Ben's Big Summer

You know, it just seems like it has been a big couple of months for Ben. He has really accomplished a lot! He learned to ride his bike without training wheels, he learned to swim, he got up on waterskis for the very first time, he had his first real soccer game, and he started Kindergarten. Whew! It all makes me tired just thinking about it. But he is a happy and enthusiastic boy, ready for every new adventure and fun to have around.

Here's Daddy and Uncle Ryan getting Ben ready to go. They forgot to remind him to let go of the rope when he fell down, so he did the classic face-pull through the water for a ways. But the second time, he just popped right up. It was awesome!

Ben was super-excited to ride the bus and go to school with the big kids. Mom was a basket-case worrying that he would get off on the wrong stop when he came home, but his cute bus driver made sure everybody got to the right place. Ben loves Kindergarten!

The day of Ben's first soccer game was like Christmas morning. He got up early, and had his uniform on and was ready to go hours ahead of time. He and Spencer practiced all week in anticipation. And it paid off--Ben's team won and Ben scored his first goal! He was one excited kid.

New Additions

There are two new additions to our family: Lily and Fry. As many of you know, Aubree has a bit of a frog obsession. Her whole room is decorated in frogs. She has been begging for a while for some real pet frogs. I told her if she saved up enough money to purchase the frogs, the tank, and everything she would need to put in the tank, and if she would be in charge of feeding, cleaning and taking care of them, then she could have them. Still, when the time came, I begged her to buy some cute stuffed frogs instead. But she insisted on the real thing. I have to admit they're kinda cute--until it's feeding time (only LIVE crickets will do). Still getting over the creep factor on that part.

Boating

We've had a lot of fun boating the past couple of weekends with the cousins. The new tube is a very big hit. I can't help but think that the kids look like little bobble heads out there just bouncing around. It's pretty comical! But the winner for the most spectacular crash off the tube--Daddy!

Cam, Aubree, Adam and Ben ALL got up on the waterskis this year. Could it have anything to do with Daddy's bribe of a Wii game for the first person to stay up for a full minute? Grandpa was grumbling the whole time about how his dad bribed him with a 5 cent candy bar. Inflation, Grandpa, inflation!

Here's Aubree:

Here's Cam:

Adam had the best attitude. He kept saying, "Let's try again!" when everyone else was begging to get back in the boat after a couple of tries. Good job Adam! Also Adam had the 2nd best crash on the tube. When we pulled around to pick him up, he said: "Mission accomplished!"

All right Uncle Ryan, let's see you beat THIS gun show!

Cabin Sleepover

We have had a really fun week. It started with a weekend retreat with 6 couples from our neighborhood. We got to stay in our friends' parents beautiful cabin (more like parade-of-homes) on 80 acres near Wanship. We had awesome food, stayed up till 3 am playing games and laughing our heads off, and had fun 4-wheeling and canoeing on the lake. None of us wanted to go home!

View from the front porch. There were moose drinking from the pond down there.

Canoe race

You didn't know Cam was so talented, did you? At least we have a back up if he ever loses his day job, eh?

The guys cookin' fresh fish to go with our morning french toast...hmm, what a combination!?!

Great friends! Thank you so much Humpherys!

Lava Hot Springs

We started our summer vacation at Lava Hot Springs. We went down the river in tubes, but our rear ends suffered some serious damage from the rocks so after that we stuck to the safer-than-the-river swimming pool. The kids had a blast. The water slides are really big... (that's Daddy on the left)

The climbing wall was awesome! Go Aubree!

Sunbathing beauties! By the way, Ben learned how to swim on this trip! By the end of the trip, he was jumping off the "middle dive" and swimming to the side all by himself! Way to go Ben!

Buddies

The boys riding the sea serpent

Daddy was the only one brave enough to jump off the highest platform!

Minnetonka Cave

These pictures stink because apparently I had my camera on the wrong setting while taking them. Bummer! Oh well. We decided to go check out Minnetonka Cave near Bear Lake. Really, I wanted a Bear Lake raspberry shake and I needed an excuse. But we checked out the cave on the way. And it was really cool! It was a lot like Timpanogos, only without the big hike. The most interesting part of the cave tour was being serenaded by dear Spencer, whose taste in music is, shall we say, eclectic (manah manah by the Muppets, Another One Rides the Bus by Weird Al, and We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister). Wow.

Daddy was obviously a bit nervous to enter the cave....

Can you tell that's Aubree's profile there in the stalagmites behind her? You can't? Hmmm.

Runnin' the River

After Lava Hot Springs, we went camping near Jackson Hole with the whole Kahuna Klan! We had an un-birthday party for all the grandkids, and a real birthday party for Grandpa. Doesn't he look lovely with his new wig on?

The best part of camping was hangin' with the cousins! Ben and Kobe, also known as the Terrible Twosome.....

The Girls, we don't know what they did because we never saw them except this one time when we took a rare photograph of the endangered species...

Adam 'n Sam, the brave river runners.....

Spencer waited so patiently for the big guys to come down the river. Is that them? No, that's not them. Is that them?......

The Klan takes on Lunch Counter.....Go Grandma & Grandpa! What awesome grandparents we have!! And that's Aubree and Jaysa in the middle there...you go girls!

Ya gotta love grubby camping feet...aw, aren't they cute? Well, maybe not so much.