Pioneer Ready

Ethan and I took a trip to Moyle Pioneer Park again this year with friends. Ethan was so excited to do some of the things he remembered enjoying last year.

His first stop was at the laundry...I think it had something to do with the water, but he loved this station. He washed a few pairs of pants, his hands, the bar of soap...He was a good worker and even hung his clothes on the clothes line to dry.

Ethan and Ava both liked dipping candles. Ethan was so proud of his and gave it to Daddy to take to his office.

Churning butter is always a big draw. Ethan took his turn churning, but loved eating the butter on yummy wheat bread the best!






The kids played on the playground after working so hard as pioneers. They had a good time on the see saw, but weigh about the same and their legs were too short to really make it work so Bekah and I took turns see sawing with them.




It's always fun to play with friends especially outside!

Children's Discovery Center

Bob, Ethan and I took a trip with our friends to the local Discovery Center for Children. I wasn't sure what to expect, but had heard great things about it and received three 2 for 1 passes so why not go!

Ethan and Ava loved it! There were so many different stations for to play in. There was a water station where the kids could shoot water out of different pipes and kitchen gadgets. They had the cutest town set up where you could be a builder, postman, grocery store worker, gas station attendant, farmer and had a home to come home to.

Ethan loved the farm station. He sat up tall on the horse and hauled hay like a professional. He like the blacksmith anvil because he loves to hammer! I told him Gram would love that station too because she grew up on a farm and her grandpa was blacksmith.



Daddy and Ethan built an amazing sandwich at the store with 3 different kinds of meat and daddy helped him conquer the rock climbing wall.

Ethan was excited to see a Life Flight Helicopter upstairs he could sit in. Every time we go to the grocery store we have to drive home along the backside of the hospital to see if the helicopter is there and ready to take off.


I think Ethan's favorite station though was the ball station. There were tunnels and tubes running everywhere to put balls in and watch where they go. The vacuum tube kept him busy for quite a while. He loved putting his ball in and watching it rise up to the ceiling, swirl around the tube and drop back in to another tub.

We had so much fun playing we practically had to bribe the kids to come home with us!

Our 4th Of July

Our 4th of July started early this year...Aunt Amy, Ethan and I went down to the Freedom Festival Shops Thursday night while Daddy had a meeting. The craft shops were a little disappointing this year, but the chocolate & caramel covered funnel cake and fried Oreos made the trip worthwhile.

On Friday Bob, Ethan, and I took an overnight trip up to Grandma and Granddad's time share. We got to go shopping, swim, and were treated to an amazing firework show!

Ethan has always been a swimmer. He loves the water, swimming and jumping in. This time was no different. It's almost scary how comfortable he is jumping off the edge. Daddy was a good sport to catch him every time and even launch him like a rocket ship.
Ethan swam and jumped in for about an hour then swam some more when the cousins came! He was thrilled to spend so much time in the water...it might be time for me to take him to the city pool.

That night the resort we were at had an amazing fireworks show. We had a great view from our balcony.

On Saturday we had a picnic dinner with Bob's family and then homemade ice cream before watching the city fireworks show. We had a ball playing and visiting with family. I was disappointed because I'd left our camera at home so no firework pictures...but earlier in the week Ethan and I made a fireworks shirt with our buddies Ava and Jax so the fireworks on the shirt will have to do. We were excited about how the shirts turned out. Ethan loved the glow in the dark puffy paint.

We had a wonderful holiday weekend and are grateful for our country's Freedom!

Hot Air Balloons

Bob, Ethan and I got up early on Friday to go to the local hot air balloon launch. We can't believe we've lived here for so long and have never been...we only walked about 2 blocks to get to the launch field and were we amazed. There were 15-20 hot air balloons in different stages of readiness for the big launch. We were able to walk right up to the balloons and take a gander at the different shapes and colors as the pilots inflated and readied their balloons. We loved the pink pig balloon and Tony the Tiger, but really couldn't pick a favorite. It was so fun to see the excitement in Ethan's eyes as each balloon took off and flew over our heads.

The Amusement Park

The Real Estate company we have been working with had a client appreciation day at the local fun park so Bob and I took Ethan over. He wasn't sure about what we were going to do there, but he liked the picture of the kids smiling on the invitation.

Rain threatened our visit so we tried to move quickly and hit all the things Bob and I thought Ethan would like before the rain started. Ethan was brave and stood in line to go on the roller coaster until he saw it run the track once and told daddy he was too "cared." So it was off to the little train ride with mom...

We knew that Ethan would love mini golf so we grabbed 3 putters and headed for the course. It sprinkled on us a little at first, but we golfed through the rain. Ethan was so excited to hit his ball into the hole and would cheer for himself when it went in. He also would hit the ball off the tee then pick his ball up and place it closer to the hole. When the rain and lightning started we decided we'd better get off the course and head inside.

After a quick ride on the carousel we went in where Ethan chose his last 2 activities...a jumpy, bumpy frog ride and the blow up bouncy slide. I was worried about the frog ride. I thought it looked a bit rough for a little guy, but Ethan was insistent. He was a little nervous when the bar dropped over his legs and he was committed to the ride, but smiled and laughed for the entire ride.

It was hard to pull him off the bouncy slide. He was having a ball, but it was time to go...We're lucky to have so many fun things to do and places to go so close to home!

The Uncles Come to Town

We had a quick visit with Uncle Good Times (my brother Ryan) and Uncle P (Preston) on Sunday. They had been in Carlsbad Caverns hydro seeding for the park. They drove all night and go to Aunt Amy's at about 2:30am so we decided to sneak over at 7 and make them breakfast before they were on the road again to get home and back to work on Monday. Ethan loved seeing his uncles and showing them all his new tricks. Thanks for the visit guys...come back soon!

We Went to the Zoo

When I woke up last Saturday I realized that Bob and I had an entire Saturday without a commitment or care in the world...not wanting to waste the precious time left in summer before the baby comes I suggested we take Ethan to the zoo! Bob was game and rounded up a couple of aunts, uncles, and cousins to come along. We had a blast.
The zoo was surprisingly busy, but once we got in the gates the crowds were less noticeable. It was fun to see Ethan so excited to see all the animals and watch his wonder as we walked to each habitat. He liked so many of the displays and loved having family along too! (Thanks for joining us Uncle Brian, Aunt Tonya, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Jenny & Girls)
We had a great time watching the tiger eat his lunch and pace right in front of us. I may have stayed longer watching here than Ethan and Bob, but wow it was great.


Ethan loved the reptile house. He ran from glass window to glass window looking for and searching for each snake, turtle, and lizard...The first thing he said the next morning was "Seeing the snakes was fun mom!"
The giraffes put on a good show too. As soon as we all stepped up to the fence one of them came closer to us and pretty much posed for a few pictures.

The finale of our trip was a ride on the Zoo Train...you know Ethan loved this part. He's a train lover! We all had a fabulous time!