Gran Fondo Logan trip

Sean has recently gotten into cycling and decided to sign up for his first organized race. He signed up for the Gran Fondo in Logan for the 53 miler and we decided to make a little family trip out of it. 

The night before the race we went out to dinner at a yummy place called Copper Mill and loved it! Afterward we decided to head to the Aggie ice cream shop to see how it compared to the BYU Creamery. 

We all liked our ice cream, but remain loyal to BYU and think it is the winner in this battle.

The boys loved swimming at our hotel and they had the entire pool to themselves, which I feel like NEVER happens anywhere in Utah. 

We typically still opt to get just one hotel room and with two queen beds, the boys all slept in one. I loved waking up the next morning and seeing them all together.

The kids and I waited for Sean at the finish line. It was fun being on the other side of things this time around!

He made it! And he did really well and said he had a great time. I'm really proud of him.

After a little shopping, we headed to the cemetery to visit my grandparents' graves. We brought petunias because they always remind me of my grandma and the petunias she would plant every year in her huge flower boxes that lined her porch. I miss her.

The night before we went to the cemetery, Bode said in our family prayer, "Please bless great grandma will be able to visit us tomorrow." I thought that was such a sweet thing to pray for. I don't know if she was there or not, but hopefully she knew we were thinking of her and knows she is loved very much. 

Fourth of July 2018

Our tradition of going to Idaho Falls for the Fourth of July continues! I say it every year, but it is hard to beat Idaho Falls for this holiday!

The Model T always makes an appearance and the kids resumed their tradition of throwing candy before the parade.

This year was the final year of the "breakfast on the Boulevard" which is something we have done for many years. A couple from my parents' ward (before it split) live right on the parade route and host everyone and their families for breakfast before the parade begins. It is a favorite tradition and we will miss it for sure, but totally understand with their getting up in age that it is time. We are so grateful for the many years of fun and yummy food!

We always enjoy the parade and sitting at my aunt's house (which is also on the parade route). Everyone was in good spirits this year and it was fun being with family and extended family. 

The Whittington cousins

The Ricks cousins

We were laughing that this is what they threw out at the parade!

Walking home from the parade by the canal that runs past my grandma's old house.

I took a million pictures of Molly because she looked so cute dressed up for the Fourth. Those baby blues!

My dad took the grandkids over to Tautphaus Park to Funland and they had a blast riding the Ferris wheel, the octopus,  merry-go-round, and playing mini golf. 

Causing around town in my dad's Model T after the parade.

We did the traditional BBQ that afternoon and headed to the infamous Melaleuca fireworks show that night. The kids had fun playing with glow sticks while we waited for the show to start. As usual, it was amazing! The kids were exhausted by the end and hated having to walk back to the car (we were parked pretty far away hoping to avoid the traffic jam we got stuck in the year before). We all survived though-- barely! 

The next day we said goodbye to Todd and Julie and their kids since they had to head back to Colorado. The rest of us headed up to the cabin. While we were up there we decided to go to Lewis & Clark Caverns. We loved going there as kids and it was fun taking our own kids there.

The hike to the entrance was long, steep, and hot, but we made it!

It was really weird having it be in the 90s outside the cave, and then going inside and being so cold we could see our breath and needing a jacket.

The kids loved the "beaver slide" which is a small, narrow section of the cave where you have to sit and slide down. 

I am always amazed by how big the caverns are. 

The rest of our time at the cabin was business as usual: four wheelers, hot tub, etc. We also went to the Playmill and saw The Little Mermaid.

The boys went fishing and this time they all caught fish right away. Might have had something to do with fishing on my parents' friend's property where the fish had just been restocked. :)

While we were in Idaho, we got to go see my friend Andrea's new golden doodle puppies and we all fell in love with them. The kids have been begging for a dog for so long and I think we may just finally pull the trigger! Stay tuned!