Huh? That's right folks! I am just now posting our summer vacation/4th of July pictures. I know what you're thinking, don't judge. ; ) We had the best summer vacation this year! It was a combination of great friends, relaxation, and fun. We went back to Utah to visit my brother (who I miss fiercely) and also our best friends there. Man, I miss them tons and there is a good chance that my overly emotional, pregnant self might shed a few tears of homesickness before this post is done. Anyway, we had such a great time.
We all had a friend to play with while we were there:
Emma and Jo
Anya and Oliver
Liz and I
Mike and Mark
Even Foxy and Windy
We spent a few days with my brother and a few days with the Sorensons. It was a tight squeeze, but we are so grateful to Liz and Mark for putting us up since I didn't plan far enough ahead to get a hotel room in Provo on 4th of July weekend. (Nearly impossible by the way.) But let me backtrack and start from the beginning.
We got off to an interesting start. We decided to bring Foxy because it was just too hot to leave her in Arizona and we didn't want to inconvenience anyone by asking them to dog sit for an extremely hyper dog for a week. Here are some important lessons that I learned about taking a dog on a long car ride (a small look into the start of our trip):
1. Don't buy the motion sickness pills on your way out of town when it is 107 degrees at 8:00 in the morning. You will be hot and sticky to start your long journey.
2. Remember some yummy food to stuff the pills in so you don't have to walk around trying to find someone who will give you some meat or peanut butter or something.
3. Don't feed your dog that morning because they will whine for about an hour and then puke in the car. (Luckily I remembered to bring towels, garbage bags, and carpet cleaner just in case.)
4. Bring lots of plastic bags to clean up the yucky stuff at pit stops because sometimes, the stores don't have something that will work.
After learning these great lessons, we actually had a really great drive. Most people hate long car rides, but I don't mind them so much. I love being all stuck together and having time to talk to each other, listen to books, and play car games. It was especially fun this trip because Emma was able to play the alphabet game with us for the first time. She didn't quite get the concept that you were supposed to go in alphabetical order, but it was so much fun to hear the excitement in her voice when she found a letter on a sign or billboard.
We stopped at the Navajo Bridge over the Grand Canyon on the way. It was beautiful! It is about 470 feet up and quite breathtaking. I'll tell you what else is breath taking, that hot boy and those cute girls right there!
The first couple of days we were there, we spent with Scott. We went to an aquarium that was small, but had some fun features. I couldn't really decide which pictures to add, so I just put in a bunch.
Emma ran from one presentation to the next with Uncle Scotty in tow. I think she saw the penguins, octopus, sharks, and stingrays get fed.
Anya preferred to just look at the fish in the tanks. 
They each got to pet the stingrays, but Anya was a little surprised by the texture and wouldn't try it again. It was hilarious.
It was so much fun to take our time and hang out with Scott. They had a cute little picture op that we couldn't pass up. 
The next few days we spent at the Sorensons hanging out and doing Fourth of July stuff. We had a little BBQ with old friends and it was a lot of fun. I wish that we would have gotten a big group picture, but with all the kids and dogs running around, it just didn't happen.
Mike had so much fun being with his guy pals and talking sports and politics. He just hasn't gotten that since we moved. I had so much fun sitting on Liz's front lawn and talking just like old times. Emma had so much fun running between all the neighborhood friends' backyards. Foxy had fun stealing all the little kids hot dogs when they left them unattended. I think she must have eaten at least 10.
Oliver found a new wrestling partner best friend.
Here's how we made sure that the kids were properly supervised.
We spent time outside (a novelty in July for us) and enjoyed relaxing. We didn't go to any big venues, but chose to just spend time together playing games and hanging out in the yard.
We went to the annual parade and fireworks show. Here's how Mike "watched" the parade.
Watching the fireworks was a little crazy trying to keep all the kids together, but we tried our best to keep them busy with sugary treats, pop-its, and glow sticks.
The last thing we did before we had to leave was a hike up Rock Canyon. We didn't go as far as Mark and Liz would have liked, I guess we have gotten a little soft since our move to the desert. : ) It was fun to watch Foxy and Windy blaze up the trail, but come back the second we called them. The girls had fun running up and down the trail with Liz's brother.
I enjoyed remembering how beautiful trees are.
We had such a great time and I hope that we can continue the tradition of summer trips to see our friends for many years to come.
We all had a friend to play with while we were there:
Emma and Jo
Anya and Oliver
Liz and I
Mike and Mark
Even Foxy and Windy
We spent a few days with my brother and a few days with the Sorensons. It was a tight squeeze, but we are so grateful to Liz and Mark for putting us up since I didn't plan far enough ahead to get a hotel room in Provo on 4th of July weekend. (Nearly impossible by the way.) But let me backtrack and start from the beginning.
We got off to an interesting start. We decided to bring Foxy because it was just too hot to leave her in Arizona and we didn't want to inconvenience anyone by asking them to dog sit for an extremely hyper dog for a week. Here are some important lessons that I learned about taking a dog on a long car ride (a small look into the start of our trip):
1. Don't buy the motion sickness pills on your way out of town when it is 107 degrees at 8:00 in the morning. You will be hot and sticky to start your long journey.
2. Remember some yummy food to stuff the pills in so you don't have to walk around trying to find someone who will give you some meat or peanut butter or something.
3. Don't feed your dog that morning because they will whine for about an hour and then puke in the car. (Luckily I remembered to bring towels, garbage bags, and carpet cleaner just in case.)
4. Bring lots of plastic bags to clean up the yucky stuff at pit stops because sometimes, the stores don't have something that will work.
After learning these great lessons, we actually had a really great drive. Most people hate long car rides, but I don't mind them so much. I love being all stuck together and having time to talk to each other, listen to books, and play car games. It was especially fun this trip because Emma was able to play the alphabet game with us for the first time. She didn't quite get the concept that you were supposed to go in alphabetical order, but it was so much fun to hear the excitement in her voice when she found a letter on a sign or billboard.
We stopped at the Navajo Bridge over the Grand Canyon on the way. It was beautiful! It is about 470 feet up and quite breathtaking. I'll tell you what else is breath taking, that hot boy and those cute girls right there!
The first couple of days we were there, we spent with Scott. We went to an aquarium that was small, but had some fun features. I couldn't really decide which pictures to add, so I just put in a bunch.
Emma ran from one presentation to the next with Uncle Scotty in tow. I think she saw the penguins, octopus, sharks, and stingrays get fed.
Anya preferred to just look at the fish in the tanks. 
They each got to pet the stingrays, but Anya was a little surprised by the texture and wouldn't try it again. It was hilarious.
It was so much fun to take our time and hang out with Scott. They had a cute little picture op that we couldn't pass up. 
The next few days we spent at the Sorensons hanging out and doing Fourth of July stuff. We had a little BBQ with old friends and it was a lot of fun. I wish that we would have gotten a big group picture, but with all the kids and dogs running around, it just didn't happen.
Mike had so much fun being with his guy pals and talking sports and politics. He just hasn't gotten that since we moved. I had so much fun sitting on Liz's front lawn and talking just like old times. Emma had so much fun running between all the neighborhood friends' backyards. Foxy had fun stealing all the little kids hot dogs when they left them unattended. I think she must have eaten at least 10.
Oliver found a new 
Here's how we made sure that the kids were properly supervised.
We spent time outside (a novelty in July for us) and enjoyed relaxing. We didn't go to any big venues, but chose to just spend time together playing games and hanging out in the yard.
We went to the annual parade and fireworks show. Here's how Mike "watched" the parade.
Watching the fireworks was a little crazy trying to keep all the kids together, but we tried our best to keep them busy with sugary treats, pop-its, and glow sticks.
The last thing we did before we had to leave was a hike up Rock Canyon. We didn't go as far as Mark and Liz would have liked, I guess we have gotten a little soft since our move to the desert. : ) It was fun to watch Foxy and Windy blaze up the trail, but come back the second we called them. The girls had fun running up and down the trail with Liz's brother.
I enjoyed remembering how beautiful trees are.
We had such a great time and I hope that we can continue the tradition of summer trips to see our friends for many years to come.
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