Memorial Day at Garner State Park

We love Garner State Park, so back in December, we decided to share our love with some families in our ward. I invited about 10 families to book a campsite and join us for Memorial Day weekend, and to my utter astonishment, 7 families booked the weekend! There were 42 of us in all, and other family of 6 joined us on a day pass Saturday afternoon for swimming.

Friday

We left about 3pm. We grabbed Subway for dinner and got all checked in and set up. After everyone else arrived, we had potluck desserts and played charades and flashlight games.

Saturday

We started early by marking our territory by the riverfront and then hiking Ol Baldy. 

After the hike, we swam and played in the river. 

Saturday evening we went to the dance at the pavilion. 

Sunday

We started early again, first by saving our spots along the river's edge. Then we hiked Crystal Cave.

Playing and swimming by the river was the perfect cool off. 

Sunday evening we hosted an outdoor showing of Sing 2 and roasted marshmallows and made smores and banana boats. 

Monday

We broke camp early and headed home for laundry and showers. 

***

We had a great time! The heat was a challenge though, especially at night. Most of the families would like to go again next year, but get a cabin (with air conditioning) instead of staying in tents. We are die-hards, so we drove around and found the cabins which are closest to tent sites, so when we book next Christmas, we can still all try to be together despite the varying accommodations. 

The other - new to us! - challenge was the feral hogs. Each evening a pack of wild pigs tormented the area. We luckily always remembered to put everything in the car or dumpster, but each night at least one of our campsites had a noisy, messy encounter. Uh oh. 

Yay Garner! 

May-cember '22

It was the craziest end of the year, and we survived! Oh, May, why do you do this to us every year?

NJHS

Collin was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Go Collin!

Art Show

Brennan had his final art show. Go Brennan! 

Soccer

Ethan and Katelyn completed another season of soccer. Many of their games took place when it was over 100 degrees, and they didn't complain at all. Ethan is perfecting his goalie skills, and Kate is becoming a very reliable forward, scoring 2 goals in her final game. 

Dance

The last day of soccer season was also her Spring Dance Rehearsal and Recital. It was one crazy day, but she looked beautiful and did wonderfully. 

Paddling

Ryan hates that soccer steals every Saturday in Spring, so I begrudgingly let him take Collin and Brennan on different little outings while I take care of the soccer transportation and cheering. 

France

Ryan also took a week to head to France. He spent 2 days in Paris before heading to Chalons-de-Champagne for a work conference. He had a great time, with a few mishaps. Next time I needed to get away to join him! 

Challenge Lab Parent Showcase

Another activity, and with me in charge no less, added another degree of difficult to this year's May-cember. See previous post.

5th Grade Field Day

Brennan graduated from 5th grade, and I helped set up the activities and serve the pizza lunch. They had a great time with water balloons, tug-of-war, sponge races, and an inflatable water slide. 

5th Grade Graduation

Brennan wrote an essay about 5th grade which was selected by his teacher to be read at graduation on the last day of school. I was so proud of him! They also sang We Don't Talk About Bruno and Never Gonna Give You Up. About 30 of the 5th graders were in my Challenge Lab class, so it was fun to get to be there to support them, as well as Brennan, of course. 

Illnesses

And it wouldn't be life raising 4 kids if we didn't throw in an unhealthy dose of illnesses. Katelyn got an ear infection, pink eye, and hand/foot/mouth. Ethan got a mysterious fever. And Ryan got strep throat. This year was our first time navigating child illnesses while having two full-time working parents, but as expected - Ryan and Lindsey still make a great team.

Last Day of School

The last day of school was only a half day. Brennan had his graduation in the morning, then we went and got Ethan & Katelyn from their class parties. We picked up Collin from the middle school when he was done with finals. In the afternoon, we headed to the neighborhood pool for a 2nd Grade Party.

Yahoo! We earned our Summer Break, for sure.