Grotto Hike

Another one of our favorite summer spots is a hike up Payson Canyon called The Grotto. It is a short hike with a waterfall at the end and is perfect for little kids. It was not as kid friendly this year as it has been in the past because some of the log bridges have been washed away from all the extra water in the streams. We had to take some steep climbs that made it hard for the little kids, or I should say with the little kids in our arms, since we ended up carrying them, (thanks Lisa for carrying one of my babies:)



When we got to the waterfall there was no place to stand that wasn't in the water because of all the extra precipitation we've had this year. Andrew didn't like standing in the water much. He was pretty grouchy the whole time.



My two beauties enjoying the view of the waterfall.



Julia climbed up this little hill without any problem and was excited to show me how high she was. Coming down was more of a problem than she had anticipated. She slid down through the mud and skinned up her hands and was completely covered in mud when she got to the bottom. Then she bawled the whole time we washed her off in the freezing water. Her cousin, Josie, did the exact same thing a few seconds after her. Hopefully our next Grotto experience will be more pleasant for everyone.



On a happier note, I love how this picture turned out of Emma with the waterfall in the background. Thanks Jeanna for suggesting it.

Just Because

Eldon brought this beautiful flower home for me the other day just because he loves me. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, thoughtful husband.

Dreamnight at the Zoo

We received tickets to a special event at the Zoo for kids with disabilities and their families. Eldon and Andrew were at the ward Father's and Sons campout so we had extra tickets. We were excited that Pam, Megan, and Caleb were able to join us for this fun night. Everyone is ready for the train ride.


When I wanted to take this picture of Emma and Julia in front of the zebras, Emma patted Julia to get her attention, pointed to me, and then posed for the picture. It was so cute that she knew exactly what to do and was so helpful to get Julia ready also.


Megan climbed up on this post and everyone wanted to join her. It turned out to be a cute picture. Julia showing her excitement!


Some nice lady offered to take a picture of Emma and I, but I couldn't get Emma to slow down long enough to get a good shot.


Check out the gorgeous sunset we saw as we left the zoo. It was almost as beautiful as my two girls!

Liberty Park

Liberty Park is one of our favorite summer spots. They have a pretty great playground that is fairly new, but our favorite part is the 7 Canyons area of the park. It's a mini-replica of the seven canyons and rivers that lead into the Salt Lake Valley. My kids could spend hours there dropping sticks in the streams and following them down to the mini Great Salt Lake.



Andrew really got into the stick racing. He kept saying "My stick, my stick" and would get so excited to see it float under the bridges!




Emma didn't get in the water much and also didn't get into the stick racing. She made friends with some random lady sitting on the bench and spent quite a while chatting with her.



We met my former mission companion, Amber Sheen Westmoreland, there and her family. I also took my niece and nephew. Tessa, my 10 year old neice was extremely helpful with the little ones. She followed at least one of the babies around the whole time, which gave me a chance to talk with Amber in peace without having to chase kids the whole time.



Julia and Max had a fabulous time racing sticks!