Timpanogos Cave

Leon had taken a couple of day off of work and we decided to do something fun as a family.  Timpanogos Cave is a place I've wanted to take the boys for quite a while, and remembering how steep the hike is, wanted to wait until they were all old enough to make the climb on their own with minimal complaining.

 The hike was very steep and hot, but we had a lot of fun along the way.

 The steepness of the hike made getting to the top all that much better.   Here we are at 6720 feet at the entrance to the cave.

 (Proof that I was there.)

 Inside the cave the temperature averages about 45 degrees which was a stark contrast to the 90 degrees outside.  It was downright nippy in there.

 We learned some very interesting facts and heard some fascinating stories of the first explorers.  We saw cool stuff that you just can't see anywhere else.

 They call this "The Heart of Timpanogos" - I guess because it looks like a heart. It was also quite a large stalactite - VERY old.

 I thought this was one of the most interesting formations.  (I can't remember what it's called.)  It reminded me of twisty coral.  The tour guide said that most formations can be explained by water and wind erosion, but these they have no idea why they form the way they do - in all directions.  Neato.

 What fascinated me the most about the tour was hearing about the first explorers and discoverers of the cave.  In those days they only had candles to light their way, which would have terrified me to no end.  To think that they shimmied down these shafts and wound their way through all the tunnels and tight spaces just to see what was down there boggles my mind. 

I

I am grateful to those with the adventurous spirit and courage to explore places like these so that the rest of us wimps can enjoy a guided tour lit with electricity.

Highland Splash Pad 2012

 With all the hot weather we'd been having, a splash pad was the perfect place to spend the afternoon.  But, this time I only brought my two youngest boys and went with the Lees - kind of like our "last hurrah" before they move.

Landon was right in and had a great time.

The BIG blast of water was a sought after spot with all the boys at the park.

 

 Cameron, on the other hand, had some short-lived fun.  We weren't there more than 15 minutes and he slipped and scraped his leg and ankle.  

He did not want to play in the water, but just sat and snacked in the shade with the moms. 

 When we first got there we saw this fire in Alpine start up and by the time we left 3 hours later, the fire had climbed all the way up the mountain.  It was kind of cool to watch it, but very sad to think about the homes in danger.  The planes and helicopters looked so puny in comparison to the plume of smoke.

 What a fun afternoon!

Go, Royals!

Okay, first of all, can I just say how cute Jayden looks in his baseball uniform?  He was one of the older boys on the team, but also one of the smallest.  I think he felt he had something to prove because he made up for his lack of size with his spirit.

 Jayden had some great coaches that really worked hard with the kids.  Jayden's baseball skills improved dramatically - including his batting.  He wanted to hit so badly during the games, but being small means you also have a smaller strike zone, so he got walked a lot at first.  But, Jayden did manage to make some great hits despite all the walking.

 Jayden playing 2nd base:

 Isn't he just the cutest baseball player - ever!

His team's chant was, "We are Royals!  Bum, ba, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum" to the tune of the "We are Farmers" commercial jingle.  At first we all thought it was kind of clever and catchy, but by the end of the season we were all getting sick of it.  They even got comments from opposing teams about how annoying it was.  So, I guess it was a successful chant, after all.

This team was a delight to watch. The coaches were very positive with the boys and the players all became friends.  They were good winners and good losers.  They started off the season a little rough, but by the end they took 2nd place.  I got so into these games and enjoyed spending my summer nights at the ball park.  The bummer part was that Jayden had to miss the last week of tournament because of Scout Camp.  But, I still went to cheer on the Royals even though Jayden wasn't there.  I just could not stay away.  I'd lay awake at night thinking about baseball.  

These are a great group of boys and great coaches who taught them more than just baseball skills.  After watching many games with angry and degrading coaches, I was SO grateful that Jayden got put with this team.  It is obvious that the coaches set the tone for the team and teams with heated coaches typically had heated players.  The Royals were one of the classiest teams in the league.  

Way to go, Royals!

Piano Recital

So, first of all, this post is for all my family whom I did not invite to the piano recital.  I hope you forgive me, but after the train-wreck of a recital that I had the first time, I guess I didn't want to have any more witnesses to the wreckage than possible.  I get SO nervous when I play in front of people, unlike my boys.

~

Cameron LOVES recitals and can't wait for them.  He invited just about everyone he talked to about it.

Me, on the other hand, was incredibly nervous.  Other than one pretty obvious page-turn blunder, I think it went better than I anticipated.  We had a practice recital earlier that week and I pretty much blew it.  I just could NOT make it through the piece without messing up, big time, and having to stop.  I know my teacher, Krista, was pretty worried about it, but she was incredibly encouraging and kept positive.  I really could not have done as well as I did (not perfectly) without her.

Jayden just said, "Why do you get so nervous, Mom?  It's just piano."  Oh, really?

We each performed a solo that we memorized.

Jayden:

  

Cameron:

Me: (No judging, please.  I think I chose an easy song so I wouldn't crash and burn this time.  I'm not sure it worked, but I'm not as embarrassed by it as I thought I'd be. I just hate seeing myself on video.)

Father's Day

We all got the best Father's Day present - ever - time with my parents before they left for good on their mission.  Actually, they were AWOL from the MTC for the day - don't tell.

 It was fun having everyone over.  The Cunninghams have been out of the state for so long, that it was so great to have them join in the crazy fun.

 Leon and I made these AMAZING Sweet Pork tacos  with Creamy Cilantro Dressing - if we don't say so, ourselves.  

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Father and Sons Campout

One advantage to having all sons is that the Father and Sons Campout means that I get a day and a half all to myself.  Initially there is a lot of work for me to do with all the packing, but once they are out the door, it's worth it.

 The boys get to "check the box" on camping without my having to be there.  Nice.

 I found this picture to be especially appropriate because ALL of my sons are in it - even "Son #5".  Cameron's friend, Nick, is at our house just about every day, so he may as well be one of the "sons."

It looks like they had a lot of fun.  They sure came home dirty and full of all kinds of dangerous stories.

Happy Dallin Day!

Dallin turned 15 this month - 15!  I just can't believe it.  For his birthday we went to a movie and home for dinner and cake.  We had some other plans, but his dad decided that Dallin needed an iPod touch for his birthday, so that pretty much took care of the day.

A Little Bit About Dallin:

Dallin has always been a tease.  We hear "Stop it, Dallin!" quite a lot around here, but what are big brothers for?

Dallin loves food and cooking.

Dallin can be very helpful.  "Here, let me help you with that." has become something I hear more often.

Dallin's famous motto is "I don't know."  He really doesn't care about a lot of stuff - he's easy-going that way.

Dallin mows the lawn a whole lot more willing than he used to. (Resistance is futile, after all.)

Dallin has worked hard on the saxophone and has soloed in the last couple of concerts.

Dallin loves cake - really loves cake.

Happy Birthday, Dallin!