July

Sorry we have been MIA lately - but here are our updates:
We went up to Idaho and Utah for four weeks in July. Heber had the time off so we just played hard the whole time!! It was nice to be there, we were able to go to all of our family reunions which we missed last year and we aren't for sure when we will be able to go again. So that made it even nicer to be there this year!!

July 4 -

We got to my parents house in Utah at about 2:00 in the afternoon, then headed to the park for a yummy BBQ, a fun slip n' slide, and awesome family!! We were just so glad to be there and be out of the car!! That night we made homemade ice cream and watched the fire works. It was so fun to spend the day with the family!! It was the first time my family had seen Taevin, besides my Mom, so that was fun too! Heber on the boogie board slip-in-slide

Taiya and Papa

The boys in the kiddy pool! Heber, Erik (with tongue out), Chadd, Cy

July 10 -12 -
The Doug Phillips Reunion

Heber's immediate family had a reunion up in Salmon, Idaho. It is an absolutely gorgeous little town up in the mountains, but it is in the middle of nowhere and the drive to get there is the worst ever!! We had fun camping in the mountains, visiting the Sacajawea center (Sacajawea's tribe lived along the Salmon river where present day Salmon is), swimming, fishing, and visiting with family. It was a lot of fun.Indian tee pee at the Sacajawea center

Cousins! Kia, Jenessa, Shalie, Alex, Kylee, Tyra, and Taiya

Wigwam at Sacajawea Center

Jenessa, Tyra, Taiya, and Kylee inside wigwam

Jenessa and Grandpa - she discovered the joy of holding worms!

July 13 -
We blessed Taevin, finally!! We blessed him in Idaho in Heber's parents ward. Then that night I headed back down to Utah. My parents were part of the committee in charge of their stake trek, so I sewed their costumes (I should have taken pictures, they turned out pretty good!), and then had to babysit my younger brother and sisters while they were gone that week. Heber stayed in Idaho to play with his brothers!

July 16 -

I took the kids I was babysitting to the Gateway Mall in SLC and we met Emily Benson and Olivia there and played at the Discovery Center, and played in the fountain. The kids absolutely loved it and we were there all day! It was so fun to see Emily again and get caught up on things!! We miss them tons!! Thanks for the fun day Em!Jenessa, Olivia, & Kambri at the Discovery Center

Playing in the life flight helicopter

Taiya on a swan at the Discovery Center

Jenessa building with the crane

Taiya putting balls in the air tubes

Taiya and Kambri drying off after the fountains

Cy, Jenessa, Chynna, Olivia

July 18-20 -

I drove back up to Idaho and met Heber at another Phillips Reunion. This time it was with his whole extended family, with more than 100 people there! It was a lot of fun - we camped by the American Falls Reservoir, boated, swam, roasted a pig, talked, made crafts, had a talent show and just got caught up with everyone again! At the end of the reunion, I headed back down to Utah while Heber stayed in Idaho to get ready for his big hike!Heber's family performing Sunday morning


Playing with light sticks (Jenessa and I in the back)

Pig roast

Everyone

July 21-24 -
Heber, his brothers Jarom and Ben, my brother's Troy and Chadd, and my brother-in-law Erik, went on a 12 mile hike up in the Craghorn mountains in Idaho. They had to backpack in, and it was a pretty intense hike. They had an awesome time though and are planning the next time they can go! I hung out in Utah with my family while they were gone, my sister came down too and we kinda made a girls week of it.

July 22 -
We played in the Gateway mall fountain and went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

July 24 -
We went to the Pioneer Day parade. The best part was seeing President Monson. We were right in the front and he was only a couple of feet away from us - we all waved and he made eye contact with the little girls, smiling and waving at them. I was so excited that Jenessa and Taiya could see the prophet! The girls loved seeing a "real" parade with all of the awesome floats. After the parade we headed up to the Heritage Village at This Is The Place Monument park. The kids rode ponies, took wagon and train rides, gathered candy after the Candy Canon, saw an old fashion printing press, walked through real log cabins, made crafts, and just had fun!

July 25 -
Heber finally comes back to Utah and we are reunited at last!! :)

July 26 -
My cousin Chris got married in the Salt Lake Temple. Chris is from Georgia, so his wedding was like a mini reunion. All of his family came for his wedding, and I was able to see relatives I haven't seen in 10 years!!

July 29 -
Our car is acting funny so we take in to to be looked at and end up putting almost $500 into it. Come to find out it needed a new radiator and shifting cable. Great.

July 31 -
We drive back up to Idaho because we have another wedding in Rexburg and the Johns reunion at the end of the week. When we get to Idaho we notice there is oil dripping from the bottom of our car from one end to the other, all over the tires, and sprayed all over under the hood. The mechanic didn't tighten the transmission hose and the transmission fluid went everywhere. It was a good thing we noticed it when we did because if we had kept driving we would have ruined our transmission!

August 1 -
My cousin Kayleen got married in the Rexburg Temple. It was beautiful and nice to see all the family there.

August 2 -
Heber finds out the bearings in the back wheels of our car went out. I go to the Johns reunion, while he spends the day trying to find parts so that Les Schwab can fix our car before they close so we can start our trek back to Arizona that night. We end up putting in another $300 to our car because the shafts in the back wheels had worn down too! Great.

The Johns reunion was fun though. I caught up with cousins I haven't seen in a couple of years, played games, visited with my Grandma, heard her testimony and stories from her life, ate yummy food, and just had a good time! Jenessa won a prize in the hat parade they had for wearing Papa's baseball cap sideways and throwing out signs (not real ones of course!). It was pretty cute!The Johns

August 3 -
We drove back to Arizona.

There was our month!! I wish I had more pictures but our camera battery died, and we cannot find our charger anywhere! We thought we took it with us on our trip but couldn't find it the whole time, and still haven't found it since we have been home! It is nice to be back, and now we are just trying to get back into the swing of things!