July 2018

There were some noteworthy events in July! Once again, we didn't stop having fun! Unfortunately, during one of our "fun" days I dropped my phone and was without it for over 10 days. Of all the reasons I wanted to have that phone, was I felt like I was missing my memory keeping without my camera. 

But, not to worry, there are still plenty of pictures to see the fun, HOT, days of summer!

Ezra can often be found in this position. Sometimes he goes all out and gets both feet up there.

One of the most exciting things that happened in July is Oliver learned to ride his bike!!! And just in time for the 4th of July parade!

More play group! Lincoln did great at reading to the kids. It's sometimes hard to read and show the pictures, but he was so helpful!

Let the games begin! Oliver, Connor and Emily are ready to roll!

Thomas was anxious to ride the scooter and Lincoln opted for roller blades this year. I think they would both choose a different mode of transportation if they could do it again.

After the parade we went to IKEA and picked out hardware for our new kitchen, then we went to Chuck-A-Rama for our 4th of July dinner. Ezra was a big boy in his high chair, and he couldn't get enough of eating the table. YUCK!

Another day, another splash pad. This time we met up with Holly Blackhurst and her kids.

A couple of things that my phone camera missed:

•  Oliver's Upstart Graduation. Yep, he completed a full year of pre-k computer education and they tested him and gave him a piece of paper and I didn't get to record the momentous day.
• Dean and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. Judy got us tickets to the symphony at Dear Valley. It was ABBA! We thoroughly enjoyed it.
• Lincoln also played in a soccer league with his friend Amara. He had a timid start to the season, but by the end of the season he was one of the most aggressive players on his team!
• Carson and Khari day was another huge success! The boys loved every minute of it, just like they always do. Lots of swimming, bounce house, hot dogs and junk food. Aunt Jod really knows how to throw a party. 

And this is Ezra getting his first shot at Carson and Khari's big day.

And off to Yosemite! For our biggest camping trip of the summer. I over-worried about the long car ride. The kids did fantastic! I worried about our old van making it all the way there and back. The car did fantastic! I worried because there was a giant forest fire just outside of the park and the air quality was poor. The air quality was not fantastic, but we returned to the Salt Lake Valley and I was reminded that we live in poor air quality by living in Salt Lake. Once those small things that I stressed about were taken care of, we had so much fun!!!

On Friday night we drove to Ely, NV and stayed at a La Quinta Inn. We had a great breakfast in the morning, then finished the drive by early afternoon Saturday. We set up our camp and went for a small hike!

Each night there were ranger presentations at an amphitheater and they always came around to recruit. 

On Sunday we went into the "valley" It was about an hour drive from our campsite and the air really was poor. There was ash in the air, and we had a great time! We went into a small sequoia forest. The kids saw giant trees and giant pine cones. 

We played on this tree for a long time. It was laying on its side and there was a tunnel through it. The boys climbed on top, and Thomas liked to make me nervous by climbing on the edge!

This kid was dirty the entire trip...it was pretty awesome!

Lincoln loves being the oldest, biggest, and highest climber.

We went on a shuttle ride around the valley. The kids liked the shuttle ride almost as much as views.

Well, it's hard to blame them when the view was a white wall of smoke.

We hiked lower Yosemite Falls, which was perfect for our small crew.

Me and the boys played around in the river for a while while Dean took Ezra for some walks.

Just as we were leaving the valley some of the smoke lifted and we were able to see some of the wonders of Yosemite.

We made it back to our campsite after dark, had a quick chili dinner and went to bed.

Monday morning we did some more hiking. We hiked to Soda Springs and to a small lodge, then we hiked Pot Hole Dome. The boys loved climbing on the granite rock and did some exploring at the top. Dean again stayed back with Ezra while he slept.

After our hikes, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Tenaya Lake. The water was pretty cold, but we still had plenty of fun.

Ezra didn't love the water this time.

Thomas was excited to be our sand sculpture!

Did I mention that Thomas managed to stay dirty the entire trip!

After our tin foil dinners we had banana boats!

Then off to bed for our last night in the tent on this trip. Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Lake Tahoe! There was a bunch of road construction that slowed us down, but once again, the boys did great in the car! We made it to the lake, had a picnic then played some more on the beach. The water was so clear- Dean even went swimming this time.

After we were done swimming, we headed to Reno for a night at Circus Circus. We saw a couple of circus acts and ate a dinner of leftover camping food on a mow strip across the street from our hotel. The kids were pretty wound up, but needed to get some sleep!

We left Reno Wednesday morning and had another full, long day in the car. Once again, the kids did great!!!

And just like we left this place, we came back ready to play some more! We had one day at home, playing with trains etc, while I did laundry to get ready for the next adventure.

Bear Lake, here we come!!!Our trip started out great on Friday evening. Just as we passed Evanston, I realized I had left Ezra's bag at home. We went back to Evanston so I could purchase some diapers and clothes for the weekend. The sky was beautiful as we arrived!

Cousin time is one of the best parts about Bear Lake!

Oh, and the Lake is pretty sweet too! We had a beach day on Saturday, a church day and at home day on Sunday and another beach/boat day on Monday. Another great trip!!!