Memorial Weekend 2018

I wrote this post up just after Memorial Day.  I must have forgotten to push publish because it was just sitting there in my drafts.  

So even though this is a month late.....here goes.....

For Memorial Weekend this year we were able to go to Capitol Reef NP.  It has pretty much been a tradition for the last ten years that we go to this location each Memorial Day.  We missed last year though, (because we took a road trip to Colorado) so it was good to get back.  Superior has done the work at the Broken Spur (it was the Wonderland Inn for years but then got bought out by new owners) for many years so we are able to get motel rooms on trade.  This year we had six rooms total reserved so while Rick and I invited Skylar and Sarah, Brad and Ruth invited Brandon and Jenni and Darrell and Dee Ann invited Austin and Hannah (and Hallie came along as well:)  

We arrived on Thursday afternoon.  We stayed at the Days Inn since the Broken Spur didn't have any rooms available until Friday.  At the Days Inn the kids enjoyed the pool and then we had a nice dinner at the Broken Spur Restaurant.  We all enjoyed relaxing in our rooms that evening.

After a good night's rest we unloaded the ATV's for a few hours of riding in the hills.  Just outside of the Broken Spur is a nice trail.  We enjoyed seeing the beautiful desert.

Henry with his shades!

After an hour of riding we stopped and had a tailgate lunch.  We had meat sandwiches with chips, cheese, apples and cookies!  The boys loved exploring and looking for lizards!

That night we picked up a pizza and drove the 30 minutes to Lower Bounds Reservoir.  After having another tailgate meal we were able to put Rick's small fishing boat in the water and head off for an hour and a half of fishing.  The guys were catching them left and right and Henry and Charles got so excited each time they brought one up.  Henry got to help his daddy reel in a couple, as well:)  Skylar caught eleven and Rick caught nine:-)   They had fun!  I'm not quite sure what they see in it but they sure do love fishing!  In fact, they got up early the next morning (5am) and went again!

Here is a picture of the evening at the lake.

 On Saturday morning we met up with the Allens at breakfast (they arrived on Friday night) and we decided to go on a hike together.  We knew we wanted to go on a short hike because of the little ones so we took the back part of the goosenecks and hiked to the waterfall.  It really wasn't far (around thirty to forty minutes) and the kids had a fun time trying to catch lizards.  No success, though.  Those little creatures were just too fast!

The next day was Sunday so we attended the Torrey Ward which started at 10:00.  We always love attending the Torrey Ward over Memorial Day.  They always have a Patriotic Sacrament Meeting with beautiful music included.  They have a phenomenal ward!  We always feel welcome and spiritually uplifted when we attend.

After church we all drove into Fruita for a picnic lunch at the park.  It was really a nice afternoon with excellent weather and fun conversation around the table.

That evening we met in the conference room of the motel and played games.  Skylar and Darrell won Five Straight twice in a row and then we played Mormon Bridge.  I came in last......twice:(  

The next morning after breakfast we loaded up the vehicles and headed home.  We were able to get home in time to visit the cemetery and see all of the beautiful flowers on the graves.  Afterwards we had a wienie roast in the backyard.  Good times!!

Playdate

While Baby Brady was having his first couple of nights at home Rick and I were able to share "taking care of the other kids" with Doug and Leesa.  We had the kids on Thursday night and all day Friday.  We stayed in Salt Lake, and after dinner at Black Bear (which Scoutie calls Black Barrell) we went over to the Raddison to spend the night.  We got there just in time to spend about twenty five minutes in the pool before it closed.  Grandpa and Rafe got into the water and played but it was a little chilly for Scout and me.  We were happy just putting our feet in:)  No pictures of our hotel stop:(

After watching a crazy fishing show we all fell asleep and didn't wake until EIGHT!!  

I blame it on those darkening blinds.......

We had a nice breakfast at Denny's and then headed over for a fun day at the Zoo.  We called to invite Sarah and the boys so they joined us as well.  We had just a wonderfully, pleasant time at the zoo. 

Ready for the zoo!!

The kids are just the right age for loving everything about the zoo!   They all loved looking at the park map and deciding where to go next.  We got there just in time for the bird show and I LOVED watching the kids' huge smiles as they watched the birds swoop over their heads. 

 A fun grandma moment for me!

Halfway through our zoo experience we changed the kids into their swim gear and let them play at the splash pad.  Rafe's face sums up how that went!!  

This is a great picture of Henry throwing a tantrum because he didn't get to sit where he wanted to!:)

But after just a minute he was in better spirits!!

Kendra called while we were at the zoo and was anxious to have the kids back to stay.  We were planning to have them another night but she was missing them.....and they were missing her (and dad) as well.  We brought them back into Grantsville, and after visiting a bit grabbed the convertible and headed back to SL.  We stopped at a restaurant out by the airport called Robert's.  Comfort food.  We stayed in a Marriott property by the airport (can't remember which one) and just had a relaxing night to ourselves.  Bliss!!  They upgraded us to a suite which made it even nicer:)

The next morning we headed over to the Downtown Farmer's Market.  We love this place!  We always spend way too much money and eat too much but it is just super fun!!  Love the Market!!

Later that night we continued our fun by catching a movie in Tooele.  We went to see Solo and were very entertained!!  Fun weekend!

Brady Alan Boman

Brady Alan Boman came into this world on June 20, 2018.  While it was a hard delivery for Kendra we are so grateful that he is here safe and that mama is recuperating well.  The stats for this little guy are:

8 lbs 1 oz.

20 inches

His hair has a red hue and so we all think he will have the same color of hair as Rafe.

The kids are enamored with him and I have to say all of us adults are too! 

Welcome to the family Brady Boo!!

Hafen Reunion 2018

Rick and I were in charge of this years Hafen Reunion.  We had a great turnout with about 70 people attending.  Our first day was at Lagoon Amusement Park.  This turned out to be a fun day!  We mostly stayed within immediate families but we were able to visit in lines and at eating establishments in between the rides.  Pete and Terri and all of their kids minus Garrett and Trisha were there.  Paul and Vickie and all but Lance and Ashlee were there.  From Kelly and Deanna's family,  Andrew and MaryAnn were there with their family. 

Later that evening we had a mingle at our campsite at Cherry Hill.   We were joined by the rest of the group.  Dad and mom with Scott and Kathy's family.  Tori, Jake and his girls, (Taylor and Mandy and their kids came early the next morning.  Kelly and Deanna showed up with Brandon and Keia.  Mare and Scarlett joined us as well.  We had a nice night visiting and eating cake!

In preparation for this reunion I did a lot of cooking!  I'm not sure why it took so much effort because it was just food for one day!  It took me three days to have everything ready to go!

Saturday Morning was the official day for our reunion.  We enjoyed a nice dutch oven breakfast prepared by Kelly and Rick.  After that we all headed over to the water park to stake our spot for the day.  We got a really nice shady place close to the lazy river.  As far as I could tell everyone had a great time visiting and playing in the water.  For lunch we hauled a couple of tables over and set up a taco buffet.  I had made cafe rio knock off sweet pork as well as some pulled chicken.  The tacos had all of the fixing plus we had nachos with cheese sauce that turned out to be a hit!  We had cookies for dessert.

That evening after a dinner of Hawaiian chicken and potluck salads and desserts we had a "Turning Our Hearts" game.  I had printed up a lot of relatives pictures and had a trivia question for each relative to be figured out who did what.  Terri was the winner of a $10 gift certificate to Baskin Robbins.  Skylar and Sarah won the scavenger hunt game that started as family members left there homes.  Not many participated in this game (about five or six as far as I can tell) but Skylar and Sarah were the winners with a prize of two movie tickets plus concessions.  

Next we had our family talent show.  Each family had a little something to share: 

Scarlett started us out with some jokes and then some gymnastics.

Next was our family.  Henry tried to do his part of singing Phantom of the Opera but got stage fright and didn't get it done:(  Skylar and Sarah sang a duet (Realize) with guitar accompaniment.  I then gave a recitation of the poem The Race".

Paul then got up and shared some tender feelings about dad and our family.

Jake's kids did some gymnastics and then Tori sang "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" after which Scott sang "Fall in Love With Your Wife".

Next, Deanna and Kelly's grandkids sang "I Am a Child Of God" with a little help from the audience:)

Brinlee danced while Carson sang "The World We're Gonna Make" from The Greatest Showman.

Lastly, mom and dad talked for a few minutes each sharing their thoughts and feelings.  It was really tender.

The talent show concluded our reunion.  We sure enjoyed being with everyone and both Rick and I appreciated all that came to support us this year!