What a week. Most of it for me was spent in preparation to host our first Roper extended family dinner. I have been looking forward to this for years. When I was growing up, we would have Sunday dinner with my mom's family members who lived nearby, including my Grandma Roper, about twice a month. These fun, casual family dinners are such a core part of my childhood memories and something we really looked forward to coming back to when we moved to Utah.
For our dinner, we decided to make bolognese, pasta, and honey thyme lemonade. Each of our guests brought sides and desserts to share. I learned a lot about hosting a big group for dinner, and we had a wonderful thyme! Er, time. My main regret is that I didn't remember to take any pictures. Next time I will have to assign Jared to take a few pictures. Jack asked if he would make a scavenger hunt for all the little cousins, which he did. He is going to gain a reputation as the Fun Uncle if he isn't careful.
I may not have taken pictures at our family dinner, but I did take pictures of many of out other happenings this week:
^^Another perk of living in Utah is getting invited to fun celebrations with Jared's extended family--usually his aunt and uncle who live in Layton and many of his cousins. His Aunt Lynette hosts a shoe scavenger hunt each May/June called Spring Fling. We all bring a pair of new summer shoes for our kids and some snacks or little toys to share. Then the goodies and shoes get hidden somewhere around the yard and the kiddos try and find them. It was so much fun to catch up with loved ones and for the kids to have a great time making friends with Jared's cousins' kids.
^^There is a scenic winding driveway to their home flanked by beautiful scrub oak forests. I'm not sure I really appreciated how unique and stunning this location was the first time Jared brought me here. So much of the backdrop of Jared's childhood summers was spent here on the "Layton Compound" where Jared's grandparents and two of their kids' families each had a home. Now it's just Jared's aunt and uncle here, but it's still a special place.
We had another extended family gathering the next day with my Haines family. Our schedules are definitely a lot fuller since we moved to Utah, which is busy and wonderful. I'm so grateful to add this fullness and connection to our lives. Sure beats sitting home with bored kids all summer.
^^After Alice got her face painted last week, she got ahold of some markers and gave herself "witch paint." She was NOT happy about having to wash it off and had bruised-looking remnants for several days. This girl is truly a fun time.
^^We went to Harvey Park+splash pad to play and get snow cones. Unfortunately we also came home with a bee sting on Alice's foot. The good news is that she didn't go into anaphylactic shock! I was glad this happened with a snow cone shack nearby. Some blue raspberry and tiger's blood did the trick of distracting her while the ibuprofen and benadryl did their work (she didn't have a serious allergic reaction, but she did have a few light splotches appear on her face, and with our allergy-prone girlie I don't take any chances).
^^Alice's first hair cut at a salon! I love Alice's long hair, but it was becoming a real pain in the summer. For whatever reason, Alice loves to smear "product" all over her hair any chance she gets. This product could be anything, from hand soap to sunscreen to lotion to worse. She finds it, she smears it. And at her current age, it is tough to get her sitting still long enough to get a good, thorough washing and brushing of her hair. Combine that with swimming season and daily sunscreen applications . . . it just felt like a good time for a big haircut. The hairdresser initially cut her bangs just above her eyebrows, but I told him to go shorter so we won't have to worry about another haircut until nearly fall. It's short but it suits her! A sassy haircut for a sassy gal:
^^Lots of coloring this week. We usually keep our markers hidden away because Alice will do allll sorts of creative things with them (including eat them). But they were so novel that they kept the kids entertained for hours this week. It's time to put them away for another few months now, with fresh marker on several pieces of furniture and clothing. Luckily most of it is washable.
^^Last but not least, the Utah Valley Parade of Homes has begun! This is the first time we have lived in Utah to attend the parade in many, many years. The attention to detail is spectacular. This is one of mine and Jared's favorite activities to do together, and it's especially inspiring when we have the prospect of our "forever home" coming up in the near future. With wallpapers and lots of trim and color in style, I am really enjoying the homes this year (we've only been to two by our house so far--39 more to go).
