Visitors Galore!

We were so blessed to have family join us for Leah's graduation - Grandma Cathy, Grandpa Mark, Auntie Allison, Grammy Q, Grandpa Art and Rhonda all helped make Leah's big day extra special!

Grandpa Art Came to Visit!

 This is the spring of visiting grandparents!  Grandpa Art came out for a visit earlier this month, and we kept him quite busy while he was here. Friday night, after a delicious dinner at The Chicken, Jason, Grandpa and Leah headed downtown for tailgating and an I-Cubs game. In general the photo documentation of this trip was a bit lacking, but Jason did send me a picture of the back of some heads!

A rainy Saturday morning switched up our plans and cancelled Adam's baseball game, so Grandpa joined Jason and I in the dedication ceremony of a pioneer baby who died along the Mormon Trail. That was a sweet experience for us to participate in, and Jason did a lovely job with the dedication. 

Our ward is doing all kinds of High Adventure preparations this spring, and we spent Saturday afternoon hiking at.... you guessed it- Ledges!  I think we went up and down about 500 stairs, and Grandpa Art took them all like a champ!

We were all good and pooped after the hike, so we spent the evening celebrating May the 4th by watching Star Wars Episode 3. 

Sunday we went to church and then enjoyed the fruits of a weekend of labor, from seperating beans- 

to refrying said beans and making a vat of pork green chili, we feasted on burritos!  Appropriate because it was Cinco de Mayo, even more appropriate because the food was made by our Mexican grandfather!  Good food and good memories unlocked for Jason. We invited some neighbors and the missionaries over to help us eat all of the food. 

There has been a good deal of rain this spring (yay!) but Sunday evening was dry and the perfect temperature, so we built a fire and enjoyed  hearing fire chief Grandpa Art's stories. 

Monday morning we sent the kids off to school, enjoyed breakfast at The Breakfast Club, and thought we were saying goodbye until Grandpa's flight out got delayed... three times.  There were high winds in Colorado that were heading toward Iowa, which gave him just enough time to learn how to mow our lawn.  But eventually he made it out and we are looking forward to seeing him in Utah at the end of the summer. 

Portrait of November

Phew!  November is zipping right by with haircuts, robotics competitions, a visit from Grandpa Art and Rhonda, play practice, birthday parties, game nights with friends, lunch dates, band concerts, stake conference, a temple trip, church activities, music making, treats baking, archery bow fittings, choir rehearsals, cold weather gear shopping, and the occasional movie break (we ate ca-ra-mel apples and hot dogs when we watched Disenchanted)!  We're all excited to catch our breath for a few days when Thanksgiving comes!

Day 4- A Pool Party and a Rehersal Dinner

Good morning!  Day 4 started out nice and slow with a simple breakfast in our condo before heading over to visit with Auntie Jenny, Grandpa Art and Rhonda. 

We had a bit of time to wander around the resort- Emma was in charge of pictures!

And then we headed over to the pool party.  There's all of the Morales cousins!

I was not interested in getting in the freezing cold water, but I had lots of nice visits with everyone as they sat down and warmed up again. 

Crazies.

It was actually perfectly lovely (when dry and not wet) weather and we all had a lot of fun at what we knew would be our last dip in an outdoor pool in 2022. 

After the ceremony rehearsal (Daddy walked down the aisle with Grammy Q and I walked with groomsman number 4), we headed into town for a delicious meal and fun night celebrating Sarah and Colin. 

Grammy Q was in charge of the activities and was grateful for the one wedding party game I know- the shoe game- which Auntie Emily hosted perfectly and got lots of laughs out of everyone. 

This makes my heart smile- these kids have some wisdom when it comes to making marriage last. 

Always forgive and share feelings. 

Never lie.

Don't forget to be patient.

A lasting marriage is built on honesty, forgiveness and love. 

Sometimes to need to fix what's broken, not throw it out. 

I wish you both happiness and love. 

Love, the Morales kids

And just like that the sun went down and we called it another night.  It was really nice that we had our own place to go back to at the end of the night.  If all the travel this year has taught us anything (and it's taught us a lot!) it's that it's rarely worth staying up all night long or insisting on being with all of our fellow travelers day and night.  It's quite nice to have a time together and a time apart.  And by this point in the trip we were tired enough that we all definitely enjoyed this night in our family condo.