July 2026

August 2, 2026

This week we had a family picnic on Monday which was really fun. Everyone got a long which was a blessing. Addie started her first soccer season in a few years and has some mixed feelings about that. Hinckley wrapped up his summer swim with a donut party with the team and is looking forward to sleeping in the next couple of weeks before the fall season starts up again with school. 

Family pic nic

Little boy park time

Greyson Dad date after Shoot 360

The Grotto hike

Greyson played like mad with a host of boys, enjoying long trips to the jump park and swimming pool. He and I had a fun date to Shoot360 and FroYo after. Desi continues to develop his words and we are becoming better at understanding his strong opinions (often involving Hippos). He expressed interest in the tiny nursery toilet at church today. 

We enjoyed our last neighborhood cookie walk of the summer and Kassie and I went to a ward temple night after a small potluck that our neighbors hosted. It's hard to believe July is over and we are gearing up for school days in less than 3 weeks! 

July 26, 2026

This week we celebrated pioneer day by doing the Temple to Temple 5K with the three older kids and Trent and Kate. We had a wonderful breakfast with Mom and Dad at their place and heard some great stories of pioneer ancestors. I'm feeling a new tradition coming on! Everyone did really great. Afterwards, we went up to a rec center in Kearns where they have a giant platform that Hinckley went off while the rest of us enjoyed splashpad/swimming before lightning and thunder ended it. We later had a big block party put on by our neighbors which also ended early with a giant storm rolling in. It was memorable haha. 

Ready to race

Tuff family pic

Playing at the pond

Happy baby 

Bejeweled and crossed

Swings with hippo

Building time

Desi discovered how to take off his pants and diaper this week. It may be triggered by Greyson and his little crowd of boys at our house who are always taking off their shirts because it is so hot. Needless to say having a quicky and jolly streaker on our hands has been tough, especially when he begins urinating everywhere (in bed, on the tramp, etc.) Maybe he wants to be potty trained....? He also got a toy hippo this week that he wants to do everything with. It's very cute. He has a feel for music and often starts swaying or bouncing his hips in very funny ways. He's also getting into Greyson's obsession with Michael Jackson music, and goes around the house saying "I'm bad! I'm bad!" Today I suggested we try and think of other songs we could learn. I got some epic eye rolls from all within ear shot for that one. 

Greyson and his crew all got little stuffed monkeys this week from one of his friends. It took up a good day and a half of their attention as they built custom cardboard beds for them and other activities. Greyson also made a cross for his chain necklace. Addie has been having fun with friends and enjoying her loft bed and reading. The nanny took her and the two younger boys to a small lack in Alpine which they all really enjoyed. Hinckley got back into swimming a bit and only has a few more days before a break from the long course. His summer is frighteningly empty these days. I took all the kids to the Soresons on Wednesday for some good food and quick visits with many. 

A highlight this week was going to see one of my favorite bands Jimmy Eat World with Brandon Hofheins up in Sandy. It was simply epic, words can't quite explain it. I loved it so much. 

July 19, 2026

 This week began with Hinckley's 13th birthday, and we enjoyed having family over to celebrate. We had Pinkbox Doughnuts, nachos, ice cream, and other good stuff. It's hard to believe we've got a teenager, and he's now a few inches taller than Kassie and approaching me fast. Saturday evening, Hinckley went to a Stake Youth swim party. He also had his first official shift as a volunteer at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove, which he seemed to feel okay about.

13 years

Birthday boy agrees to smile for the second time

This was a big week for Addie, as well, as she finally got the loft bed that she's been saving up for. We spent something like five and a half hours setting it up on Saturday. She's absolutely thrilled about it.

The loft bed

Fuzz Drinks

Greyson had a lot of fun running around with his friends this week, jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, building race track Hot Wheels creations, reading books, experimenting with new modes of vandalism, and making lots of noise.

Desi continues to do lots of cute things. He seems to be understanding more and starting to speak a little bit more, as well, though he still speaks in tongues difficult for most of us to interpret. He tries to copy Greyson in everything he sees him doing. He loves all of his siblings' friends as well. 

Desi takes a "cheese" (picture) using binoculars

Desi harvests zucchini 

Desi stirs the pot

Chick-fil-a kids with friends

Early in the week our nanny (also named Addie) took the three youngers to Chick-fil-A to get a free meal for dressing up like a cow, which seemed to go pretty well. On Saturday, we had our HOA kids market, and our family ran a soda bar, complete with a menu of drinks that the kids made up. They were so excited to earn a little bit of coin. Friday night, we went as a family to watch Toy Story 5. We discussed a little bit on screens and devices afterward, though unfortunately, it didn't seem to impact them as much as I would have liked. Finally, we've made a few small changes in our garage, and now there is a little workout gym in there—I like it! Kassie and I enjoyed book group this week in which we discussed "Anthropocene Reviewed". 

July 12, 2026

We’ve had a full July already! We went to Colorado on July 2nd and spent the holiday there. Some highlights in that time included going to the Colorado Springs Zoo and Desmond's big delight with the hippos and other animals. We also made some budgie bird sticks as part of the guest service project, which was just kind of fun. I also got us all into the zoo for no cost on the 4th.

Making Budgie Sticks

Feeding a bird with a Budgie Stick

More Budgie Sticks

Baby and Hippo

We enjoyed an amusement park at a place up in Denver. Desi loved the train, while Hinckley, Greyson, and Addie enjoyed a variety of roller coasters and rides. Afterwards, Kassie and I went and saw Ed Sheeran perform in the Mile High Stadium, which was pretty incredible. We visited some friends on Sunday that we knew from our time in Arizona, and they had moved to an outskirts of Denver community called Elizabeth. Overall, the kids had a lot of fun with the grandparents. They made pies as part of an Iron Chef challenge, enjoyed the hot tub, stayed up late, and more. Hinckley, Kassie, and I, along with her dad, hiked the Incline. It is a really steep challenge, but we all made it through. 

Patriot Girl

4th of July donuts

Baby read for a ride

On the red coaster

Ready to play at the Lakeside Park

On the train

Riding the bunny

Lakeside park

Ed Sheeran concert

Singing at Grandma's

At the top of the Incline

Iron Chef pies

Hot Tubbing

Splash Summit fun

Waking up on Hinckley's 13th birthday

A couple days after our CO trip we went to Splash Summit and enjoyed having Jack along. It was Desi's first time ever, and he was very excited about all the water everywhere. Greyson loves going down really tall rides with Jack, and Hinckley. Addie and I had fun watching the Spain versus Belgium game while sitting in the wave pool. Later in the evening it was good to see Claire Francis doing an amazing job at her final performance for the U of U ballet camp.

We are excited to celebrate Hinckley's 13 years today! He and I went on a small backpacking adventure last night in the West desert near Cedar Fort and had an incredible view of the stars, which made not being able to sleep much more bearable!