Camping

Our ward had our annual mother/daughter campout in early August this year. And lucky me! I got to be in charge this year. Oh boy!

So... not that I ever manage to capture many pictures on this outing, I had even more distractions from taking pictures.

It was the same as always; Dinner, a craft, playing at the playground, s'mores and sleeping in a tent, breakfast then home.

Marisa, of course, loved it... Which is why I was willing to put on my big girl panties and take my turn being in charge. However, next year... it will not be me. I will just take Marisa camping and invite anyone that wants to come along if it doesn't happen as a ward. Is that bad? I hate being in charge and I just don't handle spending ward budget money on food and campsites for people who said they would come and don't. It doesn't sit well with me so I will give the fun responsibility to someone else.... besides I'm not in the ward primary anymore. That's my excuse anyway.

Princess Summer Ballet Camp

The title says it all.

They were Belle two weeks too but I wasn't able to snag a picture of her in that costume.

A Fun Day at the Beach

So, the friend that just moved invited us up to play at a little reservoir in her new town.

It's such a fun little place with a sandy beach and some picnic tables etc.

The kids enjoyed the sand and Roman had fun with the bigger boys out on the boat and in the deeper waters.

How would you like to live in the house just bellow this reservoir... Me? Never!!

This picture just kills me. Ezra's swim shorts are big and just barely hang on to his tiny little bum. So... his little crack sometimes takes a peek. But the tag of his shorts cover any in-proper exposure just perfectly.

Afterward we had dinner and visiting while the kids played until we just absolutely had to go home because it was already an hour past bedtime and we still had an hour of driving ahead of us.

The kids had a blast! So, we did it again the next weekend with even more friends.

Summer vacation ends this week. I'm sad about days like this and SO happy when it comes to weeks like this last one where the fighting came back in full force. It's like they are begging to go back to school, only not in those exact words.

Another Short Hike

I dragged my kids up another mountain for a very short and much easier hike than all the others. You should have heard the moans as we drove towards the Nebo Loop.

Why????

Anyway, I decided on a hike called Grotto Falls. It's super short, relatively easy and has all these fun little bridges to cross.

The forestry and weather were also beautiful. Just what I love about the outdoors.

I invited a few friends to come along with their kids. These are the friends I met because of the friend that moved away. I tell ya, Heriman is lucky to have her around.

Ezra took off his shirt and almost got under the falls. He chickened out at the last minute which was a wise decision. It really wasn't a warm enough day.

Marisa stuck to my side and never really got comfortable with all the other people and dogs in the area.

Then, we let the boys chase around water skeeters and snails while we chatted in the shade.

What a nice relaxing afternoon. I felt very refreshed and happy afterward. The kids never really got over the fact that I made them go on yet another hike.

Pioneer Day Celebrations

This Pioneer Day was pretty fun this year. Shane's parents came down for the Fiesta Days rodeo. The rodeo is always really fun.

It doesn't start until 8. Probably so we don't get cooked out there in the heat, but my kids go to bed at 7:30 to 8. It's always an adventure when we keep them up late. Usually it's the next day that is just a pleasure.

The kids enjoyed endless sugar the entire evening.

A little mutton bustin'

And some riding.

Ezra, who really likes his bed time kept asking to go home to go to bed. He almost made it to the end, but with about 10 minutes left, he crashed.

Everyone had a great time. Thanks for taking us Grandma and Grandpa!

The next day, I woke up a little early and ran 5k in the next town over. Gotta love small town races. I got 4th place in overall women and 2nd place in my age category. But most importantly, I improved my time by a minute!

We had a yummy BBQ at Shane's sisters house that afternoon. The kids love to help with the corn.

Next year, I think we might head over to Mapleton and enjoy some of their festivities. They have a lot to do and I've never even considered going over there before now.

Vernal

What can I say about Vernal?  

 I'd never been there (Not that I can remember anyway) so we decided to make a small family vacation and see Northeastern Utah.

We saw all the dinosaurs.

Spotted all the large and crazy signs.

Stopped by the temple.

Enjoyed the nice hotel.

Skipped over to the Dinosaur Quarry in Dinosaur National Monument.

Then we drove home.

My only regret is that we didn't ride the Green River. I may have mentioned this before... I'm funny about boats. Our kids might have been too little, who knows. My general distaste for boats and Shane's general distaste for camping also kept us from Flaming Gorge.

Now that I've seen Vernal, I can cross one more place I haven't been off my list. ;)