Big Trip to Utah

We didn't really get to travel much this summer.  The boys were kept busy with scout camp, PE camp, swim lessons, basketball camp and taking little weekend trips camping.  The one trip we had planned was to Utah and we did this the last 2 weeks of August.  We got the chance to stay in Oma's new house which was super fancy.  On the first day the boys broke one of her lights, on the second day they kicked her garage door and dented it...I won't go on but needless to say Oma may not invite us to her house next summer:)

I drove by myself with the boys.  We stopped at the Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery, about 2 hours from home and got some wiggles out.

Julian saying hello to a fish that was swimming up the fish ladder by the dam

At about the halfway point to Utah we stopped and stayed with the Knorpp's for a few nights.  It was great to break up the trip and not have to drive the whole 12 hours in one shot.  Julian and Ollie had fun dressing up.

We put the slide into the kiddie pool and the kids spent the afternoon cooling off from the hot Idaho sun

Marly even had a few archery sets that the boys had lots of fun playing with.

Julian loved checking for eggs in the Knorpp's chicken house

We made it to Utah and got to hang out with our Porter cousins for a few hours.  Kristen was visiting Orem for her kids orthodontics appointments and it worked out for us to have lunch together and play at the park for a while before they headed back to Idaho.

Mmmm...Hawaiin shave ice.  Emerson, Jeremy, Townsend and Joanna.

One of the days we went to the new Provo rec center.  They had an amazing indoor pool.  The boys loved jumping off this diving platform and going down the many slides.

One day we went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.  Emerson and Townsend were fascinated by this scientist actually working on dinosaur fossils.  

Julian and the dinosaur

I forgot to bring the boys scooters from home so I went out and bought them new scooters.  You can see they had lots of fun scooting around Oma's neighborhood.

We always go to BYU and walk around.  I like to walk around and see the old places I used to hang out as a student.  I also think it's cool for the boys to see where their parents went to school (and met, I guess I should say)  The boys are trying to figure out how to climb onto this statue by the Art Museum.

Y mountain.  I loved my years at BYU.

You can't go to BYU and not stop at the creamery for an ice-cream treat:)

One day we took the train to Salt Lake.  Julian was so happy

I like this picture of Oma on the train

The planetarium with all it's fun science exhibits

Townsend by the "cloud maker"

Townsend walking on the moon

The boys played in the splash fountain at the Gateway mall in SLC

And enjoyed some more shave ice:)

We went to temple square and Julian wanted his picture taken with Jesus

Townsend and Julian at the SLC temple

One morning Hyrum let me sleep in and took all three boys for a hike with Oma.  I guess they were super excited:)

Julian on the hike.  He walked almost all the way and only had to be carried the last little bit

Emerson by the waterfall they hiked to

The whole group of hikers by the waterfall.  There is one thing to say about Utah, it sure has some beautiful scenery and great hikes.

One evening we took a picnic dinner up to Bridal Veil Falls.

Julian hiking around Bridal Veil.

I hadn't been up to Bridal Veil for a few years.  They now have a little fish pond by the base of the falls.  The twins spent about half an hour trying to hand catch a fish.  There was an old guy there who was able to reach in and snatch a fish out and the boys were determined to do it...unfortunately the fish were too fast for them.  Maybe next year.

On our last day in Utah we went to the jump zone.  Here is Townsend, mid-flip

They love climbing the rock wall and then falling into the foam pit

Julian getting buried by the foam blocks.

I had to add this one last photo.  Oma bought a wii gaming system for the boys.  Can you believe how spoiled they are?  They spent a good part of every day in front of the t.v. playing Mario Cart.  Lucky boys!

A Fun Week With the Knorpps

Hyrum and I met Dan and Krystal Knorpp while in medical school 12 years ago.  That seems so long ago when I write it out like that.  Now, many moves and many kids later, we got the chance to hang out for a week when the Knorpp's came out to Portland for a visit.

I took them on the 4 T's hike.  This is such a fun way to introduce people to Portland because you get to hike through a fun trail and then ride a tram over the city and that takes you right into downtown Portland.

On the trail

Taking a break:)

Sophie having fun at a splash park

Emerson and Marly at the park

We took a few days and stayed in a beach house out on the coast.  It wasn't really super warm but the kids all had lots of fun.  Townsend is showing off his gymnastics skills:)

Good friends...good times

Emerson hanging out in "the pit" 

Dan and Hyrum built a fire for us on the beach

Hanging out by the fire.  It was a pretty cool evening but when you're at the beach you have to have a fire:)

We explored a really fun tide pool.  This is Krystal with her three cuties: Sophia, Ollie and Marly

Lots of amazing things to see in the tide pools

Of course the boys had to climb the giant rock!

Emerson with a star fish

Townsend, Emerson, Marly, Sophie and Julian hanging out on a log

It was so much fun to have friends come and visit for the week.  The kids are all around the same age and got along really well the whole time.  Thanks so much Knorpps for a fun week:)

Swim Lessons

The twins took swim lessons for 4 weeks this summer and Julian for 2 weeks.  Needless to say I was a bit tired of running to the pool every day for a month but all the boys loved their lessons and did so well that I put up with the hassle of taking them every day.

 Julian with his teacher.  He really was the best in his class.  Not afraid at all to jump into the water and by the end of his 2 weeks he was swimming to me under water by himself.

Townsend and Emerson with their teacher.  The boys did really well.  They impressed all their friends by doing flips off the diving board at the end of class:)

First Backpacking Trip with Dad

Townsend and Emerson had their first real "backpacking" experience this summer.  Hyrum took the boys out for 1 night back in July.  The boys had a lot of fun, even if Emerson did complain a bit about how heavy his pack was.  I stayed home with Julian and enjoyed a quiet night with my little man.

Heading out...look at those big backpacks!  Hyrum was joined on this hike by Steve, Sam and Cooper Doxey as well as the Ashby and the Baker families.

The campsite.  I love how organized everything is.  If I had been in charge of this site there would have been clothes and food strewn about...good thing Hyrum compliments my craziness so well.

Emerson whittling a marshmallow stick

The next morning Hyrum and the boys went on a hike that gave them a great view of Mt. Hood (you can't really tell from this photo but the mountain is in the background)

After the hike everyone was ready for a dip in the cold lake

This lake was so full of newts.  Emerson reached in a picked up three newts at once!

All packed up and ready to come home.

I'm so glad Hyrum is willing to take time off work and spend so much effort giving these boys great experiences and memories.