Family Trip

So, I've obviously been slacking when it comes to posting here! Life has been crazy with the kids out of school for the summer and my photography business taking off. It's been a little bit easier to keep up with things on Facebook. I don't know if anybody even still reads this and I've considered just deleting this blog all together....but it was originally meant to be more of a journal so I guess I better try to keep it up to date.

Jarek turned 10 on Friday the 13th. I know everybody says this, but I seriously can't believe how fast they grow up! He's such an important part of our family. I have to say he's my easiest kid....but he's also my loudest kid! He's the most willing to help out when we need something done. He loves schedules and has this need to know exactly what's planned for the day/week/year/life...what we're going to eat...where we're going....who's going to be there......and when??? But as long as he knows, he's good with it. He's also sensitive and will still tear up when he watches sad or touching movies, and I love that about him. He had his birthday all planned out (there's that schedule thing again). He wanted to eat lunch at Marion's so he could get a chocolate banana shake, then go to the Rec Center in Vernal, then have dinner at Golden Corral (yes, it's all about food for him). But I had other plans!

We haven't really done anything big as a family over the summer. Thanks to Tim taking so much time off work to go to scout camp and scout leadership training, he doesn't have any time left to take a family vacation (can you sense the irritation???). So I decided we'd go do something fun with or without him. Of course, it would kill Tim to think we were having fun without him, so he managed to get last Friday off.

We told the kids that we were going swimming, but not where. I'm sure the suspense about drove Jarek crazy, but when we pulled up to Seven Peaks and he saw the water slides it was all worth it. The kids all had a blast, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures. I didn't dare take my camera in for fear of it getting wet or stolen. We stayed at the Marriott in Provo that night and I did my brother's engagement photos. Jarek got eclairs for his cake and we had Italian Ice (his choice).


Saturday morning we got up and headed for Hogle Zoo. We got there later than we had wanted to and it was PACKED!!! We couldn't even find a parking space and we knew everything would be crowded inside. So, we decided to go to Discovery Gateway instead. Jarek, Emme, and Camden all LOVED it -- Tristen not so much! Camden said "It's like I never want to leave!"



Emme LOVED the little grocery store.


Camden's favorite part was probably this wind tunnel.


Tim's favorite part was the helicopter.


We signed the three younger kids up for the little art class they had going on and they got to finger paint with an Elmer's glue/Kool-aid concoction.


After the Discovery Museum we stopped at the outlets in Park City and got all of the kids school clothes shopping done. Whew! We didn't get home until after 11.

We're off to Vernal today for eye exams, then a hearing test tomorrow for Emme and registration for school. Only one week left of summer vacation. I'm hoping once the kids go back to school I'll have some extra time to catch up on things I've been meaning to do...we'll see!