July 24th

David had July 24th off for the first time in our family's history.  We filled his day off with lots of fun activities.  The first of which was a big hike!  We went up Adam's Canyon, the same canyon we'd explored a week before, but we went a lot further.  I am not in good shape at all and it was pretty hard, but we had a fun time...I think...  I carried Bronson for a lot of the uphill part, but Dave carried him up the steepest part and all they way back down. Bronson even walked on his own a little bit, but that usually led to having to chase him down and get him back on the trail.  He loved the stream we hiked along side.  His CONSTANT chant was, "Momma!  Momma!  Water!!!   Dadda!  Dadda!  Dadda!   Water!  Water!"  Over and over and over again!!!  The older kids each had a fanny pack filled with snacks and water, etc.  They did a really great job and hardly complained (on the way up...the way down was a different story).  Josh was the most surprising.  He was usually ahead of us and I had to keep calling out for him to wait for the rest of the family.  Once or twice, I heard him mumbling under his breath, "This is hard...I can't do this...yes I can...I'm Batman and Batman can do anything..."  Alison had to be persuaded to keep moving forward a couple of times.  I tried to tell her stories or talk about other stuff to keep her mind occupied.  Nicki was her usual, go-get-'em self. 

After about an hour and a half, we reached a pretty, shaded boulder on the side of a small water fall.  We stopped for a snack and rested a while.  Dave and I thought it would be a good place to turn around, but some of the other hikers that were going past said that we were pretty close to the end of the trail and that the waterfall at the end was worth the effort, so we decided to trudge on.  I'm not sure that was the best idea - it was pretty intense in some areas for a three year old boy and a man carrying a one year old on his shoulders (Dave kept Bronson from this point clear until the end of the hike).  Seriously, we're pretty lucky that nothing really bad happened, but it was an amazing waterfall!  Breathtakingly lovely!! 

The kids even took off their shoes and socks and waded in the water.  That was all well and good until Nicki slipped and fell in up to her chest.  Talk about Jekyll and Hyde!!!!  She went from the most excited person in the group to the biggest grouch!  Of course, she was wet, freezing, hurt (she cut her ankle when she slipped) and exhausted so I can't really blame her, but the hike down was less than enjoyable.  Dave took Bronson down ahead of us, thinking that we'd soon catch up, but we didn't.  I had the three older kids.  Nicki was crying, screaming that she hates everything, and falling every few minutes, Ali was terrified to the point of barely daring to move (she slipped a few times as well, and was carrying on a steady stream of self-talk about how frightened she was), and Josh was slipping and falling every few steps.  I held his hand so he didn't get too hurt, but it was tricky (and heavy!)  Add to that mix my own fear of going downhill (stemming from a HUGE fall down a mountain when I was a kid, but that's another story) and the four or five times I fell on my bum and you can imagine what a sight we were when we finally caught up to Dave.   Somehow, and I can only attribute it to guardian angels because it was steep terrain, Dave and Bronson didn't fall a single time.  What a blessing!  We got home around lunchtime.  We were gone for 4 1/2 hours. Boy were we all wiped out!  I think the hike would take a normal person about 2 hours, but we aren't normal.  I was very proud of our kids for doing it, but I think we may not tackle it again until Bronson gets a little bit bigger. 

Getting first aid on her ankle.  She's soaked and embarrassed, so she's not a happy camper!

That afternoon/evening, we went to the Davis County Taste Of The Town celebration at a park close to our house.  It is one of the big events put on by the Davis County Chamber of Commerce, so my dad was in charge of it.  My mom was helping out as well.  Its a huge event with several local restaurants selling food, a band playing, and lots of people everywhere.  We met Kristin and her kids there.  It was very fun.  We had some great food and played with the cousins and got free balloons and rootbeer, etc.  What's not to love?!??!

After Taste Of The Town was over, Dave and the boys went home (that's beginning to sound redundant!  I swear, he always volunteers to be the one who stays home!) while the girls and I met my parents at the park's amphitheater to see a Riders In The Sky concert.  They're the band that plays most of the music in the Toy Story movies.  They were really good and very funny.  We had a blast! 

Nicki went up to the stage to sing along.  She's in pink, right behind the boy in turquoise on the right side of the picture.  See her? In front of the dad in the T-shirt.

What a Pioneer Celebration we had this year!

Pioneer DayWeekend

We had a fun, busy Pioneer Day celebration this year!  It actually started the weekend before!  We went to the Bountiful Parade on Friday, July 29th and saw one of the most amazing things! On top of the normal parade entries, there was a special one-time-only entry from several surrounding stakes.  2000+ young men dressed up like the stripling warriors and marched in the parade.  It was VERY impressive - and I don't just mean from a logistic standpoint (although that was amazing - coordinating the whole thing, from costumes to rehearsals to pick-up and drop-off points, was a huge undertaking, I'm sure!) 

The pictures can't really do it justice.  It took more than 15 minutes or so for this one parade entry to walk by! 

They just kept coming and coming!

I surprised myself by getting a little emotional as they walked by.  I just kept thinking about the real army and how some of the boys may have been as young as some of the young men I was seeing.  I thought about how many people fought and died in those battles - Helaman's army was a SMALL army!  I was very glad that our family was able to see this in person - I think it helps the kids (and all of us) visualize the scripture story a little better.  It wasn't easy fighting traffic and finding a place to sit for the parade, but it was definitely worth it!  We had a really great night.  After the parade, Dave drove us around some of the neighborhoods where his patients live - beautiful!  Then, we stopped at a grocery store and got some drinks before heading home.

This video is actually 2 separate videos combined - taken about 5 or 10 minutes apart.

The next morning, our kids had a special Primary activity.  They had a Pioneer Day parade!!  Nicki and Josh were so excited to be in a parade!  Alison wasn't interested.  She just wanted to watch.  Grandma and Grandpa Smith WALKED over to our house so they could watch too.  They live pretty far away!  I was impressed.  They said it was no big deal and that they usually walk farther than that on a Saturday!  I was sure glad they came because there were only about  a dozen spectators - including us - as far as I could see.  I guess there were a few more clumps of people on other streets too.  Our kids didn't mind the small crowds.  They LOVED IT!!!

The cheering section.

Josh and Nicki both got to hold the sign!

After the parade, the kids got treats and some people in our ward let them ride their horses.  What kid in this world wouldn't LOVE that!?!?!  It was a fun morning. 

In the evening, the girls and I went to another movie-in-the-park.  This time, we watched "The Sandlot."  I just love those movie-in-the-park things!  Everything about them is fun to me - the crowds of other families, the warm nights, the treats we pack with us, reading together before the show starts, cuddling under blankets while the show plays, staying up late and bonding with my girls - I just about got teary eyed watching them during the show.  I can't wait until the boys get a little older and we can go as a whole family.