As we usually do in July, we headed to Nona's house for a month of magic. We always arrive late in the evening so the girls have to wait for the magic until the next morning. They love Nona's backyard with all of its flowers, grass, and animals. This year, in addition to the guinea pigs, chickens, rats, mice, lizards, snakes, dogs, cats, birds, hamster, and chinchilla, there was a duckling. He was pretty popular with the girls. They wanted to feed him and swim with him right away.
We got there just in time for the Fourth of July. There is nothing like celebrating Independence Day in a small town. We especially love the parades.
After our 14 hour drive the day before, I knew the girls would be too tired to stay up and watch the fireworks so we played with sparklers on our own. The Fourth is my favorite holiday and it was made even better because I was with my family.
My family missed Freya's witch birthday party in June so we celebrated again with a tea party. The girls ran out of regular sized teacups so we were forced to use doll cups. It was pretty entertaining!
This year we made it to the Cache Valley Cruise In to look at all the fancy cars. We saw my dream car and the girls picked a dream car of their own.
We always go to the Gardner's Market while we are in town but this year we got to help sell some of Nona's crafts there. Freya was a crack up. Every time people would come up to our booth to buy something she would say, " Oh no! More people are coming to take all Nona's stuff!" I tried to explain to her that that was why we were there and that is was good people wanted to buy Nona's stuff but she wasn't having it.
When we go to Nona's we spend a lot of time outside enjoying the green grass, rivers, lakes, and trees. We were fortunate to have friends and family with us who also like to enjoy nature.
Nona's house also means lots of treats. We definitely go through a sugar detox period when we get home!
One of the reasons we stay for an entire month is because I teach at the residential treatment center where my mom teaches. I help teach horseback riding and I assist my mom in whatever she is teaching. I enjoy it very much and look forward to it all year.
In the past, we have helped the girls make music videos and done fashion shows featuring clothes from different eras, this year we put on a Clue Mystery Tea Party similar to the dinner theater I put together for the ladies at church in March. Everyone had a fabulous time.
While we were there Lillian lost her first tooth! She came running up to me in a state of hysteria because her tooth was dangling by the root. When I asked her if I could pull it out she about ran away! One of the girls at the tea party who was witnessing this dramatic show gave Lillian a hug, asked her if she could see the dangly tooth, and promptly pulled it out before Lillian even knew what was going on! It was pretty funny!
One day while we were getting some supplies for our big Clue Mystery Tea Party we found this cardboard dollhouse on clearance. We brought it home and my mom and I painted and colored it for the girls. It ended up being just as much fun for us as it was for them.
The last week we were in Utah both girls attended a camp. Lillian went to Farm Camp where she milked a cow, pulled weeds, gathered eggs, fed animals, rode ponies, and played in pioneer cabins.
Freya went to a Princess Dance Camp where she learned a dance routine, dressed up as a princess, and met some princesses.
We spent many hours out playing with a group of foals that belong to the owners of the residential treatment center where I taught. As soon as you set foot in the pasture they would flock to you. They wanted to sniff you and follow you and watch you. They were a hoot! The girls begged me to take one home and, to be honest, it was hard to say no!
It just so happened my sister had a few kittens left over from two abandoned litters that were given to her. One of the kittens turned out to be the perfect witch's cat and would ride around perched on the front of Lillian's broomstick.
Soon after that pictures like this one started showing up all over the house.
That is when I knew we were in trouble! I am a horse person and a dog person and a goat person and a rabbit person and a guinea pig person and a cow person and a pig person, not a cat person but these two little girls wanted this cat so Josh and I made a deal with them. They stuck to their end of the deal so Eddie the cat made the 14-hour drive home with us and he was great!
Nona always likes to watch movies with the girls so this summer we decided it was time for them to see Harry Potter. Ever since Freya's birthday party, they have been obsessed with witches and wizards so the movie fit well with the theme of our summer.
My sister bottle fed Eddie and he has spent a lot of time with other animals and people so he is a pretty well-rounded chill cat. The girls are happy to have him. For the most part he seems happy to be here too. Occasionally I spy him hiding from them under my dresser but I can't blame him. They don't give him much rest!
Leaving Nona's was hard as it always is. We love our time with family and hate to go but leaving also signifies the end of summer. The end of long silly mornings, late night adventures, afternoon naps, and time together. I wasn't ready for all that to end and I know Lillian and Freya weren't either but nothing gold can stay.
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