watched Captain America: Civil war and Judi and Lizi played in the sand box and then came in and played legos (pretending that their people are at Disneyland. We then went out and rode bikes. Shelby also helped get all the extra fur off of Daisy and Trey, Lizi, and Judi played in the sand box. We then came in for dinner. After dinner, I got Judi to bed and then Shelby and I worked on the Dumbo puzzle for a little while while Lizi and Trey played legos. We then watched Alone and went to bed.
Sunday, June 30th
We slept in pretty late today. When we got up, we got ready for church. I'm so proud of my kids for going to a church where they don't really know many people. That was so hard for me to do when I was a kid.After church we came home and the kids had a webchat with their mom and we ate lunch. In the afternoon, we had kind of a fun day around the house. Lizi and Judi played mostly with legos and a little in the sand box which are their two favorite things to do. Trey, Shelby, Liz and I played Settlers and Bocce Ball. Shelby also spent a lot of time petting Daisy, getting all of the extra fur off of her. We also rode bikes quite a bit. Judi likes to try to give Trey a "ticket" for breaking all the signs that Lizi has drawn on the driveway with chalk. It is so cute to see them play - Trey teasing Judi a little with him purposely breaking the rules and then Judi being the police officer and enlisting everyone's help to "catch" him. They also put the small inedible plum fruits in the pit and rode their bikes over them which made a mess all over their legs, bikes, and clothes! We had a light dinner and played legos some more and worked on the Disney Dumbo puzzle before bed.
Monday, July 1st
I went to work and the kids were all in bed - other than Trey and Judi who just wandered into the living room as I was leaving. They rode bikes, ate breakfast, and then went swimming at the Washington Rec Center. They came back and Trey came out to the golf course and played holes 1 and 6. He hit some good shots and it was so fun to watch him out playing by himself while I was working. We came home and ate dinner. Then Shelby asked to throw the football around with me which was so much fun! She has a really good arm and can throw pretty good spirals! The kids then all rode bikes with Judi chasing them trying to hit them with plums from the decorative plum trees. She was also a target as the kids would grab ome off a tree while on their bikes and then throw them at her - as evidenced by Trey splattering one right in her eye which looked like a crime scene when she took her hand off her eye! We then came in and listened to a couple stories from the Sweep Spot podcast (from Disneyland) and then Shelby and I worked on the puzzle while the other kids played legos. It was a fun day!
Tuesday, July 2nd
Both Liz and I had to work today so Jenna watched the kids in the morning and then Shelby watched everyone from 4:00pm-6:30pm. The kids watched Lady and the Tramp 2 and then Pirates of the Caribbean 1, pausing halfway through Pirates for breakfast. After the movies, Jenna took the kids to the dollar store to get water balloons and then got snow cones. When they got home they filled up the water balloons and played with them on the tramp. Then everyone rode bikes until Judi and Lizi came in to play legos. I then got home and Shelby, Trey, and I threw the football around while Lizi and Judi continued to play legos. We then came in and had pizza for dinner. After dinner, Shelby and I worked on the puzzle - Trey came in every now and then to work on the boarder pieces. Lizi and Judi started doing the Main Street Electrical Parade and Fantasmic - and Shelby helped. Trey and I watched. It's actually really fun to watch Lizi play with her legos. She had made about 8 Disneyland rides and her people go on the rides and then at the end of their day they watch the parades and Fantasmic. We then all went to bed.
Wednesday, July 3rd
I ate breakfast with the kids before work. As I was leaving, Trey was working on a report for his collections Merritt Badge and Lizi, Shelby, and Judi were pulling weeds. The kids then came in and worked on making 4th of July tie-dye shirts. After the shirts, the kids rode bikes and then played legos. They had lunch and then after lunch they watched Big Hero 6. Trey then came out to the golf course with me and we played holes 10, 11, and 13. He then helped me wash some carts which was so much fun! He told me he would rather help me at work everyday than be home! When we got home, we rode bikes and then came in for dinner. Trey read scriptures with Judi tonight and I got her to bed. They then worked on a puzzle I got for Trey with pictures of our family. After the puzzle, we watched The Legend of Bagger Vance and then went to bed.
Thursday, July 4th
We woke up, ate breakfast, and then went to the 4th of July Parade. Trey would hold out his frisbee and say "Alms for the poor" as the parade would go by throwing out candy. I then had to go to work and the kids went to the 4th of July races. Lizi won her race again, and Trey finished second. Shelby decided not to do it this year. After the races they went to get snow cones and then Shelby and Trey came out to the golf course to play 18 holes for Trey's golf merit badge. Shelby hit some good shots and so did Trey. It was the first time either one of them had played 18 holes. Shelby and I played a scramble and Trey played his own ball. Trey shot 150 and Shelby and I shot a 76. Trey helped me line up the golf carts for tomorrow and then we came home and rode bikes for a little bit. Lizi and Judi played legos as well. We had dinner and then Trey, Shelby, Liz and I played a game of settlers while Judi and Lizi played legos. We then went outside and roasted marshmallows and star burst and lit sparklers. We also watched fireworks on the end of the street. I had Lizi up on my back so she could see better and Trey and Shely took turns hoisting Judi on their backs so she could see. We then came in to watch Alone only to find out that there wasn't a new episode on tonight. So we decided to get to bed.
Quote of the day - Judi: "The parade is starting! I can hear the fire hydrants!"
Friday, July 5th
We woke up a little late today and spent some time in the Disney room before breakfast. After breakfast we went to do our hike down to the river. We brought two rafts which Trey and Lizi loved using to float down the river. After spending a couple of hours there, we came home and had dinner (or a late lunch). Trey and I then went out to the golf course to set up golf carts for tomorrow and lock the gate. When we got home, we played a game of settlers and then watched the Greatest Showman and then went to bed.
Saturday, July 6th
We woke up and Shelby and Trey read their Hidden Mickey series books in the Disney Room while I worked on the Dumbo puzzle. Lizi and Judi played legos. We then had breakfast and went to play pickleball. Shelby and I played Trey and Liz. It was a fun game. Judi and Lizi played with a bunch of small animals that they made a corral for with sticks. We came home and watched some Disney cartoons. After the Disney cartoons, Shelby and Lizi played with legos - and while they did that, I showed them pictures of their ancestors that I have - William R. Rowlands, William H Rowlands Sr and Jr, John Dennison Brough, Katherine Georgia Brough, Marie Sophie Baltz, Fredrick Kersten Betty Mangold and of course Grandma Judi. We also found an Air Force jacket that William Rowlands wore on his wedding day and Trey tried it on. It was fun to also show them a few pictures of me when I was a baby with my mom and grandparents. Trey and Judi were looking for bugs to use to scare Liz with when she got home. They got the bugs all set up around the house and then I showed Trey some of my Baseball Cards, Star Wars Cards, and Garbage Pail Kids that I have in the garage. I told him about the Star Wars Card Game and he was really excited to learn how to play it. We came inside and played Stratego. Shelby came over to watch us and Lizi and Judi played outside in the sandbox. It was a fun game and Trey did really good! I then went outside to fix the breaks on Lizi's bike while the other kids rode bikes and then Trey helped me fix the hallway closet. We then had dinner and then went out to ride bikes. Then Trey, Liz, and I played Settlers while Shelby looked at GIF's on Liz's phone and Lizi and Judi played legos. After Settlers Trey and I came in my room and started going through the chest in my room to find my star wars cards. I found the cards that I had previously given to the kid's mom and decided to give them to Trey. He was excited and spent a lot of time looking through them and reading the instructions. We then went outside and Judi, Trey, Shelby, and I played Bocce ball while Lizi played on the swing and in the sand box. I went in to get Judi to bed and Shelby and Trey had bike races in the dark down in the pit. Then they came in and Shelby, Liz, and I sat around the kitchen table. I was reading the Star Wars Card game instructions while Shelby gave me an awesome shoulder masage. Trey read his Hidden Mickey book in the Disney room (which I think is so cool) while Lizi played with legos. Trey then came out and played with legos with Lizi and then we all got ready for bed.
Sunday, July 7th
We woke up, ate breakfast and got ready for church. The kids - especially Trey - love to walk home from church and I really enjoy it too so I'm always happy when I ask them if they want to walk or ride home and the answer is always walk. When we got home, we ate lunch and the kids had a webchat with their mom. Shelby's friend, Aurora, was over at their house for the webchat which I thought was neat (even though their mom didn't want me to have Buggy or Brin on the webchats when they first moved to Texas). I think it was fun for Shelby to be able to show Aurora her room and things here in Utah. Trey got to show his mom the video of him talking with Crush at Disneyland when we went to Turtle Talk with Crush. After the webchat, I taught Trey how to play the Star Wars Customizable Card Game which was a lot of fun! He really liked it and asked the whole rest of the day to play it again. While we played, the girls rode their bikes and played in the sand box. Lizi took a spill and cut her hand pretty bad. I feel so bad for her! I then got dinner ready for the kids and Lizi and Judi started playing with sidewalk chalk in the driveway. After dinner, we all went outside and rode bikes. Shelby and I fixed her back flat tire also. We came in and I got Judi to bed while the kids played legos. Then Lizi and I organized her Disney folder and put all the maps she didn't have already in her folder and labeled each with the year. Trey read his Hidden Mickey book in the Disney room with us and Shelby played Choose the Right on the piano. We then all got ready for bed. It was really a fun day - as all days are. But tonight as I write this, I'm just so proud of my kids and love them so much! I am so grateful for this time with them! They are so fun!
Monday, July 8th
I got up to go to work. Trey ate breakfast with me this morning before I left and before we were finished eating, Lizi came into the kitchen with us. As I was leaving, Trey and Lizi started weeding the strawberries. After weeding, they came back in and started watching the Disney channel. Shelby and Judi then came to join them and they ate breakfast. As the kids were watching the tv shows, Shelby emptied the dishwasher. Then they all went outside and rode bikes. They then came in and played legos and had lunch. Trey then taught Liz how to play the Star Wars Card Game and Lizi and Shelby kept playing legos. Liz then brought Trey and Shelby out to the golf course with me. They played hole 10 5 times and then played hole 1. It was so cool to see them out playing on their own. Trey helped me put some of the mowers away as well. Lizi, Liz, and Judi went to the dollar store to buy some things and then got dinner at Wendy's. When we got home, we ate dinner. After dinner we all played legos and then the girls gave me an awesome massage. They are so sweet! Trey, Lizi, and Judi then went outside to ride bikes and Shelby and I chatted inside. Just as I was heading outside to ride bikes, Lizi had crashed and got another big scrape on her leg. The poor kid is going to be a human bandage pretty soon! I helped Lizi clean her cut and bandage it and then I put Judi to bed. As I was putting Judi to bed, Shelby and Lizi played legos (doing the Main Street Electrical Parade) while Trey played the Star Wars Card Game - being both the light side and the dark side. Shelby then played the piano and Lizi is sitting next to me as I type this. And soon we will be going to bed.
While tucking Trey into bed tonight he asks if the air conditioning can be on all night tonight. I tell him no. When he asked me why, I told him because I didn't want our electric bill to be a million dollars. Then I can see his wheels spinning in his head and he says with a little mischievous tone, "Wait...so if I accidentally waste all our money in Texas, will we have to move back to Utah?"
Tuesday, July 9th
Trey, Lizi, and Judi woke up and ate breakfast with me. Trey went out and rode his bike for a little bit and then everyone watched Toy Story 2 and then Bambi. After the movies they had lunch. Then Shelby played the piano while Lizi and Judi played legos and Trey played against himself with the start wars card game. The girls then watched the Incredibles while Trey rode his bike and then came out to the golf course. He played hole 10 and then hole 2 and then went to #4 green to practice chipping and putting. When we came home, we ate dinner and then Trey and I played the Star Wars Card Game while the girls played leogs. Trey, Lizi, Liz, and I then went outside and played Bocce ball while Judi and Shelby kept playing legos. We then came into the Disney room and worked on the puzzle, played with Trey's Star Wars legos and card game and played the Ukulele. Then we went to bed.
Wednesday, July 10th
I got up to go to work and just before I left, Lizi got up and gave me a hug goodbye. Trey started going through his Star Wars cards and when the girls got up, they watched movies - Planes, Monsters Inc, and Brave. They ate lunch, played legos and rode bikes mixed in there too. Because of Lizi's scratch, she is a little bit timid to ride her bike too much because she doesn't want to get any more scratches. The kids also made a HUGE fort in the living room out of sheets. Trey came out to the golf course again today which is so awesome! I taught him how to change cups on the golf course and he changed the cup on hole #13. He then played holes 14 and 15 and hit a great 8-iron just over the green on #15. (ended up making bogey). We came home, Shelby and Trey showed me the fort. Shelby has all her books and music boxes in there and Trey has all his Star Wars cards in there. We then went outside and rode bikes for a little while while Lizi sat on a chair and watched. So I went over and sat down by her and we talked. It is so much fun to just sit down and talk with my kids. We then ate dinner and Trey, Judi, Liz, and I played Bocce Ball while Shelby and Lizi played in the sand box. Then Trey and I came in and worked on his collections merit badge while the girls kept playing outside. We then went outside too and Liz and the girls had started a fire in the metal fire pit so we sat out there for a while and the kids rode bikes a little. We then watched Star Wars Episode 4 and went to bed.
Thursday, July 11th
When I woke up, I found Trey in the Disney Room looking through his Star Wars cards and getting his decks ready. I worked on the puzzle and then Lizi came in and worked on the puzzle with me. When Shelby got up, we all rode bikes and then came in and ate breakfast. After breakfast, Trey, Shelby, and I did our hike down to the river and floated on rafts. It was a lot of fun and the water was very nice! Lizi, Judi, and Liz went to St. George and also got a snow cone. After the hike, we also went to get a snow cone. When we got home, we had lunch and the kids all started playing with legos and then Trey, Judi, and I played a game of Sorry! Trey and I then went outside to play ladder ball. We moved the targets back as far as they would go and both tried to make it on in the same turn. Trey and I then came back in and played the Star Wars Card game while the girls continued to play legos. Shelby and I then went out to work to set up carts and lock the gate. When I got home, Trey had set up the monorail rack around the legos (they made the Jungle Cruise, Galaxy's Edge, Pal-a-round, Space Mountain, People Mover, a couple of other rides, and hotels). We ate dinner and then the kids rode bikes and Trey and I tried our Ladder Ball game again and both made it on in the same turn! We then watched Alone and went to bed.
Friday, July 12th
What a fun day today! Shelby, Trey, and I did the West Rim hike in Zion National Park. While we were on our hike, Lizi and Judi played legos most of the time. They also played with their sand toys and magnetic toys. Lizi played with her droid also with Judi. Then Judi played with her dogs and Lizi took a little nap on the couch. The West Rim hike is a 15 mile hike and I went back and forth all week whether or not I should take the kids on it. I really wanted them to experience a hike like this and see the beautiful scenery, but I was worried it might be too much for them. Shelby got car sick really bad on the way up and it affected her a little at the beginning of the hike. Her stomach started feeling a little better after about 3 miles but then she ate an apple and it made her stomach uneasy again. In fact, she ended up throwing up not long after that. Trey did really good the whole hike. He stayed in the lead most of the way, keeping track of all the lizards he spotted, which ended up being 67, I think. All of our legs were sore towards the end of the hike but they both did so good. Shelby wanted to soak her feet in the river on the way back to the Grotto bus stop so we made a side trip to the river to let her. We then met Liz, Lizi, and Judi at the Visitor's Center and headed home. We first went to my work so I could line the carts up and lock the gate. Then we came home and Shelby and Trey parked themselves on the couch while Lizi and Judi played outside. We then all had dinner and watched Star Wars Episode 6 and went to bed. I am so proud of my kiddos!
Saturday, July 13th
Trey was the first one up and he and I played a game of Star Wars cards while we waited for the other kids to get up. Judi and then Lizi woke up. They went outside to play in the sandbox for a few minutes and Trey and I played ladder ball before we all had breakfast. I then took everyone to see Toy Story 4 which I thought was a cute movie for the most part. After the movie, Liz took Shelby to get her nails done and Trey and I played ladder ball. Lizi and Judi played in the sand box and I helped Lizi build a castle - or pick up the heavy bucket full of sand and turn in upside down on the ground. We then came in and watched Aristocats. Liz and Shelby came home and we ate dinner. After dinner, I helped Shelby get Disneyland maps organized in her binder. Then Shelby, Trey, and Judi played Sorry! - it was a very interesting game with little toy animals all over the board. Then Trey and Shelby tried to make a game of stealing and hiding the animals from off the board when Judi wasn't looking. They were all laughing so hard. Lizi and I finished the Dumbo puzzle which was a lot of fun. We then all had some yummy strawberry shortcake. We went outside and rode bikes for a little while and I showed the kids a Donald Duck shirt with my name on it that I wore when I was 5 years old and then showed them a picture of me wearing it. When I showed it to Trey he noticed that the picture was taken at Mosquito Flats which I thought was really cool. I helped Trey put some WD-40 on his Monorail's wheels so they wouldn't be so squeaky and Trey went through his Star Wars cards deck and Lizi played legos while I got Judi to bed. Shelby was tired so she also went to bed about the same time. I then had Lizi and Trey go to bed too.
Sunday, July 14th
We woke up, ate breakfast and got ready for church. After church we came home and the kids had a webchat with their mom. Trey went first and when he was finished, we went through his Star Wars card decks and then played a game. We also had to go through the cards in my chest to try to find a couple that he didn't have which was quite a process since the cards were at the bottom of my chest and the chest had boxes and a dresser on it. But we finally found them and put them in his deck. After Lizi got done with the webchat she played legos. We also ate dinner and then played Settlers. Lizi and Judi went outside to play in the sandbox. After Settlers, Shelby and I played frisbee outside while Trey rode his bike and Lizi and Judi kept playing in the sand box. Trey then came by and played frisbee while Shelby ate a peach I picked for her from the peach tree. Jenna came outside and made some funny videos of each of us. We then rode bikes to the mail box and then came back and rode some more around the house. We then came in and watched Empire Strikes Back and got ready for bed.
Monday, July 15th
Trey woke up early with me and had breakfast before I had to go to work. Trey and Judi played with the Monorail and the Disneyland they made out of legos. They then watched TV and Lizi got up and watched it with them. Shelby then woke up and all the kids did crafts - decorating jars and making duck tape blocks. They then had lunch and played with Aunt Marie's birds that she brought over. They then watched Snow White and that is what they were doing when I got home from work. We then had dinner and then Trey and Shelby played frisbee while Lizi and Judi played in the sand box. I then played Frisbee with Lizi and Trey made bubbles with a big bubble maker while Shelby and Judi tried to pop them. Then Lizi and I started trying to pop the bubbles by throwing the frisbee through them. It was a lot of fun. Everyone made bubbles at some point and some of them were huge! The kids then rode bikes for a little bit before we came in and watched Star Wars Episode 2 and went to bed.
Tuesday, July 16th
I went into Trey's room when I got up. He always hears me coming and rolls over with a smile before I actually get to him. Then I climb up the ladder and give him a hug which he calls the "touch of life." Haha! We ate some breakfast and Judi joined us. Trey and I went outside and played frisbee. Shelby and Lizi then got up and ate breakfast and then we all went outside to throw the frisbee around. We then got ready for our hike down to the river and spent a few hours down there. We spotted some big fish in there! Some were almost the size of the trout that Shelby caught in the High Sierras. We had lots of fun on the rafts and inner tubes and on the rope swing. We left the river and went to get a snow cone. When we got home we had an early dinner and then had a big water fight in the back yard. Trey and Liz battled the rest of us. After the water fight, we relaxed outside for a little bit. Shelby petted Daisy, Lizi and Judi played in the sand box, and Trey put his Star Wars legos away and packed his carry on suitcase. We then came in and everyone played legos. Shelby and Lizi did a lego Main Street Electrical parade for Trey and I. I remembered that I needed to run out to work and set up carts and lock the gate so Trey and Shelby came with me. When we got home, we then rode our bikes to check the mail. We came home and Shelby and I picked some cucumbers, carrots, and cherry tomatoes from the garden and we ate them for dinner. The kids also played with the bubbles. We then watched Inside Out and talked for a little bit in the living room and went to bed.
Wednesday, July 17th
We all woke up and went into the Disney room and did our "Disney Room Draft" where I had everyone tell me what items they wanted the most in the Disney Room. Then I had them each list their top 10 items. It was so fun for me to see what things each kid likes the most. And it was cute to see the things that Judi values as a 5 year old. I'm sure that will change a lot as she gets older. We then ate breakfast and then went to the church field to play kick ball and ultimate frisbee. Although it has been very hot lately outside, we still had a good time playing. We then went to get a snow cone and came home to have lunch. After lunch we played a game of settlers and then went outside to ride bikes. Shelby, Trey, and I threw the frisbee around and counted how many throws in a row that we didn't drop. We got to 112! Lizi and Judi played in the sand box. Shelby, Trey, and Lizi then tried to catch our rabbits to pet and hold them. Eventhough they are tame, they still don't like to be caught! But they weren't fast enough to evade the kids! Trey, Shelby, and I then went to work to wash and gas the golf carts and lock the gate. As we were leaving I told the kids how much I was going to miss having them help me at work. It has been such an amazing time having them there with me in the afternoons! I tearfully gave them each $20 for helping me and told them how proud of them I was. When we got home, Liz took Lizi to get some ice cream and Shelby, Trey, Judi, and I played Sorry!. We then went outside to play croquet. Shelby and I then chatted for a while in the Disney Room about car sickness and other things We also worked on her Spanish which she's taking next year in school. We learned colors and days of the week. Trey came in to join us after a while. Then Liz took Trey to get ice cream and Shelby and I found a picture of Grandma Judi to put in a heart necklace that I gave her from Grandma Judi. When Trey got home, we watched Star Wars Episode 8 and then went to bed.
Thursday, July 18th
Trey got up first and came out to the living room to watch the British Open with me. Shelby came out next and then Lizi. We all watched the British Open for about an hour before we ate some breakfast. We then went outside to ride bikes until we got too hot. So we came back in and watched some more British Open. I then went outside and threw the frisbee with Shelby. Lizi finished packing and then Shelby came in to pack. Trey went out to chip in the back yard while I helped Shelby and Lizi pack. Shelby then played sorry, playing for all 4 players by herself. Lizi and I went out and threw the frisbee for a while and then Trey came out to join us. Shelby then came out and I let her take my spot and the three of them threw the frisbee around for a little bit before they came in to cool off. Lizi started to update her Pinpics account. Shelby, Trey, Judi, and I played Candy Land. We then finalized their packing, had some lunch, said bye to the pets and headed to the airport. I sat in the far back with Lizi and I watched her play with her Littlest Pet Shops toys. We also played Color Change on the tablets. It was also fun to talk to everyone about the visit - about what some of their favorite things were and to hear their memories. We got to the airport and found their mom at the American Airlines ticket counter. We headed to security and saw the lines weren't too long so we chatted for about 30 minutes until it was time for them to go. As I sit here typing this, I still can't believe they're gone. I'm sure it won't hit me completely until tomorrow when I get home from work or toward the end of my day at work, not having them come out to help me clean carts and play golf. We watched Alone tonight - the show that we had been watching together on Thursday nights and it just wasn't the same without them. I miss them so much!
