St. George Trip

Sunday we packed up yet another suitcase and loaded in another car for another roadtrip with Jeff and Amy. It had been a couple of week since our cross country roadtrip so I felt sufficiently recuperated and ready for 4 hours of driving instead of 27. It's always a good laugh and conversation with Jeff at the wheel so it honestly didn't even feel like we were in the car for four hours. Upon arriving in St. George we stopped to pick up some groceries for the week before checking into our house at the Desert Color development. For our Christmas gift this past year Jeff and Amy gave us an "experience" gift rather than clothes and toys. We had planned to rent a couple of houses and spend a few days in St. George as a family while Jaden and I were home for a few weeks before moving to Dallas. Even though we have a lot packed in the month of June it was a fun way to kick off summer and not have school holding us back. I end up having to work quite a bit which I felt kind of bad about but Mondays and Tuesdays are my craziest days and we're in a crunch to get things ready for Prime Day in a few short weeks. 

Desert Color was honestly such a fun place to stay especially with all of the kids. They have literally created a desert oasis. There is a huge pool with sand trucked in creating a very realistic beach feel. The kids loved playing in the water all day and all the adults loved that it tired them out leaving us evenings to hang out and play games and chat together. 

I also brought an activity to do each day with the kids which ended up being a lot of fun. Frustrating at times yes to wrangle 8 kids but still a lot of fun. Day one we did a rocket launch with foam rockets and a launcher you jump on to shoot the rockets. We also colored pictures of an Astronaut with a rocket. I asked the kids what they would name their rocket if they had one and Sloane's answer was my favorite: Elizabeth. 

Jaden and I got up really early and went to play golf at Coral Canyons. I hadn't planned on going with him initially so I didn't have my clubs but with having to work more than I had thought I wanted to spend some time with him so I rode in the cart and we had a fun morning with a beautiful sunrise, cool weather and lots of laughs and conversation. 

Later that afternoon was when my favorite activity with the kids happened. I had made a treasure map with clues of places around one of the houses. While the kids were at the children's museum when Jaden and I were golfing we hid plastic shovels in each of the clue locations. I had Casey and Jaden take a treasure chest and go bury it in the sand at the "beach" while I gave each kid a pirate hat, eyepatch and piece of the treasure map. They had to find their shovel then come back and piece together the treasure map which was a map I found online of the development with an X marked on the beach. We loaded up all of our beach gear and took off for the beach where Case and Jade had done an excellent job burying the treasure that it took several minutes for them to unearth it. Watching them open it and find pirate coins, gold beads and these fun giant jewels I found on Amazon was priceless. They were over the moon. It was so much fun! 

After more yummy food and games it was time for one more sleep and then to head home. It was a fun, hot, chaotic, yet pure family goodness trip. I truly love the family I was born into as well as the one I married into. 

We got home on a Thursday so I had Friday to finish catching up on work and later that night I went over to Jeff and Amy's for an overdue girls night we promised Amy for Mother's Day. Everyone wanted to wait to do it until I was back in town which was really sweet. Megan's friend Jaimee came and did a makeup party featuring pallet makeup Seint that she sells. I was actually really impressed with the glowy one pallet for everything style and we all bought in and bought a starter pallet from her. We are hoping that it gets here in time for our family pictures next week. It was a fun night spending time with the girls. I was nervous to have sisters because I didn't grow up having any but I can genuinely say I love each one of them and they have become some of my closest friends. And Amy of course is truly more of a second mother than mother-in-law I love her dearly as well. 

Then Saturday mom and I went to our neighbor and close friend Sydney's mom's funeral with our other neighbor Sandy. Syd did a great job speaking and it was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful lady. Syd's mom was definitely more unexpected in her passing than my grandma was but I think it is sweet that she and my mom can support each other in navigating their individual losses. One of my mom's favorite scriptures is Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." My mom's season of life is empty nesting (well not at the moment) and supporting friends and family with loss of parents. Jaden and I are in the season of friends getting married, graduating and having kids. To everything there is a time and season. I am grateful for the seasons of life and the examples around me. 

And speaking of wedding seasons. My mom's cousin's daughter got married so Jaden and I loaded up in my mom's new car Jaden named "the Rocket" and headed up past Logan to a reception in a cute old barn. After visiting with the family we headed for home and by some miracle my dad agreed to stop by Peach City for shakes. Jaden had never been and unfortunately our peach shake was really gross so I don't know if I'll ever get him to go back. It was not as good as I remember it being the last time I went in high school with friends. Good memories though for sure. 

Peaches

• Jade and Jeff packing the car. They are Tetris packing champs!

• Spending time with the Richins in St. George. I mean look at these cute faces!

• Making bracelets with Sloane
• Laying out at the beach 
• Watching Mike the engineer rig up as many paddle boards as possible on the wagon 

• Eating yummy food
• Lots of Hayes snuggles

• Golfing with Jade
• The treasure hunt with the nieces and nephews
• Playing games

• Pretty St. George views

• Girls night makeup night
• Seeing the Jones family after several months and watching Kyle FaceTime Mark who is on a mission in Oregon and Nate who is doing an internship in DC. Technology never ceases to amaze me

• Hearing memories of Syd's mom
• Going to Costco with Sandy and mom
• Driving to Logan in the Rocketship

• Eating at a local diner in Logan with yummy turkey steak

• Cute wedding sign

Pits

• Keeping track of 8 kids is stressful!
• Having to work a lot during our family trip
• Our mattress and bed frame was so noisy it would wake one of us up every time Jaden or I rolled over
• Gross Peach City shake