Lindsey in Draper

We have had some fun-packed weeks lately with lots of family visiting and it has been great. Before I get into that though, I just wanted to say that if there's a mom out there looking for an easy, fun, attention-holding outdoor activity, this is a great one! Freezing dinosaurs (and this week sharks and whales) in blue water and then letting them chisel away with kitchen tools worked like a charm. They  spent a good hour enjoying themselves with this activity while I did some food prep just inside.

In other news, Lindsey and the kids have been visiting Utah this month and it has been glorious. We went up to Draper for a week to soak up as much Nardone-ness as possible and it did not disappoint. Jayce was gone for a few of those days taking the practical portion of his Step II exam like a boss, so sadly we missed him during some of the fun.

We did the pool and the splash pad.

This will definitely be in all of their wedding slide shows. Especially Brooklynn's.

This little man is one of the happiest little babies I've ever met, alongside my other sweet nephew, Henry.

 We went to see Mary Poppins at the Scera Shell Outdoor Theatre. Cameron was fun to sit with and cute as ever, but I realized he's probably a little too young for a play like this. He needed something shorter. On the other hand, by the time we were in the last 15 minutes, I think we all were needing something a little shorter. 

Porter rode in my car on the way home and it was the funniest thing to listen to him and Cameron talk to each other. They were busting up for the first 5-10 minutes or so saying things that only 4-5 year olds think are funny and then all of a sudden it was silent. Haha! It was coming up on 11:00 and I think their bodies just shut off after their laugher high.

We did a couple of hikes and I thought the kids did surprisingly well.

We tried to get them to take a jumping picture. Ha!!!

Their second hike of the week was really more of a walk home, but they covered a pretty good distance. I drove home to grab some snacks to replenish them along the way. I'd meet them at one point and give them all water, then I'd drive somewhere else and when they arrived I'd give them grapes, etc. I was like the snack fairy and they loved it and I loved watching them get so excited when they saw my car.

M&M's at the end.

The kids spent a lot of time out by (and in..!) the water feature.

And snow cones. :-) 

So good, you want to slurp up every last drop.

We went on a girls hike after the kids went down one night. There's a spot not too far from their house where you can get a 360 view of Salt Lake and Utah Valleys and we wanted to get up there for sunset. Thank goodness it stays light for so long.

 The view was spectacular and the company was even better. :-)

At the top we tried to recreate some cool pictures we took the last time we hiked up there. iPhone cameras just don't work the same as point and shoot in this case.

Last time:

This time:

Hahahahhahahahahahaaaaa!

We topped off our time at the top by blasting Rachel Platten's, "Fight Song," as loud as my phone could carry it and dancing all over that hilltop. No shrub or rock was safe. Then we got spooked on the way down and ran/cheered our ways back home. YES. 

One night Jessica, Jayce, and Dad Porter went to go see Jurassic World while the rest of us "I will pee in my pants if I have to sit through a 'Is a dinosaur around the corner?' movie" people stayed home and put the kids to bed. After the kids went down Lindsey said, "I'm going to start a Power of Moms podcast if you want to come listen with me," and then the two of us listened while folding some of Jessica's fresh laundry on the bed in her room (because our rooms were now occupied by sleeping babes). When we finished I just jumped on Jessie's bed to lay down while listening and Lindsey decided, "What the heck?!" and jumped on with me. We giggled at ourselves off and on until Jayce found us and of course he joined us. Then Jessie came in talking to her boyfriend on FaceTime and how could we not pull her on too? Thanks for digital snuggling with us, Connor.

Aaaaannnd that's a wrap! Rap? I don't know where that saying comes from and I'm suddenly questioning it.