Last Summer...

was the summer that "Wasn't." I was so nauseous and tired during the first six or seven months of Connor's pregnancy that I didn't do a lot of "summer things" with the kids. Not a fun summer for them.

So this summer has been the summer that we have played hard and it will go down in history as the summer that "We went and did!!" It's been a good summer and we've almost played too hard. Many nights I'll drag home three children who are dead dog tired and drag them out of bed the next morning for the next round of activities.

I've wanted to record this summer by taking pictures of everything we've done. My poor kids probably feel like I'm the papparazzi, following them around and snapping pictures of whatever they've been doing.

So here are schmoodles of photos from our summer...all mixed up:

We started the summer out with swimming lessons for each of the kids and as you can see, Hayden is walking OUT of the photo. He wanted nothing to do with lessons (even though he demonstrated all the required elements to me the next day). Another year I guess...




We had a great family reunion down in the Arches National Park/LaSal Mountains and it was beautiful! We made some family photos in Arches at Sand Dune Arch and I love what we came home with. What a fun place to make photos!






Hayden was in boy heaven with older cousins, fishing poles, flashlights, binoculars and of couse, fire! I had no idea the LaSal National Forest was so pretty. Never been there before but we want to go again. I love aspen trees and there I saw the largest, healthiest ones I've ever laid eyes on. We ate great food from Dutch Ovens, Elle captured a snake and we have great memories of driving over miles of washboard.

We camped in what has to be the prettiest campground I've every stayed in. This was the view from our tent! You can't really see it in the picture, but Warner Lake was right there in front. Wildflowers everywhere and we even had a few deer run through the campground.











We went with some friends to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. I'll never forget seeing Hayden use his water bottle as a gun. That boy can turn anything into a "shooter." UGH! He can also make me laugh.



A friend took us "Frog Fishing" for the first time. My kids and their friends LOVED it. Spencer saw the photos later and thought we were morbid.




Tennis lessons for the first time!



Oh, the 4th of July!

Our city has the BEST parade. I hate parades, but I love this one. They have a "dry" parade which travels down Main Street first (the normal parade) which is followed by the "wet" parade. It's pretty much a contest between people on the sidewalks vs those who drive down the parade route. It seems that any vehicle which will hold water is used for this "wet" parade and you see some great creativity! Anything that can hold or squirt water.

It is so fun to watch. Notice the man in the firetruck (a few photos down)? I was laughing at him because his window was broken and he was trying to drive with one hand and hold up the broken window with his other hand. He was getting sprayed with some serious water from the trucks parked alongside the parade route.





So excited to catch a prize from the "dry" parade.



Hayden and his cute cousin B!



We went with some old and dear friends to the Manti Pageant and had a fabulous time!!





Summer isn't summer unless you tie-dye a shirt!




Each time we visit Aunt Shelly's home the kids are drawn to her swing. I laugh at Elle because she looks like a straight board (and no, the huge rock which sits just below her head does not bother me. No, I am not afraid someone will fall off and bash their head). Note the sarcasm.

But the kids love this swing.



Lots of hikes this summer. This one was up Little Cottonwood Canyon. I didn't realize there are remnants of an old mill up there, nestled along the river. It was neat to see and just so fun to get up in the mountains again - and to hang out with my sister Shelly.





Then my cousin Laura and her husband came into town and we headed for one of my favorite hikes - Cecret Lake up in the Albion Basin (Alta Ski Resort). If you time it right each summer, you can hike it when the salamanders are out. And our kids always have to catch at least one!

If you get the chance, layer yourselves with bug repellant, bring water and a few snacks and start the climb. It's cool in the evenings, the wildflowers are everywhere and we've always gotten to see moose. This year they were right off the path!

It was just a fun evening spent with their family and we topped it off with Iceberg's HUGE shakes. You seriously can feed one family off one shake. Belive me!

Then our kids were later thrilled to go the Lagoon with their family. Laura & Ray - thanks for inviting them!!







We met up with two dear friends of ours we met while living in D.C. - I could post pictures Bethany and Kristen - but I didn't think you'd want me too (big grin). So here are the girls playing in the pool. Notice the gleam in Sydney's eyes as she aims her noodle at my camera?




This feat deserves the "Good Dad Award." Oh, it hurts just to imagine him carrying both kids back from Bloomington Lake. What a pretty place. Someday we'll hit the rope swing.





We then spent several days at Bear Lake with some great friends. It was such relaxing weekend - spent boating and hanging out in the sun and watching the kids play their little hearts out. And the food - Oh so good!! There's nothing like Mexican food cooked in a Dutch Oven!! These are some of my favorite shots of the kids playing.







We stopped off for a little while at Tony Grove and it brought back many memories of when Spencer I would go camping here while in our undergrad program. I love this shot of the girls.



One of our last hurrahs this summer was our trip to Yellowstone. When we were first married Spencer would try to get me to go up there more often, but I'd had enough of mud pots and gysers. They just didn't blow my skirt up. But now we know THE places to go!! Oh, and what fun they are.

Two places that the Park Rangers don't advertise much are Boiling River and The Firehole River. At each place hot (or lukewarm) water mixes in with a river, which makes for great swimming or sitting in a hot tub.

Oh, these two activities were some of the best of our trip!! I wanted to do them again and again.

We timed it just right so that Elle and I got to attend a photography class offered by Canon and we got lucky enough to see a baby bear right out our car window and got a great shot of him eating berries. We later saw a grizzly bear - but he was so far away he just looked like a brown spot.

One evening we were spoiled and got to listen to a group play music in the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Romantic and relaxing!

And we finally did something we've wanted to do for years - we rented a boat and went out on Lake Yellowstone and had a ball.

Anyone who has visited Yellowstone knows that you spend a lot of time driving around (following huge, slow-moving campers). But this year didn't seem so bad. I have fond memories of Spencer sitting in the back seat with the girls, helping the girls with filling out their Jr. Ranger papers. They worked hard for their badge!


It was a great finale to our busy and fun summer.



















This was the goal at Firehole River!! You had to swim across a river that had a decent current and I love this shot of Spencer trying to help the girls swim upstream so they could reach the cave.





Spencer came up with the idea of having an award ceremony for the kids. They had done an especially great job of helping us prepare for one of our trips and cleaning up afterwards. So here they are, perched with happy faces with their "awards" hanging around their necks...which were promptly devoured after posing for their mom.