Days of '47 Rodeo

On Pioneer Day we drove up to the fairgrounds in Salt Lake for the Days of '47 Rodeo.  We arrived early so we could take advantage of the free Cowboy Games - activities based on pioneer-era pastimes and experiences.  The highlight for me was pulling a handcart (with Eliza inside) through a small obstacle course.  A few of us also tried riding a mechanical bull, albeit a very tame one.

  

After trying our hand at some of the Cowboy Games, we had a new appreciation for the real cowboys in the rodeo!  We sat down in time to hear the National Anthem and see sky divers land in the arena with the American and Utah flags.  The rodeo was great - we had fun watching and cheering on the competitors.  We didn't plan to stay for the whole thing but of course the bull riding was at the end, so we had no choice.  And there was also a small fireworks show when the competition was over, so we stayed for that too.  It was about 11:00 when we made our way back to the car, and all the kids fell asleep before we got home.

July Miscellany

For Andy and Amy's last day visiting us we talked about different places we could go, adventures we could have, but Andy said that all Sawyer wanted to do was play with his cousins.  I wonder now if Andy just wanted to stay at the house so he could watch the World Cup, but either way, the kids had fun just playing at the house and the bigger people had fun watching the World Cup.  Win win win.  We did venture out so that Andy's family could finally try Swig, which we all enjoyed.  Then it was barbecue for dinner and making plans for Andy and Amy to move to Utah (even if only in their, and our, dreams.)

And later in the month...

"The pirate of all seven seas." 

Cat spent a week dogsitting in July.  All the kids love dogs and they were so excited about
seeing this one that they ended up taking turns helping Cat when she walked and played with Jenny.

Swim Lessons Round 2 for J & E

With a new approach, 

and an old favorite.

Swim Lessons Round 1 for Luke and his friend from preschool

 

There was a direct correlation between the number of Star Wars items found nearby and the amount of time
Eliza spent using the AR (Augmented Reality) stickers feature on my phone's camera.

Sometimes you just need to close your eyes for a few minutes.  Or more.

Eliza puts on a pretty great tea party.  This little cutie lived down the street
and was one of Eliza's favorite and most frequent playmates.

When everyone tries to sit on a spinning exercise seat, you can't even see the seat.

A long-overdue dinner with friends turned into a really fun jam session
with various instruments being played and lots of singing.  Love it!

Countess Quesadilla of Selfievania

 

Visiting Dad's office has two huge benefits.  First, getting a treat from the stash
in the break room.  Second, drawing on Dad's white board wall.
Too bad there's all that work jibberish taking up space at the top.

"Ben, where's that big zucchini our neighbors gave us?
Oh, nevermind.  I found it behind the couch."

 

We had a really fun visit with longtime friends currently living in Idaho!

"Mom!  I have a bug!  It's really big!" was the greeting I received
when Eliza knocked on my door first thing in the morning.  She
was pretty sure she discovered a new species and thought it should
be called a Strawberry Bug since she found it on a strawberry plant.

 

Because it's warmer inside Dad's coat.

The girls sure do love Instagram filters.
After looking at this again the other day Cat decided she should become French.

Backyard water fun, including Eliza's end-of-year prize pool:

Cat Turned 13

Cat was so excited to officially become a teenager. And it was great to have family visiting so they could celebrate with us!  We started the day off with a celebratory sourdough waffle breakfast with a birthday waffle for the birthday girl.  (I think Cat has had more non-cake birthday cakes than actual cakes over the years...)  Cat opened her birthday presents, then we headed to Jordanelle State Park to enjoy some lake time in the sun.  Cat really wanted to ride on a jet ski for her birthday but they had all been rented out by the time we got there so we settled for paddle boards instead.  Ben and Jack also tried out the water obstacle course.  They had a lot of fun but the water was so cold that they didn't even finish their allotted hour.  After a few hours at the lake we headed home and I went to choir rehearsal while Ben and Cat and the rest of the crew had dinner at Cafe Zupas.  Then Cat, Grammy, Jeanne, and Oma saw the movie "Oceans 8" together.  A fun celebration for our wonderful teenager!  We're so blessed to have her!