Trip to Utah

Between our trips to Wisconsin, we ventured out to Utah. Joseph flew from Houston to meet me at the airport. We had a good time in Utah and were able to see all of Joe's family, which was nice.

We flew in Wednesday and I was happy to have Joseph with us on vacation. The kids missed him a lot and Tanner wouldn't let go of him until we got out to the rental car. We went to Lehi that night to stay with one brother and his family.

Thursday, we visited a local splash pad. Our kids always like getting wet. We also visited one of Joe's sisters and had lunch with her family. Later that day, we went swimming. The aquatic center has a ton of slides and a lazy river that the kids like.

We also had ice cream. Typical Tanner to eat the bottom of the cone first.

Friday, we went hiking up Battle Creek falls. We did this hike last time we visited Utah but went in the fall when the falls/creek were much slower. This time, the run-off was still pretty fast and rocks were flying down the water falls. A little more dangerous than I prefer but the kids enjoyed it. Later that day, we went to Thanksgiving Point and played at the children's museum and farm country. Ashton loves pony rides and you get unlimited ones at Farm Country so it was perfect. We were one of a few families at farm country and I asked the lady why they weren't busier. She said it was too hot. Ha! We thought it was a great day! No humidity sure makes a difference.

Saturday morning, we traveled down to BYU to show the kids around the campus. We were bummed the engineering building isn't quite done yet so maybe next trip. We went to Cafe Rio (my favorite in Utah) and played at an open gym place. That night, we went back to Lehi for family pictures. All of Joseph's family got together for a big, extended family picture. Tanner started getting sick that night so he wasn't in a great mood. After the pictures, we went to dinner at another brother's house and then drove to Nephi.

On Sunday, we went to church. Tanner and Joe stayed home as Tanner was still sick. After church, Ashton and I went to meet up with a sister missionary that served in our ward and lives in Nephi. We met her family and visited for a while. Later on that day, more family came over for a Sunday dinner.

Monday morning came bright and early as we drove up to Provo for our family 5k. I was very excited for this race since I signed up back in the spring. Registration was free, which made it even better. The race started at Provo temple and ran through BYU/Provo. It ended a block shy of City Center temple. The kids did great and Ashton ran about half of it with me. Our reward afterwards was BYU Creamery ice cream with Aunt Anah and Caleb. After the race, we wandered back up to Lehi to go to the Lehi Foam Days that they hold on Pioneer Day. Joe's brother and his family met up with us. The kids enjoyed the afternoon at the park. Monday night, we drove up to Joe's sister's house near Salt Lake.

On Tuesday, we visited temple square and had lunch downtown. That night, we went swimming and played at a park with the family.

Wednesday was our final day in Utah. We went to This Is The Place and intended to spend only two hours there but stayed for over four. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed it. Plus, Tanner took a long stroller nap so we were somewhat forced to stay until he woke up. Ashton's favorite part was the pony ride and Tanner's favorite was panning for gold. That night, our niece babysat the kids while we went out to dinner. She did a wonderful job and we wish we lived closer to have her more often.

Thursday was travel day so after a delicious breakfast made by Sam, we headed to the airport and off to Wisconsin we went.

Wisconsin Part 2

We traveled back to Wisconsin for my niece's baptism. We flew in on the 27th and once again, the plane lulled Tanner to sleep and he slept during the majority of the three hour flight. Flying is much easier when there are two parents!

On Friday, we went grocery shopping to prepare for a house full of people. All of the grandchildren/children were in town for the weekend, which is a rare treat. My brother and his family arrived Friday night while everyone else came Saturday.

Sunday was the baptism so we joined the family at church that morning. We had a big BBQ at my parent's home that afternoon and spent the day with family.

All 6 grandchildren together.

He was obsessed with eating and blowing bubbles. I'd rather that than him trying to climb in the firepit all night.

Monday, we went swimming with my cousin and her daughter. That night, we got ice cream with my cousin, Amy and played at a park nearby.

Our flight home was Tuesday night at 9pm. Ick! We met up with my friend, Janet, in Minneapolis before going to the airport. We've gotten together with all the kids as much as we can. We forgot to get a picture but imagine two three year olds, a two year old and a one year old standing in the heat at a park. We headed to the airport and the kids slept for most of the flight and the drive home. I was very excited to sleep in my bed when we got home at 2am after four weeks of traveling.

Wisconsin Part 1

We took a massive summer vacation this year. Due to some family events in Wisconsin that I did not want to miss, we ended up flying to Wisconsin for two weeks, then Utah for a week, and then back to Wisconsin for a long weekend.

Our flight to Wisconsin was at 7am, which means we were up at 4! Ouch! Thankfully, the kids traveled well. My parents met us in Minneapolis and helped me with the three hour drive to their house. Later that day, we went to the Eau Claire Dells to walk around and played in the freezing water! I have no clue how I water-skied in that water!

Thursday, we played around the house. Ashton got to take a few "tractor" rides on the riding lawn mower. We went to the splash pad in town as well as rode the little train they have.

Friday was spent driving to the Wisconsin Dells. This is a huge tourist town and is known for America's largest waterpark, Noah's Ark. I grew up visiting this place often and it brought back lots of memories. We went to the Dells for the weekend because my sister was running her first ultra-marathon and we wanted to come cheer her on. Friday night, we went swimming and had a grill out with my parents and sister at their RV site.

Saturday was race day. The race started at 5:30am so needless to say, we didn't catch my sister at the start. We saw her for the first time at mile 25 and then again at the finish. Ashton was excited to see Trescha and to run with her. After the race, we headed to the Wisconsin Deer Park and the kids got to feed lots of deer.

On Sunday, the kids and I went to church. It was a small building in Baraboo but I guess they had a lot of visitors because the entire chapel was full. Tanner sat with me through the sacrament, which was a rare treat. After church, I met my family at Circus World. This was Ashton's favorite part of the trip. We saw the tiger show and the circus show. Later that night, we swam at the pool near my parent's campsite and had dinner with them.

Monday was our day to travel back to Wausau. Before that, we headed to a country farm/berry picking/petting farm. It was just me and the kids and it was a perfect activity to do alone. We picked lots of berries and played with their activities. Then we drove back to Wausau and Tanner treated me by sleeping the whole way!

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent hanging out in Wausau. We attended a story time at the library that ended up being a Yo-Yo presentation. Ashton lasted about five minutes. We also spent some time at the children's museum. One afternoon, I took the kids to a local pool to swim as it was hot out.

Thursday, my mom had the day off so we went to a local farm and played with all the animals. The kids loved it and had no fear around any of the animals (even the raccoon in the animal trap). That afternoon, my mom watched the kids while I got my hair cut. I really like a stylist in Wausau so I try to do this each year.

Saturday, we went up north to Jim Peck's zoo with my sister. I love this place and we've gone the last couple summers. The kids loved it just as I thought they would.

On Sunday, we went to church and Tanner went to nursery for the first time! It was a wonderful morning! We celebrated my mom's birthday and I met up with my cousins at ChalkFest that night.

For Monday and Tuesday, Ashton went to the Vacation Bible School at my parent's church down the road. She had a good time and thought it was preschool again. Our last night in town, we went to Sam's Pizza and read to therapy dogs at a local library. Wednesday was our travel day to Utah. The kids slept on the plane, which was a nice treat. Planes seem to put Tanner to sleep no matter what time it is.

Tanner is 18 months old!

Tanner is an extremely active kid. He must be moving at all times, except when asleep. He sleeps really well and this is probably due to all the activity he does during the day. There is no height or physical challenge that deters him. We can't take our eye off of him for more than a second or he is trying to run into the road, climb bookshelves, shove things in the computer, etc. We definitely have had to baby-proof more of our house over the past few months.

Tanner is pretty social. He warms up quickly to people but still prefers to come to Mom or Dad. At home, his preference is Mom but is definitely okay if I leave for a while.

His favorites:

Favorite book: Dear Zoo or a BYU Cougar book we have in our church bag

Favorite toy: Cars or trains. He also likes anything Ashton is playing with.

Favorite word: "Bye." He will persistently wave goodbye anytime we are leaving a place. And then continue saying goodbye in the car for the next five minutes.

Favorite show: I recall doing this for Ashton because she could express more preferences at this age than Tanner does. He watches whatever Ashton picks for her show for the day. He doesn't care.

Favorite Outing: The park or anywhere with sand and water.

Favorite food: Mandarin oranges. He can easily eat an entire can of them at lunch. He also likes fruit snacks, bananas and milk.

Favorite activity: Climbing/running/jumping. He also loves playing Patty-cake with me.

His vocabulary is starting to grow a little more. He now says: No, Go, More, Mama, Bye, Woof, Clap, Milk, Book, and probably a few others that I can't think of right now. He still signs "All Done" but that's his only sign. I'm excited for his language explosion to happen soon. I like when kids can tell me what they want instead of screaming "NO!" at me and kicking their legs.

Tanner is the typical baby brother who loves to annoy Ashton. Anything that makes Ashton scream pleases Tanner and he is often seen smiling while walking away. Aside from that, he does love to gives Ashton hugs and kisses much to her disapproval.

Typical schedule:Wakes up between 8 and 9am most daysErrands/plays until lunch time.Naps from about 1:30-3:30/4Goes to bed around 8:30-9pm

Some pictures of this cute kid. We'll head to the doctor next month when we get back so we'll see what his stats are. He is one big kid, though!

Never get in the middle between Tanner and his ice cream.

He loves filling up cups during bathtime.

Month of June

Joseph's parents came for a visit so we headed to the beach and also got to tour Joseph's plant at work. It was a fun couple days and the kids enjoyed all the attention.

For those who don't know, I was called as the Young Women's president last December when our ward split. The transition was HARD and that is a complete understatement. It was difficult physically as Joseph also serves the youth as the Young Men's president in a different church unit so trying to figure out what to do physically with our children for youth activities was (and still is) challenging. It was hard emotionally and spiritually as I felt completely unqualified to serve in this capacity. Previously, I was serving as Relief Society president and thoroughly enjoyed the calling. I never pictured myself serving with young women as I felt (and still partially do) I don't relate very well to them. The past seven months have been a good challenge for me and I've definitely gone outside my comfort zone. I decided to attend Young Women's camp for the first time this summer. Attending camp was very rewarding. I enjoyed spending the week with the young women in our ward and getting to know them on a deeper level than what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ashton begged to go with me and I look forward to going with her when she is 12. Joseph stayed home most of the time and the kids loved that. Here are a few pictures of his week with them.

Ashton wearing the camp beads I received for my week at camp.

We did some science stuff this month and made a volcano. Then we did shaving cream painting too.

I also took Ashton and a friend to a morning movie at the theater. They do a summer deal where for $4, you get a ticket, popcorn, a small drink, and fruit snacks. She got to see the Lorax and enjoyed it.

Ashton's favorite missionary came back to town for a visit. We kept it a surprise from Ashton and planned a little get-together at church one night to meet her. Ashton was shocked. Luckily, we get to see her again when we go to Nephi later this month.

For Father's Day, we celebrated by making Joe's favorite dinner. Burritos. I think he had a good day and Ashton kept saying, "Happy Father's Day" all day long. His gift is a lesson/training on flying a drone from a guy in our stake who has a few drones.

Tanner is excited to take our suitcase on our month-long trip this summer!

Saturday morning run. Tanner is normally more excited that he shows.

Ashton has been counting down the sleeps until we leave for Wisconsin. Just 2 sleeps left! This is her "I'm soooooo excited: face.

Our garden is still growing well. I canned 16 quarts of pickles from our cucumbers and we will still have lots to eat up. Our cantaloupe and watermelon are growing now and tasting delicious. Ashton still loves going out there each day to find new produce.

Joseph and I got tickets to Lion King on Broadway and went with another couple. It was a great night to get away and enjoy something that little kids would not. We went to this the summer we interned here five years ago and it was well worth going again.