Where did July go?

Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend. We did! We started our day by attending our City's Independence Day Parade. It was fun to see friends and neighbors there. The Parade has become a tradition over the years. It is so nice to see people dressed in red, white, and blue, waving flags, wearing patriotic hats and just enjoying themselves. It reminds me so much of driving through little towns in New York and seeing flags and buntings on every home. It truly is a wonderful way to get into the Spirit of Celebrating our Country's Independence. That evening, we went to Claremont to watch some great fireworks with our friends. It was a really nice way to end the day.

We later took a roadtrip to Utah to visit family, take a tour of Utah State University and attend EFY. It was a very relaxing and fun two weeks. It is always a treat to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. This year, they had visiting chickens and R had a great time watching them. D actually caught a couple and let the little kids pet it. I think that is the first time R has seen chickens in real life.

We went to Idaho Falls one day and saw the "Titanic" exhibit (thank you Callie for posting that on your blog) . It was really good and R can't stop talking about the Iceberg that he touched. He has gotten a little more creative in his storytelling and has now started to tell, anyone who will listen, that his mom and dad were on the Titanic and "they were in the water that was really cold but they didn't die. They are here see! " The kids had fun in the discovery room where they dressed up like pioneers and crawled around through caves and climbed mountains! They had a lot of fun. Even my little niece joined in on the dress up fun. We did take pictures outside of the museum. By that time R was a little spent and began to pout. He had a very observant cousin and she decided that she was not going to let him pout alone so she was his one and only supporter in his pouting protest!

We made a stop at the Idaho Falls temple. In the visitors Center, there is a Christus that is made of fiberglass. We were told that President Hinckley wanted it made so that the children to could touch the Savior and be easy to clean. When we walked in, A immediately ran over saying "my Jesus, my Jesus". R touched his hands and wanted to know why his hands and feet were hurt. The littlest A just sat there on her mom's lap and looked at the Savior almost the entire time until she let us know it was time to eat. I think I had a better understanding of how the scriptures tell us to "become like little children." Wouldn't life be a little simpler if we could all be as satisfied, as humble, and loveable as these little children are.

After the Temple, Kristen took us to a great ice cream spot. It is a dairy farm with a store in front (sorry I can't remember the name right now). The ice cream is made there from the cows on the farm. I would definitely recommend the Huckleberry ice cream. Delicious!!!! There is also a drive through where you can also get fresh milk or have it delivered to your home.

This was a wonderful way to end our day. We had so much fun. Thanks Kristen, A, Melanie and little A for spending the day with us. We look forward to seeing you again sometime soon!

We had a blast fishing! Grandpa and Grandma's friends, the Chatterton's, took us to their daughter's pond. Brother Chatterton was a trooper and saved the day when he caught a fish and was actually able to reel it in. R was excited to fish but when it came to actually touching the fish.... well, he said, "I'm too shy." We'll have to keep trying and maybe one day he'll actually touch the fish. R and grandpa caught a fish but it got away. No, it really did! In the end, R thought that it was time to use his "gummy worms" to catch a fish. So grandpa took a piece of a gummy worm and put it on our hook. It worked! It actually worked! we caught another fish... but the line broke and it too got away. A tip for any of you fishermen who can't seem to catch a fish, use gummy worms!

The Chatterton's grandson, Tyson, took R and C for a ride on his horse. They loved it! He was a real trooper to just pitch in and get the kids on the horse. It was a real treat for them.

It was another HIT for EFY this year. B and cousin T as well as our friend A attended EFY in Logan. They did not want the week to end. The girls had some wonderful experiences and met a lot of new friends. It was very nice to hear about their day every evening over ice cream sandwiches. There is nothing like ice cream sandwiches to induce storytelling from teenagers. A tip for parents, just put out some food, sit down and watch them eat. Soon you'll be learning a lot about your kids. They had a wonderful experience and can't wait to go next year. I am so glad that they have this opportunity. It was the highlight of the summer for them.

It is always fun to go to grandma & grandpa's house. I just didn't want to leave. It was beautiful and there was plenty to do and EAT! The kids really enjoyed themselves. Even as we were driving through Victorville, we still wanted to turn around and go back. Alas, we trudged forward. We made it home and had new adventures awaiting us there. We had some new guests to meet and a house to prepare for their arrival. So, tune in to the next blog to find out how the month of August is going.

Where did your month go?