2024, July 22-28

We continued with visits from family and friends and celebrated our pioneer ancestors and the Olympic Spirit. 

Sawyer came by on Monday while the adult women got facials. Eliza and Mike took her to see Jack and Raunchy. 

That afternoon/evening, Diamond, Eliza, and Hallie attended the Utah Days of '47 Rodeo while Caleb, Mike, and Landon held the fort at home. 

They had opportunities to see lots of displays and animals in pens. 

Later, they watched the rodeo itself. The moon looked so cool coming home, but of course the camera did not quite capture it.

Hallie saw this early morning rainbow on Tuesday as she took Diamond and Caleb to the airport. We were so glad to have them here with us this past week and will miss them! Hallie was very tired after having stayed up late at the rodeo. 

It was also her first day at her new job at Starbucks inside the local Smith's Marketplace. It was a bit overwhelming, but she did great. 

Fergus decided to join Mike and Miguel at their tutoring session. He seems comfortable lying down anywhere. 

Pioneer Day Wednesday dawned bright and warm. 

Fergus loves the heat (or at least prefers it to the relatively cooler house), apparently. 

Kai likes playing outside, but the heat is harder on him. He'll play enthusiastically for a while before getting overheated and needing a break. 

At noon Hallie and Eliza joined Carly, Breanne, and their girls at the Provo Rec Center. On the way home Hallie and the girls stopped in Sam's Club. 

The girls enjoyed playing water games with each other and the dogs. 

On our way over, the mom of one of Hallie's preschoolers said she had a couple of extra tickets for the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Rodeo, so Hallie went and invited Sawyer along.  

The rest of us ate s'mores and watched the fireworks. 

Landon entertained us with his light saber. 

Uncle Shad even went as far as to get out his camera and get the rest of us involved in the light work for photos (which we hope to see soon). 

Sawyer had a blast and got goodies in addition to the show. 

Plus she had a better view of the pyrotechnics. 

We had rain on Thursday morning, and that cleaned the air and lowered the temperature a bit. 

On Friday, we started watching the Summer Olympics on TV. Mike and Hallie are really into it. The kids humor us. 

In the evening, Julie came to visit, and the ladies Hallie has gone out with all got together for a photo. 

We stayed in bed longer than usual time on Saturday morning. We watched the Olympics from bed before getting on with the day. Fergus and Kai were happy to sleep, and maybe that contributed to the vibe. Hallie thinks standing up as long as she has at Starbucks may have contributed to a bit of her sleepiness.  

Later in the day, we joined Riley, Breanne, and their kids for dessert at Roll Up Crepes in Spanish Fork. We also got some photos of the grown-ups. 

We also managed to catch Eliza climbing a light post. This is her on her way down. 

Sunday morning dawned bright, and we spent most of it watching yet more Olympics (well, at least the grown-ups). That Peacock channel/app on the TV may be a problem. This is not the first time we have experienced Olympics overload over the years. Good thing they only happen every couple of years or so. The kids keep themselves entertained and occasionally stop to watch the events. 

We took a break from watching the athletes to get some activity in before the Sunday social, and we spent time talking to Gma, Gpa O, and Alie. It is always fun catching up.

2024, July 15-21

Diamond and Caleb came out to visit. Yay! Plus we got to see the cousins from California and Washington. Woot! 

Here is a watercolor painting Eliza made at BUH for art. 

Mike and Kai caught the camera shy quail family on their morning walk.  

We got a little bit of rain in the late afternoon along with a double rainbow. 

Fergus blepped. 

Diamond and Caleb arrived from Oklahoma on Tuesday evening. Kai warmed right up to them. Caleb is allergic, so that could be an issue. The pup is hypoallergenic, but still. 

Fergus has decided to spend more time outdoors this week, which is probably a good thing. Problem is, the swallows like to divebomb him. Mike heard them chittering and making a ruckus, and he opened the door to Ferg trying to bat them away. He even got the assault on camera! 

Running some errands, Hallie got a rear camera shot of Kai enjoying the breeze through the open back window. 

On their bike ride, Mike and Eliza saw a flock of wild water fowl in a field flooded for irrigation. 

We all went to the Springville Museum of Art and saw the latest exhibits there. On the first floor, they're setting up for a quilt show. 

Mike took several candids and a few posed shots. 

After the museum, we went to the local shave ice shack. We got some more pics for Diamond and Caleb's adoption profile. 

We also saw a cool dune buggy. 

Fergus has taken over one of our folding chairs out front. Check out that cat belly and those chicken wings. 

The city of Springville continues growing, and we have new road construction coming our way that is likely to eat away at all the wide open fields. The red vertical line on the map below shows the plan for 1200 W, which eventually will run right along the western edge of our subdivision. 

Someone on Facebook saw construction vehicles and piles of dirt north of Center Street along 1200 W. Here's a view to the south. The new road will run parallel to the power lines. 

This is the view looking north from the corner of 100 S and (what will be) 1200 W. 

Caleb is creating a new role-playing game, and he used Landon and Eliza as willing guinea pigs. 

Meanwhile, Kai and Diamond relaxed on the couch. 

Speaking of relaxing, here is a very relaxed Eliza riding around with Mom and Diamond. 

On Friday, we all joined Sawyer, Finley, and Grandma M. at MOD Pizza. 

Kai and his favorite frog got caught by Eliza. 

On Saturday, Eliza walked with the girls and women of Bridle Up Hope at the Mapleton Pioneer Days Parade. 

Afterwards, we all drove up to Mirror Lake, where it was considerably cooler, particularly because we drove in along with an early afternoon thunderstorm. A little while after we got to the lake, the weather cleared enough to allow us to walk the trail around the lake. 

The rain and wind (and fishers in boats) made the lake more choppy than the last time we went (nearly two years ago!!). 

Fergus seemed happy to see us all home. He appreciates lap time with Mike. Caught him blepping. 

On Sunday morning, we found Eliza had come downstairs in the early morning and used the dog's pad as a blanket. 

We encouraged Landon to show off his collection of light sabers to Diamond and Caleb. Mike brought his down too. They had fun. 

We had our Sunday Social out front, with salmon and sides. Everyone enjoyed visiting and chatting and getting to meet D&C. Once things got dark, Eliza convinced Dad to do a campout. The dark also presented another chance for the kids to play with the laser swords one more time.