Zoo

This summer the kids and I visited two zoos, the Tauphus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls and the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City.  We went to the Tauphus Park Zoo earlier in the summer with Stef, Marcus, Angie and Max. The weekend before school started, Cassie and I snuck in a trip to Hogle Zoo with Grandma Jeri, Cari and the twins.

HOGLE ZOO

Hogle Zoos playground while we were waiting for Grandma and Cari to go through the zoo with us.

 This polar bear was so much fun to watch. He would push off this rock, swim underwater, pop out in front of the window and then go back and do it over and over again! Definitely the highlight of the day.

 Zach was so excited to ride on the train. Although he seemed really calm I could tell he loved every second.

TAUPHUS PARK ZOO

 My kids have always loved the petting zoos and feeding the animals. This was one of Zach's first close encounters with a goat.  So cute to watch.

Brushing the goats

Angie and Brooke "hatching" out of the egg

4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July in Afton this year.  Danny, Cassie, and Cooper  and even Kaden came for a few days. Cassie's parents also came and stayed for a day. They took a little detour on their way back home to Oregon so they could get a feel for Afton, because Danny and Cassie are going to be staying with us until January for Danny's clinical rotation. 

We hiked up to the Intermittent Spring

On the 4th we went to the parade in Thayne

We also floated the Salt River for the first time. 

Cooper and Zach with full tummies after our  yummy Barbeque!

The next days were filled with Jake, Danny,Kaden and Tyler doing a lot of fishing, went golfing and ate lunch at the Burger Barn.  This is the Rulon Gardener challenge which fed all of them.   This is the day that Cassie and I went to Jackson Hole and took the younger kids swimming and had dinner at a chinese restaraunt.  

Jumping on the tramp!

Happy Birthday Kennady!

Kennady has had a lot of changes happen within the last few months.  She got her hair cut short which I think looks so cute on her, but she misses being able to put it in ponytails.  She has lost her two bottom teeth, she is quite the good little reader, and she turned 6 years old yesterday! Aunt Stef and Marcus came to visit on Kennady's birthday.  We took them to the new movie theater for the free matinee which was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  We lasted through half of it then decided to go home and jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it. After that we got ready for her birthday b-que and Kennady helped me make her strawberry birthday cake.  Stef and Marcus had to leave after dinner, it was so fun to have them here celebrating with us. I guess since Marcus was gone, Zach got bored and decided to crawl up on the counter and help himself to the birthday cake.  Kennady was so sad but we were able to salvage it with a lot of extra frosting.  We are so happy to have Kennady in our family, we just love this little girl and her fun, spunky personality.  

Memorial Day Weekend

We drove to Palisades campground near Manti, UT to meet up with Danny, Andy, Cari and their families for memorial day weekend.  Although the weather wasn't the best we still had a lot of fun and stuck it out for three days.  We love our camper trailer!

Kennady and Zach playing in the dirt.

Brooke and Kennady making bracelets and necklaces out of noodles that I dyed for them.

Jake, Danny and Tyler trying to capture Lion ants. I had never heard or seen one until this camping trip.

Some of us decided to escape the wind and go hiking up this slot canyon, near our campground.

Coloring with Aunt Cassie

Danny was such a sport and took Tyler and Brooke out fishing with him and let us keep all five fish that they caught together. 

Enjoying some smores and cobbler.

Tyler and Kaden. I think "T" had one too many smores!