Hot, Hot Aviary

Grandma was around for a few days into the next week. We decided to take advantage of having her around and went to the Tracy Aviary. When we arrived there we discovered they were having free school lunch at the park. We decided to eat before heading to the aviary.

Eating lunch before the aviary

It was a very, very hot day and almost as soon as we made it to the aviary I knew we weren't going to last long. The kids were all hot and whiny and Aunt Mindy, Grandma, and I weren't too far behind them. about 20 minutes into the trip Carlie got stung by a bee and we decided it was time to call it a day. Hopefully we'll be able to try again on a not so hot day.

Seeing some of the birds with grandma.

Adam cooling off in the water sprayer.

Gracie dancing under the water.

Hannah and Cadence getting wet to stay cool.

Sarah and Savannah under the mister.

Temple Quarry and Snowbird

All the kids who came on the hike.

The week of July 4th we were blessed with having grandma and grandpa Newbry staying in Salt Lake. Because grandpa had been working down here, they decided to bring their trailer down and spend the week. We saw them off and on during the week and then on Saturday the 6th, they wanted to go to the temple quarry at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We were joined by Mindy and Jeremy and their 4 kids and we had a great time walking around looking at where they took rock out of the mountain to build the temple. The kids loved climbing on the rocks, trees, railings, and anything else they could find. It was a great little walk.

Gracie and Ben hanging out on a rock.

The little boys (minus Tate)

The girls. How cute!

Adam likes to climb

My handsome boy. The boys all enjoyed climbing trees.

Dan climbing on the railing.

Gracie on top of the world.

After our walk around the temple quarry we headed to Snowbird to have a picnic lunch. It was so nice to be outside in the beautiful mountains enjoying family. After our lunch Kenny and I took our kids and Savannah on a little walk around Snowbird. We ended up at a great lookout spot. The kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed exploring.

The Snowbird hikers.

We found a little house of sorts after our hike near Snowbirds.
The kids thought it was really cool.

Splash Pad Fun

Adam having fun at the splash pad.

I took the kids to the splash pad the morning of July 5th. The weather was great for splash pad fun and the park was empty, I'm guessing because of the fireworks and holiday festivities from the night before. It was definitely worth it and we all had a lot of fun. It was so nice to finally have the kids out of school.

Ben and Sarah. I love these 2 kids and I love watching them play together.

Ben had a blast.

Silly DanDan loves the water.

Gracie enjoyed running through the water.

Hannah having fun.

They turn the water off every hour for about 10 minutes and the girls decided to hang
out in the shower while they waited for it to be turned back on.

Ben decided to play at the nearby park while waiting for the water to come back on.

The girls decided the monkey bars where more fun than the showers.

Once the water came back on it was time for more fun.

Dan having fun running through the water.

Fireworks In The Mountains

Watching the fireworks show from the roof of the van.

After our afternoon at Jordanelle we headed to Park City to watch the fireworks. We drove up just as the fireworks were starting. We got a fantastic parking spot, total luck, and quickly got the kids out of the car and put them on top to watch the fireworks show. It was great. I loved the Park City fireworks. There was just something about watching a fireworks show surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. They were amazing and we decided that we need to go back next year. 

It was a beautiful show.

Charlie S. Atwater

Holding the water snake.

While wandering around the river at Jordanelle Sarah saw a water snake slithering nearby. Kenny picked it up and the kids were instantly fascinated. They all took turns holding and petting it. Nothing like a water snake to bring out the smiles on kids faces. They liked him so much they decided to name him. Charlie S. Atwater is his official name. 

Daniel was not too sure about the snake at first.

Gracie taking a turn holding the snake.

Sarah with Charlie.

Kenny finally got Dan to hold the snake. I was so proud of my little guy.

Hannah loved the snake.

Adam holding Charlie the snake. He loved it.

The kids watching daddy let Charlie the snake go.

Jordanelle for the 4th

My cute kids on a bridge at Jordanelle Reservoir.

As I said earlier, this summer was a hot one. I for one was not a fan of the heat and when the 4th of July came around I didn't want to go do anything festive because I didn't want to be out in the 100+ heat. We decided we didn't want the holiday to just go to waste so we headed up into the mountains for some cooler air. We've been wanting to go to Jordanelle Reservoir since we moved back to Utah and we thought July 4th would be perfect. We got there late, but still had fun wandering around, playing in the water, and even seeing a water snake. The weather was beautiful and being outside in nature always uplifts me. It was a great way to spend the 4th of July.

We love being silly

Walking in the river.

I do love summertime and summer pictures.

Playing in the river.

Rooftop Fireworks

Getting ready to watch the fireworks on the roof.

July 3rd is the day of the Eaglewood fireworks near our house. We've never wanted to drive up to the golf course to see the fireworks, but we have learned that you can see them from our house. This is our 2nd July in this house and the second time we took to the roof on July 3rd to watch the fireworks. The kids like being on the roof and we like not having to fight the crowds and traffic. 

What Do You Do When It's Really Hot Outside?

Adam, Ben and our neighbor Charlie on the tarp slide.

This summer was really hot and it seemed like we never got a break. On July 3rd the kids wanted to run through the sprinklers, but in true Kenny fashion he took it one step farther and made a slide. At first it was just plastic on the ground, but because we have no slope to our yard that quickly got boring. He created a hill using the castle slide and the kids had a blast until the sun started going down.

Hannah sliding on the tarp.

Adam enjoyed running on the slide.

Once the castle slide was added the kids brought the tubes out and they had a ton of fun.

I love watching my kids playing together and having fun.