July, Canada, and Montana 2019

In July our goal was to pack in as much fun and relaxation as possible! We only had one month left for summer before the kids headed back to school. To kick off the month we celebrated Fourth of July with a family swim in the morning and bbq and fireworks in the evening with my parents and some siblings. Our kids always love playing with their cousins and seeing the firework show. Olivia loves them but Sophia surprisingly didn’t love how loud they were and got scared. She never seemed to Ming them before so hopefully it was just a fluke thing. The older kids finished up their swim team season and competed in the city meet! They all did well and places so I am proud of them! We went to soda rush to celebrate with shark week cookies and drinks one day! Finally came the end of summer and our last big trip! The kids were excited for their first flight! We headed up to Canada for a family reunion on the west side at the ranch. We flew into Kalispell Montana And then drove three hours through a scenic route up through glacier national park over onto the Canadian side. Along the way we stopped and hiked and looked at the gorgeous breathtaking views. We also spotted animals along the way which was fun! We were super tired since we had woke up at three thirty that morning to catch our early flight so once we got there we met up quick with Jon’s parents and sister Lexi and then got ready for bed. It was fun to see Jon’s parents new place and allow Jon to show all the kids his town he grew up in. The next day we made a short stop in Carsten to see the temple and Jon’s sister JEn. Then we headed to his sister Cheryl’s place to stay since she lives at the ranch where the reunion would be! We had the time of our lives. There were small kittens the kids loved holding, horses the kids got to feed and ride, family , cousins card games, swimming, kayaking, reunion games, talk about family history, and delicious food! I felt like the kids did so well traveling and keeping up with the busy schedule. Olivia lives roaming and being in the ranch. Bailey begged us to leave her there but I told her she would eventually miss us haha. We also got to paddle board and kayak at Watertown national park. We all had so much fun and didn’t want it to end. Sunday was the final day. We went to church where Jon sang with the rest of his cousins in the family choir. It was a beautiful sight to see and hear. After that we had a nice lunch, packed up, and headed down to Kalispell. Along our way we saw mountain goat, big horned sheep , and bear close up. It was so cool. There were so many beautiful views of waterfalls, mountains, rivers, and lakes. Just breathtaking! We stayed in Montana for a few days to hang out at the lake as a family and with our friends the Christensen’s. What a great week we had making memories! Reality kicked in at the end because it was time to fly home and start school the next day for everyone but Olivia. They had to miss meet the teacher so I felt bad they were going their first day into new classrooms without meeting their teachers. They all did great though and have fantastic teachers! I feel so blessed to have such amazing people teaching my kids in a awesome community!