Summer Highlights

{Turtle Wall Trail}

We went hiking to Turtle Wall, and as the name suggests, we saw two turtles!  It was lucky to see them, actually, since they aren't always out.  They are certainly adorable!

{Boat}

We've really enjoyed using the boat this summer.  It gets so hot here that having access to water is a must.  I even attempted water skiing without the easy-up rope this go round!  Don laughs because I request the boat to drive veeeeery slowly when I am skiing, but to each their own, right?

The kids love driving the boat, and every year they get braver on the tube.  I'm hopeful that soon we'll graduate to kneeboarding!

We hosted a lake day with some of our friends, and it was a blast!  Our boat is really small, so we rotated from beach to boat.  It worked out well, and the kids loved it!

{Swimming}

So. Much. Swimming.

{4th of July}

Our 4th of July was a fun day filled with friends.  We had a pancake breakfast at our house with the Carlsons in the morning, and then a BBQ with the neighborhood in the evening.  

Setting my political feelings aside was necessary to enjoy the day, which I did, and we had fun.  Success!

Was there ever a cuter red, white & blue baby?!

{Jellystone Park Zion}

We finally made it to Jellystone!  We have a local waterpark here in St. George that's been on our summer bucket list forever.  We finally made it happen.  We invited our next door neighbors to come with us, and it was a perfect day.  I was worried about how Ginny would do, but of course, she was a happy little bean all day long.  

{Zion Camping}

We squeaked in one final adventure and went camping on the very last weekend before school started.  We finally decided to buy our own tent, which I think means we're committed to camping at least...once a year?!  

Admittedly, it was hot in Zion, which was unpleasant.  However, we rallied and had an excellent (and sweaty) weekend!

Always happy, always a trooper!

A tent in a tent :).

The boys went tubing down the Virgin River while the babies stayed behind for a much needed air-conditioned nap in the car.

We hiked to the Lower Emerald Pool and immediately dunked under the waterfall.  It was extremely refreshing!

One of the highlights of the weekend was catching frogs in the river.  The kids kept asking to go back.

Emma, the campsite babysitter, lol.

Oooooooh.....yucky.  We spotted this tarantula at the bathrooms!  It scared me half to death and absolutely made Auggie's week.  

{Kayaking @ Quail Creek}

{King Tut Exhibit - Las Vegas}

This sounded so exciting, and it was!  Although we had to chuckle when we realized it wasn't the real King Tut, but rather a copycat exhibit.  Oops.  It's just so Vegas to do that, am I right?  

We had a great day regardless and even showed my mom the Formula 1 simulators in the Puma store.  Those are always a hit!

Goodbye, summer!  You were full of happy adventure!

Bookmark Winner!

Near the end of the year, Auggie's school held a bookmark making contest.  Every student designed and colored their own bookmarks and submitted them to the contest.  The PTA chose one winner from each grade, and Auggie won the first grade contest!!!  It was SO COOL.  

Each winner got their bookmarks printed and handed out to the entire grade, in addition to a gift card to purchase a book of their choice.  Auggie worked so hard on his Harry Potter bookmark, and it was the most exciting thing for him to win!  His bookmark was so detailed and amazing.  He drew Hogwarts, a dragon, and even a secret Dark Mark.  What a day.  

Auggie also won the High-Achiever Award and the Super Reader Award at the end of school.  We are so proud of how hard he works!  He's got such a special mind, and it's so fun to see him thrive.

And don't worry, Owen is just as brilliant!  He was an absolute standout in preschool, and I have no doubt he will receive all the high-achiever awards in elementary school too. So far, he is thriving in kindergarten, and already started reading chapter books over the summer!  We can't wait to see how this year goes!

{Sports, sports, & more sports}

{Tennis}

The boys have been loving tennis!  They are getting so good for their ages.  I wish I could post a video on here, because it's amazing what they've been able to learn in only a year!

Ginny is ready!

I just think tennis is the coolest sport. 

{Soccer}

The kids had a great experience with spring soccer.  So far, they are loving it!

{Basketball}

We did the summer basketball camp at the Washington City Community Center, and it was so fun!  The boys loved it, and I didn't even want to drop them off...I mostly stayed the whole time because it's so fun to watch them!

{Firehose Frenzy 1K}

The boys continue to LOVE racing.  Every now and then, we do one of the local kids road races, and the boys consistently place high in the results.  This year at the Firehose Frenzy, Auggie got 3rd place overall!  Keep in mind, this is all the kids through twelve years old.  It was a huge deal, and he won a really cool award and some gift cards.   He's only seven and placing 3rd?!  It's amazing.  

They actually messed up the results that evening, so he didn't get to stand on the podium.  Huge bummer.  I made some calls that week and got it figured out though, so he did get all of his winnings later in the week!  

Also, Owen had the most unbelievable race as well...he placed 10th overall!  He was battling down the home stretch with a few kids that looked twelve.  I think everybody was wondering how a little five year old was so darn fast!  They both had the most incredible races, and it was a really fun night! 

I love these pictures!!