The middle of summer is not what I consider an ideal time to have a baby because it brings all summer activities to a screeching halt as I recover and take care of a newborn. Lucky for my kids Grandma and Grandpa were here to swoop in and fill their summer with some fun adventures while I was out of commission.
My mom arrived in Omaha a couple days before I was scheduled to have Ryan. As always, it was so comforting having her there and knowing that the big kids would all be taken care of. She helped keep up the big kids' summer schedule of tennis lessons and swim team as well as making meals and house keeping and allowed me to focus all my attention on healing, resting, and enjoying my newborn. A week after Ryan was born my dad flew out to join in the fun. The timing couldn't have worked out any better and he came while the College World Series and Olympic Swim Trials were taking over Omaha. The crew (minus me and Ryan) braved the sweltering heat and went to the first game of the championship series in the College World Series. The next day they were all able to go to the Olympic Swim Trials. They were able to watch swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, and Katie Ledecky swim as they competed for spots on the US swim team for the Rio olympics. They even got to see Katie Ledecky up close when she got off an elevator as they were getting on. It was a really fun experience for the kids and made it so they felt a special connection to the swimmers during the olympics.
After spending a week playing in Omaha my parents drove back to Utah taking the big kids with them so they could be there for Rachel Faye's baptism. This meant the big kids also got to be in Utah for the 4th of July and participate in things like the Freedom Run, Hale candy drop/water fight, and Cul de sac of fire. The kids had an absolute blast.
Later in the week my mom took Mason and his friend, Daniel, to scout day camp at Jeremiah Johnson since they don't have anything like that in Omaha.
They finished off the week by taking a trip down to Burrville with all the Hale cousins. Two days full of fishing, 4-wheeling, carving with pocket knives, and shooting guns with their cousins was a dream come true for all of them.
Scott, Ryan, and I flew out to Utah that weekend and were waiting in Orem when they got back from Burrville. We decided to bless Ryan that Sunday before Scott and the kids took off down to the Zion house for the big Murray Reunion. Ryan and I stayed back at my parent's house for the week. After the reunion, Scott and the kids drove back to Omaha while Ryan and I flew back. It was unanimous that no one wanted to drive 14+ hours with a newborn who screams whenever he is in his carseat. That concluded the first month of Ryan's life and no one was complaining that they were bored or their summer had been ruined. It turned out to be a pretty great summer if you asked in of the kids.
