First Day of Second Grade

Kindergarten               First Grade               Second Grade

I can't even look at this without getting the "cry lump" in my throat.  When did my little girl grow up so much?!  She's all long arms and legs everywhere, and reading and writing, and driving me crazy with willful attitude and stubbornness.  But, oh, do I love her.  Each day before she heads down the hall at school, she gives me a hug, and I tell her to "Have a good day, and be a good friend" and I think she takes it to heart.  She is such a kind soul, which kind of funny because she is also a born leader to the point of sometimes being a little bossy.  She wants things her way, but will tear up in a hurry if she realizes she has hurt someone's feelings.  I can't wait to see how all of these qualities come together as she get older.  And, I fear, as I become more of a crier. :)

Discovery Gateway

Discovery Gateway was having some great discounts this summer.  We'd never been, since it always seemed to expensive, so we headed on up.

 

We rode the TRAX train all the way from the Valley Fair Mall stop.  Hayley and Jackson both think it's so cool to ride the train!

It had been a while since I'd ridden the train too, and I'd forgotten that the line goes all the way to the airport now.  So, when I was expecting the train to stop right by the Gateway Mall, instead it took a turn and kept going.

I stressed out a teeny bit, until I realized that the next stop was only a block away, and still totally walk-able to our destination.

Plus, walking means holding hands. :)

When we got there, one of the first exhibits is a construction site when you can build buildings, put bricks in the crane, dress up as a worker, and play with tractors.  I'll give you one guess who didn't want to go anywhere else.  Like ever.

I had to carry him into the next room and show him all the cool things there were to do at the water table.  Kudos to the museum on the water aprons.

Jackson also really liked the pretend supermarket, especially using the conveyor belt to drop the fruits and veggies into the kid sized cart and then push them around.

Hayley was really excited that after we were done at the museum I told her I had brought their swimsuits and they could play in the fountain.

We finished our outing with some ice cream and our ride home on the train.  Discovery Gateway was a two thumbs up, as long as we visit again on a discount day.

Utah Fanfest

Over the last few years, I've discovered the joy of Utah Gymnastics.  One of the best things about my excitement/fascination/borderline addiction is my partner in crime Suzanne.

Hayley also enjoys the gymnastics meets, but often not for the entire two hours. :) She's always game for a up-close-and-personal photo op though.

 

And really what better to do on a hot summer day than strike a pose with the cute Mary Beth Lofgren at the University of Utah Fanfest?

Okay, so maybe eating a sno-cone is a good thing to do on a hot day too.

Or two or three...

 

Really can't wait to see these darling girls (Becky Tutka and Lia Del Priore) in action on January 11th!

GO RED ROCKS!  I think it's your year!!

A Boy and his Tractors

I forgot this little gem from Raspberry Days.  This is Jackson at LaBeau's as we were waiting for our food and shakes.  He was so tired, and so trying to keep himself going.  And so dusty and dirty, obviously.

As most of you probably know, this boy likes loves tractors.  Like a lot.

So it was only fitting that he had a tractor cake for his birthday.

Yeah, he loved it.  I'd call this Pinterest project a total success!

And cheap too.  Just cake mix, green frosting, Oreos, and some Dollar Store tractors.

We had his party at the park again, which works out perfectly.

The construction theme was very fitting, and Jackson was elated with his many new tractors.

And very happy to have some dirt so handy.

The only thing that could have made this party any better was a real live tractor.

We found one the next day. :)

 

Happy 4th birthday Jackson!

 

Thanks for being the best little boy!

Bear Lake Raspberry Days

My mom had been jones-ing for a beach for the past while.  We tried to get over to the ocean during our California trip in May, but it just didn't happen.

It might have been my fault that we didn't go the the beach.  Honestly, the ocean kind of creeps me out...  Sharks, salt, loosing your children forever if they go too far out... Yeah, no thanks.

That being said, I do have some fabulous memories of Bear Lake as a child.  We would go to the Sweetwater Resort almost every summer with my mom's side of the family.

 It didn't take much convincing to get me to agree to an add-on trip to Bear Lake during one of our cabin trips.

And both of my kids loved, Loved, LOVED the beach just as much as I remember loving it during childhood. 

The fact that my mom and Robert spoiled us all by reserving the night at the Worldmark in Garden City made the deal even sweeter.

It was also Raspberry Days while we were there.  The only part of it that we really made it to was all of the booths set up at the Town Square.  But they had sno-cones!

And they had a petting zoo! 

Which was fun for Hayley...

And fun for Jackson to mostly look at, but not touch much...

This one that was doing pony rides looked a little more chipper. (And cuter in all of her pinky-pinkiness.)

The kids found a perfect shady spot. 

Hayley asked me if this was "the bell with the crack in it." (The Liberty Bell) I was pretty impressed with her remembering that they had learned about that in school.

Bear Lake and Raspberry Days was a super fun time.  Thanks again Mom and Robert!

Fourth of July

For the Fourth of July, my mom and I decided we wanted to head downtown for the parade.  We also decided that sleeping until a normal time was more important than getting an excellent spot.

We got there about 8:30, right before the parade started at 9:00.

Our spot was just fine.  Jackson was pretty happy with it.

The parade was fun to see, but mostly I loved how much Hayley and Jackson loved being there.

We chilled at home for the rest of the day.

Didn't even do or watch any fireworks.  Just had a very chill Fourth of July.  That was probably good, since for the 24th we were at the cabin and headed into Evanston for the evening.  It was crazy!  People start doing fireworks before it's even dark, and then there is a real show with music after dark.  It got to be a little much even.  At 10:30, they were still going strong, but we had kids falling asleep during the fireworks and decided to get them back to the cabin and in bed.  We'll see if we're feeling that gung-ho next year!

Days of '47

Found these that never got posted from a few years ago when the kids were in the Children's Parade in July.  They both look so little!