4th of July, July, Montana 2018

Our July was packed full of fun! To summarize; we spent the 4th of July having a BBQ with the Curtis Clan and then watching fireworks. I made nanaimo bars which are a fun canadian treat that everyone loved. They were super rich but delicious! the next day we left for our trip to Montana Jon planned a year in advance to spend time with some of our anderson family. We made a pit stop in Utah on the way and had fun showing the kids BYU campus and the provo area where made so many memories. We had fun eating at all our favorite places, going to the stadium, touring the campus, shopping in the BYU bookstore and creamery! Jon and I also took a picture by the restaurant that we first met. It is now called Oregano's but it used to be a TGIFridays! After our stop we headed the rest of the way to Montana. It was rough driving in the car for 12 plus hours a day but I would say everyone made the best of it! Montana is a beautiful place that has lush greens hills and mountains and gorgeous rivers, lakes, and streams! There are amazing things to see everywhere you turn! We stayed at a cabin on Echo Lake near Kalispell. We brought our jet skis up as well so there was even more fun to be had. The first day we drove to Glacier National Park and visited a breathtaking and freezing lake called Lake MacDonald that Jon used to go to as a kid. The next day everyone in Jons family that had come down for the reunion met at our Lake house and we all had a great day on the water! They all chose to camp nearby so our place was the meeting place for activities. Jons family all came except his sister cheryl who had prior commitments. There were Kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, a water trampoline, jet ski rides, knee boarding/wake boarding, tubing, fishing, and thanks to Jons buddy Casey there was boating. Lets just say there was not one person bored with nothing to do the whole week! We had fun playing on the water, playing games, visiting, eating, and making memories! I am so glad Jon made this trip happen because it was a lot of work, but it was so much fun! He was also able to meet up with and see old childhood friends that were also vacationing at the lake that week. The trip flew by and just when we were getting settled I felt like it was time to pack up and go! We said our goodbyes and vowed to come to the lake for another trip soon! The trip home was long and I felt like the kids did better than me because I was getting up in the night with the baby and hardly sleeping at all. After 24 hours we pulled into our home in Gilbert Arizona and were grateful to have had such a wonderful trip as a family and to arrived safely back home! There rest of July was spent getting the kids ready for school to start! We had back to school blessings, meet the teacher, hair cuts, and new outfits for school to pick out. I can't believe I have a fourth, second, first, and preschooler now. Time really goes by soon fast and I am doing my best to try and enjoy the journey!