{July}

-July-

We returned from Utah safe and sound in a day.  It was nice to be back. Jake called me on the drive home and said he wanted to fly into Las Vegas and meet us and play through the weekend in Vegas.  I told him, no, I just wanted to be home and in my own bed after six weeks of traveling. We got home, got unpacked and started laundry...then I went to check on the pool.....

this is what I came home to and a messy house! blah!

Jake mentioned that night that we should get out of the heat and go to the mountains to celebrate the 4th of July.  So, with out hesitation I booked a trip for us to Show Low and Payson from Monday til Thursday. 

I literally dumped a bunch of chemicals in the pool and packed up again and then we headed out.  (Don't worry it looks nice and clear now!)

 We woke up to this.  Such a change from the Valley. It was so much cooler up there, and it was really nice to be alone with just our little family. 

We spent one night in Show Low and then headed to Payson, AZ.  We stopped and checked out the Snowflake temple while on our scenic drive. 

 We stayed at a Lodge 17 miles north of Payson.  It was awesome. There was a stream and lots of property, it was super quaint and relaxing. There was NO internet and NO cell service at the lodge, we were completely disconnected from the world for 4 days...it was heaven! 

We headed into town for the 4th of July activities. 

 Payson had a ton of free kid activities.  Mags and Kaids played in the jump houses. 

 Maggie and Kaiden won the three legged race. They got a toy for a prize. They were SOOO excited!

 The fireworks were amazing. They were over the lake. We loved it. 

 We spent our time at the lodge playing games and swimming. 

Update:

Macy:
She finally is better from her Lyme Disease and got the rest of her molars in.  She is now one happy baby, but for a few weeks she was beasty!!!  She is finally in Nursery....YAY! She is so much fun. We love having her around. She is so friendly to everyone and is always saying hi or sitting on a strangers lap.  She is talking like crazy and has such an opinion about things. We love this girl.

Maggie:
Is a sweet girl with a lot of sass and attitude. Maggie is a fish, she is continually asking if she can swim. We swim at least once a day, but usually we swim about 2-3 times each day. She dives and is becoming such a great swimmer. Mags starts preschool on Monday.  She will go three days a week for two hours. She is very excited. Her and Kaiden are also enrolled in a music program called Let's Play Music. We are all excited about this program.  She will start gymnastics soon too.

Kaiden:
Kaids birthday is this Saturday.  For the last two months he has been counting down. He can hardly wait for his Star War birthday party in a couple of weeks. I can't believe this boy is going to be 6.  Kaid starts kindergarten tomorrow! (we are having him repeat K, because he is young. He actually tests at a first grade level, but socially this will be good for him) He has an awesome teacher and is going to a really challenging and good charter school. He will ride the bus this year, which is so awesome for me, and he is excited too!  All three kids took swim lessons this summer.  Kaiden is getting a lot more comfortable in the water and asks daily if he can swim too. He is diving and has made a lot of progress this summer. He is such a sweet and helpful boy. He is always watching out for me and his sisters. He has such a desire to be a good boy.

Jana:
I enrolled in school. I am going to finally finish my bachelor degree. I am studying Social Work and love it so much.  It is definitely hard having three little ones around, but I believe I am becoming a better person and mom by doing this. I completed nine credit hours this summer and start up again in a couple of weeks.  Life is busy, but very fulfilling right now.

Jake:
Jake got accepted to the MBA program at ASU.  He is very excited and he also starts in a couple of weeks. We are all going to be in school working hard toward our goals. It is going to be crazy!!!
Jake teaches Gospel Doctrine and does such a wonderful job. He is busy with work and Lipzipz, but mangages his time well so he can spend time with the kids. He was a life savor while I was in school. He helped me with my papers and with keeping the kids occupied so I could study and get assignments in.  I couldn't do it without his help and support.

Well, I think that sums it up. School stats tomorrow, so life becomes a lot more structured around here. We are excited for this year.