our friday night tradition...

Just got better...

For one night only (or maybe not because it was such a hit)
Friday Night Movie Night gets moved outside!

Movies are so much better outside!

RIP Pudge

Having to let you go was the hardest thing we've ever had to do.

You lived a very long life.

We will miss you so very much.

A few highlights and favorite pictures of our first baby

*He was the cutest little roley poley dog you'd ever seen.

*He was part char-pei, part pitbull and part lab.

*He was the fatest and the littlest of the whole litter. When we picked him out, the rest of the puppies came to greet us, Pudge stayed behing to eat.

*He was born right before Christmas a week before we got married

*We brought him home to live with us in February

*He was so wrinkly in the face that he had to have a face lift around his eyes because the excess skin was making him blind

*He used to carry around a baby pink blanket wherever he went

*He has lived through two other dogs, a ferret, an iguana, and several other pets

*He was our first baby

*He was 101 1/2 years old, in dog years of course, when he passed away

*He will always hold a VERY special place in our hearts forever.

Pudge

December 1994 - July 2009

Daylon's 11th Birthday

Boy has he ever grown up.


We had a really small get together Pool Party for him on his birthday which ended up being even a MUCH smaller get together than we had planned for. I guess that is one of the hazards of having a weekday birthday party.

He didn't ask for much this year and we were able to fulfill all of his birthday wishes this year:

*Hiking in Capitol Reef - we enjoyed it the weekend before his birthday

*Go to the afternoon movie to watch Monsters vs. Aliens - It turned out that they had the matinee on his birthday so it made his day a little bit extra special

*a lava lamp

*Bedtime Stories DVD

He also got $25, a "Got Dirt" John Deer t-shirt, and a few books.

...and not once did he complain that he wasn't having fun or that it wasn't the best party ever.

You gotta love that kid

Capitol Gorge

One of Daylon's birthday wishes was to go hiking back up to Capitol Reef. I have to admit, it was as much my wish as it was his. I love Capitol Reef and have plans to go back and do as many as the hikes as i possible can with the kids in tow, and then do as many as i can when they aren't.

This time we went on the Capitol Gorge trail.

I had hear a lot about this one and since it was one of the easier trails, we thought we could tackle it pretty easily. However, it was HOT and there was NO shade at all. It was still quite amazing anyways. Sheer rock walls on either side. Petroglyphs if you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them. The Pioneer Register was interesting but the modern day graffiti over the top of it all really took away from it. But the highlight of the trip and the reason why we went on this hike in the first place was the "tanks".

They were REALLY cool.

And they would have been more amazing if the tanks were really full.

There were three tanks in all (or at least that was all we could find).

The first tank we came to was almost dry. It was sustaining life for a few tadpoles.

Second tank we came to was fuller and deeper.it took a little tiny bit of scrambling around to get to the top part of it.

This tank was chuck full of tadpoles. The kids LOVED looking at them.

Third tank we came to we had to climb down lower to get to it.

It was harder to find but was completely amazing. It would have been even more of an awesome sight if they were all completely full.it was an awesome sight to look down into them

(and i would have loved to have jumped in them if they weren't so gross and could actually find a way out of it once you got into it)

Looking down into the lower tanks from above.

(top is the lower larger tank, it emptied into a smaller tank and then ran through a bridge into more crevise like tanks)

DarRell climbed up to the lower tanks from the bottom of the canyon since we couldn't get into them from the top.

All in all, it was an ok hike. It would have been SO much more enjoyable if it weren't so hot. Obviously July and August are not the months to go hiking up there. However, come September when the orchards are ready to be havested, we are going to go up for another easy hike with the kids and then get our fill of fruit.

Next hikes on our list:

*Surprise Canyon

*Headquarters Canyon

and then, if there is ever a chance to go without the kids:

*Sulpher Creek

*Cassidy Arch Trail

FINIALLY!

THE POOL IS NOW OPEN! after 2 months of complete nightmares on trying to get the water clear and swimable, we finially were able to open the pool on the 10th of July.

And it was a perfect day to swim!

One other thing i love about summer:

My boys summer hair cuts!

Buzz cuts all around!!! LOVE IT!

4th of July

This years 4th of July was like any other typical 4th of July here.

Parade in Richfield. Sitting in front of Jody's shop melting in the hot morning sun. A quick family shot. It doesn't happen often and when it does, nobody is looking at the camera at the same time.
We head to Joseph for Joseph's 4th of July celebration afterwards.
Great food and a small carnival like thing for the little kids.
I never get pictures there. Maybe it's because i'm so wore from the parade.

We head home to take a break for the rest of the afternoon and then head back to Joseph for the evening dinner, raffle, and firework.
Although we usually miss the dinner and raffle almost every year.

We watch the fireworks on Grandpa Mills' lawn straight across the road from the field where they light them off.

a few sparklers

Sam LOVING the fireworks

Daylon and his princess...

Natia and her prince...

Sam with Grandpa and Grandmathe evening sky
awesome fireworks
and wore out kids ready to call it a night... except for Sam

Loved this

i saw this and loved it!

going to do this for the 24th of July out here:
Lawn Stars
Lotsa Jars