Karaoke while waiting for all of the guests to arrive.

Pizza and cake

Dilara, Catherine, Raine, Mya, Hailey, Mackenzie

Mya made and decorated Raine’s cake

The real party started when we arrived at Six Flags.

The Texas Giant (Raine was holding onto her glasses)

Judge Roy Scream

The Texas Sky Screamer

These girls rode rides until they dropped!

Raine’s birthday wasn’t spent quite as she would have liked — my former coworker, Stephen Shaw, invited us to the TCU vs SMU football game and we couldn’t pass up the offer.

After the game we had cake and presents.

The kids didn’t have school on Monday so Raine and I went shopping at the Galleria (after making them get flu shots at DJ’s office).

We had lunch at the super-fancy Grand Lux Cafe.

First day of 4th grade

First day of Middle School, 6th grade

Carter wanted to have his birthday party on his actually birthday, so we did. He invited a bunch of his friends to Obstacle Warrior Kids to burn off some energy American-Ninja-Warrior style!

Colton, Carter, Marissa, Raine, Spencer, Ben, Will, and Matthew

June 21 – We started our drive home and stopped in Moab to visit Arches National Park.

Our hotel was right on the Colorado River.

Of course Carter had to try out the hotel pool!

June 20 – We hiked up Mueller Canyon toward Elephant Rock.

Tuesday, June 18 – More swimming

Raine and Addy

Katie and Benji

Carson and Carter fishing at a community pond.

A moose at the pond where we were exploring.

Millie, Carson, DJ Carter, Addy, and Raine

Up the mountain we found snow.

Raine and Addy

Carter crossing the run-off river

Carter, Millie, and Daddy

Anderson Family Square Dancing

Kids’ Dance Party

We went back to Grandma Dewey’s house that night but met up with the Hicks family in Bountiful on their way out of town the next day.

June 16 – We drove up to Heber City for the Anderson Family Reunion at Timber Moose Lodge.

This was the first family reunion for the Jay and Nelda Anderson family in a whole lot of years. Dad was the only one of their children who was not there, because he’s on a mission in Germany. All of my siblings were there at some point, but not all at the same time. Ryan was there Sunday night but Jake’s family hadn’t arrived yet and John’s family was only there during the day on Monday.

June 17 – After breakfast, we hit the giant indoor pool.

Millie, Raine, and Addy

Carson and Carter

Playing sharks and minos

Hiking around the grounds we saw a deer.

Pastels with Aunt Barbara

I helped Connie make a whole bunch of batches of a variation of these goodies; we used Rice Chex instead of corn flakes and left off the chocolate on top. In a couple batches we used nutella instead of peanut butter. These things disappeared fast!

That evening we all rode the Heber Creeper.

Addy, Raine, Carter, and Carson

First, the wild-west shootout.

Dixon, Annie, Addy, and Raine

There was a lot of entertainment along the journey.

Some didn’t get into it as much as others.

First, DJ opened his Father’s Day gifts.

Then, we picked up Ryan and drove down to John’s house for Wrenly’s blessing

After that, we headed to the Anderson Family Reunion. But that’s its own post.