115 degrees

Gretchen was heading down to pick up Kessa from Las Vegas, so the kids and I came too. (Kess had been staying with Leah.) We were only there for a few days, but it was fun to see the Karpowitz family again. Oh yeah, and it was 115 degrees everyday. I thought I might have a problem with that, but I actually didn't mind it that much. It was way better than cold weather! Here are some pictures of the kids swimming in the backyard pool.

Independence Day!

I love the Fourth of July. If I had to chose, I'd say it's my favorite holiday. What about Christmas? It's not that I don't like it, but it's extremely stressful and it's in the winter. If Christmas were in July then it might be a different story. Anyway, this July 4th was simple and fun, and we loved hanging out with family all day. We started off at the Lehi pool. Then we came home and took a break. Summer and Jake even took a nap! Then we barbecued with lots of family. (We even got to see some Bisels from Arizona!) And ended the evening with a bang -fireworks! Here are some pics:

And a big thanks to Gran for all the cute shirts. It made dressing in red, white, and blue very easy!

Campout!

We headed up American Fork Canyon and went camping at the beginning of July. It was beautiful and lots of fun. (Except the sleeping part.) We got rained on considerably for about an hour, but we all just ate our dinners in our cars. It was gorgeous the rest of the time. My parents and the Neweys headed home that night, but the Karpowitz family, Moulder family, and Fosse family (Andy and Christy). Stuck it out through the night. I think the best part of camping is the next morning. Especially because you know the horrible night sleep you just got is over! The kids had a great time shooting each other with their water guns (thanks Aunt G.G.), playing in the stream, swinging on the rope swing, and dancing around the campfire.

Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Bean Museum. I think the kids enjoyed it. It's free, so even if they didn't, it doesn't really matter. :) This was our last stop for the day, and I think I'd had enough of photography because I really don't have that many pictures.

Dinosaur Museum

All the cousins with an Allosaurus

We are lucky to live so close to such a great university like BYU. The Dinosaur Museum there is tiny, but it's also free. And every time I take my kids, they love it. This time was even better because we had cousins along!

Deinosuchus

Ryne with a "long neck" (Titanosaur-or some other Sauropod)

BFF Kessa and LeahSummer and EmmaT-Rex skull

The Aquarium

On June 30th, we noticed that the cousins were beginning to bicker, so we figured it was time to go and see some things. We headed up to the Aquarium in Sandy and the kids had a great time trying to "pet" the stingrays. We also enjoyed the new Amazon Rain Forest exhibit. Plus, Uncle Chris and Aunt Ashley met us there, which was even more fun! Here are some pictures:
We also headed down to BYU and visited the Dinosaur Museum, the Creamery, and the Bean Museum. That will have to wait until tomorrow. :)

We celebrated Summer's birthday as a family on June 28th. It was loads of fun! We had the Karpowitz family, the Neweys, the Fosses, Gran and Pop-pop, and Grandma Ellen. Thanks again to Kessa for taking pictures for me. Summer told me she wanted an entirely chocolate cake. So Leah and I made her a chocolate cake with chocolate filling, chocolate ganache for frosting, and decorated with white chocolate chips. WOW! That's a lot of chocolate! Happy 5th birthday, Summer!