Vacation Time!

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. There's been a lot going on! June 29th was our 8th wedding anniversary! Hard to believe. Matt got me a cute ceramic vase and some "bronze bombshell" lip gloss (year 8 is pottery and bronze!). He always gets so creative!! We had fun going out to dinner without the kids, which is a rare treat. On the 30th, Matt's whole family came into town for the week. We've had a great time together! The cousins had a blast at

the dinosaur museum.

We also went to Hogle Zoo. The kids loved seeing the animals, of course, but they thought the squirting elephant was really funny! Watch the video (under the video section).

Next on the agenda was a trip to Casper, Wyoming on the 4th of July. We went to see Matt's uncle, Bryan, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was good to see him and the rest of his family. Matt's mom bought us all festive shirts & we had some family pictures taken at our sweet hotel, the C'mon Inn! The kids did a lot of swimming and loved it, of course!

We spent the evening feeding deer and watching fireworks. Aunt Stacey took us to a neighborhood that seemed to be a local hang-out for deer! They were just standing in people's yards. We got out of the car and fed them saltines. They came right up and were not afraid at all! Some people got adventurous and put the saltines in their mouths and got "kissed" by the deer!!

The next afternoon we headed back home, but stopped to see Devil's Gate and Martin's Cove. Kensie and Lincoln loved pulling the handcarts! Watch the video. It was a quick trip, but a fun one!

On Friday we blessed Jackson at our home so that everyone could attend. It was a wonderful blessing, despite the fact that Matt called the baby Lincoln once!! We just can't keep them straight :) It was good to have all the siblings and grandparents there.

Today we spent some time at the Children's Discovery Garden before Matt's brother & fam and sister had to leave. I think the kids' favorite part was the Noah's Ark fountain.

So, it's been a busy, fun week! It's always great to spend time with family. We're excited to go to Arizona in a few weeks to bake in the sweltering heat (good thing Grandma has a pool)!

p.s. I put small pictures on here so as to take up less space- click on the pictures individually to see them better!