Summer Stuff

So I'm a little behind in the blogging world!  Let me explain what has happened during the last few months.  No. . . there is too much. . . . let me sum up.

May:

• School ends with its usual craziness of festivals and Field Day events, Katie turns 10 (someone stop her!)

Katie trying to keep Ben cheerful as Field Day got long, hot, and tiring for all! 

Braden's Greek Festival - they had to race in their TOGAS!  (Braden and this girl tied I think 5 times in a row before Braden finally squeaked ahead of her for the Gold Medal!)

Kate's 10th Birthday Party was an AMAZING RACE!  It was fun, exhausting, and crazy!

June:

• Ben turns 3! Braden turns 8 and gets baptized, Grandma & Grandpa Bradshaw come visit along with lots of cousins and uncles, fun in the not-so-warm sun, enjoying lots of parks and waiting for summer to heat up.
  

Ben's 3rd Birthday - with a MONSTER TRUCK cake of course! 

Braden's 8th birthday party was a FETCH CHALLENGE party!  Here's a picture of Braden getting stuffed  to the max with balloons!

Braden's Baptism was a big day!  All the family came to support him, we had a fun picnic at the park afterwards, and then we finished the day with a hot dog roast up the canyon with Grandma & Grandpa Bradshaw and our Bradshaw cousins and Uncles and Aunts!

Braden & Grandpa Bradshaw cruising at Liberty Land!

July:

• Fun in the "now it's too hot sun" - fourth of July festivities, Dad goes to India, visiting with the coolest Aunt Erika, and watching mom's tummy get HUGE!
  

Happy 4th of July Ben & Uncle Matt!  We went up the canyon for our 4th of July breakfast  - it was beautiful and a nice, cool day!

David and his new employees in India.

Katie enjoying the new slide at the grand-opening of Aunt Becca's pool!

The cast of the Lefty-Loosey Dinner Theatre produced and directed by the coolest Aunt Erika!

Braden & Alyssa were pigs, Katie was the wife, Nate the imp, Uncle Matt was the dad, and Aunt Erika was the son.  What a hilarious production and a delicious dinner by the Lefty Loosey Dinner Theatre!

August:

• Fun at Aunt Becca's new pool, watching the calendar tick down to the first day of school (not already!), a quick gamble of a trip to Yellowstone hoping baby doesn't come, and now WAITING for baby to come!

 Yes, it was crazy but we had a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!  We saw geysers, bison-traffic-jams, Old Faithful, beautiful waterfalls, and we even made it home without having to be life-flighted to Montana to find a hospital.  Now of course, we WANT this baby to come and she won't but at least we got one last quick trip together exploring Yellowstone.

We followed "Uncle Tom's Trail" down 350+ stairs for this amazing view of the Lower Falls at Yellowstone.  Ben made it about 1/3 of the way back up the stairs before his dad had to lug him the rest of the way! 

Braden's pointing to the geyser exploding behind him, I'm not sure what Ben's pointing at!

Uncle Tom - your trail is nothing but a big, huge set of metal stairs!  What goes down, must eventually come up! 

Traffic Jams in Yellowstone.  I believe the posted speed limit sign says: "1 Buffalo per Mile."  We got stopped in at least 5 "Buffalo-Created traffic jams" Saturday afternoon!  The first one was cool (this pic is from the first one.  He doesn't seem too concerned about the large truck on his bumper, does he!)  The second one was still picture-worthy and entertaining.  An hour later when we hadn't completed 10 miles, the "Bison Traff Jams" were getting a little old!  Move already you slow creatures!  It was 4:00 pm and we hadn't even had lunch yet!  :)  The kids said it was all mom's fault.  The first day as we wound our way into Yellowstone I made the mistake of saying: "I hope we see some bison while we're here!"  OOPS!