Adam's 8th birthday was a bit of a marathon, but we survived all the festivities and had a lot of fun. Julie M flew in from Portland on Thursday afternoon. Adam's birthday was Friday and we had a nice day doing things he wanted. We had pancakes, went to the beach, ate at Subway for lunch and had all the cousins over for pizza dinner.
The festivities started on August 7th. Damon and I took just Adam out on a date. We went to Chevy's and then to the bookstore where Adam got to pick out books. He had such a hard time choosing because there were just so many things he wanted to read (love it!!). 
Friday night was Adam's baptism. It was a very special event. There were lots of friends and family there to share this occasion. We had lots of yummy desserts afterwards. Nana, Papa and Auntie Dara came down from UT and we loved seeing them again.
Saturday was a busy day. We headed up to Mortensen Manor where we started getting ready for the Luau. The Luau was great. The show was simple, but fun. Of course everyone loved the fire dance. Lily did a great Hula to "Pearly Shells", which I can't get out of my head now. The food was yummy, the company was fabulous and at the end Adam was so happy he finally had his Luau. 
We Love you Adam!! Being 8 is great!
WOW! So long with no post. For a while there wasn't anything interesting going on. Then all of a sudden lots of fun things happened. So we have been around, just enjoying the summer laziness/business. 
We came back in time for our cousin's luau reception. Damon and Dara both danced in it and the kids loved being there. I gave the camera to the kids for a little bit and we got some interesting shots. 
Saturday was a fun and busy day. We went on two hikes. Damon and I were able to go on one hike without the kids. It was a little bit tougher and took us to the bottom of the canyon. We went with my aunt and my cousin. There were fascinating rock formations and spectacular views. It was amazing.
The second hike we went up to Mossy Caves and hiked to a waterfall. The kids wore their swim suits and had a blast sliding down rocks and stomping through the water. It really was pretty. Adam was jumping from rock to rock just absolutely loving it. I found out that I do have children who enjoy the wilderness.
We went back to the campsight and had lunch with the family and played games. We had a water balloon contest, played water volleyball, jello slurping contest and just pure silliness. The kids had a lot of fun with all their new found cousins. I enjoyed catching up with all the ones I haven't seen in forever.
We left around 4pm and drove back to St. George. Damon has to leave on Sunday, but the kids and I are hanging out for a few extra days. 
Our drive from St. George to Bryce Canyon was great. There were amazing views and endless forests. It was a beautiful drive and not to windy or narrow roads. Part of the drive we were on Highway 89 which takes me back to the days that we drove between Phoenix and Provo.
We checked into our room at one of the lodges at Ruby's Inn. It was near the lake so we had some nice views. All my aunts, uncles and cousins were in rooms right around ours. It reminded me of the old days when we would do family reunions when we were younger. We loved being up in the woods with the smell of pines. We even had a monsoon go by. We stopped by Old Bryce Canyon Town which was across the street from the hotel. So cute.
Friday morning we drove around the park and hit the visitor's center. We learned a lot of interesting facts in this film that we watched. Later that day as we were hiking Inspiration Trail with the rest of my family my kids were able to ramble off all these facts and my relatives thought they were all so smart. That was funny. It was a great hike though. Lily made a great friend in my cousin Cari who carried her most of the hike on her back.
Friday night after dinner we had a softball game, played with sparklers and then we sat around the campfire and made smores and heard stories from the aunts and uncles about our family. The kids loved it. It has been fun seeing my cousins and getting to know some that I don't really know. We started to set off fireworks until security came by and told us that we couldn't do fireworks there. Fun killer.
Bryce Canyon is beautiful. We really do live in a unique country. I get angry when people say America is boring and dull.
Noah and Adam both had amazing teachers this year. They learned a lot, had a lot of fun and were sad, but happy when school was over. They are both looking forward to the new school year.
YEA SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!!
We are really glad Lily joined our family. She adds another dimension of drama that the boys just couldn't create. Damon says she is a mini-me, referring to her attitude and her ability to glare you down and sulk. I don't think I take that as a compliment, but at least she can stand her ground. 
We love our Lily flower. Happy Birthday #5! 
