Snow Mountain and Pine View Lake

Today we went up the mountain to Snow Basin and Pine View Lake. We started at Snow Basin where we road a gondola to the top of the mountain and did some exploring. Kale was so excited to ride the "gondo-gond" (for some reason he kept calling it that). Bailey liked squashing her face up against the wall of the gondola to see the view, too. After that we wound our way around the mountain to a lake. We ate a quick picnic lunch, then the kids had a lot of fun splashing in the waves and playing in the sand.

(This is a view from the gondola...you can see the lake we drove to in the background)

Minor League Baseball Game

A few days ago when the kids and I were at McDonalds, I noticed that they had FREE tickets to get in to see the Ogden Raptors, the minor league baseball team (associated with the Dodgers). I picked up a few, and Dain and I decided to take the kids tonight. It turned out to be a lot of fun; we only lasted about three innings in our left field seats, but how can you complain when it was completely free?

Here are a few pre-game photos (we saw Clydesdale horses on our way!)

And a few pictures at the ball park.....

Splish Splash

Yesterday we went to Cherry Hill Water park. Kale loved it so much, he asked us if we could go back again today! The water park was great--not too big, very family-friendly, filled with enough attractions to keep a 4-year-old smiling for days. I'm confident that we'll be making another trip before the summer is over.

Getting ready to go swim!

Kale playing under a waterfall
Playing by the pirate ship

Kale helping his sis in the water

The after photos... :)

Snoozing in the car

And one more quick story........

We don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment out here (we claim we're trying to save money; I think we may actually be testing our sanity, but that's another story..). Needless to say, I frequently stop by Walmart to get a roll of quarters to do laundry. Last time I did this, Kale asked if he could carry the roll for me. When he took them he said, "Whew, these are heavy." He then proceeded to "pump iron" with the roll, lift it up and down over his head as we were walking out to the car. I said, "What are you doing?" and he responded, "Exercising." "I really want to beat daddy in basketball tonight so I've got to get stronger than him." :)

July 4th in Kansas

Ah, ah, Kansas! Do you remember those commercials? When I was a baby it would make me cry every time!? Nonetheless, I thought of it when we landed at KCI (don't worry, no tears were shed)!

Our trip home was WONDERFUL! It was so nice seeing all of our family. Kale was happy to see everyone, but at the top of his list were cousins Em-a-wee (aka Emily), Josh, and Kaden. Bailey didn't get any attention, hugs, or kisses.........just kidding. The wild woman spent a lot of time climbing in out and around a red plastic car. (You, know the ones with the yellow top and the red doors......) Kale spent a lot of time riding the kiddie four-wheeler around the farm. I have an adorable video clip of him riding with Grandpa, but my computer is not cooperating, so I'll try and put it on another day.

Dain and I enjoyed our first "night out"....okay, we went to dinner, but still........our first "night out" with no kids in a month and a half. It was great. No, better than great.......it was peaceful! There is something really relaxing about eating a meal when the food is still hot, and one hand isn't feeding someone else, and you don't have to get up and walk around the restaurant or use the phrase, "That is a no-no!" fifty million times :)..... Ah, the joys of parenthood.

More Family Fun

One of the nice things about being in Ogden is that we've gotten to do a lot of fun "family" activities together. It kinds of makes me feel guilty....why do we have to be a thousand miles from home to go on family outings more than once in a blue moon?? Needless to say, the fun continued today at the South Ogden Days Carnival. Kale road lots of rides while Bailey patiently looked on from her stroller :)

(Look how high he is!! A year ago he NEVER would have done this by himself!)

Bailey just enjoying the view...she was SO good and patient

This hot dog was huge and Kale ate nearly 3/4 of it!!

Planes, Trains, and Better planning??

Planes

First, the good news! We get to fly home for the 4th of July. Everyone is VERY excited. We'll fly into KC on Friday evening and leave Tuesday afternoon. I am really looking forward to the celebration at the Hammerschmidt's farm, and the fact that my parents might get to join us!

Trains

On Friday we took the kids to the Ogden train stations where they have a train museum. The museum wasn't exactly kid-friendly, but we made the best of it. The cool part was getting to see all the different engines they had parked outside. They even had the engine from the Salt Lake City Olympics that carried the torch.

On Saturday we decided to take a train to Salt Lake City for the afternoon and a short while after we arrived at the station, it starting POURING......which leads me to........


Better Planning!?
A smart person would check the weather before they left for day trip; thus knowing that they should pack an umbrella and put pants (not shorts) on the kids. A smart person would also research the train route to know where it was dropping you off (and where to go from there). However, I was not a smart person, and so we were on a train totally underdressed about to be dropped off at an unknown location in a new city in the rain. AHH!
Despite the potential for disaster, everything turned out surprisingly well. The rain (finally) let up, and we found our way to a shopping center similar to the Legends where they were holding a chalk festival. We only saw the "kids" division and their work was amazing, so I can't imagine what the adults' chalk artwork looked like!! After a quick stop by the GAP to get the kids warmer pants, we headed to the plantarium. Bailey took a short nap while Dain and Kale explored, then we watched a movie called "Under the Sea" in the IMAX theater. Both the kids were mesmorized through most of it. :) After the movie we decided to head back to Ogden, and OF COURSE, it starting pouring yet again. An hour later we arrived home still damp and exhausted.

Kale looking at chalk drawings

At the IMAX with our super-cool glasses

The kids walking on Mars and the Moon :)

Summer Photos

A few pictures that I didn't have room to put on Bailey's birthday post.......

At the playground

The wild-child attempting to reach things on the counter

The wild child trying to climb into the bathtub with Kale

Bailey and her crazy walking.......