Let the Fun Begin!

Last week one of my BFFs Valerie, who happens to be Brad's sister, came to Utah with her kids to stay with us for the week. Not only have we been best friends since high school, our kids get along phenomenally well and to top that off, we are now related. How lucky am I? I'd say very! We had so much fun that I didn't even try to keep up with my posts. Now that the party's over and I'm trying to settle back into my routine.

We went to Seven Peaks last Tuesday. Now that Caleb knows how to swim well, it's a lot less stress for me. We hung out all day, baked in the sun and then headed over to Grammie and Grampa's house for dinner.

Rachel and Jake

Grace and Caleb

Sara and Emma


The next day, Rachel had to go to girls' camp. She's been looking forward to camp since last year but horror of horrors! Camp was to take place this year the same week that the Tripletts were coming. The following is an excerpt of the conversation that I had with her.

Rach: I can't believe it! Somebody has done a really bad job planning!

Me: Well, this was the only week Valerie could come with her kids. Sara was on her pioneer trek in the California mountains last week; their family was at Lake Mead the week before and Jake has football camp next week. This is the only week they can come to Utah.

Rach: No, not the Tripletts! The stake should have planned it better! (Note all the exclamation points, she was really worked up.)

Me: The stake had no idea when our relatives were coming to town.

Rach: Well, they should have called us or something! Don't they know that people have other things going on too?!?

Can you imagine the camp directors calling the two hundred or so families to ask them when the best date would be for girls' camp? Talk about a logistical nightmare! So Rachel went to camp two days into the visit from the Tripletts. We worked out a compromise though-when Valerie went home at the end of the week, she took Emma with her and Sara stayed with us. That way Rachel got to spend some time with her best cousin/friend. Here's some pictures of our day at Boondocks. Laura was also along with Max and Ellie. Hunter was at scout camp.

Nice form, Em. We're expecting a call from the LPGA soon.
Max and Jake getting competitive.

We took all the kids back to my house and we had a sleep over with nine kids. Yikes! It was a crazy, happy zoo. The next day, we took Jake, Caleb, Max, Ellie and Grace to Laura's house to take the girls to do an activity that they enjoy immensely-shopping. We spent about three hours at a mall and then we picked up Jake, Caleb and Grace from Laura's house.

Wood and Susan has a condo at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird that they get two times a year. After we picked up the little kids and checked in at Snowbird. Wood and Susan met us there and Brad showed up after work. We ate a huge dinner and hung out. Brad went back home because Rachel was coming home from camp and he was going to bring her up to the condo to be reuinited with her family.

Syndey and Emma brought some strange clothes from my dress-up chest up to the condo and wore it all around Snowbird. I think only Sydney Triplett would be able to talk Emma into doing something like this. This is Emma, who almost didn't want to wear a Halloween costume trick-or-treating because she doesn't want to call attention to herself. They had a great time!