Fun family dinner

We were glad the Starks were still here so they could have a "UT family" dinner with us! Here, Julia and Emily are creating a beautiful scene with rose petals.
Flower girls
Ty had a great time playing baseball with all the older kids. He sure can hit that ball!
David is giving Calvin some guitar instruction. He's a great teacher, and we're looking forward to more pointers at the next dinner! Calvin learned several new chords and was walking around with the guitar attached to him for several days after!
One of Whitney's sisters playing with the twins. After they left, Tiff and Tameeka said of Tia and Bria, "we love the twins! We want them to come back!"
Ty was doing some serious moves to no music at all! I didn't know he could dance that well! Later, Calvin and Devon put his dancing to music on a video which looked awesome!
Tia and Bria
Calvin took some great "funny face" shots!
David's friend Arron, and Nic (that's cake)
Tameeka and Kelli reading a story
Ty enjoying "The Rainbow Fish" with Jason.
Jared's birthday was the following day, so he got to celebrate with us!

Hiking in Pleasant Grove

The scouts (Colin, Calvin, and Devon are in the center) went on a hike in Pleasant Grove on a trail called Battle Creak Trail. They hiked about 7 hours the first day, camped over night, and hiked 3-4 hours the next day. They even hit snow on their hike, which they hadn't expected. The boys all had pretty heavy packs (18-25 lbs) with all their supplies. I picked up a group of them the next day at Mutual Del up American Fork canyon, and spirits were high! They had a great time even though it was a tough hike!

Selling stuff

Well, I finally did it. Never thought I would. I got all our baby clothes/playpen/strollers/baby packs/toddler beds, and other stuff we didn't need and donated it to a garage sale. The garage sale was for a good cause to help a family who had lost their father. Giving away all our baby things felt like closing a chapter in our lives. My only consolation is that I can always borrow baby things in the future if that opportunity were to arise!

Post-vacation chickenpox

With Emily getting the chickenpox right before we left for Reno, we were nervous about the triplets getting them while we were there as well. Luckily, they broke out the day after we got back to UT! It worked out really well and now they'll never have them again! It wasn't as awful as I'd always envisioned chickenpox to be (I had a very mild case in high school)...just lots of "I'm itchy!" shouts during the day. We used Oregano and Melissa essential oils because they are anti-viral, and for immediate soothing, we used calamine lotion mixed with Chamomile and Lavender essential oils. That's this coating you see covering everyone! We also did a few oatmeal/baking soda baths, but they were kind of grossed out (maybe because they eat hot oatmeal almost every morning), and didn't really enjoy the bath experience!
They also watched tons of movies which helped keep their minds off of being uncomfortable.

Starks!

We had a great visit with the Starks while they were here to drop Jeffrey off at BYU! The kids resumed their game they had played a few years ago of "cops and gangstuhs." We went on a few evening walks which were fun. Camilla, Julia, and Emily arranged all our essential oils in color coded order- like a rainbow. Very artistic! Wish you guys lived closer! Come visit again!

Santa Cruz

Rancho San Rafel park

The boys were hoping to find a snake...and they did! Years ago when they were young, Calvin caught a snake at Rancho, and he was so excited to bring it home and show Colin. However, one of the rangers saw us leaving with it, and he made Calvin put it back. He was so heart-broken!
Here's the catch! He wasn't sad to let it go in the bushes before we left. :)
We saw some cool wildlife while at the park.
Still a few chickenpox, but not so bad! We have pictures of Emily with lizards on her shirt when she was about 3. She's still not afraid of them!
Can you find the baby squirrel?

Playing cards at Ma and Pa's house
Calvin and Devon grilled up some tasty beef and made a very creative fruit salad for dinner one night. Delicious!
Dinner is served!