Flaming Gorge

I don't even know where to begin this post.  My family (extended) has been going to Flaming Gorge every year since I was a little baby (actually since my mom was about 21 I think).  I LOVE it.  I love camping and boating.  They could definitely be 2 of my favorite things in the whole world.  Which is funny because I am NOT a hard core camper or outdoors person.  There is just something that is good for the soul about waking up in the mountains with a shining lake next to you.

 

Well... I have never taken my kids camping.  Mostly because I married someone that hates camping and boating.  It has been a fight every summer since we were married to go to Flaming Gorge with my family.  He always had some lame excuse (school, work, money, pregnant, new baby etc).  But this year he ran out of excuses and there was nothing standing in our way.  So off we went.  We left Madison home with my sister - best decision ever - and headed out with the older three.  It was the best vacation ever!!!  They were so good, and so fun!  Everything I have ever wanted.

 

The first thing we did was take a tour of the dam.  Our kids really like this kind of stuff - learning how things work - so they really enjoyed it.

Then we set up camp and spent the rest of our vacation boating and playing on the beach.

I love to water ski - but have not done it much in the last 10 years.  I am excited to get better.  I did two first to get used to it - then I spent the rest of the time on one.  I learned to slolum when I was 17 and have only done it about 5 times since then - I am excited to get better at it - I really love to ski.

Hayden and Jackson (my cousins) were up there with us the whole time and we had a lot of fun with them.  They are true fishermen and outdoorsmen, great examples for my boys.

  

My grandma and Grandpa, they are the ones that started this whole thing, and my mom.

Megan was the most adorable camper - and her glasses just made her that much cuter!  There is just something about a little girl in t-shirt and jeans, with sand in her hair, sticky fingers, and dirt all over that is just so adorable.

  

This man is my whole world - that sounds so cheesy - but honestly he is.

The kids all tubed but we didn't have the small ski's for kids - so they didn't get to do that.  But they loved the tube.

 

This girl didn't leave her daddy's side the whole time.  She just adores him - and he her.
 

They LOVE to lay on the hot cement at swimming pools, after they would swim in the lake they would hike up the beach to lay on this flat rock they found.

Megan spent hours building things on the beach.  She would move the different kinds of sand all around the beach to make the perfect sand castle or perfect mud pie.

And after a few days of trying we finally caught a fish - he was pretty big too.  They were very proud.

Eating lunch on the beach.

Lounging around.

And of course... throwing rocks.  Brock learned to skip rocks... and find the perfect skipping rock.

It was so fun and I hope there will be many more to come. 

Discovery Gateway

We have been to Discovery Gateway a few times in the past month or so.  We haven't been for several months and Madison enjoyed it in a whole new way this time.

Megan loves to play check out.

Noah spends most of his time building and experimenting with things... still.

One day we had my nephew with us and they all wanted to ride the trains.  Down town is a free zone - so we rode back and forth from the Gateway to the temple a few times.  They loved it.

 

One time the girls spent over an hour in this little house area.  They rearranged these beds and the dolls a thousand times.

First Grade

Thanks to year round school Brock started the first grade on July 25th.  I honestly found that I do not have a strong testimony of school.  I think it is pretty stupid honestly.  He is gone too long and then comes home with a good hour of home work.  Way lame.  Plus that thought of him eating lunch at school gives me more anxiety than I can handle.  Not to mention that he tells me of about 2 movies everyday that they watch.  The jury is still out on whether he likes it or not.  Most days he doesn't want to go because he says it is too long.  I found that if I let him ride his bike he is excited to go.  None of the neighbor kids ride their bike, so I follow him in the car behind him - which him and the kids love.

 

On Brock's first day of school me and the "younger three" went to Wheeler Farm on our first outing with out Brock.  It was strange.  It turns out everything is better with Brock.  Noah is kind of lost all day.  It is really easy to just let him play the computer for way to long - I need to make a plan for him.  And then when Brock gets home it is crazy, silly with those two until way past bed time - they love each other.

 

However Noah takes his "biggest brother" role VERY seriously and does a great job.  Him and Megan have a very cute friendship when Brock is not around.  It is more gentle and sweet.  Noah will play doll house with her and he lets Megan be in charge. 

Doughnut falls

Jason has actually been back and forth from here to Denver a lot this summer - so it has just been me and the kids.  I had known that he was going to be gone for most of the summer for quite a while so I had prepared myself for a very easy going, laid back summer.  No fabulous dinners, no being home at 5:00 - just what ever and when ever.  It went pretty good.  Single parenting is hard - but when you give yourself low expectations and a lot of grace, things turn out ok.

 

Anyways, one morning we went up and hiked Doughnut falls.  It was a beautiful morning and I have wanted to try hiking with my kids for a while.  It actually went pretty well - Madison is still too young for anything long distance, but I knew that going into it.  We did not make it to the falls - but I did not expect that we would.  I just wanted to have a fun time in the mountains - which we did.  A few days later just me and the boys went back and made it to the falls.

 

When I uploaded these pictures and a was looking through them I got the over whelming feeling about these four wonderful kids and how they are really my best friends.  And I truly mean that.  I would rather be with them than with anyone else.  My favorite activities and outings are actually just with us and with out any "play dates".  I honestly have so much fun with them and love being around them all day.  I hope it lasts forever.

After we turned around and hiked back down the mountain the kids were disappointed not to see any "falls" - so we found a little river and played in it for a good half hour.

The girls just sat and put sticks and rocks in the river.

Of course Noah fell in ... but that was to be expected.

It was a fun fun morning.