First Day of School

 My baby girl started 1st grade last week!!  She is so darling!

 She is so grown up and so fun.  She loves to learn and loves to come home and tell me all about her day.

 On Miranda second day of school Jacob started his first day of preschool.  I have been a a very worried mother about sending him to preschool for 2 years.  I just worry but he is so ready and proud to be going to school just like his big sister.

What a cute cute boy!!!

Sailing On Storm Lake

 We love living next to a lake and one thing that people love to do on our lake is sail.  We had the opportunity to go out on a small sail boat. 

 Jackson enjoyed the ride and once he discovered he could reach out and play with the water Steven had to hold on to him so that he didn't fall out while playing with the water.

When comparing a sail boat to grandpa Mendenhall's motor boat, at first the kids didn't think it was that great.  That all changed when the kids got to control the rudder and be "captain".  They loved it and have been asking when we can go again.

On the Way Home

 We decided to take a new way home from Utah to see some new site.  Out first stop was Martins Cove.  This place has changed so much since I had been there last and we had a great time pulling the handcarts around (but only for a moment)

 During the short trek there was a sign about how many of the women had no husband or their husband was not with them so the kids made sure that I got my chance to pull the handcart.

 The kids don't know how spoiled they were to be in the handcart not walking.

 Our next fun stop on the way home was Mount Rushmore!!!

 We really loved this!  Both Miranda and Jacob had already learned a little about mount Rushmore and Jacob kept asking when we could go see "rushmount".  There is no better time to take a kid to see a place then when they are interested in it.

 While we were there the kids did all the requirements to be Jr. Rangers, they were so cute and so proud.

 One of the requirements was to hug a tree!

 Our last stop and shortest stop was the badlands.  It was 115 degrees but we had to get out and hike around a little, just to say we did.

The kids thought is was great and if we would have let Steven he would have made it a longer adventure.

Boating In Utah

 My baby went knee boarding!!  She is so big and so brave, I will be the first to admit that I was a pansy as a child and my parents had to force me to do stuff like this but Miranda tried it willingly and she did so awesome. 

 She was a little nervous while she was knee boarding but she loved it!!

The Boys on the tube.  They had so much fun and I know it is hard to see but even little Jackson is waving at us.

Summer Vaca Week 3!

I had my birthday while we were in Puerto Rico, and the kids wanted to celebrate a little when I got home.  This is the morning after we got home eating my birthday cupcakes that they made me.

 While we were gone I don't think the kids missed us at all.  They had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa.  One of the things they did was go to a fishing pond.  They practiced casting  their lines so Miranda and Jacob had to show us how for they could cast the line.

 One day we spent the day with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandma and grandpa.  We went to the dinosaur museum.  We had so much fun together and they kids loved it.

Summer Vaca Week 2, Puerto Rico!!

 On the 5th of July Steven and I left the kids at my parents house and flew to Puerto Rico.  We were there for a Spanish conference the Steven was presenting in but found plenty of time to have fun as well.  It was a great week of sight seeing and relaxing.  I much needed time away, and if you didn't know you can see in this picture I am very pregnant.

 We saw all sorts of cool animals.  The one thing I didn't get a picture of but was our favorite part of the week was going to see a  Bio Luminescent bay.  We kayaked in the water whenever it was moved lit up.  It was the most amazing thing to witness.  At one point it was so dark and a shrimp jumped into my boat, it was flipping around my feet and the only reason I knew it was there was because the water around my feet was lighting up.  Very cool.

 We had so much fun swimming in the water, snorkeling and playing with the waves.  It was beautiful.

 We spent a great deal of time in Old San Juan, this picture is a view from the fort.   The city was amazing and so much fun to walk around.  We had so much great food and had fun trying a new restaurant each night to see what we could find.

The thing that made our trip most fun were the friends we had to share it with.  This picture only shows one couple that was there with us at the Spanish conference (there was another couple that did not join us this particular day) but we spent a great deal of time with them and it made it all the more enjoyable.  The picture is taken at a lookout point in the rain forest. 

Summer Vaca Week 1

 I did not take very many pictures of all the fun the we had for our first week in Utah.  Thankfully my father took lots and lots of pictures.  At this very moment I don't have access to all of them so for now you get what you get.  This first picture is us going to the Bean Museum at BYU.  I have fond memories going there as a child and found out that the day after this picture was taken they closed the museum doing for the next 2 years for total renovation.  I am excited to see the finished product when it is finished because they need to extra space desperately.  We had a lot of fun looking at all the animals and tons of fun with cousins.

 We were in town for the fourth of July, had tons of fun at the parade, with fireworks, and these pictures are us at the colonial village.  The kids had to try out the stocks.

 Of course Miranda had to try on a colonial dress.

For a birthday present from my sister and SIL, we along with my mom went and all had a pedicure together.  I was my first pedicure and so much fun.  You can't see very well but we all have a little jewel on out big toes.  I have been amazed that I have not lost it yet.
Like I said I don't have tons of pictures from our first week but we did so many fun things.  We went to the rodeo the first night, boating on Utah lake, playing in grandma and grandpa back yard,playing with the cousins, and four wheeling around the neighborhood.  We had tons of fun and our vacation was just starting.