4th of July Weekend

We had a fantastic 4th of July weekend. We spent the 3rd and 4th with the Coombs family and had all kinds of adventures with them. You can see more of the adventures on Cathie's blog at: Cathie's Blog. Unfortunately I am really bad about carrying a camera. Of course the parade is a highlight of any July 4th. Caleb didn't eat anything but candy for a good 12 hours.



Last minute we decided to stay in Salt Lake with Josh's sister Christina. We went to the Sugar House fireworks with her and then spent Saturday doing a connect pass again. If you haven't read about the connect pass in my earlier posts you can check out a link to it here: Salt Lake City Connect Pass. I am a huge fan because it is such a fun family thing to do and it is only $20 for adults for all of the days activities including dinner.

We started out at the Zoo which I can only handle for about an hour, but going first thing in the morning the crowd was small and we made it through in no time at all.



The kids loved riding on the carousel. I thought the turkey was perfect for Cara as the picture depicts two silly turkeys.



Caleb was of course excited but frightened. He really wanted to ride on the bench, but he was a little less stressed if Josh was holding onto him.



Caleb was obsessed with the map and wanted to know where we were going next at every move so he could find it on the map.



This picture of Josh and the gorella had to be included as it really does help the argument of evolution.

From the Zoo we went to the This Is The Place Heritage Park. It is right by the zoo, and I was totally impressed. It was a fantastic place for the kids to learn about the pioneers. The cabins are all staffed with people dressed as pioneers teaching crafts and pioneer chores. I would encourage every single person to take their kids there this summer. You can learn more at their web site: This is the Place Heritage Park.



Of course a highlight for the kids was taking a wagon ride, the train ride, and the petting zoo. Personally I was a fan of all air conditioned buildings.

This time doing the connect pass we made it to both an iMax show and a star show at Clark Planatarium. This gave the kids a good nap and Josh and I enjoyed sitting down and being entertained. The connect pass includes dinner at the Lion House which gave us a chance to attempt a family picture in front of the SLC temple.



Josh says we should never ask people to take our pictures as that is when the kids decide to show their power.



The highlight of the day for Josh and I was taking a ride on the tram at Snow Bird. I have skied Snow Bird, but the tram ride seemed to be especially thrilling when there were only a few of us flying through the sky. The temperature dropped 15 degrees from the bottom of the mountain to the top. The view was breathtaking!! It was a great way to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary as a family.

Summer Happenings

Now that we have our new blog figured out it is about time for me to update you on the summer happenings. I am feeling much better as long as I stay on Zofran, my medication for throwing-up, I am hardly sick at all. There is nothing like feeling really sick to make you feel great once you’re are better. Time is going really fast for me in this pregnancy as I am doing my best to enjoy my cute kids through the summer. My motto for the summer is: “IF YOU MISS THE BOAT WITH YOUR KIDS, YOU MISS THE BOAT.” I am trying to take every moment to enjoy teaching my little ones and watching them learn and grow. I have even slept in a tent twice this summer in order to provide good experiences with them. (For me that is a huge stretch.) Sense pictures say a thousand words the following should give you a good idea of what we have been up to this summer.



We have spent a lot of time this summer with family. We love having Cathie and her kids only an hour away. There is something special about cousins. Cody makes a great horse, and all of the kids want to ride him at once. It is good practice sense he and Stephanie are expecting a baby in January. Connie took over Sami's room in the basement as Sami is no longer with us. We love having Connie. We only wish we saw her more often.



Caleb has his own special style. My mom couldn't believe that I let him go to the grocery store dressed like this. I figure there are far more important battles. He is mister social. To be home without a friend for even an hour is like torture to him. When he wakes up in the morning the first words out of his mouth are "who can come over and play today" and then he lists off all of his friends and neighbors while I make up silly excuses as to why it just wont work out, at least for a couple hours. He just can't get enough of friends.



Cara is such a joy. She brings me so much happiness as her personality is friendly and ambitious, yet easy going. She is so easy to get along with even for a two year old. The hardest thing about Cara is her independence. She insists on doing up her seat belt herself which can take a long time, and moving the car before she has finished her project is not acceptable. Her speech is improving, and although there are few words, she loves to sing primary songs. She gives Caleb a run for his money as she isn't afraid of anything!



Cara loves to wear her sun glasses. Grandpa Neil calls her Hollywood as she struts around in her glasses knowing how great she looks. The kids have gotten really comfortable with swimming this summer. I try to take them once a week. We went to Glendale Reservoir, near my parents home a few weeks ago. Caleb and Cara both had their life jackets on. Cara jumped off the dock over and over even without anyone to catch her. She would simply paddle and kick to someone to help her back on so that she could jump again. On the other hand Caleb sat right in the middle of the dock, sweating in the heat, wondering and talking about sharks or other unknown critters that may be in the water to get him. He finally showed his bravery and got in the water as we were all leaving.



I sure love my silly kids.