Trip to Utah

The week before school started we made a trip to Utah. We were able to visit with Craig and Angie and their kids. They had come to bring them to BYU. Rick's mom, and Barry, were also out from Pennsylvania. We stayed at Darla's house. She was a wonderful host, feeding us out her garden and providing all sorts of fun things to do. And Cheri still lives nearby.
Michelle and KC moved back to Utah from Texas the day we arrived so we were able to see them and help out. One day while Rick was doing some heavy lifting I took the kids (except Kate who though it would be more fun to go with her Dad) to Thanksgiving point, just down the mountain from the Holmes new home. My cousin Lori, and her 3 kids met us there.
Below is a friend, Luke, Drew, Dane, and Paige.
The boys playing at an exhibition about motion.

We locked them up at threw out the keys! JK.

It was $1 day that day (of course I had to find a deal), so we saw the dinosaurs, rode ponies, and saw the farm animals (in the sweltering Utah heat).

How sweet is she? There were even $.50 ice cream cone so the kids really scored that day.

Family Photo

We had professional pictures taken of the whole family and then as individual families at the park near Darla's house. It was another toasty day, but they turned out really well.

Hanging at the Quarry

The kids were like pros this year at the quarry. We spent about 4 hours taking turns climbing with most of Rick's family. Rick and Jake raced to the top.

I pushed myself this year and did some harder climbs. Check out those calves!Wow, that's exhuasting.

Tyson showing that he could make it where mom couldn't.

He used chalk this year for his grip and climbed using the tags so he would only use certain grips to get up certain routes, a more advanced skill.

Kate hung around chatting between turns. She never has a hard time starting up conversations.

She scurried right to the top...way to go!

It's a long ways up there for a 5 year old (and even for a 35 year old!)

Paige swooned Angie's phone from her, something she's become quite good at to unsuspecting family members. She uses her puppy eyes, bright smile, and a sob story about how her daddy won't let her use his phone. Works like a charm everytime. (Aunt Kay and Grandpa Hoyle have been some of her other targets)

But she didn't just sit around, she took her turn thanks to some help from Pappy.

Bradley zipped right up the easy one first and then moved onto the intermediate climbs.

Swimming at the Scera

Darla got us passes to swim at the indoor pool in Provo, which we did twice, but we also got passes for the Scera pool in Orem, it was great. School had started there, so it wasn't very busy.

Half the family got a little tuckered out in the end.

Kate went off the diving board and swam to the side on her own....over and over.

We took turns doing stunts and synchronized tricks.

Pure joy.

Campus Tour

This is what happens in Utah in August! It was warm. We spent a day touring campus which was all a buzz with students arriving. We went to the art museam, Eyring Science Center, library, Gordon B. Hinckley alumni building, and on a tour.

We showed the kids the Marroitt Center where I had performed tap dance, we had seen basketball games, and been to devotionals with the prophet.

Paige loved the alumni building. They had kiosks with mormon messages and vidoes. We also enjoyed learning all the stastics of the students and general information about BYU.

We showed the kids the athletic buildings where Rick had worked out. And the platform I had jumped from. There happened to be an audition going on for one of the dance groups...we could hardly get the girls to leave. They loved the steps up to campus....Bradley counted them.

The Art Museam was great. One of the featured exhibits was a giant pile of books.

It sure felt great to get a little breeze as we rode around on our tour. The kids had a hard time walking because it was so hot.

I hope we get to bring our kids back when they enroll someday...

We walked through the library and had a bite to eat at the cougareat.

Eyring Science Center had all sorts of neat exhibits to try.

The library had an exhibit on the King James version of the Bible and how it came to be. We could have spent two full days just on campus enjoying all the free things to do.

Puppies!

Cheri had puppies to hold and the kids were in love.

We played ping pong and a version of shuffleboard at the senior center where Darla and Dad work.

Darla took this kids on her route to pick up the seniors for lunch. They had a great time...until the end :)

Darla has a dog, autumn, and two cats that the kids had fun with.

Camping Fun at Ensign Ranch

We had 3 days filled with fun at Ensign Ranch with the Gealtas, Ellsworths, and Humphreys. Many canoe rides..

Including one where Bradley got stuck in the lake in a canoe by himself and I was in a canoe with 3 kids...that was interesting trying to toe him in against the lake current.

We sailed off the rope swing, including me!, despite the warnings of the leech filled lake...sure enough several of the kids ended up with them on their legs...gross.

One of my favorite shots...diehard watersliders heading in for a wet ride.

The girls went on pony rides

while the boys practiced lasso-ing. We also went on a group hayride complete with camp songs.

We got to go rock wall climbing. Paige waited so patiently while all 12 kids and few adults climbed and she still wanted a turn. They let her go and she made it pretty far, giggling all the way.

There was also a ropes course that the men did with the kids. Working together as a team, they did several fun activities.

The 5 boys got to spend the night on an island in a large tee-pee. They biked all of their supplies over (using a bridge) and camped out for the night. The moms went to check on them and were more scared than the boys!

The girls got cute Rebecca hairdos. Running in the dirt and eating smores were favorites.

BFF Up and down the slip n slide we went, eventually making trains and riding on laps and backs to enhance the fun.