Summer fun

Pictures of the backyard that Caleb took.

Annika's favorite foods are watermelon and corn on the cob. When asked if she likes watermelon or cupcakes better she replied, "watermelon" without the least bit of hesitation. We asked her a number of other things and it was always watermelon. Annika loves food. But I think Fourth of July food is currently her favorite holiday cuisine.

Caleb made a secret hideout under the lilac bushes. I took a picture of him through his 'window.'

This is what it looks like from the outside--pretty well hidden. :)

Another trip to the Cox farm.

Our Provo Outing

This past weekend before we met up with Andy in Park City I took the kids to some fun places in Provo. We started out with a trip to Macey's grocery store where I bought many of my groceries while a student at BYU. I remember thinking that store was really great and was happy to find it wasn't all that much better than the local grocery store I now shop from (Boise grocery stores were REALLY good). We got some bagels, carrots, strawberries, and some Utah Truffle bars conveniently places for compulsive buyers by the checkout stand. Then we walked over to the Provo River which passes right by the grocery store. It was so beautiful! Everything was really green, the water was really high, it was shady and pleasant to walk, and there were flowers. I have so many good memories along the Provo River. Actually some of my best memories of our marriage were along the Provo River so I guess it's only fitting that I take Caleb and Annika there. Maybe someday I'll share that with them if it seems appropriate. It was so fun to be nastolgic in Provo, shopping at Macey's, walking along the Provo River. We stopped to have a picnic at a picnic table by Branbary apartments. (They had a bad reputation when I went there but I have no memories of the apartments other than running or biking by them.) We could see Squaw Peak from our picnic spot. It was just a wonderful and lovely picnic and I had such a good time with the kids.

Caleb wanted to take some pictures so the following are his:

Obviously the garbage/lawn man is picture worthy

The Provo River:

After our nice picnic we headed over to the small dinosaur museum that BYU has in connection with it's paleontology program. It was a really nice museum even though it was pretty small. Back in the '60 a professor really did a great job and made the paleontology program at BYU one of the best programs. He collected all sorts of fossils. I unfortunately don't remember his name other than 'Dinosaur Jim' and am too lazy at the moment to look it up. Caleb was so excited to go to the museum and Annika is excited to go anywhere. :)

They have a place where you can watch the students at work on cleaning fossils.

Annika favorites were the ones she could touch:

Oh, I forgot to add these videos:

Proof

that our room is not always a disaster:

I took this video for the 'proof' but you'll also notice that U2 is playing in the background and Annika is singing along. "It's alright! It's alright! It's alright!"

Sunday Evening walk in New Canyon

Maybe it was the hours spent sitting in church or something but Caleb and Annika hiked really well for over a half mile up and then came back down just as well. They loved it and we all had a really good time! I put these on facebook but wanted to record them on the blog as well. I tried to take them up again last Saturday to recapture the feeling we all had on this walk. However, the kids were tired and it was hot and we went with my parents and some of my dad's favorite students so they ended up leaving us behind and I'm just not as interesting for the kids. I kept trying to get them to walk, but I should've just brought a book and let them play in the dirt. Oh, and Annika LOVES peeing in the dirt. Only because she really likes it she says she needs to go all the time. Then I totally didn't think about bringing toilet paper (this was on our really pleasant Sunday walk)...and Caleb had to go number two! I'm sure you all love that information. But it was not cool. How does a mom forget TP? Isn't it like the most important item to carry? No water, no toilet paper, but I did have changes of clothes for Annika should she need them (which she didn't--she's so amazing with her potty training, and again, like I said, enthralled with the idea of peeing in dirt) which I carried around in that lovely plastic bag until near the end when Annika realized what it was an insisted on carrying it on her own. She loved carrying her clothes around in her 'purse.' She is such a funny girl!

They were both really good hikers.

Oh so happy to be carrying her 'purse.'

When we need Annika to get moving we often ask if she wants to walk or run. She always chooses running and she ran a good deal of this little hike.

The kids love this 'blue sand.' It is bluish grey sand and they can play it forever and getting them to move from that spot is really hard. Somehow we missed it on the way up and I think Caleb was so excited about his binoculars and going for a hike in New Canyon with everyone that he forgot about it. But on the way down we had to really coax them away.

This one is terrible of me but cute of Caleb so I will post it anyway.