summer adventure - days 7 & 8

We spent the next 2 days in Logan, UT, at my in-laws' house.  Thursday we (minus my in-laws and the 3 youngest kiddos) went white water rafting with White & Nerdy Rafting (they were great - if you live in the northern Utah or southern Idaho area, check them out!).  There wasn't much actual white water, but my mother-in-law had planned it that way so that the little girls could join us.  The adults had a great time watching the kids having such a great time, though the river itself was nothing to get excited about.  That evening we had the Mulfords over for dinner, about 35 people total.  Jed showed off his newest trick, which at that point was getting up on his hands and knees (and scooting off of any blanket I put him on).

Friday Jed and I hung out at the house so that he could get the naps that he needed (the last several days had been fun, but Jed's sleep schedule had been thrown completely off, which caused him to get overtired and wake up more than once a night - when he would normally not wake up at all.  Not my favourite part of the vacation), and the Hubers went to meet some of their friends at a park.  While they were there, my niece Rachel broke her foot by jumping off of a swing and attempting to twist in the air.  Despite her protests that she had done said trick "hundreds of times before with absolutely no problem", she wasn't so lucky this time around.  Her mom and I took her to Urgent Care to get an x-ray (we at that point thought it was broken, but needed to make sure), and when we were done she had a boot on her foot and crutches to help her walk.  I felt sad for her, because that next week her family was going to Zion National Park - and she had been looking forward to hiking the Narrows for MONTHS.  Of all the activities on their month-long trip, that was what she was the most excited about.  She was a trooper, though.

           

Friday night saw the Albrechts descend upon Don and Carol's house, filling their basement, living room, kitchen, and yard with about 65 people.  While a couple of people complained pettily about anything they could think of and claimed they could have hosted better - there was too much fruit, it was too hot outside, the food wasn't organized on the table well enough, blah blah blah - most everyone had a fabulous time.  The kids, especially, loved running around the yard with each other - kids that hadn't seen each other for a few years, or had never met, played together happily as if they were best friends.  The ability to enjoy each others' company easily and non-judgmentally is one thing that I love about children.

Jed had fun playing with one of his distant cousins (Jed is in the overalls, his cousin is in the stripes):