Meadow Lake

Last weekend we went camping. Matt has been wanting to go for some time, so he finally convinced us to go. We headed up to Meadow Lake. It is just past Gillmore, Idaho, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea it even existed. The kids were able to fish and hike around on the giant rocks. We roasted smores and just had a fun time. It is on our list of places to go back to.

The Boys turned 5

That's right. I can hardly believe it myself. My three little miracles turned 5 years old last week. They had been anxiously counting down the days and were so excited. We started the day off with their favorite. Pancakes. Then we had swimming lessons, which they thought was kind of fun. After lunch Grandma Ricks came with us and we went to the Summer Movie, "Madagascar 3." This is Aiden's absolute favorite, so it was really nice that it fell on the week of their birthday. For dinner we had Spaghetti and Homemade Breadsticks. Then it was off to the girls soccer games. After the games, it was finally party time. They could hardly wait to open their presents. They each got a fishing pole from Grandma and Grandpa. They got Thomas the Train toys from us. They are really into trains and so they requested a train cake. I was quite pleased with the final outcome. They loved it, so that was all that mattered.

I can't believe how fast the last five years have gone. They have grown up so quickly and are so much fun. They are an absolute joy to us. I can't even imagine life without them. I love their individual personalities and their funny little quirks. I can hardly wait to see what the next five years brings, but I know it will be an exciting ride.

June in a Blur - Part 2

A week after getting home from San Francisco, we packed up the car and headed out again. The first part of our trip was a day in Bryce Canyon. We visited there about six years ago and decided we needed to stop again. We were able to do the whole loop and see some pretty amazing sites. Matt's parents and his brother Shaun and his wife Marci and their family went with us. We had a lot of fun. After Bryce we drove down a little further and went on a small hike up to Mossy Cave and waterfall. The kids liked walking through the small creek to get to the waterfall.

Sunday we headed out and made it to our final destination. Lake Powell. The kids were so excited. It had been four years since we had been, so we were all anxious to get there. The weather was a scorcher. It was 100 degrees every day and the it was really hot for us. The water was perfect and we couldn't get enough of it, except for the boys. They refused to swim or play in the sand. All they wanted to do was sit on the house boat and play. We finally convinced them to get on Uncle Curt and Aunt Lisa's boat and go tubing. They loved every minute of that. It was surprising to me that they would ride on the tubes going so fast but they loved it. We had a great time and can't wait to go again.

June in a blur

June somehow seemed to speed right by. It didn't help that we were gone for half of the month on trips. It seemed that everything happened in June this summer. We had some fun times together but I am really glad that we get to stay put for most of July. We celebrated Paige's birthday a day early, since we were leaving for San Francisco on her birthday. I can't believe she is actually 11 years old. Time has flown by. For her birthday this year she had saved up enough money to pay for half of an iPod Touch, so Matt and I paid the rest and that is what she got. She was so excited. She didn't know she was actually getting it, she was hoping to just get money so she could get it later. It was a fun day and we had fun celebrating it with such a special girl.

Matt had meetings for work the first part of June in San Francisco. I initially decided not to go, but at the last minute we decided to book tickets for me and the girls and take them. So I had two days to get packed and ready to go. We loaded up and drove to Salt Lake. We dropped the boys off with Grandma and Grandpa Nielson. I am so glad that they are willing to watch our kids for us. Matt had a seperate flight than the girls and I, so we met him in San Francisco. It was Paige's birthday, so we let her pick where we ate for dinner. California Pizza Kitchen was the destination. We had a yummy dinner and had fun walking around our hotel that first night. We had a gorgeous view of the bay and Coit Tower, so we loved just looking out the window.

Saturday we got to spend the morning with Matt before his meetings started. We headed over to Coit Tower and we were able to ride the elevator to the top and take in the wonderful views of all sides of San Francisco. Then we headed over to Pier 39 and ate some Fish and Chips and Clam Chowder for lunch. Then the girls and I spent the afternoon shopping at Union Square. We had a fun time.

Sunday was by far our favorite day of the trip. We started off picking up our rental car. We opted to upgrade for the day and get this nice beauty. Matt was in heaven. I must admit I wasn't to fond of the idea, but it ended up being really fun.

We first headed over and drove down Lombard Street. The kids thought that was pretty cool. Then it was across the Golden Gate Bridge. We headed over to Sausalito and then up to Muir Woods to see some of the tall Redwood trees. After that we happened upon Stinson Beach. The kids love the beach and the ocean so this was a treat for them. Then we drove over to Oakland and found the Oakland Temple. We walked around for a little bit and were able to go inside the visitors center. Then it was back to San Francisco across the Bay Bridge. We covered alot of ground and went across several bridges, but we saw some pretty cool stuff.

Monday was just the girls and I. We went back down to the Pier and went to the Aquarium. We were able to hang out at the Pier for most of the day and we had a fun time. It was nice to have the girls and just hang out all day with them.

Tuesday the girls and I headed to the Cable Car Museum. It was fun to see how the Cable Cars work. Then we walked around and explored China Town. After Matt's meetings we met up with him and we rode the Cable Car down to Fisherman's Wharf. Then we found the coolest pizza place to eat and the pizza was amazing.

Wednesday the girls and I flew on a different flight from Matt again. Our flight was delayed because of fog and then when we got to the airport, we had to go on a totally different flight to make it to Salt Lake that night. So we flew to LA and then to Salt Lake, and we had a three hour delay in Salt Lake. The girls are not big fans of flying. Every time we landed they were in serious pain from the pressure in their ears. Other than that, we did well on this trip. It was a lot of fun to just spend time with the girls and the boys had a marvelous time with Grandma and Grandpa Nielson.