Our last official family Summer Shebang

Tanner had been wanting to go to the Dinosaur Park all Summer long, and we finally made it. (see picture collage at bottom) It is a fun little place tucked away near the Ogden River Trail in Ogden.

Believe it or not, even though Brandon grew up right near Antelope Island in Syracuse(West of Layton), I had never been(or rather he had never taken me) to Antelope Island! In all these years, we had just never taken a trip out there. Well, four kids and almost 12 years later, I finally said, "It's time!" We arrived shortly before sunset so we didn't stay as long as we had wanted, but it was enough to get a little wet and see the beautiful sunset and moon rise. We would like to go back another time for sure. We saw a buffalo(I was pretty excited about that) from afar and some little antelope also.

Now my confession: I had never even touched the Great Salt Lake and now I have! It's a little crazy, I know, but true. I have been to many lakes, both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and even been to Hawaii, but had never had that experience. Maybe recently going to the ocean spurred me on again to want to get there! Zach likes to REALLY get in the water and dunk his head, and boy did he notice how salty it was pretty quick! I guess that's why it was named:
THE Great Salt Lake.

Antelope Island

Dinosaur Park

It was......off to Los Angeles to see Wicked!

Okay, okay. So here is the 411 on my trip! I flew down to Long Beach last Monday morning with my sister-in-law, Tami and we met up with all of Brandon's sisters(Heather, Heidi, Kirsten and Angie) and my mother-in-law (Leesa) who were on an earlier flight. We went to lunch at Panera Bread. Loved the food, and highly recommend it! I had never eaten there before and I just loved their menu. We headed to Redondo Beach and played in the water and relaxed on the beach. It was great fun! The water felt so good and I forgot how salty the ocean is. It had been a while since I really got in and swam and really played in the ocean.

The second day we did some shopping and visited Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, The Hollywood Walk of Fame and had a quick dinner at California Pizza Kitchen before heading to Pantages Theatre to see Wicked! Wow! It was an incredible show. I am now a fan! I loved not knowing much about the story before seeing it. It was great to see it all unfold and I love the music which I can't get out of my head now. It was well worth it!

The last day we made a quick trip to Knott's Berry Farm before going to the airport for our evening flight. It's a fun place and I had actually never been there before. I'll have to go back someday when I can spend more time there. I guess all of us mommies needed the little break, because there were lots of fun silly moments where us girls couldn't stop laughing! Fun, fun times.

Back to the real world now...getting ready for school to start. One week in counting. I always have mixed feelings about this time. Sad to see this great summer end, yet happy to be on a better schedule and happy to see the kids learning. And let's face it, happy for the break! But it means they are growing and getting bigger and I can't believe Tanner is going to be in 2nd grade and my twins in Kindergarten. Oh my. Where DOES the time go?

Guess where I went? ;)

Bear Lake with Brandon's family

I am telling you, if you can't get to the ocean...get to Bear Lake! That place is so magical. We love it and we were lucky enough to go back this year. Blue, clean water. Wonderful sand, and shallow water for the kiddos to play in. And hey, no riptides or sharks! Tanner is our little water skier! He popped right up and didn't want to stop! He totally made my day. He absolutely loved it so much he cried on the way home that it was over. Megan and Zach partially got up but only for a couple of seconds. They are still very young so there is lots of time! They loved riding in the tube behind the boat, which Zach lovingly named, "Grandma Rapids" because Grandma was driving the boat. It was really sweet. Brandon also did a little slalom skiing and wakeboarding. I believe it was his first time on the wakeboard. Other than the fact that I was sick on the last day and hung out at the cabin with Gavin, it was a great time for all. Grandma treated everyone to eating out at Maddox restaurant in Perry-near Brigham City. The food is great and the kids were great too. :)

Park City with Jen's family

 

We took a short trip to Park City and had a great time. The little boy cousins all wore their matching BYU outfits from my Mom(thanks Mom). We watched the skiers practice their jumps into the pool at Utah Olympic Park. We really enjoyed the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster at Park City Mountain Resort. The Alpine Coaster is well worth the ride! Wow! What a fun trip down the mountain! That is a fun activity for all ages. The kids enjoyed the pool at the condo. We shopped a bit at the outlet mall. I could be there all day without children, but that's for another trip! One the way home we stopped at Jordanelle Reservoir for a little fun on the beach and in the water. Gavin had such a great time as did all the kids. We will be going to Bear Lake very soon. And then after that, Mom(that is me!) is taking a special trip by herself...details to follow next week!

Love this face!

You gotta love a snow cone at the carnival!

You don't have to push a handcart...

But you do have to dress up, look cute and ride a bike or scooter! Yes, that's right. It's like Halloween in July at the Primary pioneer parade! Last night my mom whipped out this little skirt and we fixed up the bonnet for Megan. Pretty good for a very late night, very last minute project! What a woman, I tell ya. This was the first time I dressed them up for a Pioneer Day activity. Tanner sort of resisted the dressing up part, but I convinced him to do it! Besides the fact that we couldn't find our dress up hats for the boys, I thought they all looked great. Zach looks a little pained in the pictures, but he really did enjoy it. His face is also a little dirty...kind of looks like a real pioneer child! :)

What do you want to be when you grow up? July '08

Tanner's answer: "I want to be a jungle explorer!"

Megan's answer: "I want to be a mommy."

Zachary's answer: "I want to be a train driver. The train driver that drives the train at the zoo!"

He he he. Well Zachey, I'm not sure if it is the most lucrative, but it's sure cute bud! And there's lots of time to change career paths! Kids rock.