Well, if you are family member, you already know all about our camping trip last weekend from my mom's and sister-in-law's blogs, but here we go with the documentation for our little family. There were so many great pictures taken, I got a little overwhelmed and took a while to post.
We left Wednesday night after work and stopped for dinner in Kamas... where it began to DOWNPOUR. It was pretty incredible the amount of rain that came down. The guys ran out to put the tarp over all the camp equipment in the back of the truck and came in soaked. Luckily only a few things got wet, all of which dried out pretty quickly. We snagged a campsite at Butterfly Lake along the Mirror Lake Highway, and had some dry weather to set up camp in.
Of course, it also rained Thursday morning. It was one of those record low temperature weekends even in Salt Lake, so being up so high we were cold! We took a trip to Evanston to keep warm and get a couple of things we forgot-- like sneakers and a poncho for Cora, and did lunch and a hike on the way back.... it only rained on us when we got to our destination (Ruth Lake?), so we huddled under some trees and got a chance to really check out the lake. We also did the Mirror Lake trail in the afternoon.
Friday morning we did a trail-less hike of exploration, and Cora did a great job boulder-hopping with Kissie! And we hiked to two of the three Fehr lakes in the afternoon. Saturday we packed up and visited the Provo Falls on the way back.
Despite some weather issues, Violet-not-sleeping issues, and it taking me 2 days to recover afterward, it was a great trip! We had yummy food, Cora hiked for at least half of all our hikes and Violet walked in parts, we saw some beautiful scenery, and we did way more hiking than I thought we'd be able to do with two kids (thanks to a lot of helpful family members). Cora and Violet loved throwing rocks in all the lakes we visited, stashing rocks in their pockets, exploring around our campsite, and playing with Oreo and Butterscotch. It was a hoot to hear Violet's excited squeals when she spotted the waterfalls and each lake while we were hiking and neat to have Cora spot her first deer (and tell Kevin to look at the goats!). The Mirror Lake area is pretty busy, but it sure is handy for family camping! It was really good we got to go this year, I don't think we'll be camping next year with a baby who is crawling and can't walk.
Hiking--Cora was a trooper and loved walking with Kissie, Pata, Shad and Jen. We saw a marmot on our exploration hike. Violet took a couple of naps in the backpack, that backpack was so handy! When Cora needed to ride in the backpack, Violet was in the Snugli on my back, and she really didn't like that much--she's getting too big for that! When we got back, we snagged another backpack on REI super-clearance, so we'll have that for future hiking trips. 
Around the fire--We had some pretty cold nights! Lucky for us, Shad took on the role as fire-maker and kept us pretty cozy. We made smores and eclairs- delicious! 
On one of our second hikes of a busy day, Cora got too tired to walk, and Violet was asleep in the backpack already. Shad kindly carried Cora on his shoulders and she fell asleep. Kissie sat with her while Cora slept in a meadow full of flowers and the rest of us went onto the second lake. 
We sure saw some pretty lakes! Shad rode his unicycle around Mirror Lake, and Butterscotch loved swimming in the lakes too. 
We also saw a lot of gorgeous flowers. It was nice they were still all blooming, even so late in the summer. Must be that rainy June we had. 
In the rain--under the 'shade tent' Kissie and Pata brought, and on our hike. 
One great thing about taking trips with family members-- lots of family pictures! Thanks to Jen and Kissie for being super-photographers. I didn't realize until we got there that my camera battery was dead. Oh well, my hands were busy with little girls most of the time anyway!
We missed you Keyton, Liz, Emeline and Jarom! We can't wait to see you next summer! 
The power of a big cardboard box never ceases to amaze me. We got it Friday afternoon and the girls colored it, put stickers on it, played house in it, made a fort with it, had Kevin close them up in it, and all other kinds of things. Evidently, it's lots of fun! Maybe it'll keep them busy while I clean the house tomorrow too...
The kids all loved looking (or attempting to look) through the microscopes. Or maybe it was the little lever that rotated the rocks on the table that was so much fun. The museum wasn't particularly geared towards kids, it was pretty neat how much we could interest them in the displays. Violet especially liked the little models of the site with the tiny cars, trains, trees, and such.
Although those trucks looked small in the pictures, you can see how big they really are by looking at one of the tires!
Mackenzie, Sienna, Violet, Cora, Alyssa, and Jaxon
I had to put in this funny picture of Violet. I think she thought she had lost her bow and was distraught. Luckily it was still right there!
Cora doesn't really take 'on purpose' naps anymore, just some accidental ones maybe two days a week.
Cora liked brushing and petting the horses, but did not want to sit on one. I'm not sure why, since she loved the pony rides.... but she was tired from the early morning flight, maybe that was it.
The girls liked sitting on the tractor too, and riding the four-wheeler with Grandpa.
The girls napped in the car and we unpacked at the house, and headed to the pool (indoors!) with Kylee and Sorayah. Violet, and especially Cora, loved spending time with cousin! We were so lucky to see them lots the whole weekend. The girls had such a great time at the pool-- the kiddie area was fun and there was a fast slide they could ride on (with an adult). We must have gone on that slide at least 50 times, no joke! But it was a pretty fun slide for adults too, so that was just fine. I think the girls could have stayed for 2 more hours!
Kristen made an amazing Mexican dish for all of us for dinner that was delicious Saturday night. Sunday was church, naptime, and a big family gathering. We especially loved hearing Grandpa and Grandma's testimonies and catching up on what everyone in the family is up to.
Tuesday morning we headed off to the airport, and to work, unpacking and laundry. It was a fun trip. Thanks Brad and Dawn!
duck watching and following,
and chipmunk hunting. We took our time with lunch and walking, and it was really quite perfect!
Cora started preschool on Tuesday. A lady in our ward does preschool just one street over from us in her home. Cora has been looking forward to is the last 2 months, and was so excited to finally go! It seems like she likes it a lot so far, and has lots to tell us about what she has done when she gets home. It's been fun to spend extra time with just Violet and I, and it's sure easier to run errands with only one kid to unbuckle and buckle in the car!
Violet was a little confused about what was going on the first day. I left her in the car in the driveway while I ran up with Cora to the door. When I got back, Violet had big fat tears running down her face and said "What happened??" a few times. Today when I dropped Cora off, she asked what happened, but no tears, thankfully! I'm sure it will take a while for her to get used to. We kept busy while Cora was gone this week, and eventually, hopefully she'll be taking her nap while Cora is at school, so it won't be lonely for her.
Happy kiddos!
Friday, on my birthday, the girls spent some time with Kissie while I spent a few hours at the outlet mall. It was nice to have some time to relax and shop a bit. Cora has been so worried lately about baby brother not having any shoes! So I got a couple of pairs of baby shoes and a few winter baby outfits-- it's hard to believe we'll need to acquire a whole new baby wardrobe for this little guy. I went through the girls' clothes and found only a few gender neutral pj's.... It was nice, though, to get a couple of bags for the DI out of it, who knows if we'll ever have another girl and use those clothes again?
It was a fun birthday weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate! We appreciate all the calls, cards, and other remembrances. Birthdays really don't seem to matter much now that we're getting old (uggh) but it was great to have a couple of really fun days!
We've been trying to squeeze last summer warm-weather activities in before it's too late. We love going to this little reservoir by our house-- about a 5 minute drive away! It has a beach area, and when the water is low, it has a separate wading area walled off from the deep area. It's great!
We also took a trip to the Gateway fountains for shopping, corn dogs, icecream, and fun with Kissie (while Kevin did his live draft fantasy football). Violet didn't like the idea of water spraying in her face, but Cora got braver and braver about getting wet and really liked the mists of water.
The girls and I ventured out to Thanksgiving Point's Two Dollar Tuesdays (just for August) yesterday. I was so happy we got there 20 minutes early, we got a great spot in line while we waited for it to open. We also watched the line wind around the building! It was a little crazy. We rushed through the first part that is mostly for older kids, and actually had a nice visit that wasn't too crowded. The line was still wound around the building when we got out! We really had perfect timing.
Waiting to go in. The girls thought the dinosaur murals on the outside of the building were pretty cool.
Cora loved this excavating activity. I thought she'd like the wet sand activity too that we did before this one, but both she and Violet were upset at getting their hands dirty.
Whose foot is bigger?
It was hard to get pictures of both girls looking at me... and not at the dinosaurs or all the hubbub going on. This is Violet throwing a tantrum while Cora is looking at some other kids. Oh well!
Afterward, I asked Cora what her favorite part was. She did mention the dinosaurs and the sand digging, but she also said her very favorite were the 'puters'! They had a lot of computer stations around with dinosaur activities on them. Go figure!
Hiking--Cora was a trooper and loved walking with Kissie, Pata, Shad and Jen. We saw a marmot on our exploration hike. Violet took a couple of naps in the backpack, that backpack was so handy! When Cora needed to ride in the backpack, Violet was in the Snugli on my back, and she really didn't like that much--she's getting too big for that! When we got back, we snagged another backpack on REI super-clearance, so we'll have that for future hiking trips. 
Around the fire--We had some pretty cold nights! Lucky for us, Shad took on the role as fire-maker and kept us pretty cozy. We made smores and eclairs- delicious! 
On one of our second hikes of a busy day, Cora got too tired to walk, and Violet was asleep in the backpack already. Shad kindly carried Cora on his shoulders and she fell asleep. Kissie sat with her while Cora slept in a meadow full of flowers and the rest of us went onto the second lake. 
We sure saw some pretty lakes! Shad rode his unicycle around Mirror Lake, and Butterscotch loved swimming in the lakes too. 
We also saw a lot of gorgeous flowers. It was nice they were still all blooming, even so late in the summer. Must be that rainy June we had. 
In the rain--under the 'shade tent' Kissie and Pata brought, and on our hike. 
One great thing about taking trips with family members-- lots of family pictures! Thanks to Jen and Kissie for being super-photographers. I didn't realize until we got there that my camera battery was dead. Oh well, my hands were busy with little girls most of the time anyway!
We missed you Keyton, Liz, Emeline and Jarom! We can't wait to see you next summer! 
