Trout Farm

I am not a fisherman.  I like to eat fish but I've not done much fishing.  Our family took us to a trout farm which is really my kind of fishing.  There were four ponds loaded with fish and it is a beautiful place.  Grandma likes to fish and I loved seeing her teach the kids what to do.

 I love the little one's face in this picture.  He wasn't sure exactly what we were doing but he was loving it.  He also got to feed the fish.

 Look at my four-year-old's face as he watched Dad getting so silly.

After fishing we went home where Dad and Grandpa grilled up our fish for dinner.  Yum!

Idaho Summer Dress Code

When it gets hot on the high desert the dress code becomes clothing optional for the littles.  Okay, most of the time they were in their swim trunks but the second day there they got wet and I just had them strip down and have fun.

 We did end up with some sore feet from rideing wiggle cars and using bare feet for brakes but other than that we were injury free and keeping cool.

George Eccles Dinosaur Park

We had a fun day in Ogden with the Kings at the dinosaur park.

This was the biggest fossil they had and it was impressive.  They had some robitic dinosaurs and the kids weren't sure what to think of that.  My four-year-old was drawn to it even though it scared him.  I sat with him for ten minutes as far from them as he could and still be able to see them.

My favorite part was all the models out in the outside area.  I loved walking down all the paths and finding more dinosaurs.  The kids were scared at first and we had to explain the noises were coming from speakers camoflauged to look like rocks.  It was interesting to see the models especially since they gave a scale so the cute stegosaur that was 1/3 scale would be very intimidating full size.

After a fun day at the park we stopped at Dylan's for lunch and ice cream.  Yum!  I also bought and sent some post cards which I haven't done in years.

Sprinklers

I just love activities that are multi-purpose.  On a hot day there is nothing better than utilizing sprinklers for a cool down.  When the tempurature rises and there's no breeze it feels so good.

It was so hot that day the I couldn't resist running through the sprinklers myself and it felt SOOOOOO GOOD!  What a way to spend a Summer vacation!

Private Pool Party

We love visiting our family in Brigham City!  The heat was getting to us so we went out to enjoy their pool.  The kids ended up turning a ring toss game into a safety device.

 They kept them on for almost 1/2 hour and didn't seem bothered that we were so entertained by them.  It was a small pool so it was unneccessary...

especially since we had a life guard.  We had so much fun this afternoon and it was a great way to beat the heat.  The kids little cousin even got in on the action a bit before getting distracted by a grasshopper.

Evening Ride

Our trip to Utah and Idaho this year was AMAZING!  The weather was super hot and tempruatures were over 100 degrees some days.  We ran through sprinklers, hung out in the wading pool, and went  swimming.  My favorite time of day was the evenings when everything would start to cool down.

There is something amazing about the cool in the air after an insanly hot day that just soothes the soul.  The first day in Idaho we loaded the four of our little family onto the 4-wheeler and took a ride.  The last night we were there Grandma and Grandpa took the littles while Matt and I sat in the porch swing.  Listening to the sprinklers and feeling the cool breeze brought back many memories of summer evenings out in the yard working, playing or just watching the sun go down.  Thanks for a great visit!

F A M I L Y

There is a special bond that exists between family.  They are the ones who have known us longest and best.  There are all different kinds of families, but we all have one.  Twice a year we make the trek to visit family.  This year I was not feeling well when it came time for packing and was NOT looking forward to the long drive.  The day we were leaving, my hip was acting up and I had a hundred things to do and everything hurt.  After spending an hour trying to pack around my children I banished them from my bedroom and got that done.  Next, it was time to start into the cleaning. (My Mom always had us give the house a good cleaning before we left for the weekend, I thought she was crazy but now I'm sure she is a genius.)  When my husband got home I was in tears because my back hurt so bad and I was trying to sweep the floor.  He swooped in, took over the mopping and sent me off to get a pizza for dinner.

No matter how hectic the trip is or the preparation, the stress melts away when we finally reach our destination.  I marvel at how much my children love their grandparents, which they should because they're really great.  We get to enjoy them for a few days and we're off again.  Despite that limited amount of time they spend together, my children have always had an acute awareness that those grandparents belong to them.  They treasure the time we spend with our family and remember so much of the little things we enjoy together.

I marvel at what I learn when we are visiting family.  It was my father-in-law who first taught me not to let my child disrespect me and that they can contribute when they are very young.  He loves to play with the kids and has a great sense of humor.  My mother is constantly reminding me how wonderful my children are and that they are good kids.  I watched my grandmother do the fastest diaper change ever and I marvel at my other grandmother's calm manner and patience.  I love watching the way my husband's mother run her household and she has such a happy spirit about her.

I am so grateful for the family I was born into and the family I married into.  When I count my blessings they are always at the top of my list.

Flaming Geyser Park

I have always loved the beauty found in nature.  I love to take walks and explore and it is something I love to share with my children.  I love to see them discover the world around them.  My husband took us to a state park on a beautiful Spring day and I can't wait to go back again.

This park had a RC airplane field.  We watched for quite a while before moving on to our next adventure.  We spent most of the day hiking, picnicing, blazing trails through tall grass and watching the airplanes.

I'm looking forward to sharing more Summer adventures with my boys.

Little Indians of Ensign Ranch

One little, two little, three little indians...

"Hey mom, what's an indian?"

We had to go check out the teepees they had at Ensign Ranch.  We went camping with some of my favorite people and it was a blast. 

We had two days of nonstop fun and came home totally exhausted.  Thank you Lindy for suggesting and setting up this trip.  Thanks to everyone who helped with the food and keeping track of the kiddos.  This has gotten me excited for the Summer and maybe a little braver about taking our little family camping.

Tulip Festival Favorites

One of my favorite parts of the tulip festival is that they are selling the tulips so there was a magazine that showed all the different varieties and names of the flowers. The redish flower with the yellow fringe is a Fringed Tulip and this variety is called "FABIO."  It just made me laugh.

There was another group of tulips that were botanical species tulips.  This variety is called "Clusiana." It says they are "closest to the wild tulips originally found in Turkey.  There was a really simple beauty to this flower that I loved and imagining them growing wild made them even more appealing to me.

I also loved the look of the Parrot tulips the petals looked kind of like feathers. This variety is called "Salmon Parrot."

What a day.  The next time I go I'm sure I'll have to buy some tulips even if I check them out and end up buying the bulbs off their website TULIPS.COM  there are just so many flowers to love.  I would really be interested to see what happens with them in future years as some of my tulips have cross pollinated and are different than the original flowers.

Tulip Festival, Mt. Vernon WA

Every once in a while I feel the need to run away for the day.  A sunny day came along and a friend of mine invited us to go over to the Tulip Festival.

 I used to think that flowers were general useless and impractical.  About three years ago someone gave me a tiger lily plant for my birthday.  After the flowers had finnished I put it out on my balcony and the next spring it started to grow.  And thus was born my love for flowers and plants in general.

 Since then I've grown vegetables and flowers in flower boxes on my apartment balcony and when we bought a house we filled the flower beds with tulips, daffodils and irises. We've also put in a garden bed for vegetables.

I have grown to love plants and really enjoyed this day filled with beautiful flowers. I had no idea there were so many varieties of tulips and walking through the fields was surreal.   It weather was so nice we all got a little sunburn and it made for a very memorable day.

Redfish Lake

If I had to design heaven I'm pretty sure it would look alot like the Sawtooth National Forest. This Summer we spent a weekend at Redfish Lake Lodge. It's one of my favorite places. It's beautiful country and I just can't get enough of it.

Upon arriving at the lake you must put your feet in and do some wading. It's strange but everyone I've ever taken to the lake has done so. It seems to just draw you into it's cool caress. (Wow, that was super cheesy, but true.)  Just look at it, doesn't it just beg you to jump into your computer and go there?  Actually it's probably covered in several feet of snow right now so wait until Summer.

The hiking is superb offering opportunities for short day hikes

and longer trips for the more adventurous.

(Excuse the alignment of this picture as it is stubborn and I gave up on fixing it.)  By the way, that is me and it's super exciting because I didn't think I could carry him.  Yeah for chiropractic and Yoga! 

The lake is 4 miles wide and almsot 1 mile long so it's great for water skiing, kayaking, canoeing and swimming. My favorite part of the lake is the shallow end by the lodge. You can walk out about 100 feet out and the water is still only to your knees.

Thank you to the Kings for a wonderful weekend in the mountains!