How did we do, you ask?

 Remember how we were determined to make this summer better than last?  Awesome or Not Awesome?  Bummer or Not Bummer?  The verdict is in:  Awesome and Not Bummer.

We accomplished most of the things on our list but didn't make it to some places.   We are also a couple pages shy of our 5000 page reading goal, we kind of lost our mojo with the craziness of school starting.  But I'm still going to reward the kids because they really worked hard at it and we're so close.  I think we can finish before it gets cold!

Here's what we did this summer.  Buckle yourself in and be ready for a TON of pictures.

Picnics in the canyon.  We made it to Logan Canyon (Card picnic area, one of our new favorites), Green Canyon, and Tony Grove.  It was so fun to just hang out, play games, eat lunch and chat.

Playing "Blink" - we love this game!

Green Canyon has an awesome cave!

Camping in the backyard.  I'm not a huge fan of camping, but I can handle doing it in the backyard.  I didn't sleep out with everyone, but I enjoyed hot dogs and s'mores - the best part of camping anyway!

Willow Park Zoo.  I love that the kids still love going there. It isn't the biggest or greatest zoo, but they still get excited about everything there.

Backpacking.  Steve and Ryan went backpacking to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming - they had a great time!

Christianson family reunion. This reunion is always a favorite for the kids.  They love their cousins.

 

Sam and Lilly

My brother Steve and his little guy, Aiden

My nephew Zac trying to smash a cupcake in Em's hair.

 Our annual Fourth of July BBQ:   We've done this every year for the last 12 years or so.  We eat, hang out, argue about where to watch the fireworks, then watch the fireworks.

Waiting for the fireworks to start

Cyclo-cross in Hyde Park.  Steve competed in this wacky race.  The cyclists bike around a course which is up and down hills, over obstacles, around trees, etc. while kids spray them with water and shoot marshmallows at them.  I think it was much harder than it looks - each lap was pretty long and they had to do 5 laps.   He was pretty pooped, especially considering that he ran 10 miles earlier that morning!

Promontory Point.  Hot, dry, in the middle of nowhere, but actually pretty fun and interesting.  The kids loved it.

Rocket launching.  This is a fun tradition we try to do every year with the Hooper family. Chasing and trying to catch the rocket is always the funnest part!

Raptors games.  Steve and Ryan love going to see the Raptors play in Ogden.  Steve's parents are big fans, too.  For Ryan's 'birthday week' we all went to a game and actually had a lot of fun!

Ryan's birthday.  Ryan turned 15 in August.  Yikes.  The years are passing so quickly.  He got his learner's permit on his birthday and now thinks he needs to drive EVERYWHERE we go.  He also knows EVERYTHING about driving and isn't afraid to correct EVERY mistake you make.  Love that boy.

Em made birthday pancakes, so cute!

I took him and a few of his buddies go-carting. 

Minnetonka Cave.  My friend Vanessa and I took our kids to Minnetonka Cave near Bear Lake.  It really is an amazing place - quite a treasure for this area.   It was freezing inside the cave (40 degrees) and we climbed 888 stairs, but it was totally worth it.

Bear Lake.  After visiting the cave, we headed to Bear Lake for a few hours.  This was our only trip to Bear Lake this summer, which makes me sad! 

Tony Grove.  On the way home from the lake, we stopped at Tony Grove just to walk around a little and play in the water.  Oh, how I love Tony Grove.  I think it is one of the most serene, peaceful, beautiful places there is. 

 A day at Tony Grove!  Our neighbors, the Jones family, invited us to join them for some canoeing, fishing,  and picnicking.  We had such a great time and it was so beautiful!
 

The Wind Cave:  For our grand finale, we made it to the Wind Cave.  See the sign that says "Difficult"?  It was.  That is a tough hike but so worth it.  The kids weren't all that impressed, though.  We got to the top and Bailey (Em's friend) said "this is it?" and was pretty disappointed that we came all that way for just a cave.  Steve and I think it's awesome.  We stopped for Aggie Ice Cream on the way home and that was the perfect way to end a very busy, exhausting, awesome, not bummer summer.