Eccles's Dinosaur Park

After some research we found a great way to spend an otherwise normal Thursday afternoon.
Ryan had the day off on account of his good behavior (working extra hours) so we headed south to Ogden
and went to the Eccles's Dinosaur Park. Great Fun!
We packed a picnic and spent the afternoon checking out life-size sculptures of T-Rex,
Triceratops and other dinosaurs I can't pronounce, let alone spell.

The boys dug for Dinosaur Bones, and Jared even found some Dinosaur Eggs! (... not real ones).

We checked out the UTAH-raptor! Woot! Woot!

After collecting all his courage, Danny went and checked out the T-Rex!

Did I mention there were speakers roaring at us. It was a little frightening. (Josh learned to close his eyes real quick!)

We brought some of our own Dinosaurs along for the trip.
They are not life-size... more of the handheld type. Fun to photograph though.

Poor Ryan...

Just couldn't resist this one! Joshy is pretty dangerous.

All in all it was a larger than life kind of day!

Meadows 1st Ward Campout

This weekend we went on our first camping trip since arriving here in Mountain country. It was the ward camp out. The original plan had been to go to Camp Lomia but with all the flooding the river was too dangerous and the ward felt it would be best to change the location to Green Canyon. Since I'm not a big fan of my children being washed away down stream that was fine with me. We were amazed to find that we could be in the wilderness, camping, not 15 minutes from home! Not only that, this campsite is free!?! It is on a first come, first serve basis, but still... free! We are used to driving an hour back in Wisconsin, to a camp ground that was reserved back in January. Not to mention all the fees. Needless to say, this was great!

We were there probably over an hour before I looked up. Yes, up. In Wisconsin you don't really look up, because there isn't anything to see besides sky. We were in the middle of a canyon with rocky cliffs on either side. It was quite the sight! The boys enjoyed hiking the rocks just above our campsite. (with Dad's help of course).

Our campsite had a trail going through it. Saturday turned out to be national trail day and we saw plenty of runners, bikers and even horses come through our site. In the morning I decided to run up the trail a bit and back. (My first mountain run!) It was great! The trail narrowed, twisted and turned. It went through meadows and forests. Later we took the boys down the trail. I'd like to say they liked it, but they didn't. Danny and Jared BOTH tripped on rocks and fell. They both came home with lovely purple bruises.

Ryan and I love to be outside and can't wait to plan another camping trip. However, next time I'm wearing wool socks. Brrrrr! Everyone seemed to sleep fine except for me. My toes froze! The sun came out in the morning and it was a great day. We even hiked up to a cave just above our campsite.

The boys loved to see the cave. It was just one big cavern. Pretty amazing though. I'm just impressed we made it up there with three boys... and no one slid down the side of the mountain!

Nothing like sun and fresh air to really wear a kid out!

Memorial Day

This Memorial Day weekend was the first in 5 years we have not spent attending the World's Largest Brat Fest back in Madison, Wisconsin. *sniffle-sniffle*. We did however manage to still have a good time with My sisters Lynda and Wendy and Wendy's hubby Chris up in Salt Lake. Playing on the hammock was probably the highlight of the day for Danny and Jared.

We cooked out, had rootbeer floats and cracked open several of Wendy's geods... (cool rocks with crystals inside). Danny even got to keep a piece. The boys can't wait for our upcoming trip with Wendy to find geods of their own to open.

We stopped off at the Church's Art and History Museum. The kids had a great time playing in the children's Book of Mormon exhibit. They enjoyed fishing from Nephi's ship, and other kid friendly activities. All for free I might add.




At the end of the day before heading back to home we decided to go ahead with our original plans and hike Ensign Peak. It was 40 degress that morning with snow on the mountains and we really didn't think this was going to happen. But, the sun came out and despite a muddy trail we blazed the half mile up. The view was great and the kids were good troopers. All in all, an exhausting, but fabulous day.

Joshy is TWO

On Sunday we celebrated Joshy's 2nd Birthday! Let the twos begin! We started out on a high note with a happy boy playing with presents. With a little help from big brothers he eventually opened them all.

I think every gift he opened had wheels attached to it somehow! With the exception of the books and clothing of course.
We are so happy to have a healthy, big boy. He is currently topping the scales at 30lbs despite the fact he is my pickiest eater. In honor of his birthday I've made a list of likes and dislikes for our 3rd boy. Here are a few:
Likes:
pizza, his puppy pillow and blankey, his pacifiers, Lightning McQueen, Cupcakes, Pictures of Jesus, and Story Time.
Dislikes:
Most food, Cheese, PB and J, Riding down steep hills, bananas, and big brothers taking his toys.



We sang and had Cookies and Cream Cupcakes at my Grandparents home with lots of my Aunts and Uncles and Cousins. Oh yeah, and some of my boys favorite aunts were there too. ;) The cupcakes from www.abearinthekitchen.com were a big hit! Delicious!
Happy Birthday Big Boy! We love you!!

Lava Hot Springs

In May we took a day trip up to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. The water was warm. The kids happy. The sun bright. It was a great trip, sunburn and all.

Haven't heard of Lava Hot Springs? I hadn't either until my sister told me. She and her hubby were our tour guides on this great day trip. Here's the 411 from their website"Bubbling out of natural underground springs, the hot water is laden with minerals, but has no sulfur and therefore no bad odor. Over 2.5 million gallons a day course through the hot springs and are diverted into the Portneuf River keeping the springs ever changing and clean. The spring's temperatures range from approximately 102˚ to 112˚ degrees. On cold winter days, the steam rising from the pools wrap people in a cocoon of anonymity. The heated sidewalks and dressing room floors keep your toes toasty warm, even on the coldest of nights."
I would love to go back at Christmas time, it sounds wonderful. I'm just not sure how well the kiddos would do. I'll let you know if we dare try it out with them.

Needless to say we had a great time. We spent the day enjoying the hot pools. The pools varied in temperature so it was fun for all of us. Even Joshy loved the pools. (Not the super hot one, I couldn't even stand in that one. Ryan however made several trips back for more. I especially loved the zero-depth entrance on the coolest pool. Joshy and I would have been content to just sit with our feet in the water the entire time.

Our first day in the sun... a success! Let summer begin!