This is a long one...bear with me...or skip to the pictures

I have only been back in AZ for about 2 days and I am already tired of the heat. Heaven help me. It is going to be a long month. The girls and I ditched Jon almost all of June and went to Utah. It was a great break from the mundane of my life here. Poor Jon, he is studying for the bar. That is one of the big reasons we left, to give him a little peace. We missed him a lot so it is good we are back, but I hope that we aren't too distracting for the last month of his studying.
Utah was lots of fun. It was super cold though. I think it didn't get above 80 the whole time we were there. It was quite an adjustment coming from 100 degree weather. It has been so rainy and cool there that everything is green and beautiful. Addie and Grace were in heaven just playing in my parents backyard all day. It was like going to a park everyday, but better because there was soft green grass...and that doesn't exist here. I got to lay on a blanket in the shade of our cherry tree and read a book while I watched my kids play. It was pretty perfect.
I will share highlights of the trip through pictures.
Memorial day is always fun to be in Utah for. We get together with all of my dad's side and visit graves and have a picnic. Do we look cold? We didn't come prepared for winter. It started SNOWING while we were at the cemetery. It was ridiculous. Needless to say we picnicked in the Uncle Brent's house.

Addie made some major progress on our trip to Utah. She has always been a little nervous about rides. She wouldn't even go on the carousel a few months ago. But she really wanted to go to Lagoon with my parents and the her cousins. So we took her to the Springville carnival and told her if she rode everything without being scared, then she could go to Lagoon with Grandma and Grandpa. She was a champ. It think it helped to have her fearless cousin Annie at her side the whole time, but she loved all the rides and was so brave.
Grace loved the carousel, I had to pry her off it. Addie had so much fun at Lagoon. The only thing she was scared of was the public restroom. My mom told me she didn't go potty the whole time they were there. I think Grandma tried to take her once, but she screamed like a banshee. I always feel like people probably think I am abusing my child or something when she does that. Anyone have any tips to get her over her fear of public potties? I think the main problem is the loud unexpected flushing. She has sensitive ears. I hope she outgrows her fear. Luckily she has amazing bladder control and can hold it all day.

Nothing is better than popsicles on the porch with cousins. I am pretty sure it wasn't warm enough for a slip and slide, but that didn't stop them.
My sister, Sarah, ran the Utah Valley Marathon and she rocked. She qualified for the NY marathon, which is faster than qualifying for the Boston one. She is amazing. We went to cheer her on. My parents took the girls and I up to the "This is the Place" monument, it was pretty fun. I couldn't believe I had never been before.
Grace was a little stinker at the beginning of our visit and wouldn't let any of my family hold her, but by the end, she would let any of them pick her up as long as I wasn't in view. And she formed a special connection with my dad, whom she called "da" and by the end she even reached for him while in my arms...it was big progress, big. Now here is to hoping that she doesn't forget them before our family reunion in August. We even were gone for Father's Day. I felt horrible that Jon had to spend Father's Day without his kids, we talked on webcam, but it isn't the same. Here is a picture of the crew that was there to celebrate my Dad on Father's day. I got to see lots of good friends as well, but unfortunately didn't take any pictures.
The morning after we got home, the first thing Grace said when she woke up was "Dada" and when I brought her in to him, she just laid on his chest for about 5 minutes straight (which if you know Grace is quite a long time for her to hold still) and she only occasionally raised her head to look and him and lovingly say, "Dada". It was precious. She is a serious Daddy's girl.