We had Splash Summit passes this summer and we made sure to go as often as we could! One of our favorite parts was finding times to go when it wasn't too busy. And we always love getting Dip 'n Dots there :)
We went camping near Goblin Valley with the Brewers and Aaron & Samantha & fam. Let's just say - it was quite the memorable trip for all of the wrong reasons. We found a beautiful, secluded camp spot with red rock, amazing views, and great company. But, it didn't take long to realize it was INFESTED with gnats! Like gnats everywhere and anywhere! When we first set up camp, we thought maybe it was just the time of day and tomorrow would be better. Nope. It just got worse as the days went on. I think the gnats told their friend gnats there were humans nearby and they all wanted in on the fun and by the end of the week we were DYING from being attacked by bugs! We lathered ourselves in bug spray (didn't work), we tried vinegar around the campsite (a tip from Google but that didn't work), we tied shirts around our heads (that only trapped the bugs), and we attempted every possible solution to have them not flying in our nose and ears and all around us. All fails.
Despite the bug situation, we tried to make the best of it! We loved hanging out around the fire, hiking and exploring Goblin Valley, and four wheeling. Luckily, once we were in Goblin Valley, the bugs weren't bad. So we spent time there, we spent time in the Brewer's trailer hiding from the bugs, we went on Mule rides because they couldn't get us there, and we escaped to a nearby ice cream shop for some respite one of the days. We ended up packing up early and heading home. And the entire time there we didn't think the pesky little gnats were biting us...boy were we wrong! Once we got home, we realized we had TONS of little bites that were so itchy!! All of us had them, but Nate was especially bad. One of Nate's bites even got infected, which I'll talk more about later on...
Our head shawl attempt:
Our vinegar attempt:
Our hide-in-the-Brewer's-trailer attempt:
Bug spray would just attract the dang gnats too. This is my arm after I put on bug spray and walked around for a bit:
We found some frogs in a nearby pond and it entertained the kids for hours! The kids were putting tadpoles in their pockets and making homes for their new little frogs. A couple of the frogs even came home with us and became Brennan's little pets.
We did swim lessons with Karli again. The weather was pretty crummy that week but luckily Karli warmed up her pool so it felt like a hot tub and the kids didn't mind the rain and cold at all!
My good friend Cathy did "Mom Swim Days" every Friday this summer and it was so fun to let the kids play and visit with friends and hang out in the sun! Such good memories from the summer!
Graham played coach pitch baseball and had a fun season! He's a natural little athlete.
For Nate's birthday, he decided to go all in and start golfing and he quickly fell in love with it! We went to Top Golf as a family and Nate tried out his new clubs. Top Golf was so fun as a family!
Best way to celebrate our favorite guy!
Whenever Nate had some free time in the summer, we went to the driving range and went golfing. The two littles especially loved to tag along at the driving range. Graham had some hand-me-down clubs from the Brewers which made it fun to have his own clubs.
They're a perfect size for Callie too.
Graham and James did a fun sports camp together in Cedar Hills. They had a great time.
Callie has been doing sewing classes at the Sewing Basket in AF and she loves to be creative and put her skills to use! One day we dusted off my old machine and she made a cute pillow all by herself!
She also did the sewing camp there and made her first quilt! It turned out so beautiful! She picked out the fabric and worked hard during the camp to finish it!
We went to the rodeo with the Brewers and a few Tadje cousins. It was such a great night! I love this Lehi tradition!
Aiden got his permit!! Such an exciting day! But also a little nerve wracking. I never realized that teaching your kid to drive is scary!
Callie was in the Lehi mini float parade for cheer. It was our first time going to this and it was really fun!
Nate and I went on a beautiful morning hike in AF canyon. We followed the Pine Hollow trail. Hiking is one of my favorite summer activities!
Nate and I took Graham on a little date one night. Fat Cats and Cold Stone for dessert (where we got to see Aiden at new new job).
Remember those pesky little gnats? Well, we're pretty sure one of Nate's bites got infected and turned into a boil. This happened just about two weeks after our camping gnat nightmare. This picture doesn't do it justice, it was HUGE! It was super painful and Nate eventually went to the doctor to have it taken care of.
After it was drained, he had a big hole in his head! It slowly began to heal but he still has a scar from this.
We celebrated Gary turning 80. I'm so happy Diane found him! They're a great pair and so happy together.
We followed up with donuts at Avenue Bakery.
Some friends and I hiked up Pine Hollow again. It was such a perfect morning. I love hiking with friends!
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