July 2017

It's July 31st today and I'm finally all caught up!  This last month took us to Utah and Idaho again.  It seems like that is a common theme in our life.  We spent the first couple days in Fairview at the Zoll cabin.    Mike, McKell and I left a day early and picked up Paige in Salt Lake so we could go to Idaho and tour her mission.  Jackson and Sydney stayed behind and came home with Grandma and Grandpa.  They had a really fun time with cousins playing basketball, riding four-wheelers, making up dances for the talent show and playing Mafia. 

 The four of us had such a fun time in Idaho.  The first day we picked up Paige at the Church History Library in Salt Lake, where she is doing a research internship with Dr. David Golding, a historian at the church.  We were able to go to lunch with him first and then toured the library to see where all of the history writing and archiving of the church takes place.  Mike and I were both in heaven because we love learning about church history and Dr. Golding had lots of fun inside info he shared with us.  We then drove up to Pocatello and stayed in a hotel there for 2 nights.  We met Paige's mission president and his wife and Paige got together with some of her former investigators and friends from her mission. The next day we went to Idaho Falls and Blackfoot.  We went to the temple and visitor's center, went and visited Grandma Arnell's grave, and got ice cream at Reed's Dairy.  The next morning we woke up bright and early and drove to Bennington and Georgetown and attended both wards there that Paige had served in.  Both times the bishop recognized Paige from the stand and told us how much they loved her there.  It was such an awesome experience to meet these small town people who had such a bond and love for Paige. 

 Then it was off to the Parks  The kids and Mike all met Beckham for the first time this trip.  He is a cutie! We all met up with Sean and Natalie and their kids in Park City and stayed in a house up there for a few days over the 4th of July.  We had a great time playing pool, hot tubbing, lawn games, watching Family Feud, eating out, doing the Alpine Slide, biking, and watching fireworks.   The older kids went to Lagoon a few days later too. Mike flew home on the 5th and we stayed for Stockton's farewell. He gave such a great talk and is such a good kid.  He will be a great missionary because he can relate to people so well.  As soon as the meeting was over we hopped in the car and drove straight home.  

The past few weeks we have been moving rooms and repainting walls due to a few holes we found in Jackson's bedroom.  Mike and I are pretty good team when it comes to painting because I can get all of the big sections done and then he comes in and finishes the details.  We're still working on getting the rooms finished up but Jackson is as happy as a clam being upstairs and further away from 

us.

 

 Jackson and Sydney started school last Monday on Pioneer Day.  Sydney is in 7th and Jackson is in 10th.  Sydney was not too excited to start Junior High, but she made it through her first week.  She just doesn't want to grow up.  Jackson has to be to school by 6:30 so adjusting to the early morning hasn't been easy, but he has actually been doing great so far at getting up.  Jackson also started taking piano lessons this last week. I hope he hangs in there for a few months at least and can learn the basics. 

 Paige had a brush with death last weekend when she went to Idaho with some friends.  They were body surfing in a canal behind a pick up truck (what could go wrong in that scenario???) when she fell off and got pulled under by an undercurrent and couldn't resurface for a good 30 seconds or more.  She said it was the closest she has ever felt to dying.  Luckily her arm came up out of the water and someone pulled her out, but she has lots of bruises this week as a reminder to not ever try that again. 

And McKell has been missing in action around our house the last few weeks.  She got her first job at Panera and so she has been working and then hanging out with her friends until 2 or 3 in the morning every night.  I think she is soaking up her last month of childhood and freedom before adulthood hits next month.