Summer Is Here

And we are really excited!  I love the freedom from rigid schedules, warm weather, spending time outside, children who are exhausted at the end of the day from playing hard, and the slower pace of life.  We have planned some really fun things for our family this summer and are looking forward to many adventures.

Eric and I kicked summer off in fashion by heading to youth conference with the 14 to 18-year-old youth from our ward this week.  We stayed at Aspen Grove which was wonderful because all of the activities were planned and carried out for us, as were the meals.  We basically hung out with the kids and had a great time.  It doesn't get much easier than that!  The conference wrapped up on a really high note with a special evening presentation by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  He spoke on our conference theme "I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" {2 Nephi 1:15}.  It was a really wonderful experience to spend the evening with an Apostle.

After a day to recover from all the fun at Youth Conference, I took my kids to one of their favorite summer destinations, the Tracy Aviary.  It was the perfect day to go there.  The weather was warm and it wasn't crowded.  I was really amazed to reflect back on our trip there last year and realize how much my little guy has changed.  He really enjoyed seeing the birds and different exhibits this year.  Last year all he wanted to do was run.

Allie reminds me of my Grandpa Hudson.  She loves to really study things thoroughly.  She wanted to read every last detail about every animal in each of the exhibits.  Landon would look around, check things out, run around a bit, and then he was ready to move on.  In the picture above he was showing the little birds in this exhibit how to fly. 

Landon and I had to exercise a lot of patience today as we waited for Allie to absorb everything she wanted to read. 

Landon doesn't go anywhere these days without his favorite thing in the whole world, his beloved "puppy dog".  He named it all by himself. 

When he needed both hands to explore he would bring puppy dog to me and tell me "watch puppy dog mom".  It's a miracle this little puppy dog has managed to not be lost {for too long} yet. 

Summer Field Trips

This summer has been busy, busy, busy...just the way we like it. It's hard to believe that school, soccer, and cooler weather are just a few short weeks away! Allie is excited to go back to school because this year her cousin Amber is finally in her class. We are lucky to have cousins who live in our ward and attend the same school. Actually being in the same class is cause for serious celebration around here.

Just like every other summer we have been busy having weekly "field trips". We enjoy the time we spend each week with cousins and occasionally friends too! These are things we have seen and done this summer:

*Fed the ducks and studied the turtles at the BYU Duck Pond
*Thanksgiving Point Children's Garden
*Bridal Veil Falls
*24th of July Float Preview Party
*Lehi Pioneer Museum
*BYU Museum of Art

Today we went to the Tracy Aviary. It was a lot of fun. We took cousin Isaac along with us for today's field trip. Isaac and Allie loved learning all about all of the different birds. They especially enjoyed the gift shop. Landon was pretty content to sit in the stroller and study the map. Another highlight of the day was the bird show. Landon and I had to excuse ourselves early when he wasn't selected to go up and help the bird trainer. He kept yelling "my bird" over and over and over until it became apparent that the only way to change his mind was a change of scenery. In the end it worked out okay because we had fun chasing peacocks around the lawn while we waited for Allie and Isaac to finish up the bird show.

Catching Up

Summer is here and we have been busy!

LANDON has spent his time exploring the great outdoors (boy can he get dirty quickly!), learning how to ride his first big wheel bike, sitting by the back door pouting until someone gets tired of the crying and takes him outside to play, emptying out kitchen drawers and cabinets, and being too cute for words.

ALLIE has spent her time practicing soccer, looking for bugs, riding her bike, solving mysteries, playing with friends, reading books, injuring her finger, visiting the Peds office for said injury (nothing that turned out to be major, thank goodness), chasing Landon, performing at the Provo Children's Festival, and practicing piano.

STACIE has spent her time cleaning, taking care of children, cooking, working on endless Primary projects, tending neighbor children, talking on the phone with friends and family, shuttling Allie to and from her many social engagements...wait a minute. Isn't this supposed to be summer vacation? I guess you don't get those as a Mom. Oh, I guess one exciting thing did happen to me. Eric and I were playing whiffle ball baseball and Eric nailed me in the face. Lucky for me, Paul witnessed the event and all he could say is "why didn't you duck?". Thanks for the moral support, bro.

ERIC has spent his time working, going to school (this is supposedly the last summer EVER!), riding horses, doing scouts, being a young women's camp leader (strange, but true), trying to convince Stacie that a natural gas vehicle is a practical purchase, refining his plan to become a millionaire, and maintaining the yard.

AS A FAMILY we have enjoyed playing at the park, lounging around in the cool basement, snuggling up in winter clothing when the temperatures nose dive, denying that a "regular" bedtime exists, watching movies, and being together more than ever.

FINALLY, HERE ARE A BUNCH OF PICTURES. I FIGURED THAT THIS POST WASN'T LONG ENOUGH YET.

Landon's so excited about Allie's concert he can barely contain himself.

Allie loves to sing!

Eric was impressed by Allie's concentration. She is a pretty good little whiffle ball player.

Landon just wants to eat the bat.

And the FHE treats Allie picked out.





Preparing for a bike ride.

Lovin' the "big boy" bike!


Landon's got to keep an eye out for his big sister sneaking up behind him!

I still can't believe that Kristy and I agreed to let our babies be put on the horses. Landon thought the horses were pretty cool...from a distance. He would chase them until they got too close and then he wasn't sure what to think of them.