Miner Visit!

We absolutely LOVED having the Miners come visit us this week. We had so much fun with them! 

Sunday:
Miners arrived with Jaren driving! He drove the whole way and will get his license in July. I can't believe how big he is. He's awesome. We made personal pizzas together that night because we did that last time they visited so I decided it should be a tradition together. Then we walked around Warren Lake for a nice Sunday stroll and got everyone set up in their beds! We had the four younger boys in our boys' room, the girls took the futon next to Camden's crib with him in there too, and Jaren took the couch downstairs, plus Logan and Jenny in the guest room. I loved it. I love going to sleep in my house when it has lots of people I love in it :) Best feeling.

Monday:
We walked around Riverbend Ponds Natural Area in the morning, which is a fun chain of ponds connected by boardwalks. The constant rain we've had made the ponds really full. We brought Luna, who is an absolute nuisance and she totally loved being there with us. That dog... so sweet, such a handful. Then we played games all through nap time (Tater hole, Bank, Reign of Dragoness) then ate a picnic dinner at Twin Silos park that night. My boys were so happy with cousins around, I barely saw Westin and Bennett! 

Tuesday:
Westin's first day of swim, which was a whole big thing. Probably his biggest meltdown of his life. He really, really did not want to go or be there. But we made it home and left with the whole crew to Fossil Creek park. We walked around the little lake there and then played at the playground for a while, which is a really fun one. I loved when Jaren, Lydia, Logan and I balanced on the big standing ring for a while and slowly added more and more of the littler cousins until we were all moving the ring while standing and it took so much effort while looking completely unimpressive. Sometimes that feels true about so much I do in my life -- so much effort. Not very impressive. Just the gotta-get-it-done stuff haha. Then we played games during nap time again, plus showed the littler cousins The Little Mermaid since the new one is coming out and my boys haven't even seen the cartoon before. That night Jaren and Lydia were really sweet to watch the kids while Logan and Jenny went out to Blue Agave downtown with Michael and me. Then we picked up some shakes for us and for them, came home, and ate ice cream while playing a lot more games (Wackee Sixes, Wavelength, Think N'Sync, Reign of Dragoness). I love those game-loving Miners.

Wednesday:
Lake day! We took the paddle boards and kids kayak up to Horsetooth Reservoir and had a fun morning on the lake. We brought a picnic and stayed until 2pm, and Asher taking a nap on the paddle board with Michael was so stinking cute. I love watching kids just independently cruise around in our kids kayak, it's adorable. You can tell they just love being out on the water all on their own. We went straight from there to the splash pad downtown and had ice cream. Then we went home to get cleaned up and grill some burgers. And of course, more games! I love staying up with Jaren and Lydia. When did these kids get so big!

Thursday:
The Miners headed off on their summer adventure, and I cried when they left. I just love when family is at my house. It feels like pieces of my soul are just in the right place when my family is at my house. Luckily they forgot a water bottle and came back 20 minutes later so that made me happy. But then they left again. Goodbyes are always easier when we have plans in place to see each other again, so it helped that Ali's baby is coming in just a couple weeks and I'll be out in Utah then. But still... I just love when my family is at my house. Maybe that's why I trapped them here for basically all of January. (No I didn't. But I did benefit from uncontrollable circumstances that trapped them here for all of January.)

Later on Thursday I took Luna to a meet & greet at a trainer here, and she's going to head to doggy boot camp next week for an entire month. We just need her to be able to be part of our lives more and in her current crazy state it's more just managing her separately from everything else. I really hope it helps a lot. I feel like I've done what I can with YouTube and we need to take next steps! Sweet girl.

This weekend we went out to dinner with the Dimonds and the Errors and I really loved spending time with them. Life has turned upside down for our sweet friends since their son's cancer diagnosis and my heart is just with them every day. This was our first chance getting out together with our husbands in the last couple months, and it was good for all of us.

I loved this week. Just one big reminder of how much I love the people I love.

(A lot.) 

Blowing on his hot pizza. That's cooking. In the oven.
I love him.

Rocks into Warren Lake

Haven't set up the futon in Camden's room in quite some time.
He loved being roommates with Julia and Lydia. I assumed Lydia was getting him out of his crib in the mornings but the last day we learned it was actually Julia, and that sometimes they'd both tip over in the process, haha. Then they'd come down and play Sneaky Snacky Squirrel together while Michael and I worked out.

Pretty into The Little Mermaid

I loved when Asher would just crawl over and sit next to the big kids like he was just one of the cousins, hanging out.

I always kneel on our paddle boards.
Standing up feels so unnatural to me. But now that I'm not pregnant or freshly postpartum I feel like I have no excuse to not at least try... but kneeling or sitting is so much easier!

Tired, tired boy just hanging onto that last piece of his sandwich...

Then he took a nap at Michael's feet for almost an hour.

So sweet.

I love this spot downtown.

Having a heart to heart with Luna about leaving us for boot camp next week.
Girlfriend is not getting it.

That post-company morning where you have lots to do but you don't do any of it.

Thinks this is the most magical thing.

Giggle so much every time the measuring tape goes back in.

This was my dinner with our friends on Saturday night and I thought it was so pretty -- salmon with a charred horseradish topping, on sweet potato mash. 

But it actually made me feel super sick so now the picture is just gross to me, haha.