My Two Sons: July 2011

Camping in the Uintahs

Last Friday we loaded up the truck so we could head up to the Uintahs for a weekend of camping. Our friend Kristin met us at our house at noon and the five of us stopped for lunch before heading up.

After setting up camp Steve went down the canyon to let our friends know where to find us and Kristen and I took the kids to the river to throw rocks and soak our feet.

At camp we were joined by Lori, Brandon & Nate Carter shortly followed by Jessenia, Chad, Zac & Ethan Thaxton and last but not least was Angi, Bart, Mia and Deja Williamson.

Of course all the kids took a liking to our young cute friend Kristen.

And they all loved the hammock that the Thaxton family provided.

Saturday after a big yummy breakfast a bunch of us took the kids down to the river again for some more rock throwing, rock smashing and rock collecting.

We then headed to the Provo River Falls to bask in the beauty of Mother Nature.

Poor Landon slipped on a rock and got a little more wet than he intended. Lucky for him Kristen was close by and helped him up out of the freezing cold water.

We headed back to camp for dry clothes and fishing gear before we then went up to Mirror Lake to do a little bit of fishing. The higher into the mountains we went the more snow we saw and a lot of the camp grounds were still closed despite the fact that it is now mid July. Lucas and Landon tried their best to catch a fish, even going as far as using licorice as bait. Mia was the only one to catch a fish but it was fun none the less.

Later on back at camp while we were preparing to eat dinner, Lucas tapped Kristen on the arm and in a very calm voice said "Kristen look, a deer." Sure enough just up the road was a deer. She said it was just too funny how nonchalant Lucas was about it. :) Once again we enjoyed our s'mores before saying goodbye to Kristen, who headed back to Salt Lake.

The Williamson family and us were the only ones who stayed the extra night. We had a mellow night watching the fire and listening to the river.

Sunday we enjoyed another delicious breakfast before we then had to pack up and head for home. Another great weekend in the mountains with lots of good friends.

Fourth of July Weekend

We had a very busy 4th of July weekend starting with Friday night fireworks at our house where we were able to catch up with some old friends, the Veenendaals. We also had our friends Matt, Aimee and Danee over to enjoy the show.

Saturday night we had our friends Matt, Jean and Jace over for a barbecue, games and yet another night of fireworks. Lucas loves to hang out with Jace and spoke of little else the few days leading up to Saturday.

Monday was the 4th of July and after a relaxing day on Sunday we were up early to start the festivities. After my run we headed to the Sandy Promenade as per tradition where the boys got their spray on tattoos, we walked around to all the vendors and enjoyed some lunch.

After lunch Lucas and Landon went in a bunch of bounce houses, played some games and did a couple of craft projects.

Sunday evening we had Joe, Judy, Erin and a distant cousin, Mark, over for a barbecue. We were later joined by our friend Kristen as we enjoyed the fireworks that Papa brought with him as well as all the ones our neighbors were doing. What a wonderful fun filled weekend with family and friends.

Staying Active

This was my first year riding the Little Red Riding Hood bike ride with my friend Sarah. We managed to do the 50 mile ride on my beach cruiser and her mountain bike. It was a lot harder than I anticipated but was so pleased to go the distance we signed up for.

I also participated in the Wasatch Back RAGNAR Relay last month with 10 other teammates. I was runner #8 this year which put me in Van 2. It was nice to see the other half of the course I did not see last year. I ran a little over 16 miles with my favorite run being the 7 miler at 2:00 a.m.

Lucas enjoying a round of miniature golf with his friend Bridger.

Landon was brave enough to try out his friend Sean Armstrong's in-line skates. He fell a couple of times but kept getting back up.

The boys and I like to go to Hidden Valley Park and this particular day I persuaded them to go for a little hike to look for rocks. We were able to hike part of Bonneville Shoreline Trail that starts and ends at the park.

All dressed up for a bike ride. ;) I usually drag out the stationary bike once the boys are in bed for the night but occasionally they stay up late and watch my television programs with me. I usually get to listen to them ask me 100 times if I am done yet so they can have a turn.

This year instead of running the Sandy 4th of July Race I signed up for the Kiss Me Dirty Race on July 2nd. I ran the full 4 miles through water and mud and over obstacle walls, hay bails and much more. It was lots of fun and I look forward to doing another one in the future.

Our New Friend

At the beginning of the summer,my sister-in-law Shelly, introduced our family to a prior student of hers who happened to be doing an internship in the Salt Lake Valley for the summer. I was not sure how much Kristen would enjoy hanging out with my family but I was glad that she would at least know someone. We invited her to an event at Rocky Mountain Speedway where we got to watch all sorts of races. We also went to dinner before hand at Five Guys Burgers and Fries so that she could try the infamous "fry sauce" she had heard so much about.

Our favorite event of the night was definitely the "train" races where they had three old cars hooked together and raced in a figure 8. It was so entertaining to watch!

We also invited Kristen to a Minor League Baseball game where we watched the Salt Lake Bees get whooped by Sacramento. The kids really enjoyed their free hot dog and drink and so did mom.

We also saw the Armstrong and Williamson families at the game, so there were plenty of friends to play with when the game got a little boring. ;)

Nothing like a rainy day in June....

I'm sure this is not the recommended use for this scooter but Lucas sure thought it was fun.

End of School Means Summertime Fun

At the end of the school year I volunteered to help out with field day in Lucas's class. I know I will miss the great teachers he had and hope to see some of his little friends in his 1st grade class.

I was also able to spend the last day of school with Lucas in his classroom since it just so happened to fall on a Tuesday, my volunteer day. :) I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that kindergarten is over.