4th of July

In keeping with our summer schedule so far this year, we tried to pack in as much fun as we could on the big holiday.  As part of Shawn's 4oth birthday celebrating, he has decided to climb 40 peaks this year.  (You can read more about it here.)  He was hoping to get a couple of peaks in the morning and I invited myself along.  We hiked to Church Fork Peak up Millcreek Canyon.  The views were beautiful.

The bugs at the top were pretty awful.  We didn't stay up there long.

Shawn with his peak documentation.

The day was beautiful, but hot.  I could have been OK with more water.

The hike started out on a nice, well-kept trail, then morphed into a very overgrown trail and eventually we ended up just bushwhacking our way to the top.  Honestly, we were both so scratched and cut up it looked like we'd been attacked by cats.  (I was a bit more concerned about ticks than cats, but it was all part of the adventure, I guess.)

A closer look.  (Apparently, my pictures are all out of order since we're at the top, then hiking, then at the top again.  Sorry - 2 different cameras were documenting this excursion.)

We were running late for our next adventure by the time we finally reached the top, so we had to forgo the 2nd planned peak, and run down the mountain.  (Something for which my quads were extremely angry with me about after the fact.  Several days of serious soreness.)

We stopped at Einstein's for lunch stuff, ran home to grab the kids and headed off to the annual picnic up Emigration Canyon - something we've been going to since I was a kid - and probably before that, too.  (In our rush, I didn't grab the camera, so the only picture I have is this one taken with Shawn's phone.) The obligatory cousins photo.  It was nice to have Matt and Anne and their kids around this year.  Jonas has clearly taken the lead in the growth category.

Despite my lack of photographic evidence, there was plenty of playing in the sand, on the swing set and on the zip line.  Plus some visiting and eating, too.

We didn't stick around too long, though because we had other places to be.  It was time to go boating.  (For the first time this summer.  Seriously, we didn't get out before the 4th of July?!  That is just wrong on so many levels.  How can you be too busy to go boating in the summer?)  Anyway, it was time to finally get on the water.  Somewhere between last year and this year, some sort of flip has switched.  The kids were fighting to get out on the water, and once they were out there, we couldn't get them back in.

Our proudest moment was when Jonas said, "I want to go back out and just see if I can get across the wake."  What?!  Was that Jonas talking?  All of the kids were out for at least 20-30 minutes at a time, and really only came in when someone else was out of patience and begging to go out or when they hit exhaustion levels.  Samantha's hands were totally cramped when she finally came in and she asked if since her fingers weren't working, someone could help her pull the wedgie out of her bum.  Uh, no.  She was on her own, on that one I'm afraid.

Still didn't have the camera, so I only managed to get a couple of pictures before Shawn's phone died.

Everyone was having a blast.  Despite the fact that neither Shawn or I got a turn in the water, it was one of the best boating outings we've had.  Awesome.

Even Peter had to be dragged back into the boat.  (He was willing to take a faster and rougher ride on the tube than most of the older kids.)

 Here's hoping for a repeat sooner rather than later.
We didn't even have a chance to enjoy fireworks because we got home too late and everyone was worn out.  We'll try again next year, I guess.