Finally, after 16 days traveling and reuniting with family, we were home.
Proof that we were actually at home during part of July.
Our calendar for July, also proof that we really did all of that and didn't just make up the last 5 blog posts. I know it would be like me to do that, but really, I didn't.
The night after getting home was the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square Pioneer Day concert. It was unfortunate it fell on the day we got back, but we were still really excited about it since we had an excuse to hang out with Dustin and Serene...
...and mom and dad again! They were great to get us 4 tickets so that we could take our friends with us too. The concert was awesome, and it featured Shea Owens, the director of opera at BYU. I'm not really a fan of opera, but he was pretty awesome still.
After hours of brainstorming and designing, Rachel finally was able to get her hair done.
Confession: we have no idea what's going on here, but it was likely something Rachel did with her hair that I liked. She's been doing it a ton more now, and often won't let Devri touch it anymore.
We were finally able to use the "special plate" for Devri for her birthday. I know it was 2 weeks late, but it was really our first chance.
The boys went and picked this off of our Hollyhock and one off of another plant for Devri for her birthday dinner.
Gabe had been talking about a loose tooth for a week or two, when finally one day as I was getting in the car to take Michael to football practice, he ran out to me holding this in his hands and looking somewhat like a vampire with blood running down his chin. His first lost tooth!!
5 minutes later as I'm driving with Michael, I get a marco polo from Devri with this picture. It turns out the tooth right next to it was also loose and he decided to just go for it since apparently "it didn't hurt that much."
Two teeth in 10 minutes! We considered just pulling them all right then, but he didn't seem to want that.
After a rather unsuccessful year in soccer, just about everyone on his team quit unfortunately (the league really did that team a lot of disservice by giving them no help at all). After talking to a lot of his friends in the neighborhood, Michael wanted to try something different: football. Devri and I were really nervous about it, but after talking with several neighborhood kids' parents, we decided to allow it. This is just after he got fitted for his pads, helmet, and pants.
Thor: Love and Thunder was released while we were gone, and Devri agreed to go with me since it had Jane in it again. The reviews...
Brian: "I thought it was hilarious, I liked it a lot"
Devri: "Why?"
Gabe was finally able to get his favorite home cooked meal: Costa Vida.
Devri met up with some of her best friends (Serene and Scooby) for dinner. Jen was missing, but we found her later.
I got new workout shoes.
Devri experimented with her new iPhone. Yes, she turned to THAT side, ugh. She actually got it to be able to get an Apple watch that could monitor her AFib better, so it made sense, I guess. But still, we suddenly realized why everyone was talking about blue and green bubbles all of the time. I would have deleted this picture because it's just awful, but Devri was experimenting with the zoom on her camera and I left it in to show that even iPhones can't help some angles.
Devri pulled out her iPad for something, probably to just rub in the fact that she has all apple things now, and the kids flocked to her like a bunch of fan boys and girls. They'll watch anything shiny that has an apple on it apparently.
Michael after getting cleats, a practice jersey, and a mouth guard. Starting to look like a real football player! True story: he never wore this practice jersey again after getting his real jersey.
Mom and dad visited after we got back and gave Devri this blue bird for her birthday. In case it is not clear from other posts on this blog: Devri loves birds, especially fat birds. She's like the bad guy in Iron Man 2, except not a homicidal maniac. However, she does have better plans than that guy, I mean there's a reason he ended back in prison at the end (spoiler alert).
Meanwhile, Michael started putting together this plane that he got from his Uncle Pete. Pete always seems to find something for him in his journeys.
Since we missed July 4th fireworks in Utah, we couldn't miss them on the 24th for Pioneer Day. This is a holiday I didn't really hear much about growing up, but it's very big in Utah, as in people get the day off of work at some places and there's a ton of fireworks all over again. Because we had our amazing new deck cover that isn't too steep on top, we were able to just jump (or step carefully) out of our office window and sit and enjoy the view across the valley.
Michael even came out and joined us.
Fireworks! Too bad we didn't give a view of everything in front of us - it's pretty spectacular. You'll just have to trust me.
Rachel and Gabe decided they wanted to have a "the floor is lava" party. They designed invitations (which Devri printed out for them), delivered them, and then ran the show when the kids started arriving. [Devri:I told them they could do the party as long as I didn't have to be involved.]
I was pretty impressed by their turnout! Someone's a chip off the old block (and I don't mean from me, clearly).
The shoes we collected after the party from our yard. Apparently every kid who wore their sandals there forgot that they had any footwear at all and left without them. Can you imagine adults doing this? "Oh hey Kevin, have you seen my crocs? I think I might have left them in your backyard. One was in the sandbox and the other was inside the house if I remember right."
Devri also decided that Gabe's room needed some cabinets since he was pretty short on storage, so we bought these from Ikea, stained them (they were bought unfinished), and at the same time finally stained the bath tub tray I made for Devri for Christmas. I think finishing a project 7 months late isn't too bad, right?
Gabe helped move the new cabinets into his room by doing these math flash cards.
Meanwhile, I actually did the work.
While Devri ordered this purse. I kid, she bought this purse after I put in the cabinets. [Devri: With birthday money from my mom.]
For Devri's birthday, Mom and Dad also got us tickets to go see Singing in the Rain with them at the Hale Center Theater in Sandy on Friday the 29th.
This is a theatre in the round (you have to spell it with an "re" so it's more dignified and theatrical).
The show was amazing, but our selfie taking abilities were less so.
Proof that we were there with Mom and Dad. Thank you so much for giving us tickets to the show, we loved it! Special awards go to the leads, but most importantly the person playing an old lady that sounded like she smoked most of her life. She was my favorite part of the live show by far.
Finally nailed the selfie. First try.
Singing in the Rain is one of our favorite musicals to watch. They had this awesome photo op outside of the theater, but the line was so long that we just had to take this picture of it. Ignore the people in the background, they're not with us.
Height progress update: Gabe and Rachel are very, very close now. If I did the math right, Rachel has grown 2 inches in the last 2 years and Gabe has grown 10. Confession: I made up those numbers, but Gabe has just been growing like crazy and Rachel has probably hit her full height at this pace (Note: we know she is actually growing because we can ride more rides at Disneyland every time we go).
After Mom and Dad had already given us the tickets, my old roommate Adam and his wife Sarah contacted us and said they were going to be in town and wanted to invite us to see another play with us at Hale Center Theater in Sandy on Saturday the 30th. The astute reader will notice that this was exactly one night after we went to Singing in the Rain at the same theater. It turns out that this was in the smaller theater in the same building. We even went and ate at the same restaurant both nights because it's one of our favorites (Los Cucos).
The show was "Silent Sky," all about Henrietta Levitt who was a women (still probably is) who discovered new ways of allowing others to measure the distance between stars, which completely revolutionized the thoughts on how big the universe actually was. They ended the play with these pictures from the brand new James Webb telescope, which was just awe inspiring. Adam has always been the bigger space nut (he still wants to work at NASA), but we all found the play to be truly inspirational and touching.
Sarah's very good friend was the lead in the play (Henrietta), and so they just had to see it while in town since they live in Texas.
And obligatory photos with the banner outside of the theater. There wasn't a line to this one.
Surprise, another picture of us! What did you think you'd see on this blog?
And look, here we are in front of the banner again, but this time just us.
On the way out, we noticed the significant lack of a line at the Singing in the Rain photo op we had to skip on out the night before. This was probably due to the fact that most of the people there to see it were still watching it in the theater when we were walking out.
What a beautiful feeling...
...I'm happy again!
Note: this was not a real lamp post.
Making dinner on Sunday, Gabe always loves to peel potatoes, and Michael is there too.
Don't slice off your finger, don't slice off your finger - what I say to myself every time I look at these photos
Gabe in his usual sitting position. He likes to make the couch guess his next move, and then prove it wrong.
Michael decided to make donuts for the family treat on Sunday. They were really good, sorry you likely didn't get any (unless you were there). Maybe next time.
And that, our friends and family, was July! I'm pretty sure we wanted to take the entire month of August off after this, but I'm also pretty sure we didn't. Also, that concludes this guest series by me, Brian. If you want to read more of my work, please ask for the Christmas card to be delivered to your home. And if you don't want more of my writing, then please ask to be removed from the Christmas card list.
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