Utah 2020 Sunday dinner at Jana’s

Sloane took pics of Reese and a Quincy modeling clothes that they looted from their cousin Taylor. Taylor is so cute and fun to pass her wardrobe down to these teens who look up to her so much. 


We had home church at Rob and Lynda’s with Jana and Janae’s families, and Scott smoked ribs and chicken for dinner. I made southern style cinnamon (butter fried) apples and 4 loaves of french bread to contribute. 


Corbin set up a family game (boys vs girls) of 1-2-Switch. Runway is always the funniest challenge. 





The family took Goldie and Monty for a walk at a nearby park to run free. I took the 3 littles home to bed. 

We dragged a few mattresses  to our bedroom floor in the air bnb and I introduced my 4 older kids to the classic Fiddler on the Roof. They loved it. It’s over 3 hours long, so at 11:30pm I cut everyone off with an hour to go. The boys fell asleep in our room on the mattresses and they are all asking when we will get to finish the movie.  

Their favorite part, so far, is the scene where Chava is approached by Fyedka and he pushes a blue book on her, and she says “but I am Jewish” and he replies that it’s ok and he will give her his copy and then they can meet again and talk about what she read. The kids exclaimed that he looks like a missionary giving out a copy of the Book of Mormon, and really, it’s true. “Here, take my copy! I’ll come back and we’ll talk.” 🤣🤣🤣

Utah 2020 happy 50th anniversary Rob and Lynda

We found a Shake Shack on Saturday! The cousins wanted to play so we went over Scott and Jana’s until it was time to get ready for family dinner to celebrate 50 years of marriage for Rob and Lynda. Reese and Quincy took Monty for a walk (read: Monty walked them 😂). Aaron visited with his brother Jared, for a bit, and picked up crumble cookies for the party. 


Aaron’s sisters did a great job putting together such a beautiful tribute to Rob and Lynda. We loved looking at all the old photos, Lynda’s wedding dress and cake toppers. I did the little chalk anniversary sign 


We all noticed that rob’s expression in this pic is a face that our Quincy makes all the time!  

Quincy (wearing a skirt from cousin Taylor) pointing out baby Aaron in old photos. 



Corbin and cousin Sophia have the same face shape. 

We had a cafe rio catered dinner, a lovely tribute to Rob and Lynda, and an outdoor movie (Star Wars, of course) with a beautiful view of of the Oquirrh Mountain temple from John and Julia’s beautiful backyard. 



All 20 Willardson first cousins with Grandma Lynda and Grandpa Rob. L-R: Avery Schauss, Madeline Low, Ella Willardson, Preston Low, Matisse Willardson, Claire Willardson, Henry Low, Sophia Low, Jackson Schauss, Soren, Abigail Willardson, Ethan Willardson, Corbin, Quincy, A and E, Reese, Audran Willardson, Sloane, Hanna Willardson.

Jana, Scott, Avery, and Jackson Schauss

John, Julia, Abigail, Claire, Ella, Hanna Willardson

Rob and Lynda

Janae, Steve, Preston, Henry, Madeline, Sophia Low

Aaron and Meg, Corbin, A, E, Soren, Sloane, Reese, Quincy Willardson

Jared, Ashley, Matisse, Audran, Ethan Willardson

All of the Rob and Lynda Willardson Family together in one place. 

Utah 2020

The smoke alarms in our air bnb are beeping every 2 minutes. Aaron is on a hunt to disconnect all of them until the evil beeping one reveals itself. After our experience here, I doubt we will stay in an air bnb ever again. While he’s on his futile hunt to keep us from going completely insane, I’ll catch up on my blog.  

Aaron had a fly fishing date up Provo canyon with his dad and brother in law, Scott, early yesterday morning, so  the kids spent yesterday morning coloring and playing the switch and I did a few loads of laundry and made egg burritos. 



To give grandma Lynda a break from having the crowd in her house, we invited everyone back over to Mark’s house with us. Thanks, Mark and Melinda for hosting us, and thanks Mom for the yummy lunch spread! 






Scott and Jana and kids, Janae and kids, and cousin Claire (uncle John’s daughter) joined us to swim. The kids loved it so much! 







Sweet little Soren curled up and caught up on sleep for a couple hours. He looked so relaxed! 

A day at Mark’s needs to include a trip down the street to Shiver for shaved ice! 

Back at grandma Lynda’s, the boys played a new board game called Splendor and the big girls sat and visited. Aaron ordered enormous New York style pizzas for dinner, the our triplets played with alphabet bead necklaces and then went to the basement to watch Brave. Two of Uncle Jared’s kids, cousin Audran (a recent high school grad!) and Ethan flew in yesterday, so we got to hang out and catch up with them for awhile. Almost all the cousins were together (minus Matisse who was working.)  John and Julia also came over. 





While passing through the Lehi area, I tried to track down the store front for some of the homeschool curriculum I want to use for Soren, Sloane, and the twins, this fall. Unfortunately, after a long wild goose chase, we found the store, but it is closed indefinitely due to COVID.  Most of what I need is still out of stock online, so I was hoping to get lucky at the brick and mortar store. That said, I went back on the website last night, and they are hopeful that products will be replenished by late August. 🎉🎉 

Utah 2020: Draper Hike Jungle Trail, Swig, Daybreak Duffy Boats

Soren and Henry


Sophia L




R-L Soren, Jackson, Henry, Madeline, Quincy, Jana, Corbin, Avery, Monty, Scott


The dandelion “wishes” are HUGE in the mountains! 

We popped over to Marks to pick up the rental car we’d left there and check in on my dad, who took a hard fall down a flight of stairs in Rexburg, last week. He hit his head and neck, demolished his iPad that broke his fall, and has a concussion. It’s miraculous that he didn’t break any bones (or his neck)! 

Janae arranged for Reese, Quincy, Madeline, and Ella to go for a bike ride. They found their way to Swig and came back with boba smoothie drinks (which the kids all love and I find to be disgusting. It’s like drinking orbeez 🤣) 



My daddy showing off one of his gnarly bruises. (You’re welcome for not showing the gash on the other side) 

I took the triplets with me on a nightmare 2 hour wait for curbside dinner pickup while Aaron went with our big kids and cousin Jackson on the Duffy boats in Daybreak lake. They loved it! 

Utah 2020: Petersen Farm, Oquirrh Lake Beach, Soda Row, and Auntie Jana’s House

Petersen Farm had day old baby goats, so of course this place was heaven for me!  They are the cutest things I’ve ever seen!  I loved this little morning adventure. Jana and her kids joined us, and we fed the animals, watched the bees at work in a plexiglass top bar hive, and bought some fresh produce. This place is my dream. A working farm with a preschool built in? Yes! I fantasize with Aaron all the time about creating a place where families can just gather and be together enjoying life’s simple pleasures. 








This beehive blew my mind. It’s indoors and the bees leave the hive via a tube that runs to the outside.  It was great to get to see them up close. 






Back in Daybreak, we ate a picnic lunch in the perfect shade on Grandma Lynda’s front lawn and marveled over the ability to sit in grass and not be bitten by ticks or chiggers. 


We spent the afternoon at a Daybreak Oquirrh Lake beach. Aaron’s aunt Valle, and cousins Collin and Dre and kids Sofia and Curtis, cousin Jenny and daughter Margot, and cousin Kate and kids Tommy and Drue came to the beach too for a “socially distant visit.”  The kids played hard. We took kayaks and SUPs out (mine was directed by little Captain Curtis), built sand castles, chased ducklings, and got too much sun despite umbrellas and 200 applications of SPF 9,000. Utah was a scorcher yesterday afternoon! 

Any sand beach will forever be the ideal “vacation”  for the twins. The sensory input is endless. We had almost 3 solid hours with very happy little people digging, burying themselves and then  “swimming”, then swimming and then digging and burying themselves over and over again. It was so good for them! 

Sloane built a little castle topped with duck feathers (I just try not to think about disease and focus on the enchanting playtime instead), and Soren built a moat and a path out to the lake that he sailed a toy boat on.

Meg with Curtis

Drue, Preston, Corbin 

In the evening we ate dinner with Jana and co at her house then saw some extended family for fancy ice cream at Rockwell’s on Soda Row. The 2nd generation cousins got up on the stage and danced and the 1st generation cousins caught up.