Fun on the 4th!

The Fourth of July is always a lot of fun for us Partridges and Grovers who get to fly North to cool off for a few days. Utah's heat is no match to Arizona's 100-teens and above! We are always grateful to walk outside and be able to breathe without coughing hot air.

Our Fabulous Fourth sometimes begins with the 4th of July Parade downtown. Last year Scott was able to procure superb seats for the kids thanks to his brother Jeff. This summer we skipped the parade and slept in. Sometimes it's just a good idea to slow down and sleep in! But that doesn't slow down the excitement for long. We enjoyed an afternoon BBQ with the whole extended Partridge Family (Bryson, Aunt Stephanie and Hyrum are pictured). The Brothers (as we affectionately call my brothers, husband and brother-in-law) and Dad are expert grillsmen! Burgers, brawts and dogs (hot dogs that is) always play host to the main course, while the girls supply all the sides and table trimmings. This year, Cheryl outdid herself with star table cloth weights.

The grandkids have caught on that Grandma and Grandpa Partridge always have something up their sleeve. This get-together it was hosting our own Boat Reggata! Below is the winner's circle where all the kids await their reward (and bribe for standing still during this picture!)--Multiple boxes of Krispy Kreme goodness! I'd put a plug in for Old Navy's $5 Fourth of July t-shirts which is our annual ensemble but I
have to be honest, we were a little disappointed with their shirts this year. The sizing was all off for the kids and men and the womens shirts were. . . well. . . we're just not really into "Manhattan's and Martinis for All" so we went to Wal-Mart instead. Better luck next year, ON!




Blake (below) is enjoying the fruits of his labors--and patience while we took pictures!



We ended our day with a semi-private viewing of the Stadium of Fire fireworks display from atop the Marriott Parking garage in Provo. But this was only the beginning of the Fun on the 4th!


On the 5th of July we all celebrated my nephew Hyrum's first birthday. 10 cousins running through Brett's backyard(well, really only 8 could run) , in and out of their blow up swimming pools. It was good clean fun for everyone! The funniest thing was how cold the water was--according to the Arizona crew. My sweet sister-in-law poured boiling water into the pools in hopes of warming them up! The festivities ended with a water/hose fight between Super Uncle Chase and all the kids.

Our wet bunch then piled in the car to visit Scott's sister Karen, in Springville. The kids have a great time playing with more cousins and a whole new set of toys and games. It gave the adults an opportunity to talk about life, liberty and solve most of the world's problems. We got to catch up with Karen, Robert, Brent, Olivia, Anna and Grandma Grover while the kids continued to burn up calories from the 11am birthday cake and ice cream.

After we stayed our welcome we headed to The Bamboo Hut--our new Provo hotspot and favorite place to feel like we're back on the islands. The kids love the kalua pork and fried rice. Of course the pineapple skewers are a favorite as well. You pretty much can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Go--you'll love it!

Our Fabulous 4th felt like a continuation of our Maui vacation--only with different scenery. The kids all went through cousins withdrawal once we got home. And Blake is still talking about the "Hawaii volcano" (meaning Haleakala) and his new buddy Hyrum. It's funny to see kids "discover"other kids. The only thing we had to look forward to was swimming lessons and (my brother) Chris and Cassi and their girls moving to AZ. Finally, we get cousins HERE! My boys could hardly wait!

Next post: Here come the nieces--plus a bonus!

Catching Up

I find myself with a few extra minutes now and then since school has started. We have two kids in school all day (Bradley is in 3rd grade and Bryson is in 1st) and one (my blue-eyed Blake) in Pre-school for 2 1/2 hours 3 times a week. That leaves Baby Brock and I to enjoy a moment or two of peace and quiet. So I thought I'd take this spare second to catch up on life at the Grover house.

We had the opportunity to get away (really get away!) to Maui with the whole Partridge Family this past summer. One day we'll be able to charter a whole plane, but this trip had 10 children (8 boys ages 5 mos. - 8 1/2 yrs, 2 girls ages 2 and 4) and 13 adults (we took Grandma-ma hostage but I think she enjoyed our chaos). Surprisingly, the plane ride over and back was not so bad with so many little ones. This trip was fun because the older kids were old enough to appreciate being in Maui a little more and they could participate in more of the activities. I say they appreciated being in Maui, which they did. They also think it's as easy to get to as Disneyland! So we'll have to work on the whole reality thing. Needless to say, we had a blast!

We would all love to have our Church records transferred over to the Lahaina 1st Ward someday. These are amazing people with amazing testimonies that pierce your soul and remind you why we are here and what really does matter in life!

If you ever get the chance to go parasailing--do it! It is so calm and peaceful. It's like being a human kite! (Above: Scott and Bradley. Below: My brother Chris and Bryson. Not pictured: Myself and sister-in-law Cassi--but we had a blast!)




It should be common knowledge that you can't go on a Partridge Family vacation without the appropriate sleeping attire. Here, all our kids are adorned in their surfing/fish jammies. (From Left to Right: Bradley, Brock on Bradley's lap, Bryson and Blake)



Horseback riding is one of my favorite things to do in Maui. Mostly because the horses don't talk back and call your name every 5 minutes! This is my horse Frida. She was a great horse until I tried to stop and take a picture of Oprah's house. Apparently, stopping at that point on the trail was not on her agenda so I have a lot of pictures of the ground and wavy rooflines.



This is the cutest baby in the world today! Here's our little Brock at 5 months enjoying the sounds of the ocean and ukulele players at a luau. Really, he's just waiting for the kalua pork!












Who knew we'd love surfing as much as we do? Bradley is quite exceptional and asked when we were going to move to Maui. I told him as soon as Grandpa bought a house there!



But as all good things must come to an end so did our adventures in Maui. The boys cried for days after we got home. Really, there are too many pictures to do the trip justice. But this was a little (very little) sample of the fun we had in Maui. Next blog: The 4th of July in UTAH!