Summer Update

Wow, I can't believe what a slacker I have been. My last post was May 30th, oops. I check out other people's blogs but don't update my own. So here goes...Summer has been busy for us. We have been enjoying our Tracy Aviary pass. We have gone to the zoo a few times and been able to invite TeeMarie in June, Cecily and the kids in July, and my friend Erin and her kids just a couple days ago. We have had amazing weather every time we've gone and it has not been too hot thankfully. Jace's favorite past-time is pulling all the bibs and kitchen towels out of the drawer...at least it's quieter than pots and pans!

Over Father's Day weekend we drove up to Bear Lake for Fri and Sat for the boys to play in a Father's Day golf tournament. The boys took 5th or 6th place and my dad won a shirt for closest ball to the hole. I hear that the shot he made hit a golf path and took a couple hops toward the pin. It was nice to relax and let the boys play with their cousins.

At the beginning of July we went to the Aviary for a member's only night and got a little tour. During the tour a bird trainer came up and showed us a horned owl that had imprinted (meaning it thinks it's human). The bird began begging making a sound that Levi immediately imitated (and sounded just like the bird). Usually owls make a hoo-hoo sound but when it was begging it made a aaa-ooo sound. Our group stood there and was entertained for several minutes by Levi and the owl. The next morning Levi wanted some of my breakfast and began making the owl begging sound, it took me a minute to figure out what he was doing. He's a sharp little guy.

Levi has been super funny lately. I've been trying to keep track of some of his sayings. Here are a few... At our nephew's wedding his Uncle David asked "Levi, what are you doing" Levi replied "I being good." A few days later Levi grabbed Rick by both cheeks and said "Look at me when I'm talking to you" On the 4th of July he was saying good-bye to Grandma Cook and said "you go home, sleep all night, you get money, yeah" (Yes, we bribe our child to sleep all night) Just tonight Levi brought an apple to Rick and asked him to take the wrapper off (the skin?!?). We get a kick out of both our boys. Just the last week Jace has been scrunching up his nose and breathing hard through it. It is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. When I try to get it on video he won't perform.

On the 4th of July we helped TeeMarie move in to her new home in Woods Cross, just a few weeks prior Jared and Tera bought a house in Washington Terrace. Wow, we are all adults now. It's hard to believe that my baby brother is as big as he is, this Sept. they are having baby #2, another boy. My poor mother is granddaughter deprived. Jared's boy will make 7 boys and only 1 girl in the grandchildren department.

After helping Tee move the majority of the day we brought the boys home for naps and then met our friends Erin and Nate and kids for the fireworks at Fisher Park. Jace was amazed and totally captivated by the fireworks, Levi was scared and hid on various adult laps. He started to enjoy them the last few minutes.

Our next adventure was to Yellowstone National Park for the Cook family reunion. We stayed at my parents timeshare condo in West Yellowstone, MT. It was so nice!!! Levi got a little beat up every day scraping some body part or another. We didn't see any bears but did see a lot of bison and a few elk. It was crazy how close you could get to the bison. We stayed >100ft away at all times but some people were within 10 ft. We got there on Thursday, the reunion was Friday at a park and then spent Saturday with Rick's brothers David and Jon and their families at the geysers and hot springs near Old Faithful. I'd been there before but don't remember seeing all of the other geysers. Sunday we drove to see the Upper and Lower Falls before heading home.

On the 24th of July we had some friends over for dinner and then lit fireworks in the driveway. The kids had a good time.

That's an update on our recent activity. I'll try to update more often.

Rick and I are leaving Tues through Fri for Las Vegas...alone. I'm a little nervous to leave the boys that long (our first time ever to both be gone overnight). We are going to see Phantom of the Opera Spectacular!!! We're looking forward to sleeping in, laying by the pool and not having to plan our day around naptimes.