Summer Vacation

We just returned from a great summer vacation! It was a blast and felt like 3 or 4 vacations all wrapped into one. We flew to Salt Lake City and spent a few days and then drove to Easton, Washington for the Packard reunion. After the reunion we drove to Seattle to pick up Melanie, and then on to Vancouver, B.C. to spend a few days with Vicki, Diana, Natalie and the Canada Crew. On the way back to Salt Lake we made a quick visit to Kimball and Marianne's in Kennewick, Washington. Then we spent several more days in Salt Lake City and celebrated the Fourth of July with the Moretons.

Throughout our travels, we saw 4 different temples - Twin Falls, Boise, Columbia River, and Seattle. We also sat at the US/Canada border for 3 hours and ate at the worst Wendy's in all of Idaho.

Packard Reunion

McKay spent a lot of time at the playground


Carter learns how to shoot a bow and arrow


Carter caught his first fish!

Vancouver, B.C.

On the Lynden Valley Suspension Bridge


The Totem poles at Stanley Park


All the girls...


Only boys allowed...


Carter and Nick fight off Martians


McKay on Border Patrol

Salt Lake City

We had a lot of great family time while in SLC. The boys had so much fun staying with Grandma and Grandpa and the Aunts. We did a lot of fun activities together like going to Hogle Zoo, This is the Place-Heritage Park, and we even attended the Oakley Rodeo! It was also fun to celebrate the fourth with family. We could expect nothing less than a full fireworks show with music and many tasty treats. It was a wonderful vacation!!!

Memorial Day Week

Over Memorial Day weekend we went up to Sherman to visit family. Depsite the rain, we had a great time playing games, watching movies, and even managed to swim in the new swimming pool for a couple of minutes. Carter and McKay also enjoyed snowcones! Afterwards, it was fun to have Chase drive home with us and spend the week. We took in two Hooks baseball games and hit the beach. The boys loved having their Uncle Chase's undivided attention for games and book reading. Then, we ended the week with Carter's last T-ball game. Carter was very happy to receive a medal for the season, and Lamont and I were just happy to have some free Saturdays and evenings again.

Lost Lagoon

We made use of our Sea World season passes this past Saturday and decided to go to the waterpark, Lost Lagoon. The boys had a blast and the lines for the slides were short enough that Lamont and I even got in a few rides. Later in the day we went into the regular park and hit the log flume since we were already wet. I was suprised how well Carter and McKay both did on the drops. After the ride Carter was even saying what a good time he had on it. It was a fun family day away from other responsibilities. I would highly recommend season passes to Sea World.

McKay

With all the posts we've done on Carter, we thought you might be wondering what McKay has been up to. Here's two video clips.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, the boys and I took Melissa to Macaroni Grill on Saturday night. Today at church Carter sang with the Primary kids in Sacrament and then I made dinner - paprika chicken w/rice, vegetable, and fruit salad. Carter had made a little jewelry box in preschool for Melissa and he was so proud of himself that he kept it a secret the whole week.

Father's and Sons Campout

Friday night Carter and I went on the ward father and son campout. Carter had been eagerly awaiting the campout for weeks. He helped me pitch the tent and then he rolled out his Elmo sleeping bag. We roasted hot dogs, made peach cobbler in the dutch oven, and had a campfire program with marshmallows and smores. By the time the campfire was over, Carter was tuckered out and ready for bed. It was nice to get to bed early and not have to worry about the young men running around all night. We headed home Saturday morning and McKay was so excited to see us. He missed Carter. But the little boy will have to wait until next year - you've got to be out of diapers to go on the father's and sons camp.

Carter's Preschool Class

This is Carter's last week of preschool. It's sure been a lot of fun for him and he's become pretty good friends with the other kids. One of the mom's putting together a preschool graduation this week for all the families, with hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. so that should be fun.

UPDATE:

Carter has officially graduated from his first year of preschool. The mom who put together the graduation did an awesome job of making caps, gowns, dipolmas, and even a slide presentation for each family. It was too fun! Carter is so proud of himself and I can tell that he and all the others kids learned so much this past year. It was a lot of work to put together, but I am so glad I did the preschool for him this year.

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Last year we went to Puerta Vallarta to celebrate, so this time we kept it pretty low key. We got a babysitter and went out to Outback Steakhouse and then to see a movie. We also pulled out our wedding video, which we hadn't seen in forever. It sure brought back good memories. It seems like the years have flown by so fast, but at the same time, life before we were married or before the boys seems so long ago. It has sure been six good years!

Hooks Baseball

We have recently been to a couple of Hooks baseball games and even got to sit in a suite with some friends. The boys just love going and even watch most of the game. The best part of the game for McKay is visiting with Rusty the Hook or Sammy the Seagull. Carter loves the players and got his favorite player Johnny Ash to even sign his baseball cap. Carter was also able to run in the Hooks birthday run with Sammy the Seagull on his actual birthday. That night there was a double header and we went during the second game to prepare for the birthday run out on the baseball field only to find out that they had cancelled it. I think when they saw the look of disappointment in Carter's eyes and found out it was his actual birthday they decided to hold the run before the seventh inning and rounded up a couple more kids to do the run. They let Carter be in the front with Sammy the whole time. As Carter was running across the field there was a look of pure joy on his face. Below is the after picture with him and Sammy.