Summer, don't go!

We love you so! It's hard to believe that we're in our last week before school starts. We've been trying to soak in the last of summer. Owen just finished his last swim lesson for the summer; the only item left on the checklist was to be able to backstroke across the pool before he moves up to Level 3 (dolphins). Hadley moved up to Level 2 (eels), so next time they'll be in the same class! We've been trying to practice (and beat the heat) by going to the outdoor pool on hot days. These two crack me up, especially with goggles and toothless grins. One day, they tried to gang up on me with a noodle water-shooter, but I kept turning it back on them. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard!

Other summer athletic pursuits: 1) Hadley's soccer team. One game left, and she's only thrown one major fit, so I guess that's a win in itself. She even scored a goal during the last game! I think she's enjoyed having her own thing, even if her mind is wandering while she's on the field sometimes. (i.e. a lot of hair twirling and talking to herself)

Owen has enjoyed keeping score at her games and sharing some tips with his little sis.

2) Flag football. Owen has been practicing with his team all month. His games start next weekend! That will be a fun thing to watch, hopefully. If nothing else, he'll appreciate the game more, but they are taking it pretty seriously (learning plays and positions, etc.). He's enjoying it so far! That's him in the orange hat on the right below.

3) Hadley tried out ballet. Verdict: she loved it! But given the choice, she chose to pursue gymnastics during the school year. This class was really cute though. The teacher knows how to keep their interest with props, fairy wings, and princess tiaras. (She's in black.) I think she likes to perform, so we may be back!

4) Owen's triathlon. That's right! The aquatic center puts on a kids' triathlon every year, and this year, I thought he'd really enjoy it. He's been obsessed with the Olympics, so he liked the competition. Before the race we had lots of time to wait. Corralling and organizing a kid's race requires time and patience.

All the competitors. There were 4 different levels of difficulty. Owen was in the 'Mini' for 6-and-under: 25-yard swim, bike around the block, and run around the parking lot.

Swim. Bike. Run. In that order. He cannot swim 25-yards on his own quite yet, so we opted for a life jacket. It looks so far!

I met him at the other side of the pool to lead him to his bike, help him take off the life jacket, and put on shirt, shoes, socks, and helmet as quick as we could.

He understood the race idea and took off running for the last part! He really thought he won first, since he passed some kids, but the swimming had to be done in heats, so there were staggered start times. He did finish in just over 7 minutes and came in 5th out of 39, so that's pretty awesome!

Afterward, they were serving a pancake breakfast and had some games and prizes set up for the kids. I think Hadley ate even more than the racer! It was a fun experience. Maybe we'll have two participants next year.

We also made it to the Roaring Youth Jam down on the river this year. We hadn't been for 3 years, so it was nice to make it back. The kids loved it. 

They had lots of art projects and music for them to interact with, and we met some friends there for a fun, free afternoon.

There was even a dress-up booth.

And the kids talked me into face paint. They love that stuff, and I'm inclined to acquiesce for as long as they still enjoy the simple things.

Lastly, summer is for reveling in lazy mornings like these...

Base camps and blanket forts...

And outdoor picnics. This one needs better seating! Summer, please stay a bit longer...

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!!