Family Day at Thanksgiving Point

On August 24th, we visited Thanksgiving Point on $2 Tuesdays. It was packed.

Our first stop was Noah's Ark which was a play pool for the little ones.

We didn't expect this and of course Sophie and Mya didn't waste any time

getting in the water. You can see Mya in the background, after she pulled off

her jeans. Sophie thoroughly splashed her dress by stomping in the water.

And all of this before we had a chance to take some family pictures.

We made our way to the gardens and took this picture in front of the waterfalls,

just PaPa, Grandmother and our granddaughters.

Mandy is so photogenic with her girls.

Tara and Sophie smile so pretty for the camera.

Now referred to as the Original Lewis 5,

we had this photo taken in front of the waterfalls

by Jared's friend, Nancy.

After the gardens we had lunch and then visited the petting farm.

Jared offered a kiss to an alpaca and afterwards (he or she?) spat on him.

Oh, if I only had that picture!

Because the farm was so packed with people, we waited almost an hour for

Mya to have a pony ride. She loved it.

But, when it was over and she had to get off, she was so upset.

She cried for a long time.

Mandy and Roger, she needs her own pony I guess!

Birthday For Two

On Sunday, August 22nd, we celebrated Mandy and Jared's birthdays at Tara and Bryson's home. We had dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert. They opened gifts and we had a grand time together.

Mandy turned 26 and Jared is now 22!

Scenes From Our Pioneer Day Celebration

We had a wonderful cookout at the Woodhouse residence. Roger prepared some excellent cheeseburgers and Mya indulged in a big slice of watermelon.

Mandy made a five layer red, white and blue cake for the occasion.

It was as delicious as it was beautiful.

We spent some leisurely time on the lawn, just relaxing and enjoying our time together. Savannah loved laying on the grass.

We were entertained by a spectacular fireworks show conducted by Jared. The kids would "ooo and ahhh" and clap after each firework.

We tried our luck at making words with the sparklers. You can see that the "e" was very creative in this picture!

Again, we had trouble with the "e" for some reason.

It was so good to be with family and make a memory!

The Blue-Eyed Girls

Sunshine setting over time

A blue-eyed girl,

Sits out in the country side.

Looking out upon the sky

A blue-eyed girl,

Holds the heart of mine.

The wind then blows

A blue-eyed girl,

A memory that only I know.

(Poem by Nicholas Cosentino)

Good Friends

We served together in the

Stake Young Women's Presidency

for three years and we're still friends.

That says a lot, don't you think?

We still try to get together for lunch

or to catch a play at Tuacahn.

I don't know who said this quotation, but I like it... a lot:

“Friends aren't jumper cables.

You don't throw them into the

trunk and pull them out for emergencies.”

Photo Shoot For Three Little Kid-lets

Mandy put a beautiful book together for me

for Mother's Day.

I love it! I wish I could show you every page of it.

Looking at this picture, you may think,

"Oh, how sweet..."

Sometimes, however,

things are not always as they seem...

One of the more humorous layouts

has to be these photos of my three granddaughters.

You can totally understand the time

Mandy must have had trying

to get them to pose for the pictures.

It was so funny, I had to include a post about it.

Bless Mya's heart for trying to keep Sophie in place.

And if you find yourself at my home,

take a minute and look at the book.

It is one of my most beloved gifts...ever!

The Crawford's Visit

My sister Robbie and her husband Richard visited us in May. What a great time we had together. We had a mini-reunion with all the Utah relatives at Tara's home. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed our time together. Then we spent time in the mountains above Zion National Park,went on a couple of hikes and attended a concert at Tuacahn.Here are some photos from our get together:

Richard at Zion Ridge

Robbie and Richard at Zion Mountain Resort

Scott and Richard at Weeping Rock

Mountain sheep along the sides of the road in

Zion National Park

At the top of Canyon Overlook Trail

Awesome shot of Richard and Robbie

on one of the many rock boulders

On the edge of sanity

Sisters by birth, Friends by choice

We topped our visit with a Beach Boy concert in the

gorgeous outdoor setting of the

Tuacahn Amphitheater!

I Love You Robbie!