While Porter was at Scout Camp a couple weeks ago, I took the younger boys to the new aquatic center in Syracuse. I just love to watch these two swim. They are polar opposites in the water, just like they are in life. Hyrum is fearless and doesn’t mind the water in his eyes. He laughed hysterically as he barreled down the water slides and as soon as he surfaced would scream, “Again! Again!” Dallin is extremely cautious and gets upset if anything drips on his face. He had to work up the courage to go down the water slide and screamed, “Mommy, catch me!” the whole way down. I love them both. I love them for their quirks. I love them for their funny personalities. For their strengths and their weaknesses. For their courage and their fear. They are just incredible kids and I am so grateful to be their mom.

We were having ice cream for our Family Home Evening treat and I asked Hyrum what kind he wanted. He replied, “Licorice ice cream.” I told him we didn’t have any, so he decided to make some. It’s licorice and ice cream. Think it will catch on?

This is what my foot looks like.

And I still taught 8 cycling classes, 2 Insanity classes, and a weight-lifting class.

I think I’ll go cry now.

By the far, the best  part of the Uintas is the people we get to hang out with. Or maybe it’s the food. No, it’s the people. Well, actually, it’s the food. Ok, it’s a toss-up. We love Uintas because of the incredible family we get to make memories with and the yummy food we eat while doing it.

Porter loves putting together intricate shooting ranges with water bottles, plates, and paper each year. Then the Airsoft guns come out and the older boys are entertained for hours.

Every year we hike to The Boulder and the kids scramble up the big rock while exclaiming, “It’s so much smaller than last year!” It’s amazing how much rocks shrink (and kids grow) in one year.

I had to include this picture. It’s off-center and slightly tilted because just as I took it,  my very energetic and freakishly strong five-month-old puppy yanked on his leash, which happened to be around my wrist. We just about tumbled down the hill together. The boys thought it was hilarious.

The fishing this year in the Uintas was absolutely amazing. Moosehorn Lake was freshly stocked and you couldn’t cast a pole out without reeling something huge in. The boys were thrilled. Best fishing trip ever.

This picture cracks me up because you can see our wild dog in the background. He wanted those fish so badly, he could taste it.

It always rains in the Uintas. We expect it. This year, it rained and rained and rained. It was a little excessive, even for the Uintas. The kids huddled in our tent and in the trailer, playing games and watching movies. They were happy as could be. The grown-ups worked. We dug trenches, and made mud barriers. We dodged hail and jumped puddles. We rigged tarps in downpours to protect leaky tents. And somehow we kept a fire burning brightly so we could have a bit of light and warmth in the middle of the storm.

My sweet husband looked at every challenge as an adventure. Soaked to the bone, he labored in the torrential rain to protect his home (well, tent) and family. He grinned despite the cold and said with excitement, “Isn’t this fun?” I have never been more in love with him. He told me later that he felt like the weather this year was a metaphor for his life right now. The storms are blowing. It’s gray and cloudy and miserably cold. But just like it did each day in the mountains, the sun will eventually come out again. It will shine brightly and warm us, body and soul. Things will get better. Our hearts will be mended and our spirits lifted when the light returns. What we have to remember is that Heavenly Father expects us to work through the storms, and be grateful for the sun.

Grandma and Grandpa planned some great games this year for our camping trip.

They played glow-in-the-dark tic-tac-toe with glow bracelets and popsicle sticks marked with glowing paint.

They transferred oversized tees in a super funny t-shirt relay.

They kept balloons aloft while competing in a game of Earth Ball, which moved further and further from camp as they chased wild balloons.

And they stickered each other with Mosquito Bites as they attempted not to say the word, “No.”

Great games, Grandma and Grandpa. These are some lucky kids.

Every year that we go to the Uintas, we paint rocks and haul them into the Fairy Forest where we add to our growing collection in the magical woods. The kids love looking at all the recent additions and checking on their rocks from last year.

My super sweet and romantic husband painted this rock. What a man. I am so lucky.

The Fairy Forest was just as enchanting as ever. Here are some of the cute new additions that we spotted.