We began the day going over to Kiley and Heather's. Just Syd & Taryn were home so we invited them to hike with us, but they couldn't. Jo & Charlie tried on a mask Taryn made in elementary school just for fun. They thought it was pretty cool. :)
We met MattDee up Big Cottonwood Canyon near Alta. It was SO incredibly gorgeous up there! They had a long winter that snowed late into the Spring, so there was still snow where we were hiking and the rivers were full and rushing with majestic force! I was in awe. It is so beaUTiful here. The kids did great on the hike and loved exploring and playing in the snow in July. Spenc surprised me with a sweet bouquet of wild flowers. Ohhh I love him!
For lunch, Spenc, the kids and I went to Cafe Rio. It really hit the spot! One of my favorite things about visiting Utah, is eating at all our old favorite restaurants and sharing those mouth watering experiences with the kids.
JayDee's side of the family has a tradition of going to Bountiful for a huge firework show and concert to celebrate Independence Day. They held it tonight, which was cool cuz 2 days of fireworks is better than one! :) The live cover band was pretty great. Kaden & Josie wanted to get close to the stage, so Syd, Daddy & I took them. Man, they danced their hearts out and didn't care who saw them! I loved dancing with them, it was so fantastic! -- Matt & I took a few of the kids to stand in line for Waffle Love. But the line was taking so long, so i took the kids back to our blankets. It was so crowded, there had to have been over 1,000 people there. Matt had to wait for the waffle love treats for like 45mins!! I felt so bad for him. But Spenc and the kids said the taste was worth the wait. :)
The firework show was fabulous and the kids had such a great time. When it was time to go leave, it quickly became chaotic. Our whole crew was packed and ready to go, but the crowds were slowed by teenagers loitering and making trouble. While we made our way out, a little girl infront of me was carrying her scooter in both arms. Her teen brother was repeatedly hitting her in the head with his water bottle. She looked about 8yrs old and he looked about 16 and was bigger than me. I kept waiting for him to stop, but having been in her shoes as the little sister, i couldn't stand it any more. I stepped close to her and asked, "Do you want me to hit him for you?" She looked so defeated but relieved as she sweetly answered, "Yes please." So i turned and punched the teen in the arm. Not as hard as i could, but hard enough to prevent him from hitting her again. She just looked back at me and smiled.
As we slowly pushed further in the crowd, I held tight to Charlie and Perry's hands. A couple of teen boys whispered something then i heard, "Yeah do it" then began laughing. Next thing i knew a firework had been lit about 3ft from where we stood. A parks truck had its engine running right next to us and the firework went off near its exhaust pipe. Everyone screamed and tried to run, but it was too crowded. I pulled Perry & Charlie behind me to shield them, and i felt something hot hit my legs and neck. The sparks from the firework were hitting my skin. It really hurt and i got really angry and those dumb teenagers! After the crowd settled again i saw those same boys and they were walking ahead of us. I called out to them angrily and asked if they lit the firework. They sheepishly denied it, but i know it was them. It only made me more mad. I reminded them how dangerous that was and that my kids and other people could've been seriously injured. They continued to deny it and Spenc just pulled me back. Ooh i was mad!
As we made the long walk down hill toward our parking spots on the street, we saw a couple little boys playin with landscaping rocks from someone's yard. Then we heard a loud CRACK! The car that was parked right in front ours, had been hit by the rock one of those boys had thrown. There was a huge crack all the way across the windshield and a big cracked circle where the rock hit. We watched the father just holler to his boys to "Git over here!" but he didn't do anything. They just walked off!! I was so sickened by it. With the other two unkind and thoughtless acts that had just taken place, i was beside myself. We all were shocked, but no one dared say anything to that man (who was a very tall and large statured Polynesian). I thought about writing a note on the cracked car explaining what we'd witnessed, but knew it wouldn't do any good without the person responsible to be accountable.
Up to that point, we'd had a really fun night and I'm so grateful we shared it with our Jones-Newbold families.I was saddened by the choices that were made tonight. Especailly by my own. I wish I hadn't shown my anger in front of my kids. They agreed with me as they'd witnessed everything the same as i had. And I'm sure they thought i was justified. But I wish i had behaved more Christlike. And I am sorry to each of you Kaden, Perry, Josie, and Charlie.
Kids, I'm not perfect. I know i get grumpy and sometimes react harshly. I pray that as i work on my choices and behaviors, that I will be a better example of patience, forgiveness, and understanding so that I may act more like the Savior. And so that YOU all will act better than i did, and be more like the Savior than I have been. Yes, ALWAYS stick up for what's right. Always, defend the little sister who's getting picked on by her brother. Always, let someone know when they've crossed a line or put others in danger. But do it in a loving way, with calm speech and facial expressions. I hope that you will sound and look more like Jesus would if He'd been there tonight.
We met MattDee up Big Cottonwood Canyon near Alta. It was SO incredibly gorgeous up there! They had a long winter that snowed late into the Spring, so there was still snow where we were hiking and the rivers were full and rushing with majestic force! I was in awe. It is so beaUTiful here. The kids did great on the hike and loved exploring and playing in the snow in July. Spenc surprised me with a sweet bouquet of wild flowers. Ohhh I love him!
For lunch, Spenc, the kids and I went to Cafe Rio. It really hit the spot! One of my favorite things about visiting Utah, is eating at all our old favorite restaurants and sharing those mouth watering experiences with the kids.
JayDee's side of the family has a tradition of going to Bountiful for a huge firework show and concert to celebrate Independence Day. They held it tonight, which was cool cuz 2 days of fireworks is better than one! :) The live cover band was pretty great. Kaden & Josie wanted to get close to the stage, so Syd, Daddy & I took them. Man, they danced their hearts out and didn't care who saw them! I loved dancing with them, it was so fantastic! -- Matt & I took a few of the kids to stand in line for Waffle Love. But the line was taking so long, so i took the kids back to our blankets. It was so crowded, there had to have been over 1,000 people there. Matt had to wait for the waffle love treats for like 45mins!! I felt so bad for him. But Spenc and the kids said the taste was worth the wait. :)
The firework show was fabulous and the kids had such a great time. When it was time to go leave, it quickly became chaotic. Our whole crew was packed and ready to go, but the crowds were slowed by teenagers loitering and making trouble. While we made our way out, a little girl infront of me was carrying her scooter in both arms. Her teen brother was repeatedly hitting her in the head with his water bottle. She looked about 8yrs old and he looked about 16 and was bigger than me. I kept waiting for him to stop, but having been in her shoes as the little sister, i couldn't stand it any more. I stepped close to her and asked, "Do you want me to hit him for you?" She looked so defeated but relieved as she sweetly answered, "Yes please." So i turned and punched the teen in the arm. Not as hard as i could, but hard enough to prevent him from hitting her again. She just looked back at me and smiled.
As we slowly pushed further in the crowd, I held tight to Charlie and Perry's hands. A couple of teen boys whispered something then i heard, "Yeah do it" then began laughing. Next thing i knew a firework had been lit about 3ft from where we stood. A parks truck had its engine running right next to us and the firework went off near its exhaust pipe. Everyone screamed and tried to run, but it was too crowded. I pulled Perry & Charlie behind me to shield them, and i felt something hot hit my legs and neck. The sparks from the firework were hitting my skin. It really hurt and i got really angry and those dumb teenagers! After the crowd settled again i saw those same boys and they were walking ahead of us. I called out to them angrily and asked if they lit the firework. They sheepishly denied it, but i know it was them. It only made me more mad. I reminded them how dangerous that was and that my kids and other people could've been seriously injured. They continued to deny it and Spenc just pulled me back. Ooh i was mad!
As we made the long walk down hill toward our parking spots on the street, we saw a couple little boys playin with landscaping rocks from someone's yard. Then we heard a loud CRACK! The car that was parked right in front ours, had been hit by the rock one of those boys had thrown. There was a huge crack all the way across the windshield and a big cracked circle where the rock hit. We watched the father just holler to his boys to "Git over here!" but he didn't do anything. They just walked off!! I was so sickened by it. With the other two unkind and thoughtless acts that had just taken place, i was beside myself. We all were shocked, but no one dared say anything to that man (who was a very tall and large statured Polynesian). I thought about writing a note on the cracked car explaining what we'd witnessed, but knew it wouldn't do any good without the person responsible to be accountable.
Up to that point, we'd had a really fun night and I'm so grateful we shared it with our Jones-Newbold families.I was saddened by the choices that were made tonight. Especailly by my own. I wish I hadn't shown my anger in front of my kids. They agreed with me as they'd witnessed everything the same as i had. And I'm sure they thought i was justified. But I wish i had behaved more Christlike. And I am sorry to each of you Kaden, Perry, Josie, and Charlie.
Kids, I'm not perfect. I know i get grumpy and sometimes react harshly. I pray that as i work on my choices and behaviors, that I will be a better example of patience, forgiveness, and understanding so that I may act more like the Savior. And so that YOU all will act better than i did, and be more like the Savior than I have been. Yes, ALWAYS stick up for what's right. Always, defend the little sister who's getting picked on by her brother. Always, let someone know when they've crossed a line or put others in danger. But do it in a loving way, with calm speech and facial expressions. I hope that you will sound and look more like Jesus would if He'd been there tonight.
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