The Zoo

We went to Tautphaus Park Zoo today with Grandpa Sanderson. The kids loved it! We were able to see a variety of animals. These were a few of our favorites.We found the monkey's fascinating! We saw so many different kinds and sizes. We loved just watching them swing from rope to rope. There was this one monkey that would land on the ledge by the window whenever Todd turned to walk away. It hit the glass pretty hard the first time and scared us to death! We were prepared for it after that.

We saw the cutest baby flamingo that was only a week old. It's standing on the rock at the feet of the tallest flamingo.

Carter and Hali spent 5 days in Utah with Grandma and Grandpa. Paige was so happy to have her playmates back. We sure missed them!

Cherry Hill

We spent a few days camping and swimming at Cherry Hill in Utah. This is one of our favorite summertime activities. The kids love playing in Pirates Cove! The water is shallow and they just go from one thing to the next. They have a lot of fun on the pirate ship!The mat slides are really fun! There were some additions to the slides this year to make them look like dragons, hence the name "Double Dragons."It was not Paige's favorite ride. She was happy in Pirates Cove and on the Lazy River.Cardiac Canyon is always a favorite! Hali was tall enough to go on it this year. She was a little scared at first but the fear quickly wore off and she was all smiles.Todd's mom and sister, Julie, went with us and his brother Brad came up for a day. We enjoyed having them all there.

4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July in Utah with all my family this year. There was always something going on and I don't think we were ever bored. There are a lot of pictures to this post, and they say it all! We had a great time!!

Grandpa had a few buckets of sand in the garage that the kids discovered. They started dumping it out so Mom and Kent quickly put together a make-shift sandbox. The kids loved it!

Kreed, Brooke, Hali, Paige and Koy

Some of us went swimming one afternoon and had a fun time.
From left to right: Tatum, Carter, Paige, Me, Todd, Dad, Brooke, Kaden, Hali & Kelsi. Koy and Kreed are not in the picture.

The City has a Children's Parade the night before the 4th and all the kids were in it this year. They start at one end of the street and ride to the other end, then circle back. They circled a few times and then they each got a popsicle. I think every kid had a permanent smile. They loved being in the parade! It was a team effort getting all the bikes and a wagon decorated.Hali & ToddKaden & CarterBrooke & HaliPaige

All the cousins enjoying their popsicles.

Later that evening, we had sword fights. The best thing about these is that you can hit as hard as you can and it doesn't hurt. Great for all ages!Kaden, Carter and JaciDad on the run, being chased by Carter!Allie, Kreed and Koy ganged up on Carter. Looks like the little kids won!Dad, Kari, Kaden, Paige, Blaine and Diane


The parade is always fun! The kids loved the candy, sirens, getting wet from squirt guns and popsicles. So many popsicles were thrown out this year, which was great because it was hot!

Kari, Jaci, Paige, Carter, Diane, Todd and Hali
Allie, Carter, Kaden, Brooke, Paige and Hali gathering up candy!

It has become tradition to have a water fight in the afternoon on the 4th. Todd started this 10 years ago when we were dating. He got a pitcher from my mom (thanks mom!) and got me from behind. Everyone came out and joined in and the rest is history. So each time we are at my parents house for the 4th, there's a water fight.

Todd was hiding by the corner of the house and Carter went looking for him. That's when it all started.
Hali wondered what was going on and then she got it too.

"Where's my next victim?"
I should have known better than to be outside taking pictures during it all. Jaci and I were trying to be so careful, but we both eventually got it and joined in the fun. The kids were having a ball and the little kids started enjoying it once they figured out what was going on.

Later that evening, Kari put together a treasure hunt for each family. We were all going in different directions, in and out of the house, around the yard and up the road. It was the most creative treasure hunt I have ever done. We had codes to decipher, a puzzle, wordfind, wordscramble, etc. It was really, really fun. Our treasure at the end was a Music Maker from Mom and Dad. The kids have really enjoyed playing it!

The fireworks are definately a favorite on the 4th. We lay in the bed of the pick-up and are literally directly below the fireworks. Sometimes we can even feel d'ebris falling on us. It's the only way to watch the fireworks! It started to rain on us at the very end, a first that any of us can ever remember.We came home and had homemade ice cream. YUM!!!!

There was never a dull moment! There were 8 bikes and 1 wagon going around, badminton, basketball, early morning golf, roping,
the boys played Bocce,and when you have 22 people in a house.......
there is a mess of shoes!

On our way back to Idaho, we stopped at Temple Square in SLC. We enjoyed our time there and loved spending just a little longer with Kent's family.Koy, Brooke, Hali, Paige, Kaden, Carter and Kelsi


We had a great weekend! It all ended just a little too soon. The kids bounced from one thing to another and they all got along so well. Thanks everyone for a fun time!

We love this country that we are so blessed to live in! We are so grateful for our freedom and safety. We are thankful to those who fight for all we have to enjoy.