Salt Lake City

As one last hurrah for summer, we headed south for a long weekend in Salt Lake City. It's easy to spend time in the "big" city. Our first stop was at the air museum, which Owen enjoyed so much last year and had requested a return trip many times. They have such an awesome collection of new and old planes.

Owen wanted to see every plane outside, but Hadley tired of them about halfway through. So, we caught a P-38 Lightning flight video while we waited for them to join us inside. She folds up quite nicely in these auditorium seats!

Hmm... where to begin inside?

After the museum closed and kicked us out, we checked in to our hotel, only to find out that the pool was closed all week! What a bummer, but we didn't let that derail us. The next day we headed to the Hogle zoo. 

It was hot, even early in the morning, so most of the animals were sleeping. Three cute lion cubs in this pride! You can see one at the top of the picture.

There was a very informative elephant show with a mother and baby elephant. They will do anything for sweet potatoes, apparently!

Right after that we caught an entertaining bird show where they constantly flew over the audience. Hadley is always eager to volunteer, so she went down front for the kids' free dance, (striped dress, center) but didn't win any carousel tickets. She got too distracted by the other kids dancing. :)

This zoo has lots of animals that we don't have, and we had a good time. I think we were there nearly four hours! 

They even had a fun playground and water splash pad. They're no dummies!

We had so much fun, some of us needed naps. Then we ventured out for dinner and dessert and enjoyed the beautiful night at a small fountain. I guess that was a consolation prize for no pool at the hotel!

The last day we spent at Lagoon, a large amusement park we always see from the interstate. Since the kids' interest in roller coasters was piqued at Bear World, we thought they might enjoy a trip to the real thing. Added bonus: Owen is just a hair above 48", which was the minimum height for some of the big coasters! He tried a few, but their favorite area was KiddieLand. They had a blast!

This was Owen's favorite. Add a gun to anything, and he's hooked! Hadley had the back gun, but a few 'bad guys' may have escaped from her aim.

They loved the super-tall ferris wheel.

It seems that some rides were slight variations of others, like these fancy spinning ones.

We also experienced a freak downpour, which caused us to seek shelter under the nearest available awning. Silver lining: seeing some E-list stars sing and dance to today's pop hits through the back fence of the amphitheater.

Aw, love my sweet family!!

Hiking, Biking, and Water-ing

Can we just say this photo epitomizes summer? Every little girl needs a unicorn helmet! She loves it, and it makes me smile every time.

Know what else epitomizes summer for most people? Baseball! We got to view a game from a friends' suite, which was fun, even if the Chukars played their worst game of the season. The kids had a TV, so we got to stay for the whole game!

After the game, they let the kids run the bases. Ours did it on funnel cake fumes, but they were tuckered out because it was so late. Hadley was excited to see the stars when we got home, and we even saw a shooting star!

We took advantage of a day trip to the Tetons by revisiting the Rockefeller preserve. Unfortunately, there was a 45-minute wait for a parking spot at the visitor's center and trails, so we went up the road to Death Canyon. Sounded perfect for a family hike!

It was a hot day and a 1.7-mile one-way uphill hike, but the view of Phelps lake from the top was breath-taking. If only we were 700 feet closer to the water to stick our toes in!

We had to settle for some cool refreshments at our favorite Jackson brewery instead. It was even hot enough to warrant a stop at the square ice cream stop in Swan Valley.

It's been a hot summer, so we went with a bunch of friends to a water park 30-minutes away. A splash pad, pool, lazy river - so fun!

Hadley passed out before we left the parking lot. So to extend the car ride (and her nap), Owen and I detoured through Bear World on the way home. Even the bears thought it was a swimming day to beat the heat!

And sometimes, you just let the kids play in the water and sorta get your car washed. :)

The best part of Owen's day was driving his friends' motorized car.  He's always wanted one of these things! I feel like we've deprived him in some way, but maybe that makes it more special...?

Living It Up!

We're already past the mid-point of summer! Man, it goes too fast! There's just so much to do when you don't have any obligations. Ha! 

Now that Hadley is four, she's traded out the Strider bike for a pedal bike with training wheels. Hopefully this is a short phase, and we'll get her off training wheels before summer is over. She seems to have picked up the pedaling aspect pretty quickly, though she's slow as molasses. :)

However, she does still enjoy her scooter! She was free-styling a bit the other night. Reminded me of "I'm the king of the world!" pose, while rolling!

We also celebrated a No More Diapers milestone! I think I should have done this months ago. She's had no problems at night; I think she was just lazy, unmotivated, or unaware before. Hurrah for the big girl!

We've been keeping active with swim lessons, VBS, and lots of soccer (baseball is finally over, too!). Owen has enjoyed a weeklong UK soccer camp this week - he's in bright green in front - brushing up on his skills...

And Hadley started on her own soccer team. We were pleasantly surprised by her aggressiveness and interest on the field, since we weren't sure what to expect for her first team-sport experience. (She's in the red socks and blue shirt.)

We've been enjoying the mostly beautiful weather (a week of nearly needing jackets followed by a perfect week followed by "let's find some shade!") by getting outside as much as possible.

Or staying cool by eating popsicles over the A/C vent. :)

We've even tagged along on some "unstructured" play dates where getting dirty and exploring are encouraged in local parks, creeks, and ponds. The kids have absolutely loved it! The highlight was probably studying a tadpole (with two legs) up close.

We've also been getting close to nature at Bear World. Some a little too close! Owen must have smelled like deer food that day.

They always have fun with friends there. (Another mom is holding up the two kids in the middle behind this prop!)

Bear World has also upped its roller coaster game, and the kids were fans! H was too short to ride by herself, and since the cars spin while going around the track, I could only accompany her twice without upchucking. But Owen must have ridden that coaster a dozen times in one visit (he's the blonde head at the end). We might have to check out some REAL roller coasters soon.

We also had to see the adorable baby snow leopard at the zoo!

But it's nice to take it slow at home sometimes too. Yes, that's a zip-lining doll!

Especially if your BFF from out of town pops in for a visit!

Finally, let's not forget the library. Owen is getting to be a pretty solid reader, and the Easy Reader section's Star Wars and Fly Guy collections are keeping him interested! They do a fantastic program in the summer with Book Bucks and prizes, and Owen even 'acted' up on stage as Prince Ferdinand in the Tempest! He overcame some shyness, and even asked a girl to marry him with a hug.  So proud of him for getting up there! :)