Mimi 90th Birthday Party

A super fun party with a trip to King Spa afterwards. The festivities were hosted by Becky and Steve and included a very full house, delicious cake, kids swimming, a beautiful slideshow compiled by DD and one very happy Mimi.

Colton is 5!

Sweet Colton had a bit of a bust for his 5th birthday party yesterday! It was a beautiful day and we headed up to the pool and there was barely a cloud in the sky. After only an hour it started lightening and they shut down the pool! Colton was still happy and felt like he had a fun birthday party, but some of the kids had come late and they hadn't even gotten to swim. We quickly ate some pizza, sang, cut the cookie cake, and then everyone had to head home. Colton spent the rest of the evening happily playing with his toys at home.

We also had a great time on Friday night with an impromptu party with the Jameson's! We had gotten together at Kuby's for dinner and we were all enjoying each other's company so the Jameson's invited us to their house to play for a bit. Reagan and Rebekah had a pinterest cake adventure and so we turned it into mini-birthday for Colton!

A bit about Colton at 5:
- Still not one tiny bit interested in writing, reading, or crafts
- Obsessed with Legos, hot wheels, and Paw Patrol
- Crawls in bed beside me every night. If it is after 5am, he usually stays in bed by me. If it is before 5am, he falls asleep in our bed and then I move him to the couch. He always stays on the couch for the rest of the night. I love his snuggles, but he makes me so hot that I have to move him to the couch in order to be able to sleep.
- His favorite color is green, favorite food is ice cream, favorite thing about school is recess, favorite lovey is Big Dog, his best friend is Benjamin
- He loves taking baths and would take one in the morning and one in the evening if we would let him
- He is very loud and is singing, talking, or yelling most of the day - his singing is incredibly sweet, the yelling, not as sweet
- He has lots of questions lately. A few examples, "How did the salt get in the ocean?"; "How are TVs made?"; "If a bowling ball fell out of a plane, would it crash all the way through a building?"

He completes our family and I am so thankful for his snuggles, quirky habits (LONG time in the bathroom, only sleeps in boxers), laughter and adorable face. So glad God let us be your parents!

Colton's First Time at Sky Ranch

Colton (and JR) went to Launch Camp at HPPC! Cadie was scheduled to go, but after the first day, she was out. I dropped off the kids on Tuesday and she was distraught and did not want to go. I called Grant because I had to go to work and so he came and picked her up. He spent time with her, and turns out she was nervous about school starting, her STAR test results, and being at the new UP. Grant looked up her STAR test results and she did GREAT! That made her feel better. I think she also has had a busy summer and needed some downtime. She basically spent the rest of the week with DD.

Anyway, Colton loved camp! JR did too, but he wasn't quite as impressed since he has been before. Colton got the "Full of Life" award which is otherwise known as the super-high-energy-and-hard-to-control award. Sounds about right.

18th Wedding Anniversary

Our anniversary fell on a Sunday which was perfect for a date night since the kids almost always stay with DD and Big John on Sunday evening. Grant let me plan our dinner, which is always a bit risky. We went to 60 Vines at the Crescent and it was so fun! When we arrived, we thought it had closed down so I was frustrated for a minute. But, then we were at the wrong door. Grant had never been there before, and he really liked it and I think he will go back. I enjoyed the wine flight, we shared a charcuterie board, and then we shared a filet entrée. We had great conversation with no work talk! We didn't do gifts, which is normal for us, but below are the messages from our cards.

To Erin from Grant:
Erin,
Eighteen years ago we promised for better or worse but there was no way we could have known what that would mean. As the  years have gone by, we've come to understand. It means whether things are running smoothly around here or they get a little crazy... whether I need a best friend in my corner or just one of your smiles and back-scratching to remind me everything will be ok... whether we're sharing a magic moment or just the day-to-day of life.. It means that our love is real, we're here for each other, and we're in this together - for better, for worse, for always!
Love,
Grant

Be still my heart! My heart has always soared at Grant's letters and this year I needed those words and was so thankful he took the time to share his heart.

To Grant from Erin:
Grant,
Happy 18th anniversary! I am so thankful you picked me and I am more in love with you today than I was 18 years ago. Thank you for the beautiful life, beautiful family, and beautiful marriage. I love coming home every day to you and our babies. Plus, you are more handsome (and musclely) than ever.
I love you!
Erin

Rafting

I spent the day manning the camp while Grant and Big John took the kids rafting. I was able to check email, paint my toenails, and chat with Eric and Bethany once they got back from their hike. Ranger and Cadie were apprehensive about rafting, but I heard good reports all around when they returned.

Horn Creek Colorado

I truly love Horn Creek. It feels so familiar and comfortable. I love the smell in the air, views, the freedom the kids have to run around and play, and the ease of meals and schedules that are already prepared. The week always goes too fast, and this year was no different.

Kind of a bummer:
- Grant had a crazy case going on with his firm and he was swamped and stressed. He managed to step away a few times and he and Big John took the kids rafting, he did the zip line with Colton, and we did a trip with the 5 of us to Bishop's castle. But mostly, he was distracted and not able to enjoy the family or the vacation like he had hoped.
- Major hail! The pilot has a lot of damage. Colton, Ranger, and I were in the cabin and Grant and Cadie were in the pilot. Colton slept through the entire thing, but Ranger and I watched it from the window and it made us both nervous. Cadie and Grant were going to the rec center and I was so glad they were in the car and hadn't decided to walk. Bethany and her boys were at the water slides and Papa thought the weather was looking bad and he drove to the water slides and picked them up just in time.
- John and Grant worked so hard to get the bowling alley fixed, and it just kept breaking. Good thing they are getting a new bowling system in Sept.
- No family picture! Makes me so sad! Here is who was there, but we have no group photographic evidence: The 5 of us, Ron, Nicki, Bethany, Nathan, Samuel, Josiah, Courtney, Eric, John, Dawna, Preston, Mandy, Parker

Favorites:
- Nicki and Ron doing the zip line! Mom was really nervous, but she did it! I had to give her a bit of coaching to slowly sit back into the harness and not just jump off, which is what was making her most afraid. Once she was on her way, I think she was glad she gave it a try.
- The new laundry facilities! The on-campus laundry cabin is so nice. I think I did 5 loads of laundry throughout the week.
- Our cabin was remodeled and we were all able to get great sleep.
- The Friday evening family blessing was a really special time and I spent a few hours preparing blessings for each member of our family. I could tell that it meant a lot to each of them.
- On Parent's Night Out, the Walsh, Gullickson, and Chapman crew went to dinner together at Tony's Pizza. As usual, we laughed so hard my stomach was hurting. I am so thankful we got a selfie together (Grant's long arms come in handy!)

Horn Creek Caravan

We had a fun time caravanning to and from Colorado with Preston, Mandy and Parker. Not only did we have a fun time at stops, Preston and Mandy let Colton ride with them over half the way there! It was a huge help and gave Cadie and Ranger more room to spread out which resulted in a lot less fussing. The drive went super fast both ways. Grant is a champ on road trips and he drove the whole way to and from. We listened to "The Princess Bride" book on tape on the way, and "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" on the way home. All of us love audio books and both Cadie and Ranger got very into the stories. Since we didn't have Colton, we also watched some movies like "The Day after Tomorrow" and "Men in Black" that wouldn't have been appropriate for Colton. Honestly, not 100% sure they were appropriate for Ranger, but what is done is done.

We ate dinner at the Big Texan on Saturday evening and then the kids swam in the pool at the hotel. We stopped by Cadillac Ranch on Sunday morning on the way out of Amarillo. On the way home, Preston, Mandy, Colton, and Parker went to the Royal Gorge Park and Bishop's castle and then we all met up for more hotel swimming in Amarillo. The kids sure are cute together!