July 2023

 Dear friend, 

Welcome to July 2023.  Our month of 24 states.  

We hit the road right after church on July 2nd in order to make it to the Kaysville 4th of July Parade.  The drive was smooth and beautiful and the kids couldn't have been better.  

We had a wonderful time celebrating America with the Ericksons.  John and Jenn sure know how to throw a party and we loved our time with them.  The next day the celebrations continued as we hosted Jeannie's retirement party after 25 amazing years at Groton-Dunstable High School.  

We stayed in Park City and enjoyed a few more days in Utah as we visited with the Coxes, Secrists, and Jardines, went to Utah Olympic Park, and ran into my cousin John on BYU campus.  

The kids competed in their second Utah Spartan.  Unfortunately Boyd was sick the day of the race, but the other four were awesome and Rose completed it for the first time.  She went right in, grabbed a girl's hand and told her they were going to be friends and do it together.  The girl left her behind (rightfully so) shortly after the start whistle, but Rose made friends with many others along the course.  Elias and I found her at the beginning of the sandbag carry sitting next to a volunteer asking "So is this your job?  Do you like it? What's your name?"

But she finished!  Summer, Smith, and Joy did an amazing job as well.  

Then it was off to Tober for a week of hiking.  Utah had already helped them acclimate to the elevation so we dove right in to prepare for a 14er.  

We snuck away for a few days so we could go to Water World, Beau Joe's, and the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch of the Rockies.  We had a blast!

Rose and I were "hat buddies".  We even came up with a "hat buddy handshake".  She did not like this sledding hill; she said it gave her the "scary jerries".  I convinced her to do it a second time so I could take pictures.  This is what the "scary jerries" look like.  

We headed back to Tober and took on Mt. Bierstadt.  With Elias' knee still in recovery and this being the first year that Rose was hiking all on her own, I don't think E and I really thought we would summit.  We just took it one step at a time and gave the kids little "power-ups" (an M&M or sour-patch kid) every so often.  Luckily every time Rose would start to complain, a dog would hike by with its owner and perk Rose right back up again.  

It felt amazing to summit.  It was about 8 miles and we were on the trail for about 8 hours.  I'm so proud of these kids.  It really is a team effort.  Elias carries the majority of our water and is a steady hand to hold as we go over boulders.  I am telling stories non-stop; some true, some made-up...anything to distract them from the hike.  We've noticed some patterns with the kids as they do hard things.  

Summer usually has her fit before the hike even begins.  She doesn't want to do it, it's too hard, she didn't sign up for this.  One break-down at the beginning of a hike had her threatening, "I will punch all of you!" I don't think she will live that one down.  But once we are a mile or two in, Summer is great.  She's helpful and dedicated and often takes the lead.  

Smith is focused on everything but the actual hiking.  He is discovering all the bugs, sticks, and rocks along the way and is only focused on when the next "power-up" will be.  I think he appreciates the summit, but I don't know if he'd miss it if it wasn't there.  

Boyd and Joy are rockstar hikers.  They come in with energy and determination.  They offer to carry heavy backpacks and are supportive to others along the way.  But once the summit has been reached and the goal has been met...they're over it pretty quickly and it's a long hike back down.  

Obviously as a five year old, Rose had her highs and lows along the hike.  She appreciates a good story as we hike and especially a dog on the trail.  Really, if we didn't run into a dog every ten minutes I don't know if we could have done it.  Just seeing a dog up ahead would get her running up the trail.  We pumped her up, telling her that she was amazing and that her hiking legs were made for this!  She responded in true Rosie fashion, "My legs can do this but mine were actually made for softer things like cuddling and watching shows on the couch."

Tober was delightful and it was fun to see a moose and her calf at the pond everyday.  

From there, Elias had to head to London for work but the kids and I kept the party going.  We spent a day with the Stevens and then headed down New Mexico.  

It was great to be back in Santa Fe.  There is so much I love about that place and so much I don't miss.  We had a great discussion about what is "normal".  They thought the wooden fences looked trashy, but I got to explain that for Santa Fe, those are actually nice fences and had we continued living there, those would have been "normal".  

Summer appreciated visiting the old stomping grounds. (She had just turned 6 when we left five years ago.) Joy was drooling over the jewelry and felt adamant that since she was born there she really needed a bracelet to remember her roots. (I gave her an $8 limit and she loved her turquoise beaded bracelet, promptly lost it during our adventures the next day and declared, "I was born in Santa Fe.  It will always be in my heart even without a bracelet.")

Smith declared that it's nice but he's glad we moved to Connecticut and Boyd felt a little more strongly about it because he said, "If we still lived here I would run away to an orphanage in Connecticut".  

Down in Albuquerque we got to to visit with Megan and her family and then spend a night with the Holmes on their farm.  They have hundreds of chickens and it was quite the experience for the kids.  In Fort Smith Arkansas we got to catch up with the Mortensons.  A storm had come through a few days before and uprooted a huge tree in their yard.  It was fun to hear about life in Arkansas.  

Then it was on to Georgia for a dose of cousin time with Chelsea!  I love my sisters. Chelsea is an amazing mom.  With four kids (ages 4, 2, 1 and 3 months) I am in awe of her.  I have to admit, seeing her in action kind of gives me PTSD from that stage of life, but she handles it so gracefully and her kids are delightful. I love cousins!  We went paddle boarding, duck bowling, swimming, and ate delicious food.  She even took me to visit a master beekeeper so I could learn from him!  I love you Chelsea!   

From there it was on to DC!  My Dad had a one-on-one day with Boyd and then with Smith.  Meanwhile my mom and I painted the town with the other kids.  

We reunited with Elias at home just as the month came to a close.  At one on our journey Rose asked me, "Is it hard being a mom"?  I responded, " It is.  Especially when my kids don't listen to me." To that Rose replied, "Do you wish you were a dad so I could love you so much?"

Each child really is amazing 80% of the time.  So...simply because there are five of them...it often seems that Elias and I are dealing with someone's melt-down most of the time.   But still...so worth it!

We love these kids!

Love, Brittany et al.