Our Week

We went bowling with some friends this week.  The kids had a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we went to Soak City as a family.  It was Brian's first time this summer...we've been so busy!

Catherine was so tired that either Brian or I sat with her on the lounge chair.

The kids encouraged us to pump up our bike tires and go for a family ride.  We've been going every evening since, it's been so fun!

Yesterday we went on a hike that Lydia did with Activity Days.  It was about 2 miles round trip and everyone did well.  Catherine even ran for most of it!

Robbie got braces!  We've been looking into it for a few years now, but he needed to be done with his OIT program before he could get them.

 Looking good!

Scout Camp

Robbie left to Scout Camp this morning.  He's not sure what to expect, but we know he will have fun.

They are camping at Lost Valley, which is the camp Brian went to as a youth as well. 

Update:  Here are some pictures that Robbie's leader sent us.

archery

escape room

basketball

He had a lot of fun! He came home tired and worn out, but really happy that he got to go.

Family Time

We went to Liam's 2nd birthday party on Saturday.  We had delicious food, played in the pool, and enjoyed catching up with family.

He had 2 pinatas and the kids had fun breaking them.

Miscellaneous

In other news...

We got some cherries to make pie this week.  Catherine even wore her cherry dress for the fun occasion.  She loved popping them in her mouth!

Thomas has gotten so creative in his lego building.  He plays with them almost daily.  Here's his latest tank.

Cooking Class

We took another cooking class at the Discovery Cube this week.  We made Berry Pita Pizzas.  They were really yummy!

 

Making granola

cooking pita and granola

making sauce

constructing

The base was a pita, then the cinnamon ricotta, granola, and berries on top.  It smelled as good as it tasted.

Friends

Our good friends, the Andersons, came to visit this week.  We love that they take time to see us every summer!  The kids are all good friends.  Lydia and Charlotte even had on the exact same shirt without any planning!  We played at the house in the morning and went to the kiddie pool after swim lessons and lunch.

Beach

We went to our favorite Sweet Jill's for breakfast and an early morning at the beach this week.

Catherine loved that sand could build.  She loved to knock it down after too.

  

The older kids always like to build a castle that can withstand the waves.  It has a protective wall.  It takes a few knock-downs before they get it right though.

After the beach, we came home and got cleaned up.  I headed to the temple since it will be closed for a few weeks. It was a really wonderful day!

Summer Trip-part 3: Sequoia

For our last part of our trip we headed down to Sequoia National Park.  We stayed in a cabin in Three Rivers while we were there. We spent one day in the park.

We hiked to General Sherman and then walked the Congress Trail.

Tunnel Log

This sequoia had been burned out in the middle.  Both of our families fit in the inside with room to spare. 

The President

This tree had a small opening to the hollowed out inside.  All the kids had fun climbing into it.

Thomas and Camden by the roots of a fallen tree.

The kids had a fun time playing hide-and-seek among the giants.

Another tunnel log

We had a wonderful time!  The beauty of these parks can't be captured in pictures.  It was fun to be with family in nature.