More Summer Fun

Several weeks ago we made a trip out to Liberty Park with the Olson cousins. . .what fun! The kiddos splashed and waded in the Seven Canyons water feature, built to represent--you guessed it--the seven canyons in the Salt Lake Valley, with rivers winding their way downhill to join together into a little "lake". This is a lot of fun for playful kids and sharp-eyed grownups alike! Here's Elizabeth playing in the "downtown" area (notice the city blocks and tall buildings):

I don't actually have any pictures of Elizabeth playing IN the water--she mostly walked around with a ball in each hand and let her cousins do the getting-wet bit.

When cousin Brooklyn came out a few weeks later, we headed back to the park to visit Tracy Aviary and splash around in the Canyons again. In fact, Elizabeth was talking about this second trip just today: "Mama! Bwoo bird! Ducks! Eat! Food! Throw! Carseat!" (Translation: We went to Tracy Aviary and saw a bluebird. Then we saw the ducks. They were eating. We threw food out on the water for them to eat. On the way home I was stuck in my carseat for an hour and a half while Mommy battled the rush hour traffic.)

Elizabeth, Uncle Brandon, and a lame pun in the background.

Elizabeth was much braver in the Canyons this time--I think she was trying to do the whole "older, more experienced cousin bit" to impress Brooklyn.

Sweet dreams, Imelda. . .

Elizabeth loves her big-girl bed--especially because it means more room for her "treasures"! We never know what we're going to find in her bed (or ours!) come morning. . .On this particular night, after we tucked her in with her plush menagerie, she was apparently overwhelmed by the need to ACCESSORIZE and climbed back out of bed to retrieve her beloved "bwoo shoes" and the oh-so-dainty Fisher Price pop-bead necklace.

A few nights later Mom woke up in the morning with Elizabeth snuggled up next to her--binky in mouth, security blanket in one hand, Matchbox car in another, and laying on top of a copy of "One Hungry Monster" and her pink chenille teddy bear. We're still not sure how she managed to climb into our bed carrying all that stuff!

Water Baby

Elizabeth had a great time swimming at Aunt Joni's grandmother's pool tonight. Okay, fine, maybe "swimming" isn't quite the right word--she did spend much of the time frantically wrapping herself around Mom or Dad's torso. . .but eventually she got a little braver and even tried paddling around with a kickboard for awhile. After cousin Jordan showed her what the slide was all about, she was eager to try it herself:

Art Project of the Day: Shaving Cream Finger Paints

Materials:
--paper
--shaving cream
--food coloring
--squeegee (optional)

Instructions:
Squirt shaving cream into bowls or muffin tin compartments; add a few drops of food coloring to each and mix well. Smear colored shaving cream onto paper until desired effect is achieved. Scrape off shaving cream with the squeegee (or just with your hand) and BEHOLD your masterpiece.

Special extension activities for toddlers:
Taste shaving cream. Smear it in your hair and all over your face. Throw it on the just-mopped floor. Coat your hands liberally with shaving cream, then shake vigorously to send the globs flying.

The Trip: Day 6

Day 6: Ahhh, now THIS is what a vacation should be like! We slept in and spent a leisurely morning puttering around "Moose Haven" (our cabin), before heading out to see some of the Black Hills.

We visited Crystal Cave--I don't have any pictures because Elizabeth quickly decided that caves aren't her "thing" and we took her back up to the surface, along with the diaper bag (containing, of course, the camera). Jared and I went back down into the cave while Elizabeth hung out with Grandma and reportedly had a grand old time playing in the rocks of the gravel parking lot. We also took a trip to the Reptile Gardens, home of the biggest 'gators, lizards, and snakes I'd ever care to see. . .The giant tortoises were pretty neat, although Elizabeth looked skeptical when we told her what they were--I think she still believes they were big rocks. Prairie Dog Town (you can quit laughing now!) was a big hit with her, though I'm afraid for Jared it probably brought back painful memories of the Backyard Gopher Conflict of '04.

Back at the cabin we grilled some burgers, had birthday cake in honor of. . .oh, I can't remember the whole list now. . .and watched "North By Northwest" (remember that chase across Mt. Rushmore?) Well, the boys watched the movie. It simply provided background noise for the girls as we scrapbooked. Leave it to Emily to pack not only the essentials for her family, but supplies for all manner of scrapbooking projects for the rest of us! :)

We had a nice, uneventful ride home the next morning. . .And now the clothes are all washed, the suitcases put away, and even the hokey Mt. Rushmore paperweight placed on the shelf. We're happy to be home and to have all these new memories to share as a family. Heck, give us a couple of years to forget how long the drive was, and we'll do it all again!

The Trip: Day 5

(Tired yet? Just imagine if you'd actually gone on the trip!)

Day 5: The fireworks display at Mt. Rushmore takes place on the 3rd of July--when they first began doing fireworks they would start the show right at midnight, thus ushering in the 4th of July. Now, thankfully, the show starts at 9:15, but they still do it on the third. Anyway, the short version of what happened today: We arrived around 10 AM. That leaves 11 hours till the fireworks. It rained for almost 3 of those hours. Poor Elizabeth was so spent that by the time the fireworks started she decided she was NOT going to put up with all that noise and light, and she promptly fell asleep on Jared's shoulder. So, was it worth it? Well, we have to say yes, right? No, really, it WAS amazing to spend a day at the foot of such an impressive monument. The fireworks were beautiful. We have some great memories of that day, in spite of (and partly in thanks to) the rain.

The Trip: Day 4

Day 4: We attended church at the Pierre Branch, practically tripling the congregation size. We had a potluck supper afterward, said our goodbyes, and then our branch of the Olson Clan headed to the Black Hills. We reached the Mt. Rushmore overlook just as the sun was setting--it was incredible to watch yet another breathtaking sunset against the backdrop of Mt. Rushmore. (Without a tripod and having yet to take Photography 101, this is the best picture I could manage. . .You'll just have to take my word that that really IS Mt. Rushmore in the background, okay?)