I have a new post on my new blog:

https://growingupskyeandjack.shutterfly.com/

I'm Relocating

I've decided to move my blog to shutterfly.  It's not quite as user or viewer friendly, but it's more convenient for me where it is. It is a private site so if you'd like to view it, you have to be a member of shutterfly,  All that means is that you sign up with your email and create a password. If you'd like to check it out, here's the address:

https://growingupskyeandjack.shutterfly.com/

If it doesn't work for some reason, let me know and I'll try to figure out how to add you!

This is Why We Go to the Zoo

Thanks to the cloudy, cooler weather yesterday (Labor Day), we decided to go to the zoo first thing in the morning.  It was a perfect day to be there!  It was so nice and we were there early enough that it wasn't crowded yet.  All the animals were out, about, and active.

 We saw the elephants...

 and the rhinos.  It was fun watching the monkeys and gorillas swinging and walking around, too. And the new Rocky Shores is always a big hit. Jack enjoyed it more than he ever has before.  We kept our little monkey on a leash which made it more enjoyable for us as well!

And the kids always love a carousel ride!

 One of the best parts of the morning, though, were the big cats.  We saw a jaguar chasing birds and trying to pounce on them, two snow leopards wandering about, and a lynx right by the cage fence who sat long enough for us to get a good look at how beautiful he was before walking into his cave.  And then there was this big guy!  This beautiful tiger walked around a bit before stepping into the pool.  It was so much fun watching him in there.

 I LOVE tigers!

After that, we got to watch  him do "tricks" with the trainer.  It's amazing just how big they really are. So this is why we still come to the zoo and are glad it's not a very long drive away!  What a great way to spend the morning together as a family!

We took Skye rock climbing in BCC on Saturday.  She struggled a little at first finding good holds, but eventually she got the hang of it and could motor on up the rock!  She had a lot of fun and even made friends with another girl her age who was there!

 And of course Jack had fun doing his favorite thing--throwing rocks in the river!  I can't wait until he can start climbing too!

 Family picture!

A Day Out With Skye

Long ago, we planned a day my wonderful, amazing mom could watch Jack so we could take Skye up to Snowbird to do all their fun summer activities without one of us constantly having to chase the little guy around.  That day was today, and of course, wouldn't you know it?  It had to be bad weather.  We did manage to have a quick picnic lunch, take a short walk through the trees, and get a goofy picture set up for Oktoberfest (below) before the freezing cold and the rain forced us to abandon ship.

 However, we still had the whole afternoon ahead of us so we decided to head down to Thanksgiving Point.  They have this great Tinkering exhibit right now that was tons of fun.  We started with these sand wheels.  All of us took a turn making designs. 

This is one Lance made.

 And then Skye did all of her favorite things like posing with fossils...

and dinosaurs...

 making lands for dinosaurs...

 and digging for dinosaurs!  I feel bad we missed out on time in the mountains, but time at the museum with our creative daughter was lots of fun, too! 

A Cute But Messy Boy

Most of the time, this kid LOVES to eat! And he loves to get messy.

 You've gotta love washing the hair with pizza sauce! We sure love this cute, messy kid!

Skye's Fun Weekend

Skye had quite the fun-filled, adventurous weekend.  It started off with her going with Lance to his annual summer barbecue and pool party at his boss's house in Eagle Mountain.  After that, the two of them went to Provo Canyon to go camping with friends.  Here's Skye, Jocelyn, and Elizabeth.

So beautiful!  Lance got some great shots! 

 After coming home for a short rest/nap, we headed back into the mountains to Mueller Park with our friends, the Warners.  The kids found this huge slug in the river and Courtney decided to adopt it!

 All the kids had so much fun being outside!

 Of course Jack's favorite thing was throwing rocks in the river and getting wet!

 Ahhh, aren't Lizzy and Skye so cute?  It was great to be in the mountains with friends!

Memory Grove

Having fun at Memory Grove!

Climbing with Skye

We finally took Skye climbing with all the gear--harness, climbing shoes, and rope!  We went to a climbing gym in Ogden to help teach her how to get lowered safely.  She learned quickly and had a blast so now it's off to the mountains for some real rock!

Harry Potter's Twin

So, what do you think?  Harry Potter's twin?  So crazy, seriously.  Skye looked like this when she got home from school the other day.  When I asked her about it she said she ran into a door at school she thought was open all the way, but it was actually closing.  And that's the mark she got from it!

 And not to leave out our other kid, here's Jack!  He know how to pose and say "cheese" for pictures now.  Isn't he cute?