Sisters

This picture says it all.

Sisters are great!

Waterfall Canyon

I decided that maybe our family was grown up enough to go on a little hike. A friend of mine had shown me some pictures of Waterfall Canyon this Spring and the waterfall was huge from all of the rain we have been having. I figured we should give it a try. We set off on a beautiful Saturday morning...

Our first bridge crossing.

Troy and I

 

Aeva and I at the top...you have to put bunny ears on yourself if Aeva is anywhere in sight.

Thumbs up from Aeva.

Silly face from Aeva...she is a crack up.

Ogden Valley with some "muscle accessories!" How did he get in there?

A family pic. Nice to have some extra people walking around so that you can take advantage of them.

This looks quite dangerous but she could actually stand on the rocks below her. The angle makes this look much more death defying than it actually was.

And after an awesome hike, a yummy lunch and some amazing pictures....it was time to head back down.

Some of us descended more gracefully than others.

Here we have Gracie's knee after her second or third tumble. I had let go of her hand just moments before because I thought we had finally reached a "safe" area. My bad.

Here we have Aeva's eye. I thought she had been bitten by a bug...now I think it was allergies. Anyone else have them this year? A first for her.

And finally, Troy. He had been quite buff and was carrying Aeva down in a backpack as her little legs had given out. He was literally almost to the car when he fell...on nothing in particular. He and Aeva fell to the dirty, dusty ground. Here is his badge of honor.

A pretty great day other than the minor cuts and scrapes. Nothing that a little super glue couldn't fix! The Hauns are hikers...we are not yet to the professional level but well on our way. Next feat...repelling off large cliffs! Aeva will love it!

 

Pink Heals

We went to a Breast Cancer Fundraiser in Riverdale the other day. Some of the money raised goes to the Community Health Center where I work and allows us to provide mammogram screenings, etc. for a reduced cost. I decided that my family should participate in a worthwhile cause. So, off we went. Everything they had (food, games, gifts) was free and they simply had donation boxes out for people to use if the wanted. Made it fun for the kids and easy to drop in money for a good cause.

Here are the pink firetrucks that travel all over promoting breast cancer awareness.

They had face painting.

You could sign your name on one of the trucks.

I love this picture. Helium balloons and cotton candy make for utter chaos.

Here is our second attempt. Better.

Clowns.

Classes on fire safety and what to do in case of a fire. They actually had a trailer with all the different areas of a house. This "bedroom" actually started smoking. Pretty cool stuff.

Jumping out the windows to safety (guess I had better get some window ladders. Hard to jump from the second story).

Pink umbrellas and purses for all.

A nice little afternoon and hopefully a learning experience for the little ones. Cancer is a horrible illness...what better cure to fight for?

CME in SLC

One of the awesome things about my job...I get money to go to conferences. If I am lucky, my family gets to go with me! My latest conference was in SLC. That is cool because it means that lots of special people get to come and spend time with us while we have fun...

Another great thing is that the Spaghetti Factory also happens to be in SLC. My kids have always wanted to eat in the trolley...as you wish. Apparently week nights ar the best time for eating inside the trolley. We had it all to ourselves for most of the meal.

We also got to walk around temple square. Is there any doubt in your mind why people from all over the world come here? How can you even make up something as amazing as this??? See those cute girls standing in front? They are mine and they don't get any better.

Aeva's newest "thing" is having you take her picture but she won't look at the camera. Perhaps it is a more spontaneous look she is working on. I think it is funny. Then again, maybe she is simply having a conversation with an accent light???

These are the two amazing people that are always willing to join us on an adventure. How can you beat having Grandpa and Grandma as your chaperones??? They are willing to jump in the pool 24/7...a requirement for any hotel trip.

The reflection fountains...

Throwing in coins and hoping to make wishes come true.

Maddie is taking pictures for next years Reflections Contest at school. This is her picture of the temple shadow...we may have a budding photographer on our hands.

Hotel entertainment provided by...my camera.

Bedtime stories.

And, the finale...lunch at the Mayan.

There are a few new "features" in the Mayan show. Too bad my flash isn't strong enough to highlight my favorite parts of the show. Even this dark photo may give you an idea of why you should eat lunch there.

This is also a new feature that I hadn't seen before. Sparkly girl hanging from a hoola hoop? I think this was the first time I had seen Troy pay attention to this watery show. He is a new fan.

If I could only post the 100 pictures we have with this little snake. Each girl has to have a turn sitting in the mouth, on the head, over the tail, etc, etc.

I love seeing huge flags flying in the wind. Makes me proud and grateful to live in such an amazing place. Our freedom certainly isn't free...

Our little rock star.

Thanks everyone for a great trip! We'll do it again soon.