July was such a fun month. We started with a road trip to Wyoming and spent three days camping in the Big Horn mountains. It was surprisingly chilly up there, especially compared to the three-digit temperatures we experienced in the valley below.
Grandpa Reichert brought his ATV with us, and we had a blast buzzing along the dirt roads in it.
We set up camp at the end of the Dayton Gulch road. The first evening we were there, we took a walk around camp. When I realized we were only camping about 200 yards from a very steep cliff, I had a hard time letting the kids go off on their own. The view, however, was spectacular!
The next morning we went fishing in the streams at the bottom of the cliffs. It is so green and beautiful, with wildflowers blooming. The kids were thrilled to have snagged a couple "brookies" with Grandpa's help. Our fishing expedition ended when Neil slipped on a mossy rock and cut his knee open while trying to cross the stream. He cleaned it out with wet wipes and bandaged it the best he could while we were roughing it in the mountains.
We celebrated Independence Day with my Reichert Aunts, Uncles and cousins in Dayton at Nana's house. It was the funnest, most relaxing day. We sat on the patio eating and visiting all afternoon. Grace got the face paints out, and she painted everyone's faces. Her best work was on her Grandpa and Great-Uncles, with their noses and mustaches painted to perfection!
When we couldn't stand the heat any longer, the kids ventured down to the creek. All the adults followed to watch, but everyone ended up getting in and wading around with them. After a while, Uncle Guy got a couple patio chairs and put them in the water for Grace and himself to sit in while they dangled their feet in the water. It's so fun to watch my kids interact with my Aunts and Uncles the same way I used to when I was a kid.
No Wyoming-style Independance Day is complete without a little target shooting, so Grandpa and the kids got a target out and practiced. The kids felt so big shooting Grandpa's Guns.
With just a few days to do laundry and re-pack, we hit the road again. This time we drove to the Andersen Cabin in Greer, Arizona. As is tradition, we spent lots of time hiking, eating, swinging, visiting, crafting, counseling, and laughing together.
It rained on a couple afternoons while we were there. After a heavy rainstorm, Neil and two of our nephews wanted to go take a dip in the pond. It was chilly outside, but the pond was warm with steam rising above the surface. The sun was just setting and the sky was the most brilliant color of yellow and purple. I was happy to watch the scenery and document their dip rather than getting in myself.
The boys shivered on the dock, stalling to jump in, so Neil finally counted to three, pushed the boys in and jumped in behind them. It's so sweet how much fun Neil has, playing with his nephews.
And, here's the whole gang minus Emily, Sam and Julie (who were in Utah with their brand-new baby girl), and Spencer (who is on his mission in Rome).
Again, we had just a week at home with Neil, and he left again--this time for the Priest's High Adventure activity. They hiked King's Peak, the highest peak in Utah.
Neil volunteered to hike as the caboose, making sure all the boys made it to the top. As he was hiking slowly behind the last boy, the rocks underneath him started to spin and he couldn't tell which direction was up or down. He was experiencing vertigo. Instead of rolling down the boulder-covered mountainside to his death, he decided to put his head between his knees and wait for the group to come back down. Overall, he had such a great time. Neil has been a Priest-Quorum Advisor for the last two years now, and he does so well with them. All the boys look up to him.
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