All This Busy-ness Business

 I can't say last week was all that fun for me!  I worked every day except the holiday!  Luckily a saint of a co-worker took my Saturday for me.  By Friday I was spent!  It was kind of a funny role reversal.  Tyson was home playing Mr. Mom with the kids.  I secretly enjoyed having him call me at work and tell me he was so stressed because nothing was going right and the kids were crying and the house was a mess :)  I'm just meant to be home and Tyson's just meant to work.  Those are the roles in our family.  But we do what we can while we have to:)  I think both of us gained a greater appreciation for what the other spouse does all day.

Monday morning we had the house looking spotless by 10 AM and things were great.  We loaded up and went to 7 Peaks with Tyson's best friend Seth who was here from Canada and his family.  We had so much fun that I was a half hour late for work.  Oops...

For Pioneer Day, Tyson worked and my friend Cami and I took our boys to the Days of '47 Parade downtown.  I took a picture, but it is mysteriously no where to be found.  It was HOT and super crowded.  Not ideal for our double strollers.  But we thought, "we can totally handle this for an hour."  Well the parade was three hours long and the boys weren't even watching it.  We spent a good hour and a half trying to find a place wide enough for our strollers to cross the street during the parade so we could ditch out then walked and walked and walked and walked (like Pioneer children) until we finally called Tyson to look at a Google map and find our car.  We remembered we parked by a church but that was about it.  About an hour after we ran out of water we found the car and we had never been so happy to see it!  We had a good lunch at Chick-fil-A and all had a nice long nap.

When Tyson got home from work we went to Sandy for a hot dog barbeque.  Tyson and my dad went to the driving range for an hour or two and came home with fireworks.  Easton loved watching dad light the fireworks and then running away as fast as he could!

 Callan liked the giant sparklers, especially when they were used to chase brother.

 Wednesday Tyson and Easton went up to Strawberry with Seth to fish on a Pontoon boat.  I lovingly call Seth Tyson's "girlfriend" because Tyson just can't get enough of him.  He let me know well in advance that this was his week to hang out with Seth.  When he's not with Seth, he's on the phone with Seth.  They are the best of friends and I think it's adorable.

Side Note: That night Tyson HEARD this spider running across a tarp in the garage.  Sickening.  Be glad I didn't make it big. 

 We've been spending a lot of our "spare time" (what even is that?) working on our yard.  Tyson has got the grass growing pretty well, but now we are having issues with dog pee spots.  Makes me so mad!  We re-planted the garden, but the dog dug it up again.  He drives me crazy.  My neighbor gave me a tomato plant (after the first two got destroyed by the dog) so I planted it in the front  yard where he couldn't get it.  It turned out to be a cherry tomato plant and it actually grew!  I don't like tomatoes, but I'm proud of my little plant!

Dentist & Foam Day!

Yesterday we paid Aunt Kate a visit at the dentist.  It was a long time coming.  This was the third scheduled appointment.  The first was cancelled due to hand, foot, and mouth.  The second was cancelled because I am an airhead and we took off and went camping the day of the appointment.  So we finally made it to the third appointment.  We were a half an hour late, but that's beside the point...

Easton did a great job with his x-rays and cleaning.

 Callan had a mini cleaning and "teeth counting." He did great too!  Collette also had her teeth cleaned. We were glad she could be there for moral support - even though, let's face it...we might have been her moral support:)

Can you believe these kids have no cavities?  Just go ahead and say it.  We're shocked too.  So we've upped their Coke intake.

 Tyson ended up working today so we were a little sad he couldn't join in on our fun!  The boys and I went to our ward party this morning.  We had breakfast and enjoyed pioneer activities: watermelon seed spitting, butter shaking, yo-yo making, etc...  Easton just loved having so many of his friends all together at once.

We came home and Easton had some friends over.  When they left he wanted to watch "Elf" for his rest.  That kid and I LOVE Christmas! Even in July! :)

When Callan woke up we went to Lehi Foam Day.  The firemen sprayed firefighting foam all over and the kids played in it.  I think it's a great new tradition!

Easton went in very cautiously...

He didn't really dive in like the other kids, but he did have fun!

 Aunt Kels bought him these Batman goggles just in time!

 We were so glad our cousins Noah and Tucker were there!  These kids danced their hearts out to the band and then we all got shaved ice.  I'm pretty sure all four of them were so hot and exhausted that they couldn't concentrate on this picture.  All they cared about were their snow cones and Cal was mad cuz I was holding his!

We finished off the night at the neighbors' for a bbq.  The kids were so worn out they went to sleep at 7:30!  Wish we could wear them out like this every day!

Fresh Air

On Sunday after church we decided we all needed a breath of fresh air so we packed up and went camping.  We have been struggling with Easton's behavior as of late and thought it would probably be good to get him away from the TV and computer and all his Batman toys.  It was so refreshing to see him just playing with a stick or a weed.

We drove down to Payson and had dinner with the family, visited "old" Grandma and Grandpa Page, hitched up the trailer house and headed up the canyon.  It was bedtime when we got there so we got set up and ready for bed.  Cal wanted absolutely nothing to do with the trailer so it took quite a while to settle him down, but eventually we all slept.

In the morning, Tyson went out looking for deer and the boys were so excited to stay in the trailer with mom and eat donuts.  Then we went exploring.

When Tyson got back we spent some time shooting the pellet gun.  Easton took a scope to the eyeball on his first shot.  Oops...

We got kinda bored so we went for a drive.  I found the first buck.

We went down the dirt road to Lizard Lake which Tyson said was crawling with salamanders.  It had rained in the night and the dirt road had some awful muddy spots that even the Jeep couldn't handle.  Since we were pretty much on the edge of a cliff and had no way to turn around, Tyson made the boys and me get out and he spent a good half an hour building a road of logs and rocks for the tires to grip.  I was totally doing my mental planning for what would happen when the Jeep rolled to the bottom of the mountain and the boys and I were stranded up there... Fortunately we all survived.

We got to Lizard Lake and there wasn't a single salamander.  Luckily for Tyson, others reinforced his memory or I would have thought he was losing it.

When we got home from that expedition we ate lunch and then realized it was only 10:00 in the morning.  We had a long day ahead of us to fill up!  We were pretty bored most of the time.  We took turns taking naps or taking walks.  The boys did some coloring and reading books.  Callan did a lot of driving in the stationary car.

Oh ya, and we brought this wet stinky thing.  I guess he made for good company.

Callan thought he was really funny and snuck into the dog kennel.  He played peek-a-boo in there forever before I finally pulled him out kicking and screaming.

When it felt like days had gone by, we decided to drive down to Payson.  It was only 1:00.  I was in serious need of some allergy meds and we were getting eaten by bugs.  We spent a couple hours down there and headed back up the canyon to get dinner started.  When we got back to the trailer a crazy thunderstorm hit.  The trailer was just getting pounded with rain.  I love thunder storms and I thought it was awesome until I realized Tyson was not thinking it was awesome.  I guess it's not great if lightening is striking all around you and you are in the middle of a bald peak on a mountain in a metal trailer with poles that go into the ground.  So we braved the torrential downpour and ran out to the Jeep.  We waited out the storm stuffed in there with the smelly dog.

After the storm it was lovely.  We ate a delicious dutch oven dinner and decided to pack things up and sleep in our own comfy beds that night.

We had promised Easton marshmallows so after dinner we roasted some on the stove (due to the fire restrictions) and he thought it was great.

While Tyson packed things up I followed Easton around as he "blazed a trail."  Then we all had a biology lesson and dissected an owl pellet.  We found 3 mice in it and it was nasty.

On our way down the canyon we passed Steve and Arlene who were on their way up to visit us!  I was so glad we caught them!  We sat and decided what to do and Easton had to go to the bathroom so Tyson took him out behind some trees where they conveniently caught a frog.  They brought it back and showed Callan.  It nearly jumped into his mouth and he loved it.

We ended up going back to the Pages to talk and eat some more.  We weren't really sure if it was a successful trip until Easton sat on Grandpa's lap and told him every detail of the entire day.  I guess it was worth it!  

Weird Week

It seems like it's just been a week or two of weirdness around here.  All my routines have been broken down and I feel like things are crazy!  Tyson finished his rotation at the end of June so he has just been home most of the time.  He picks up as many hours as he can here and there, but mostly he's just home. It's weird.  We don't know exactly what to do with all our family togetherness.  But I'm not complaining.  

Tuesday Easton had a fever.  It was really weird because he was acting fine.  So I gave him some Motrin and let him play with a friend.  (oops).  He was really ornery and rude so we came home and he had a nap.  When he woke up, the fever had returned so we pretty much sat around all day watching movies.  

Wednesday was the 4th of July.  We didn't have any plans, but I knew I wanted to do some organizing in the messy basement before we went out and played.  Tyson had an itch to go to Strawberry Reservoir and we talked my parents into taking their boat.  Just as we finished cleaning the basement, Tyson found out that he was supposed to be at work.  He didn't know he was on the schedule, but hey, can't say no to time and a half.  So we rescheduled boating for 4:00 and decided to pick Tyson up on the way.  

After Tyson left, I made the kids mac & cheese and bananas.  Easton said he couldn't eat his because it was hurting his mouth and I knew right away what was wrong.  I looked in his mouth and saw little red sores and knew he had picked up hand foot and mouth.  We did some Googling just to make sure and just went on with the day because it's a virus and there's nothing you can do about it.

Tyson was running late so my parents went ahead and the boys and I waited at the hospital.  When he came out, I drove so that he could put on his swim suit and we talked about stopping for worms at a gas station in Heber.  As we approached the gas station in the mouth of Provo canyon, Tyson said we better stop here and gas up just in case.  So I pulled up to a pump and got out.  Tyson started walking in to the station to buy worms and a Coke and we heard a horrifying crash.  We both turned around to see a tiny car that had been t-boned by a huge truck on the 50mph road.  

While I was still standing at the gas pump covering my mouth and repeating bad words (which were called for)... I noticed Tyson running through traffic to get to the car.  He was the first one there.  Three out of four people were completely unconscious.  He told the man who called 911 there were maybe 2 dead and 2 alive.  The girl in the backseat on the far side from the impact was awake, covered in blood, and screaming.  Tyson ripped off the door and got her out since she had another person's body on her lap and needed to get out of the situation.  He walked her to the sidewalk, ran back to the Jeep and got baby wipes to clean her up.  Luckily the ambulances came FAST.  By the time he got back to the car to check on the others we could hear them.  The paramedics cut off the front of the car to get the others out.  Tyson saw each of them get loaded up and he thinks he at least saw them each start to breathe.  

I had taken the kids inside the gas station so they wouldn't see.  Tyson came in to wash up.  He was covered in blood and we had to throw away his shirt from Switzerland - not that it wasn't worth it.  So we headed up to Strawberry feeling absolutely sick to our stomachs and filled with anxiety over just being in a car.  

We felt so grateful to make it there safely and had a good time fishing and enjoying the beautiful cool weather.  My mom brought KFC and Callan helped himself to several pieces.

 I brought strawberries, Easton's favorite, but he couldn't (wouldn't) eat them because he said they hurt his mouth too bad. :(

 Callan was acting really whiney and we wondered if he was sick too.  Sure enough!  His rash appeared the next day!

 Easton loved playing with the jigs.

 We didn't catch a single fish!  We almost caught three, but they were too tricky for us.

We had to stop at Timp on the way home to get Tyson's car, so he went in to try to find out any information on the car accident.  They had one of the girls there that had a chest tube and liver lacerations and they knew the driver was at a different hospital in extremely critical condition.  As morbid as it sounds, I have been reading the obituaries every morning and I haven't seen anyone that could have been them!  So we're just telling ourselves they're all ok.

I headed home with the boys and we enjoyed the Thanksgiving Point fireworks from our driveway.  I think that was my favorite part of the day - holding those boys and feeling so blessed.

Thursday and Friday I worked.  On the way home one day I found out that several of my cousins' kids have hand foot and mouth.  Apparently they all caught it from the reunion - possibly from some poop that someone fished out of Willard Bay - who knows.

 Saturday Tyson and I had to take pictures for someone and Aunties watched the boys.  I sent some sparklers with Easton and he was so excited to do them when we got home.

 After the sparklers were gone Easton burst into tears to Grandpa and Grandpa found a special jumbo sparkler hiding in the garage.  It made his day!

We've spent an entire week without playing with friends and practically being quarantined to the house and I think the germs are finally gone!  Here's hoping we get back to normal!

Cook Family Reunion

Aunt Karen's family was in charge of this year's Ross & Katie Cook family reunion, and they did such a great job!  We had cousins come from Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Vancouver, and all over Utah.  It was really great to see everyone and get to know everyone better.  

On the first day, we drove to a church pavilion in Centerville for the day.  We checked in, received our t-shirts and personalized water bottles, took family pictures, and updated genealogy information.

The theme of the reunion was "1941" the year my grandparents were married.  The rest of that day we played old fashioned games like darts, marbles, tiddly winks, hula hooping, double dutch, hop scotch, pick up sticks, am I forgetting any?  We played a lot of games.  And it was HOT.  But it was fun.

Easton met his cousin Logan for the first time and they became fast friends.  Bet you can't guess why...

They went on many adventurous super hero missions and found themselves in trouble more often than not, but they had a blast.

After dinner we did some line dancing and took our exhausted selves home!

Day 2 was spent at Willard Bay.  Easton was in the water faster than I could even buckle his life jacket.  He had so much fun swimming with cousins Phil and Wade.

We spent a little time on Grandma and Grandpa's boat.

We ate some delicious food and then I put Cal down for a nap in the playpen under the trees which was heavenly.   The day at the bay definitely wore us out!

Day 3 began with a morning-side at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery where my dad's sister and 2 of our baby cousins are buried.  It seemed a little strange at first, but I think it turned out to be the perfect location.  Uncle JC gave a really great talk on holding to the iron rod and it was a perfect reminder of how important it is to be able to live with our families forever.

We all stuck little wire flowers around the graves and it looked really cute!

Before we left for the cemetery that morning I was trying to prepare Easton to be reverent and telling him about Grandpa's sister that had cancer.  Easton took it all in for a minute and then said, "Mom!  Just stop talking to me about this!  I don't want to hear it!"  I totally get where he's coming from:)

The rest of that day we put together team movies and finished up with a surprise 70th birthday party for my dad's oldest brother, JC.  It was a great time!

St. George

We took a family trip down to St. George to enjoy my parents' time share there.  They had tried to sell it, but it didn't work out so we all went to take advantage of it.  It was HOT.  SO HOT.  Aunt Mel, Shaylee, Maycee, and Deryk came too and we were glad to have them!

On the first day we went to the "Glitter Hole."  It was an abandoned gypsum mine and the whole thing just sparkles in the sun.  It doesn't reflect very well in the pictures, but it was really cool.

Everyone got to choose their favorite rock to bring home.  We brought hammers for the boys to mine.

When we left, Kelsey decided to test her Jeep's off roading abilities and went over a huge hill.  The window of one of her doors slipped all the way down to the bottom of the door and Tyson had to keep fixing it the rest of the trip.

It was HOT.  Did I already mention that?

On Sunday we went to Pine Valley for church.  This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  Not only because Pine Valley was significantly cooler, but also because the church building was so cool!  

When we were heading in, a cute old man usher yelled from the balcony, "We have about 6 more seats on the stage!"  So Kelsey volunteered us to take them.  We were thinking that would be great, sitting in the back on the stage upstairs where no one could see us.  Boy were we wrong.  By "stage" he meant "stand" so there we were sitting right behind the speakers with our crazy boys.  The strangest thing was that it was a two story building and the sacrament meeting was video taped in the chapel upstairs and played on TVs in the classrooms downstairs.  It was so weird!

After church we hiked to the memorial for the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  I hated it for obvious reasons...  You can read more about it here if you care to be saddened and confused.

After that we said goodbye to my dad, Tyson, and Kelsey.  They headed home for work.  The rest of us drove to Snow Canyon State Park.  We attempted some hikes, but again, it was HOT.

The kids enjoyed playing in the sand.

Easton and I followed Aunt Mel and cousins on a longer hike than we expected...

We just about died of heat:)

The kids had tons of fun playing at the condo pool to cool off.  We also took a few trips the the Splash Pad which was a lot of fun.

It was so hot that the boys and I decided to pack up and head out a day early, but we still had a great time with aunties and cousins and I'm glad we went!

Thanks mom and dad!