What a fun and crazy summer!!!

     Busy Busy Busy......Thats been our summer!!

EFY-BYU

The summer started with Emili and Tyler going to EFY for a week at BYU.  Since we were heading south the rest of us decided to go even further south to St. George. They enjoyed meeting new friends and learning to be missionaries. Tyler also put a new meaning to the word "Bro Mitzvah" I would post video but he's afraid the his councilor will get in trouble. Just use your imagination on what a bunch of 14 year old boys can do with 2 gallons of milk, 2 bags of Marshmallow mates, soda, spray cheese, a watermelon and a mattress. Well, at least no permanent damage was done. They had tons of fun!! We  just played on the wave runners missing them so much (kind of). After that week was over  we had a week home to catch up on work.

Abbi and Timo NYC

The next week Emili had girls camp. It was a combination of a stake girls camp the first three days and then they left and went to our ward girls camp. She had so much fun. Also that same week Timo and Abbi went on their trip to NYC. They had tons of fun seeing Wicked on Broadway. Going to Ellis Island and shopping!! Also that week Tyler had a scout rendezvous and Adam had cub scout day camp. So what a crazy week. I did have fun. Adam and I did go to the fish farm and caught us a yummy dinner. We also enjoyed a day at Boondocks. By Saturday of that week we were all together again.

 Monday came and back on the road again. St. George with the whole family this time. Wave running at SandHollow was on our agenda. We had so much fun until the next day when all the kids broke out with swimmers itch. It was sooooo bad!!! They were covered in big itchy welts all over there bodies. Luckily it only lasts a day or two and then they were fine.We came home on a Friday.



Aladin

Monday the girls and I, plus my friend Tristan and her daughter Kira and Emili's friend Laura went back the St. George for the week. So much fun!!! We hiked Snow canyon, tried new restaurants, swam and we went to "Aladdin" at the Tuachan. The play was so much fun!! Loved it. That was a very fun week.

We came home from that and then Emili and Tyler had Youth conference. What an amazing experience that was for them both. They went to Flaming Gorge. They hiked and saw a bear. They floated down the river. Emili and her friends tortured the bishop. They had marshmallow fights and had an all around spiritual time. Very bonding for our ward. It was amazing for everyone. They got back on Saturday

Hawaii

On Monday we were off again......To Hawaii!!!!! Ten days in Hawaii is just not long enough. We rented a beach house on the North shore and we had the most amazing beach just fifty feet away from our back porch. You could open the back doors and hear the ocean. Since the beach butted up to houses it made it not to accessible to the public so it was like having our own private beach. Sooooooo nice!!! We played tons in the ocean and on the beach. Adam did get stung by a jelly fish but after awhile he was fine and we learned that Adam is a walking encyclopedia on jelly fish. One of the days we went to the Polynesian Culture Center and had a blast. Our tour guide was from the Ukraine, which I thought was very funny because he was telling all about the Polynesian culture and he was from far away from any tropical pace but he was fun and knew a lot. I wish I would have gotten his conversion story. He seemed like a really neat guy. Its amazing to learn all about the different cultures. We also enjoyed dinner and the show at night. An all day experience that no one will soon forget. We also went to the Dole pineapple plantation. That was fun. They have the worlds largest maze there and so a competition to see who could do it first was a must. Timo and I , Emili and Abbi, Tyler and Adam. It took Timo and I a few minutes to figure out we need to find the different things but then we started and we were doing great. We saw Emili and Abbi and they didn't know what they were doing so we explained it. We couldn't find Tyler and Adam so we wondered if they knew but we kept going to because we were going to win!!! Finally we were down to the last one and I went to see if anyone was done and of course Tyler and Adam was finished and they won. We saw Emili and Abbi and they still needed the one we needed so we were off. Of course Timo found it and those small body girls went a head and got it and took off to the finish. So we lost...That night we went to see "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" since that one of my favorite shows. It didn't disappoint. Super funny. Also on our trip we went to Waimea Valley. I loved it. It was so pretty. It was a beautiful hike. I couldn't believe all the beautiful plants and flowers that Hawaii grows. I honestly felt like Heavenly Father actually left part of the Garden of Eden on this earth and it was there. It was just beautiful everywhere. At the end of the hike there is a waterfall. Everyone enjoyed swimming and playing in the waterfall. The last day in Hawaii we went to Pearl Harbor. Wow!!! that is an amazing place. I actually felt like it was a religious experience. Its amazing to me that so many people died and then in a few minutes the Americans were ready to fight back.  Its a really neat place. I loved it!!! and then it was time to come home. So hard. I have never been anywhere were I didn't want to leave but Hawaii was it. I could have stayed forever as long as I never went into Honolulu. Yuk that place is awful.


Tiana, Aladin,Jasmin,Emili,Geni and Martina

     We came home on Saturday and we had a few days home until we were off again. Tyler had his High Adventure that following week. Emili made plans with her friends to go to St. George and Abbi and Adam made plans to stay with there Mummo. Emili took her friends Martina and Tiana to St. George. We left on Wednesday. We planned on spending most of our time on the lake. Tubing and water skiing was the highlights until we decided to cliff jump. The girls all had the peer pressure to keep jumping from higher and higher. The highest was around 40 feet and after a prayer they did it. They are so brave. Now they have bragging rights. We also went to see Aladdin again. It was fun!! I also got to watch more chick flicks than I have in years. It was fun.

  We came home for another week. That week was a week of trying to catch up. Canning was a priority because my tomatoes were so early and then school shopping and then we were off again. St. George again for a quick final fun for the summer and now in a couple of days school starts again.

This summer was amazing. We spent so much time together and I loved every minute of it.