July is my favorite!

Can it be that long since I last posted? Lots of summer fun this way, we’ve been keeping busy, as that’s the way summer should be. We love it!

A few weekends ago, Emma and I went to our Mothers and Daughters ward campout. They don’t have Fathers and Sons in our ward, just one for the girls, which was way fun! We did it in the Combe’s backyard. We went swimming in their pool, did service projects, had dinner, roasted marshmallows in their fire pit, played on their playground equipment and bikes, and did karaoke. We have the best ward, and had a great time! Then, we set up our tents or some slept under the stars. Emma crashed and slept in! It was fun just having some girl time, and our ward is incredible! It’s really the best ward we’ve been in. There are poor ones like us just starting out, up to very wealthy ones. There are lots of singles, lots of families. Very old, and very young. But it doesn’t matter. The unity in our ward is so strong. Everyone is really concerned about and cares for each other, and is just trying to live the Gospel and do their best. There is no competition, no fakeness, no false pretenses. We love it. I really don’t want to leave our ward, but we’re going to have to sooner rather than later, which makes me sad. But there really is something special about the Meadows Ward.

Emma and one of her best friends, Elisha, on a see-saw.

Emma crashed!

We have also been doing a summer field trip group with some neighbors. This past week, we went to the Ogden Pioneer museum, which was pretty neat. I'd never been there before, and they had some of my Wheelwright ancestor's pictures and stuff there. Then we went to the Ogden temple grounds and then to get lunch. This week, the Yangs, Destiny, and us were able to make it, but we still enjoyed our play day.

We’ve been able to play outside a lot. We finally broke out our slip ‘n slide that we got. The kids loved it!

Emma kept saying, "this is fantastic!"

Cal kept trying to climb up the slide, and he'd fall right back down on his back!

We also got together with some friends and their kids from high school at the Bountiful park. It was a good time to see them and the kids love that park!

Emma's getting into climbing up on things now. She used to not be so daring, but now she'd all over the place. She loves climbing in trees and poles and anything else she can find.

Cal now says "slide" along with lots of other words. He loves parks and could slide all day!

This past weekend, we rented a canoe from the Wilderness Rec Center at WSU, and went up to Causey Reservoir with some of Dave’s family – his brother Jerry, wife Stacy, and kids Tayla and Kaison, as well as Dave’s brother Jeff, his wife Shirley, and Brennen, Shirley’s grandson. We were planning on camping, but everything was full! We couldn’t reserve before hand, because you had to have a large group of 50 or more to reserve, otherwise the 5 or 6 campgrounds up Ogden Canyon were all first come, first serve. It was a busy week for camping! But, we had a fun night canoeing, playing with the water, eating a yummy Dutch Oven dinner, and making s’mores. The kids loved the canoeing, well, the adults did too. Kaison and Cal enjoyed throwing rocks into the water, and the girls liked wading in the stream near our picnic table. There were lots of squirrels, mice, and other critters around. We all had a fun night.

Each Saturday, the Weber County RAMP makes possible for free admission to several recreation spots, and we’ve been going to those when we can. To see a list of the activities, visit: http://www1.co.weber.ut.us/ramp/PDFs/2010summer_activities.pdf. This past weekend, we went to the Union Station museums. Dave and I went before Emma was born, but we’ve never taken the kids. So they enjoyed that! Cal kept saying “Choo-choo!” while tugging his arm in the air. Emma loved the trains, the working model trains inside, as well as the large trains you could explore outside. Dave liked the gun museum a lot. They had an art gallery, a classic car museum, a guns and arms museum, a clock museum, and several train museums and displays, of course. We also went to Gandolfo’s for lunch, and I got my favorite Urban cowboy….mmm, I love that sandwich.

Star-Spangled Weekend!

The Fourth of July weekend was the best! Thursday, we went boating with extended family on my Dad’s side. We went to Pineview, and had a great time! Emma loves playing with my cousins (who are very young, it was like my Grammie had two sets of kids, they were spread far apart) and playing on the beach. Cal was on the boat for a long time, and he was a good sport. I rode on the tube a few times with some cousins and with Amy. We laughed so hard and got really wet! It was a great boding time with that side of the family. Then we went to my Uncle Lew and Aunt Jo’s house in North Ogden for pizza and to hang out.

Here we are on the boat!

Riding on the tube with the girls!

The kids and my Mom playing on the beach!

Kolb and Cal chilling on the boat!

Friday, we went to Wyoming, to go to Amy and Kolby’s parent’s cabin. It is in the Uintah Mountains. It was really pretty! They finished it about a year ago, and are still working on the basement and final touches. They built it together as a family, which I think is cool, and did a great job. We went down to the pond the first night, and caught a frog, and looked for other critters. We walked around a bit, and went 4-wheeling. Am and Kolb just got a 4-wheeler, so it was fun to go out together. Then, we cooked up some hot dogs, and made some s’mores with these giant campfire br and marshmallows that were awesome! Kolby’s younger brothers, Drew and Marty also came along with. They are cool and helped watch the kids.

Emma and the frog she caught in the pond!

Emma loved climbing the ladder...

Roasting mallows by the camp fire. We found the best marshmallows to take camping - Campfire brand! They are ginormous and yummy, too!

The kids had a blast at the cabin!

All of us getting ready to leave. Thanks, Am and Kolb for the fun weekend!

The next morning, we made pancakes for breakfast, then headed out to turtle mountain, to go wheelin’ some more. It was a good place for riding. Emma loves it more and more each time we go. “Faster, daddy, faster!” she says, she loves the hills and going fast. Dave is pretty tame for her, but she has that need for speed. Callahan was enjoying it too.

Am and Kolb just got a 4-Wheeler, a Wolverine! We're excited to go riding with them more!

Lovin' it!

Cal loved watching all of the 4-Wheelers go fast!

What a fun day!

Emma just can't get enough!

Then, that night was a BBQ and family party with the Stoddard side of the family. We had hamburgers and hot dogs at Aunt Lois and Uncle Keith’s house, and the Emma and Cal had so much fun with their cousins!

Then there were fireworks at Davis High. It’s my favorite firework show! It’s always long, they set the fireworks to music, and it’s just fun. We went with Dave’s family. We had plenty of snacks, played games before it started, and there were plenty of glow sticks, courtesy of Grandma Sue. It was a busy and fun day!

Monday, was more Fourth fun! We started the day off at the Layton parade with the Miller’s and their family. Tavin and Alec are so cute, and so are their cousins – Annica, Tiana, Jadee, and Kennedy. They’re all adorable and we had a fun time with them! Emma absolutely loves parades and has been asking me for a couple months when we were going to go to parades. Cal loved waving at everyone and everything, and loved jamming out to the music. Emma loved the candy they threw!

Finally, we had a cookout with the Ryerse’s, and then played, went on a walk, and did our own fireworks. It was great!

I’ve been reflecting over the many freedoms I enjoy. I am grateful for our country. This is truly a blessed land, and I know the Lord helped guide our forefathers to make America what it is. We shouldn’t have won the war with England to gain our independence. The north had little chance of over-powering the south. The unity and peace of our land was threatened many times. But miracles occurred, with the help of our Heavenly Father, that helped to make this land what it needed to be to help restore and establish the gospel. I am grateful for that, and that I live here. The home of the free, land of the brave!