Quail Fire

 On Tuesday afternoon I got an alert on my phone from Draper City that said there was a fire burning in Alpine/Highland. I went to the front window and this is what I saw.

 

My heart stopped. This was CLOSE. I could see the flames. I learned (mostly through facebook updates on our SunCrest emergency preparedness site- thank goodness for technology!) that so far we were safe but should have things ready to go in case we were to be evacuated. 

The kids and I said a prayer, got things ready in case we had to leave, and watched the fire all day. I was so sad. There have been so many fires in Utah this year, mostly due to people being stupid. They said that this fire was caused by construction equipment. When I heard that I thought- more like some guy who was operating the equipment and threw his cigarette out the window into the dry grass....

Luckily the winds were in our favor and the fire moved up the mountains and away from homes. This was what the mountain looked like that night:

The previous Sunday our bishop told us that he was very concerned about our community and the threat of fire. He asked us to pray and fast for safety and also for moisture.

Our prayers were answered. No homes or lives were lost. On Thursday the heavens opened and the rain came and came. It extinguished the fire. Then, to remind us that He had heard our prayers, a rainbow appeared over the scorched mountain.

Sunday hike

Sunday evening the kids were restless, so we decided to take a little hike. We packed up some water, walked across the street, and entered the wilderness. I love having the mountains so close! 

There was lots of exploring, animal searching, rock throwing, and even some wilderness peeing (because don't all boys think it's great to wee in the out of doors?!). It was a great evening. Little did we know what was about to happen to our mountain...... 

Summer randomness

Naps and cute faces

Water balloon fights. 

Jackson was the only smart one who put a swimming suit on!

Fun at Cabela's

Monday night at the gardens with the Frisby family

Landon is not missing- he's just hiding behind one of the kids!

Discovery Gateway

Kensie had her dance camp the last week of June, so the boys and I took advantage of our time downtown and went to Discovery Gateway. This was our first time, and it was really fun! The kids loved it all, but I think the favorites were the helicopter and the water tables. Landon may or may not have taken some drinks from the water.....

Lagoon

Thanks to Grandpa Holbrook we got to go the Layton Construction Lagoon Day. What a fun day! The first ride we went on was the Terror Ride. Landon begged to go again and again! However, he was a bit scared on Bulgy the Whale and the helicopters. Interesting.....

Grandma lost her sunglasses on the white rollercoaster, we got soaked on Rattlesnake Rapids, dried off on the swings, ate yummy food, and basically loved every minute of the day! The kids loved bumper cars with the cousins, Lincoln could have ridden Colossus all day and Kensie still loves the Centennial Screamer. I tried to sneak Jackson on a few of the big rides but alas, he was too short! Next year!!

Thanks again, Grandpa, for a great day!

Happy Father's Day

.....last week!

Cousin Fun

The Holbrook cousins came to visit this past week and boy was it fun! It was great to spend time with Curt, Charlene and the boys. We finally got to meet baby Chase in person and the kids fell in love with him. Jackson was especially fond of Chase and was so sad when he left to go home! We had a fun-filled week with visits to the dinosaur museum, gardens, celebrating Father's Day and Alayna's birthday, and a trip to Lagoon.

There was also LOTS of wrestling!

Play Time

One of the things I love most about summer is how well the kids play together (most of the time). Most days they are outside creating elaborate plays complete with props, set dialogue, and lots of action. Once they've got it down I film it for them and then they spend the rest of the day watching it and critiquing their performances.

This day the play was called "The Cowgirl in New York".


After they're done, they usually need a rest.....