Camping

 Before we headed out of town to go camping this past weekend, Rachel had her last ballet class where she showed us her dance to Pocahontas.  She's a pretty cute ballerina and we'll see if she asks to do it again after the soccer season.

We went camping with our ward and a few other friends in Estes Park.  It was about 10 degrees cooler than at home with the wonderful pine tree smell and we had a great time.

Some views from our campsite

Our campsite

 

A few pictures from the one hike we did both Friday and Saturday around Lily Lake.  We are trying to make our girls hikers, or at least able to go a mile or two but it doesn't seem to be working.  Inevitable the first five minute Evelyn is screaming to be held and the other two are asking why we are hiking.  After multiple breaks and trying to take it slow, the grumbling stops and we reach our destination with happy girls.

For it's 1, 2, 3 Strikes You're Out

We got some free tickets to a Rockies game last Tuesday so we loaded up the kids, rode the very full Light Rail downtown and watched the first few innings of the game.  I couldn't keep the girls satiated with caramel popcorn, ice cream dots, peanut M&Ms and other yumminess before the "I'm bored" started up.  It's official, my girls don't like baseball games and I don't blame them as the best part is the food and making fun of all the drunk people doing or saying weird things. 

 Stuffing their faces with peanut M&Ms

 At least we got pictures of somewhat happy girls with T-shirts Grandma brought back from Greece.

 A rainbow over downtown, I obviously don't have a very nice camera but wouldn't know how to use one even if I did.

 Playing train before the train came

Happy 7/11 and some Sad Goodbyes

On Wednesday (7/11) we overheard someone talking about free Slurpees at 7-Eleven so I did a little research and sure enough it was actually true.  We went and got ourselves some free 7.11oz Slurpees to help take the edge of such a hot day.

I probably need a Slurpee and a lot of chocolate or chick flicks to help me get over the sadness from some sad goodbyes this week.  Sunday evening we said goodbye to the Foutz family as they started their cross-country journey to Baltimore.  Until we meet again when you guys move back to Colorado!

Best Buds Elizabeth & Sierra and Rachel & Sierra were playing dressup

 

 All the girls for one last picture or two

 

 And the big kids for one last get-together

 Tear shed for this goodbye as Melissa left for two years in Cambodia with the Peace Corps on Thursday.  We look forward to many pictures and experiences of elephants, white tigers, and Angkor Wat!

Love you guys and so glad you have played a huge part in our lives the past few years!

End of School & other June fun

I just realized I hadn't posted about the end of school.  Rachel graduated from kindergarten and I loved her little ceremony, something I don't remember from Elizabeth.  She loved her class and her teacher Mrs. Kakos who has now been graced by two of my children.

 Some parents organized a get-together at the spray park and since it was so hot we said yes, we're there!

 With the heat wave the end of June, we tried to stay cool by going to the reservoir and a fun new splash park in Centennial which is seriously the mother of all parks!

 We love Southlands Mall Friday concerts where the girls got their hair done for free in the Kids Corner.

Bear Lake

Last week we had a wonderful Carlsen reunion up at a cabin in Bear Lake where Eric's parents grew up.  The girls got spoiled rotten by aunts, uncles, and boy cousins (with one girl cousin too).  Here are the highlights of that trip.

The cabin all 17 of us stayed in

 

The view from the cabin, I think I could get used to that!

Aunt Lynne pretty-fied my girls with play makeup, hairties, and earrings so the pink cheeks is blush and not a bad fever.

My little hikers taking a break on a 1.3 mile walk up Logan Canyon

Being silly in a fun tree we saw during the hike

The picture doesn't do justice but these flowery bushes were home to tons of butterflies so we called it our own Butterfly Pavilion.

A tree bringing its arm to the square

We got out on the lake in many forms one of them being a kayak

Another way was a Seadoo and everyone had fun taking turns on that.

 

We went to Minnetonka Caves where it was a cool 40 degrees and we ran into some friends inside--only in Idaho!

July 4th outfits

 

These cousins, Stuart and Brian were my girls best friends because they kept taking them to the store to buy candy.  The chant taught--What do we want?  CANDY!  When do we want it?  NOW!!!  Can I just say we're going through candy detox now that we're home.

Rachel growling at the bear at a museum in Montpelier

Having fun on the horsey swings in Montpelier

We get the best parenting award for starting drinking habits young!  It's really huckleberry soda and we saw a play at the Pickleville Playhouse that was so funny and clean.

Another hike around a glacier lake in Logan Canyon.  The girls are bridge trolls so just dare to answer their questions.

And we almost ran out of gas on the way down the canyon as the car estimated we had 0 miles to go before being empty.

Trying on hats in a giftshop

Rachel patting a horse at the Carlsen farm where Eric's dad grew up.  It's owned by some of Eric's cousins now and used as cow grazing land with a few horses.

And what would a trip to Bear Lake be without multiple stops to La Beau's?  I might be branded a heretic but I liked the chocolate chip cookie dough shake better than the world famous raspberry one.

We ran across a herd of sheep on a highway in Wyoming.  There were at least a couple hundred sheep we maneuvered our way through as they didn't understand that cars have the right away and some of the herding dogs were even nipping at car tires.

 

Overall we had a lot of fun hanging out with family, playing at the little beach and in the water, relaxing at the cabin, eating way too much food, and not worrying about much of anything.  Is it time for another vacation yet?