Cousin Lucy's Baptism

Sharon was planning many months ago they would baptize Lucy while they were in Utah for the summer.  Back in January I thought, "that's so far away"!  And then summer was here, just like that!  It was after the Allen Family Reunion, so it was a party ALL DAY!  Mom and Dad know of a lady in Woodland, I think a relative of some sort, that hosts baptisms on her land adjacent to the Provo River.  What a spot!  Sure the river was a little low, but it worked out great.  It was so peaceful with the wind rustling and the river trickling.  It was a fantastic service.  

Afterwards, Dallin told me he wants to get baptized there too.  I thought ahead to when he turns 8, in 2021.  That's so far away!  Also his birthday is the peak spring runoff, we'd have to tie a rope around him and Bevan to keep them from washing away!  Better keep it at a church.

Allen Family Reunion

My wonderful Aunt Bonnie brought together another Allen family reunion.  I love seeing all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids (around 270 of us!).  Our family has definitely grown since our last reunion in 2016!  We've added at least a dozen babies in that time and even a few new spouses.  She rented a giant blow up water slide, organized games, a drink station, and the giant family tree.

It was about 4 hours of non-stop party.  It was nice to catch up with many people.  I remember when I was young, having family parties several times a year for baptisms, blessings, etc.

I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa Allen were smiling from above!

Newton Family Reunion

We love this little tradition with our Hawkins family!  I keep thinking that after how many years of attending this reunion, I'd actually start remembering names of people... but no.  I have to learn them all over again.  And this year wasn't one for mingling with relatives, but more keeping an eye on Dallin and Drew.  Luckily, the park we met at was completely surrounded by a tall brick wall!  It made me feel better about letting them wander.  They brought a giant hamster ball and let the kids take turns.  It was hilarious!  I hope they bring it every year!

Mair Cousins in Town!

For the last 3 years, Nora goes to girls camp with her youth, and brings us her littles.  My kids were so excited to have cousins come stay!  I missed having Paige as a helper, but I'm sure she had a blast at camp with Nora and Addie.  For me, I'm so used to always having oodles of kids around, either co-op kids or neighbor kids, it was no big deal.  Sadly, it was not the week of "7-Eleven Day", like the other weeks they came before, but there was still plenty of junk food and Netflix watching.  It stayed exciting, that's for sure.  Now Bevan and I are quietly planning our October trip, when Nora gets a turn with our kids.  Trades are definitely the way to go!

Hawkins Family Pictures

Oh, why won't Dallin ever smile?
Why does Anna do that funny thing with her lips?
How can we keep Drew's finger out of his nose?!
It was a good thing the rest of the Hawkins family had their act together!  They balanced us out slightly.  It was nice to have family pictures taken.  I can't remember the last time we were all together!  Many thanks to Beverly and Tina for organizing this party.  Let's do it again sometime!

4th of July

We had a very low-key 4^th this year. The cannons went off at 6am, like they do every year, calling all citizens of Midway to the town square for the sunrise program. I sent Anna and Bevan to represent our family. When they got back, we had pancakes and bacon. Yes, I even pulled out the bacon! We really didn’t do much the rest of the day. We invited ourselves to a party at the Hewletts, this family in our ward that live at the base of Memorial Hill. It’s a great place to watch fireworks they shoot off the top of it… and the subsequent fires at the base of the hill. One got kinda close to the property. I asked his wife if she was worried. She said that she’s seen worse. Yikes! So glad we hit it on an “off year”! They also had a huge bouncy house, mini golf, kiddie pools, snow cones, and popcorn machine. The kids were exhausted before the fireworks even started.

The Best of June

I just had to include a few pictures of what we’ve been up to this summer. Dallin has finally achieved recreational independence by staying up on his bike! He’s completely obsessed with riding his bike! He wants to go everywhere! Anna and Dallin have been attending summer school and they love it. I love that it’s 4 whole hours AND they feed them lunch before they come home. What a deal. I’ve been enjoying spending time with the babies. Drew still likes to wander off, but never too far. I can always bribe him with candy. He still has the craziest sweet tooth! Baby Tommy is getting so big! He loves food (mostly) and it’s been fun experimenting with him. I’m determined that at least ONE of my kids will like avocados! His front bottom teeth finally broke through and it makes him look just so cute! I think he’s in the running for being my happiest baby. Speaking of teeth, Dallin lost his 1st tooth, and a week later, Anna lost her 9^th. The tooth fairy has been busy at out house

We also spent a Saturday morning at the cabin, doing some yard work. Even with the most easy and natural of landscapes, it still takes maintenance. At least the drip is working and the trees that are still alive will stay alive. We broke for a late lunch at High Mountain Drug. Since its part drug store, the kids had plenty of time to wander up and down the aisle, pulling down toys and candy. I found Drew trying to leave the store with 3 huge bags of tootsie rolls. That’s it! I took Dallin and Drew outside for a walk while we waited for our food. The forest service maintenance yard next door had a forklift sitting out, which provided at least 15 minutes of distraction. It was perfect!