Our St. George Adventure

On the fifth of July we headed down to St. George for a fun little family vacation. It turned into a very interesting week. The boys did so well on the drive down. They enjoyed a few different movies. We got checked into our hotel and decided to go to Pasta Factory for dinner. We had a yummy dinner. Here is JT and Braiden at Pasta Factory.

Gavin and me at Pasta Factory

When we got back from dinner we took the boys swimming. It was great. They had a little pool and a big pool. It wasn't very busy, but the boys didn't like the water very much. If they were in the big pool they were crying and whining. We did take them swimming the next day as well. We need to keep swimming to get them used to the water. When I asked Braiden his favorite thing he said swimming. I guess amidst everything, he loved it.

The next day we took them to the Wildlife Museum. It was really neat. You follow the road which is like a trail up a mountain. Their are so many different animals to see. This is the boys in front of some gazelle and an ostrich.

They boys and me in front of the camel.

They also had a fun children's area where the kids got to climb, dress up and pet a bear, badger and a hyena. They thought it was great. Braiden and Gavin got dressed up in their camo!

The next day we visited Snow Canyon. It was HOT! We had a great time though. We found a little red rock to climb up. Here are the boys climbing.

This is us at the top! We made it:)

This is the rock we hiked. It was really cool at the top:)

This was our view of a hike we went on. Both Gavin and Braiden hiked on the trail. It was so fun to watch them. We really enjoyed the beautiful canyon.

Later that night we hit Pirate Island Pizza. The boys loved it. The atmosphere was so fun. We didn't get to stay long because we were heading to Tuacahn. They loved bopping the sharks heads and the pizza and pasta were yummy too!

Finally that night we got to see Tarzan at the Tuacahn. I didn't take my camera because I knew we couldn't take pictures of the musical, but next time I will take it. We could have had so many fun pics up top before it started. Oh, well. My boys were mesmerized by this. The gorillas flying over head and hanging from trees. I asked Braiden what his favorite part was. It was the cheetah that kills Tarzan's parents and the baby gorilla. I still do not understand?! My favorite part was during the Son of Man song when Tarzan changes from a child to an adult. At the end the adult Tarzan came flying in from the back. It was amazing! I still get so exciting thinking about it. The music was amazing. We love the movie soundtrack. The new songs were fabulous as well. Gavin did so so well. I only had to take him out towards the very end. We watched to rest from the top. My boys still sing the songs and tell me what is going on when we listen to the soundtrack. Their favorite song is when Turk is singing Trashin' the camp. Gavin sings and dances as well. I love love Disney and this was a fabulous musical. I would see it again in a heartbeat. We had an amazing experience. During the vacation Gavin got sick and we didn't sleep well. That keep us entertained, but we really enjoyed being together as a family. We were so grateful to be able to go and get away for a few days.

The Fourth of July

For the fourth this year we had a lot of fun. We did most of our celebrating on Saturday. We had a fabulous party at Gma and Gpa Roach's. I forgot to take pictures. We visited and ate a yummy lunch including Grandma's homemade ice cream sandwiches. We then set up the pool in the backyard and let the kids swim. Braiden had so much fun playing with cousins while Gavin enjoyed a smaller pool pretty much to himself. He just kept splashing around. It was so fun to visit with everyone. We then came home and Mike, Alex and Stewart came over. They brought a slip and slide. We also had the pools filled up. Gavin was taking a nap while we were slip and sliding. I have never really done it before. It really scared me to even try, but I did it. Mike, Alex, JT and Braiden all were doing so great going down. I just couldn't quite get the hang of it. I did try and had fun. I just need a little practice before anyone else sees my in all my slip and slid glory:)

Braiden was having so much fun. He was getting pretty good as well.

We then had a yummy steak dinner out on the patio. When it got dark we did fireworks. Gavin loved loved loved the poppers. He would throw them and step on them. He wanted more and more and more. When Braiden finally woke up he enjoyed them as well. The fireworks show was fabulous. JT and Mike did a great job at lighting the show. Stewart slept for this part. I tried something else that I have never done before. I popped a popper in my hand. It really scared me, but it really didn't hurt. I amaze myself with things I will try these days:) It was a busy but fun day. Happy Birthday America! I am so grateful for the many freedoms we enjoy!

Camping up Diamond

The past few years we have been going camping with my Grandma and Grandpa Roach up Diamond Fork campground. Yes, I will go camping (just not out in the middle of nowhere.) We had so so much fun this year. Even though it rained the second day, we all had a nice nap, it was a blast. On Monday, Amanda, Kira and Eric came up with Gma and Gpa. Amanda only came up for the day, but we were so excited to have them there with us. When Amanda and Kira had both left, Braiden came up to me and said, "Mom I miss Manda and Kira." He loved having cousins to take him on bike rides. Since we were there during the week, there was hardly any traffic. He was able to ride around the campground like a maniac. He went on multiple bike rides. It was so fun to watch him go, but I can't believe how old he is acting. He is growing up so so fast.

The first night we roasted marshmallows and had smores. The were delightful. Gavin even got in on the fun. We taught him and showed him how hot the fire was. Every time he would come up by it, he would yell HOT! We of course were right there with him the entire time:)

This year while camping we made a new discovery. Usually we would just come to the side of the river and try and throw rocks. This year we found a spot where some trees had fallen over and created a little area where you could wade and play. We were so hot the first afternoon and it felt so so good. Gavin and Braiden were able to wade and throw rocks. It was so much fun. We tried to go back before we left, but it was so cold.

Here are JT and Gavin throwing rocks in the river before we discovered our little pond area.

Braiden and JT climbed up one of the logs which had fallen over.

We went to another fun place while camping. It was the red rocks. I had never been there. It is just a little further up the canyon. We walked around and went on some trails and then packed a lunch and ate at the park. This was just before the rain came. I am so glad we were able to fit it in. We had a great time camping this year. We love going so much with Gma and Gpa. We always have so much fun. It always is a highlight in our summer.

Sprinkler Fun

It has turned into a hot summer. JT was gone on a camp out and so they boys and I had some fun. I let them run through the sprinklers. They had never really done it before. They wouldn't let me turn the water up too high, but they did get to the point where they would run over the sprinkler. Next time I think we will be able to turn the water up a little higher. It was a fun afternoon. We ended by having a Popsicle and having a nap (the boys anyway!)