Everyday Moments July

A few memories from July:

Spencer took the kids swimming on the 4th of July. They were so excited as it was the first time this summer.

Eliza sure liked this yummy ice cream cone. :)

This little stinker loves to play in the recycling bin. She'll empty it, push it around the house, and sometimes, even chill in it.

Check out this handsome man!

The library is a spot we frequent often.

Lucy started Rock Climbing Class in July with Lucy Gause and the Hall kids.

She loved it the first day and was a natural right from the start.

It actually got a bit harder after this day but over all, she's enjoyed it. The class is every other week until the beginning of October and it was only $20!

We do chores every morning. Usually Eliza is napping but when she isn't, she wants to be like the big kids and help too. :)

Perler bead bowls. This was a really cool art project we did one morning.

Ashley gave me a bag of beads she didn't want any more. The kids had a blast making necklaces one morning.

Lots of house projects = lots of trips to Home Depot. And all three kids fit in their cool, new carts!

Every year we head to the Days of '47 Float Preview Party.

It's the best way to see the parade. No sitting in the hot sun. No keeping kids out of the street. Air conditioning, floats up close, and marching bands.

This one was super cool - it even roared. And it was made by the stake where we used to teach in Midvale so we knew the creators. 

Lucy the pioneer girl. :)

On the 24th we went to a neighbors where we shared snacks and watched fireworks.

My mom made the girls matching patriotic outfits too. Aren't they adorable?!

Sammy and his best buddy Simon during a playdate. Go Turtles!

Eliza 14 Months

 This little towhead is 14 months old already!

Eliza began walking this month. On July 13th she took her first steps and about a week and a half later she just took off!

She has become a little ball of personality too. She is even a little picky about which foods she'll eat. She doesn't really care for meat at all and will pick out any fruit there is from her selection of food. Yep. We've got another little fruit fly. :)

She loves to do whatever the big kids do. Lately that means climbing on the kid chairs and "coloring." She even has her own little coloring book to scribble in.

She loves the dirt and the sandbox.

Eliza is also our little smiler. She has different smiles for different occasions but the one above is my favorite. She'll scrunch up her nose and kind of make a little snorting sound. It cracks me up every time.

We sure love this playful little ball of energy! :)

Camping!

 Grandpa and Grandma Great, that live far, far away, are also campground hosting this summer. So we decided to take the opportunity to go camping and visit them at the same time!

They are camp hosting at Panguitch Lake in southern Utah. We arrived Friday at lunch time. That first afternoon we headed over to Mammoth Caves.

I had been here once before, for an activity during college, but had forgotten about it until we got there.

We scrambled down into a hole and then explored for a while.  The kids thought it was neat to be in complete darkness and to be "explorers."

And Eliza took a nap in the car with Grandpa Great the whole time. It was wonderful!

We spent a bunch of time hanging out by the fire.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows Friday night. 

Saturday morning, I stayed back at camp while Eliza napped and Spencer and the kids went exploring from our campsite.

They found a river and had lots of fun tossing in rocks and taking pictures.

They even found a waterfall!

Saturday afternoon we had a crazy rainstorm. We waited it out by reading, drawing, playing with cards, and watching a movie.

After the rain died down, we headed down to check out the lake and went for a little hike. 

The kids thought it was awesome fun to toss in rocks and make "fireworks."

Eliza got her first taste of the backpack carrier and was content as long as Spencer kept moving.

My handsome boy! :) 

This was Eliza's main form of entertainment at camp. She loved to gather up the rocks and collect them in the camp chair.

Then she'd move them from chair to cup holder and back. It was adorable.

That night after the kids went to bed, Spencer and I took out the camera and tripod and played around with star pictures. This is the best one that he took after I headed to bed. The star in the middle is the north star. I think it's so cool how the other stars all circled around it - showing the rotation of the Earth.

Sunday morning I had them take me to see the waterfall. Eliza got in a nap while we walked.

It was really pretty and I'm glad we went.

My beautiful girl!

And my handsome boy!

We've discovered the key to travelling with kids is to not be in a hurry and to make stops fun.  We found a park in Nephi on the way there and another one in Fillmore on the way home. They were lifesavers!

Eliza 13 Months

 Eliza turned 13 months old at the beginning of July.

She is still as happy as ever! We get to see her cute teeth almost all the time because she smiles so much. :)

She also loves to "cruise." She'll walk along the furniture in the front room, just doing laps. It's adorable.

She also loves to look at books, play with toys, and play with her big sister and brother. 

She's getting quite the little personality too. She knows what she wants and she wants you to know too! She'll point at what it is she wants and just grunt and whine until she gets your attention and until you give it to her! She also loves to explore the fridge and drawers in the kitchen.

Baby planking! She got such a kick out of sitting on this chair! :)