a day off from cleaning and packing

The cousins had fun together splashing around in the reservoir.

Ethan's scientific brain turned on as he made the water shoot out of his cup over and over. And over...

Ethan actually had more fun being buried than he looks like he's having. The boy with dark hair was a random kid who decided to join in and help bury Ethan.

The kids lined up and spent at least an hour running down the hill and jumping into the water like this.

Wendy had to sit out in the sun to dry after running in to keep Jared from going under water. She's a hero :)

less (stuff) to love

One thing I've noticed about decluttering our house down to the basics is that our kids actually play with the toys we kept. I'm talking about hours now spent playing with the same toys they barely glanced at when their rooms were stuffed with too many cool things.

I wonder why I didn't do this years ago?  

hot springs hiking

Today we hiked up the canyon to the hot springs. In the nearly 7 years we've lived here, we've never done it. But it was worth the hike (despite the serious sulfur smell towards the end).

The hot springs were little pools of stinky hot water, some of them were man-made tubs, others were natural.

Ethan jumped right in, but the other kids were hesitant to touch the mossy stones at the bottom of the pool.

Eventually we all got in to soak for a while. The springs were beautiful, with waterfalls nearby and trees everywhere.

The big waterfall was a popular spot for people to hang out. It was crowded, and getting even busier as we hiked back down.

Ashley showed up for the hike wearing pink cowboy boots with her swimsuit. It was really cute :)

Once Ashley got over her fear of the slimy water, she and Ethan hung out for quite a while in the pools.

Chris and Josh decided to hike up to the top of the waterfall. It makes Josh look so small!

I love this picture of Josh looking up at Chris. So sweet and trusting!

Round trip, we hiked about 5 miles. They did great!

no more training wheels at our house

Today Josh asked me to take his training wheels off. He was crazy fast with them on, and I was pretty sure he'd pick it up quickly, but I was still surprised when he got on and pedaled away! He was VERY proud :)

The Driveway of Delight...(like the stadium of fire, but much, much smaller.)

The cousins had fun hanging out at our Fourth of July extravaganza. We had it all! Sprinklers, brownies, and yes, even a crazy firework display!

 Chris is rubbing Josh's head, for luck, I think... He'll need it later when he lights the pyrotechnics (is that the right word?).

The guy in white shorts is our official fire fighter/paramedic for the Driveway of Delight. Luckily there weren't any emergencies (aside from a few skinned knees and hurt feelings, which didn't require medical attention).

Grandma and Cousin Jenny could hardly contain themselves due to excitement for the show to start

Wendy and my dad hanging out together. See how much fun they are having? Only one of many reasons we call it the Driveway of delight ;-)

If you look real close, you might be able to see some pyrotechnics. Or you might not.

 But if we put three sparklers together, you can see them!

The kids had front row seats for the big show. They were SO excited! They cheered through the entire 7 fireworks...

 You would be excited if you saw these babies, too...and if you squint just right, you just might see them :)

 Our in-house pyros did a fabulous job of lighting the fireworks and running away. It really is harder than they make it look.

We're sorry we didn't take any pictures of the Quicks while they were here, but they missed the show... Maybe in a few years we'll have another one and we'll take a few more pictures. Happy 4th of July!

Chris is a Mormon!

Here's his profile:
http://mormon.org/me/4X7X/