A Day at the Zoo

Ever been to the St. Louis Zoo?  It's big, it's fun, and it's FREE!!  Yippee!!  Here are a few photo highlights of our afternoon there last week:

 

 

 

 

Girls' Camp - All Men Have Joy

This was on the back of their t-shirts.  Isn't it clever?

Savannah sweated it out at Girls' Camp last week.  It's held at a Boy Scout Camp over an hour from here. From what I've heard, the girls get to use the camp and facilities after the Scouts are finished with it for the summer which means early August and blazing hot!  Since it doesn't really cool down at night here, there is little relief from the heat and humidity.  But they make the best of it and have a great time anyway!  (If you're lucky, you get sick or hurt and get to go hang out in the air conditioned nurse's station for a while...) 

I could have gone for the week.  I thought about it and even planned on it.  But then a sister in our ward asked if she could go.  We already had a very capable camp director who was going.  With only 6 girls, we certainly didn't need 3 leaders.  I weighed the options - let's see...sweating all week, no makeup, sleeping in a tent (not to mention I snore like a chainsaw so I would have been banished to my own tent far, far away) - and I decided to stay home.  However, I did drive up and spend the day with the girls on Wednesday. 

I was able to witness Savannah's amazing fire building skills. Technically she and I were a team because there was an odd number of girls, but all I did was help gather the tinder and kindling.  She lit the fire (earning herself the title "one match wonder") and kept it going.  The object was to burn through the twine.  Savannah finished first and then bragged about how awesome she is to anyone who would listen wondered what to do for the next 30 minutes while the other girls tried to figure out how to light a freaking fire.

The Stake camp director rigged up a rope over a ravine for the girls to cross.  That was a highlight for Savannah and she handled it well until she started screaming, "Don't look down!  Don't look down!" after she looked down to see where she was.  You can see her screaming below:  (Honestly, she loved this and would have done it again if there had been time.)

I enjoyed my day.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to sleep in my own bed that night, but I'm thinking about going for the whole week next year.  (Is there such a thing as battery powered A/C?)  Except for a bee sting and a bazillion mosquito bites on her feet, Savannah had a great time as well.  She made new friends and is looking forward to next year!

Tall Corn

Out here in our little corner of the midwest, there is acre after acre of corn and soybeans.  By this time of year, the corn is so tall that you really don't see much else as you drive the country roads.  A few years ago, we were driving the back road to church when Savannah made the comment that she thought the corn was almost as tall as her.  Jeff assured her that the corn was much taller.  Doubtful, she got out of the van and held her hands up to see if it was really taller than her.  It was.

This year it's been Sadie asking when she could measure herself against the corn.  Today was as good a day as any.  It's probably reached it's full height or close to it.  Here's the gang, minus Savannah, illustrating how tall it really is.  For a frame of reference, Sam (on the far left) is 5'8" and Jeff is just shy of 5'11".  That's some tall corn! 
 

Vacation: Goblin Valley Revisited

We have finally come to the end of our vacation!  Hooray!  The very last day was spent in the van so nothing exciting to report there.  But the second to last day, we ventured off the beaten path and stopped at Goblin Valley.  Goblin Valley is a state park in Utah and was one of our kids' favorite stops from last year's vacation.  They begged to return.  Once again they loved climbing up, over and around the cool formations.  It was a perfect diversion from sitting in the van all day and a great way to end our trip. 

See the arrow?  The next 2 pictures were taken from up there.  It was a pretty good hike for Jeff and the boys.

This one looks like a frog.

The ground, while no longer wet, had some cool effects from the rain the day before.

Vacation: God's Country, part 2

Boy, we crammed a lot of cool stuff into our vacation this year!!  I'm almost finished.  I Promise.

Leaving Nevada officially started our long drive home.  The first day of driving wasn't bad.  Only about 6 hours in the van with a detour along the way to see Zion National Park.  Jeff and I visited Zion a couple of months after we were married, but none of the kids had been there.  It was worth going a little bit out of our way to see it on such a nice day.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

It was pitch black inside this very long tunnel.  The kids loved it!

Skipping rocks.

After a great day at the park, we drove to Jeff's brother's house in Enoch, Utah.  We had to pass through the little town of Toquerville, Utah to get there.  I've been to Toquerville when I was a little girl and I have fond memories of it.  It's a good thing we didn't have time to drive around.  Just our quick drive through the main street showed such a cute little place, I was ready to move in.  It was another perfect day.

Vacation: God's Country

I'm not sure how I managed to leave this out!  A couple of days before we traveled to Nevada, we spent a day at my brother-in-law's family cabin.  It's located in a remote little corner of Heber City, Utah and - I'm telling you what - it's a little piece of heaven on earth!  So pretty.  So peaceful.  We spent three days here with the entire Martin Clan last year (read about it here, here, and here) so it was fun to return and spend another relaxing day.  I could get used to this!

The clouds were amazing as we drove through Heber.  So pretty!

Soren and a couple of other brave souls didn't seem to mind the cold water of the pond.  Brrr!

Spencer caught three large trout.  He purposely released two of them, but you should have seen the one that got away.  (Seriously!)

Sterling was a maniac in the paddleboat.  He cruised all over the pond.  He was also master of the canoe!

My niece, Abby, was quite adventurous herself.  She was a natural in the kayak.

Taylor loved Sam and talked his leg off while they enjoyed the view from the deck.

Yay!  Molly smiled for me!  Sadly, she didn't particularly like me.  She's probably smiling because of that big chocolate cookie in her hand!  :)

Beautiful!  What a great way to spend a day!

Thanks, Amy and Levi, for inviting us up to the cabin.  It was a perfect day!

Vacation: Vegas

According to Savannah, there is something cool about saying you've been to Vegas, so to Vegas we went!   There were tons of lights, plenty of glitz and glamor, too many people, and loads of money (or maybe too many people pretending to have money...?)  We walked down Fremont Street to see the light show, then we drove the strip, ending our tour with the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel.  Plenty of cool things to see - and a few things that made us shield our eyes - but one night was enough for me. 

The 'quote of the day' goes to Sadie.  On Fremont Street there was a stage on which a scantily clad woman was dancing.  Sadie was impressed. "Look at that girl.  She has pink hair!"  To which I was thinking, Thank you for only noticing the pink hair! 

Here are some other things that caught our eyes:

Watching the lights on Fremont Street

Spray Paint Art - cool to watch!  This painting only took about 5 minutes.

The fountain show at the Bellagio didn't disappoint!

 Now I can say, "Been there, done that." :)  Thanks for the tour, dad.  You were a great host!

Happy Belated Birthday, Baby Girl!

July 12, at Grandma and Grandpa Martin's house in Nevada

Dear Sadie-bug,  

How did my baby get to be six years old?  Could you please stop growing up so fast?  Every time I turn around lately you are losing another tooth, a sure sign of a first grader!  I can't imagine our family without you.  I love watching you with daddy.  You follow him around and help him with whatever happens to be on his list for the day.  You might be a little bossy, but he doesn't mind.  And when daddy isn't home, you happily help me, instead.  You are great company.  I know we don't always know the answers when you ask "why?" but you ask it so often that we know you are just taking everything in and thinking so hard about the world you live in. 

You are so funny.  From your nonsense jokes to your infectious laugh, you spread cheer everyday.  You are a little piece of sunshine.  I know my world wouldn't be nearly as bright without you in it.  I'm proud of you for freaking out less as you get older.  You are learning how to communicate your frustrations without getting so frustrated!  I can tell you are trying really hard. 

I'll miss my afternoon buddy when you are in school all day.  I know you'll be a great student - you are such a hard worker! - but it just won't be the same at home without you and your questions, made up songs, great ideas and opinions to keep me company.  I'll look forward to 3:00 everyday! 

I love you, my sweet Sadie.  I hope six is your best year so far!

Love,
Mom

Don't you love Sadie's layered look?  We were in Nevada on her birthday and our evening was to be spent in Vegas.  Knowing she would be tired on the way home, she put her pajamas on under her clothes so she could easily wear her p.j.'s on the drive back to Boulder City.  No amount of coaxing could convince her that this was not fashionable a great idea.  This girl is a thinker!  ;) 

Cereal For Dinner

We interrupt this vacation recap to bring you the following weather report...

It's hot.  I mean like steamy, gross hot.  The kids don't want to play outside because sweating buckets right after they walk out the door is not their idea of fun.  We have gone to the community pool every day this week, but the water is in the 90's so it's hardly refreshing.  If I really wanted bathwater, I'd go downstairs and sit in the tub.  We haven't turned on the oven in days.   By dinnertime, our house is so warm that no one wants to eat hot food, let alone turn on the oven and warm up the house even more.  Yes, we have air conditioning, but our rates fluctuate throughout the day so we really try to keep it off during the peak hours.  (Maybe there is such a thing as too cheap...?)

The other night, I couldn't think of anything to make for dinner that a) didn't require the oven or b) we hadn't already eaten 3 or more times in the past 3 days.  When I casually threw out cold cereal as a cop out suggestion, you'd think I had just announced we were all going to Disneyland.  Oh the novelty!  The kids took full advantage and somehow talked us into letting them eat it on the floor while watching television.  I was only slightly embarrassed when our friend stopped by to drop something off during dinner.  So much for visions of the Stowell family gathered around the kitchen table with the aroma of a home cooked meal wafting through the house as we engage in lively dinnertime conversation!

Actually, now that I think about it, this is what I love about summer.  No, not the heat.  I love the spontaneity.  Doing things on a whim.  Deviating from the norm.  School will be back in session soon enough bringing with it schedules and structure and rigid bedtimes.  (And early morning Seminary...sigh!)  We'll do our best to enjoy these last few weeks of summer, but I'll have to remember during the doldrums of school to occasionally serve cereal for dinner.  On the floor.  In front of the television.  Just for fun.  :)