Utah Fun - Part 1

Our trip to Utah begins with the Fredericks family.

One thing I miss is our monthly family home evenings. We were fortunate to participate in July. Here we are flying Eternal Family Airlines which included great company, a great flight attendant, and complimentary snacks and drinks. It's the airline to fly especially if we all want to make it to our final destination, our heavenly home.

Our next destination was a cabin in Timberlake just outside of Heber.

We were actually able to celebrate the 24th of July. Here we are at the parade.

The kids are waiting patiently for candy to be thrown in their direction.

Garrett didn't have to work hard for this piece of candy. It landed right in front of his feet. This happened to be the only piece of candy he picked up himself. He let the others do the work for him. He's lucky his cousins were so willing to share.

The kids were dancing in the streets. Could it be all the sugar they were consuming? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder?

Tasha made sure she waved to ALL the pretty ladies or should I say princesses.

Only in Utah will you find these celebreties. GO ELDERS!

Next we were off to the carnival.

It was all about the rides...

Rides...

and more rides!

After breaking a sweat it was time to cool off.

The day wouldn't be complete without fireworks just for kids.

Gotta love snaps!

oooooooooooh and sparklers.

These ladies are sporting a new look. Glow in the dark jewelry is the new fashion craze.

Oh thankgoodness for icecream!

Our evening went out with a real BANG with our own fireworks show.

Berry Picking

We went to the Jones Family Farm over the 4th of July Weekend.

The Berry Ferry

Picking blueberries

Picking strawberries

We had a "BERRY" good time.

6-7 Months

I'm obviously behind. So I'm combining a couple months. At 6 months Ty was 16 lbs 5 oz. and 27 in. long. Ty started to sit up at six months. He mainly rolls over from his back to his belly. He tends to get stuck on his belly and then gets upset because he can't figure out how to get back on his back.

Ty got sick for the first time. It was after his last well check visit that he spiked a high fever. He was a pretty sad little boy. Immunizations - you can't live with them and you can't live without them.

He is starting to babble. He obviously has something to say. We just haven't figured out his jibber jabber. He definitely knows who daddy and mommy are - He does the LEAN.

He has been trying different vegetables and fruits. He has a hard time eating them straight so we add it to his cereal. Whenever I open my mouth and say Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww he doesn't quite understand that that is his que to open his mouth, instead he laughs as if it is somekind of joke. What a silly boy! He has also started to try different foods such as bread, ritz and graham crackers. He is very interested in food!

If anyone has held Ty you will immediately notice what a wiggle worm he is. He cannot sit still, he is so curious about his surroundings. One of these days he will end up jumping out of my arms. (Literally)

Well, the hat days are over, he has discovered how to take it off. That is always a sad day. Around 7 months Ty started to click his toungue. Finally, Ty still loves to give his smiles away and causes a chain reaction when others see him. He makes everyone smile.

Rocket Launch

Here are the events leading up to our first annual Anderson Rocket Launch - East Coast Division.



Goofy Kids



Making the rockets



Painting the rockets

The Fourth of July

Preparing the rocket for take-off.

The countdown degins

Blast Off!

The only casualties were our 3 fallen rockets. 2 landed on top of the roof of Western Middle School and 1 landed in the tree.

They tried everything to get this one down; climbing the tree, shaking the tree, throwing sticks in hopes of hitting the rocket so it would fall to the ground but to no avail. It is a permanent fixture in the tree.

The show couldn't possibly be over, so the boys resorted to their own rockets. This is a bottle and below is a popsicle.

Boys will be boys.

We can't wait till next year. We had a BLAST!!

Teaching Moments

While we were camping, Rob took advantage of a teaching opportunity that I would like to record. The sun was quickly going down and we only had 1 flashlight. The kids had to make their 3rd consecutive potty run for the night. I needed the flashlight to clean up after dinner so Rob took the kids to the bathroom using what little light was left. As I heard them coming down the hill I shone the flashlight in their direction. I heard Rob say , “follow the light.” Later that night during story time Rob took advantage of this teaching opportunity and talked about the importance of following the light. He said, “ As you were walking to and from the bathroom you were scared because it was dark outside but then you noticed the shadows from the lanterns along the path that gave you some comfort, but pretty soon it was completely dark and you couldn’t see anything. As you turned the corner you could see mom with the flashlight. You were soon comforted because you saw the flashlight and mommy and you knew where you were. Jesus was speaking to some of his apostles and they asked, “What is the way to return to heaven?” and Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Sometimes when we are wandering or lost in the dark and don’t know what to do we should look to Christ and he will show us the way. It is just as clear as someone shining a light through the dark.

Vermont

We decided to go on a campout with the kids. I will admit I was a bit nervous especially since Ty is still so young, but we decided to give it a try anyway. About 3o minutes before we reached our destination Tasha threw up not once but twice. Since Vermont is a 4 hour drive there was NO turning back. Thank goodness for Pepto. It saved the weekend. We spent our first night at the Silver Lake State Park Campground.



Garret and Tasha loved helping Daddy with the tent.

Good morning sleepy heads.

Silver Lake

The weather was pretty unpredictable. It was a pretty cool weekend. It rained off and on all weekend. Luckily we were able to do all the things we had planned. When we got to the lake it was cloudy. The sun would peak out every now and then. We gave the kids the option to either rent a boat and go out on the lake or they could swim if the sun came out. Well, the sun came out and the swimsuits came on. They jumped in the lake and swam around thoroughly enjoying themselves. Until...

The sun disappeared. And.....

A fish swam by Tasha's leg totally freaking her out....

They ran out as quickly as they ran in, shivering while they waited for Daddy to grab their towels. Personally I would of went with the boat ride.

Ty enjoying some Daddy time, cuddles and....

kisses.

Take that. Smack!

While in Vermont, we took the opportunity to go to Joseph Smith's birthplace.

In memory of this great prophet, a granite monument was dedicated on the 100th anniversary of his birth. The shaft was sculpted from a single granite block quarried in Barre, Vermont, and is one of the largest polished shafts in the world. It stands 38 1/2 feet tall, one foot for every year of the Prophet Joseph Smith's life.

We got the grand tour from Elder and Sister Mckinnon. We also watched a movie about the Prophet Joseph Smith. He is and was such a remarkable human being. We loved being able to walk where this great prophet walked. There was such a sweet spirit there on those sacred grounds.

Ty getting in a catnap.

They actually had the original Hearthstone in the Visitors Center and the door step of the Prophets home behind Rob.

We took a ride on the golf cart to see some of the foundations that still exist from homes of family members related to the prophet.

The kids loved their sweet ride!

Time well spent

The kids look forward to the weekends. It's always playtime with Daddy, BUT sometimes Daddy's need a break too. If you can't beat em' join em.