Random pics from Family Gatherings

Earlier in the summer we enjoyed some catch up time with family at several get-togethers. Here are a few photos we managed to get!

Lots of Cousins- together in one place!


With Grandma and Grandpa Keller after lunch at Trent and Andrea's (Don't ask why we didn't get one with them....)


We got to go to the zoo with Lisa and her kids!
The kids were so cute waiting for the bird show.

The special exhibit theme this year is Zoorasic Park. The favorite dinosaur of the kids was the life size T-Rex. The dinosaur replica in the photo is Uncle Ron's favorite. I think it makes sounds like a trumpet because of the shape of it's skull cavity. ...Fun facts you learn when you go with family.

Lots of fun!

The Farm

Recently, a friend invited us along to visit Wheeler Farm. I invited Renee and she brought our other niece and nephew. Faylyn's mom and sister came too.... It was a fun group! And naptime came before we were ready to leave. I wish I had more pictures (not usually the problem) to show all the things we loved. Here are a few:

This is the place

My sister Renee took the kids to "This is the Place Heritage Park" a few weeks ago. And Jared and I got to take an anniversary trip to the temple. After our trip --returning to the west --I thought it was really neat to see the monument commemorating the saints arrival to the Salt Lake Valley.


This summer we are also enjoying hikes with Amy again. She planned the first one up Ensign Peak in Salt Lake. We got to review some more history with Brigham Young and see a great view of the valley. Here is part of our group....




The wildflowers along the way were enticing me, although I can't capture them in my photos. --something about beautiful random flowers that grow when you don't plant them...


The next hike we went on (last week) was up Bells Canyon. It turned out to be a rock hunt for the boys. There is a lot of granite in the area so we learned a little about composite rock. Jordan was so tired by the end of the hike and had all the rocks he could carry. At the time they were the most important thing in the world to him.... Thank goodness for little boys ;)
Beautiful!

and more wildflowers

Grandpa and Grandma

We are enjoying the mountains again with Grandpa and Grandma at "the cabin." Grandpa took us on a few hikes to visit neat places like the beaver dens and ponds.


Everything is soo exciting with two little boys. These are moose tracks across the front lawn....


Our first visit was early enough in June that it felt like spring still in the high canyons. I am catching up on my seasons and I was so excited to see the new growth of all the plants.


Tessa is a big girl this year for all our adventures! It is so fun to introduce her to places and things, kind of like it's her first time: snow, forests, etc.


We never seem to get photos of Grandma in action. If she is around, the boys are glued to her. They love being involved in her projects!

Miracle

The squash and beans are growing!


This is Grandma's peaceful haven, the backyard of her home where we get to live this summer.
We planted some things in the garden plot located in the back corner of this photo.
We are really spoiled here with a backyard, lots of space, and family upstairs for "neighbors".

Rocket Science

Grandpa Clark took us out to his work place at ATK last week. It was a beautiful drive and we saw where they design, build, store and test rocket engines. Stan knew everything about every model on display. I visited this exhibit/"rocket garden" five years ago, but this time we had a great tour guide!

I think this model is one of the boosters for the Shuttle Discovery that we saw launch a few months ago.



It was an "interactive" exhibit I guess....


Teresa is a pretty cute Grandma! (at nearly half-a-century old too!)

Remembering Day

We spent some time over the Memorial day weekend looking at a few family history books and talking about the family members' graves we were able to visit. I was really glad for the opportunity to look at our family heritage in this tangible way with the boys. It is great for them to be closer to family!

More Fishing & Botanical Garden Bliss

It was so beautiful!
The boys were so proud to catch some rainbow trout--fairly independently! Several were big enough to take home for dinner.


Jared "let" Grandpa do a lesson in filleting the fish.


Steamboat locals call this time of year "mud season." Snow is melting and runoff floods the river. Fishing the river isn't even an option.


While the boys fished, Tessa and I explored and walked around. The river walkway went right by the fishing pond and a short way down we found the Yampa River Botanic Park. I was enthralled with all the plants.
Because of our late-spring visit, it was pretty wet and not a lot of growth aside from bulbs and perennials. But after Florida's many varieties of palm tree and our well landscaped tropical neighborhoods, everything in the Colorado Rockies was such a novelty!



There were wonderful sculptures mixed into the park. The tall white one in the center of the above photo was called "Cherish" --a mother holding her child.



Tessa was a gem while I wandered around....





Now that I've been back in Utah for a few weeks, Aspens and Pines aren't quite as amazing. But they will always be wonderfully home to me!