Two Weeks . . .

We haven't been home a lot the last few weeks and we've been enjoying every minute of those two weeks.

First we started out with dentist appointments. I'm an old pro at dentist appointments - teeth cleaning and polishing - no cavities. Good thing I don't mind the dentist because it looks like I'll be spending a lot of time in this chair as I get older. I seem to be missing two baby and permanent teeth. So I'll be having braces, retainers, and implants as I grow up. Good thing Dr. Dunn still needs a Porsche - we'll be paying for it!

This was Sam's first official visit. He was pretty brave but made sure that daddy was holding him the entire time. His teeth look great - lucky guy! Grandpa and Grandma G. came up for our Aunt's funeral. Aunt Jen Jen and Uncle Carl made it up too. It was fun to have some family around, even if for a sad occasion. Sam made a new friend. Here we are with some of our maternal cousins - after the funeral. Sam wasn't very happy about having his picture taken with a bunch of people he didn't know very well. The good thing about funerals on mommy's side of the family is that they most often involve a trip to Star Valley, WY. What a beautiful place that is! This is a picture of me and Sam releasing balloons - kisses to heaven. Of course, I was a little grumpy after we let the balloons go - I wanted to keep mine. Oh well - hopefully our kisses made it all the way up. Daddy and mommy had been planning a vacation to Star Valley next week anyway and so we were able to move everything up since we were going there for the burial and we were able to stay a few extra days. We enjoyed some nice relaxing time - having target practice with our marshmallow shooters at Aunt Mary Bell's tank.
And we got a chance to visit with Aunt Mary Isabell every day. She has been sick and it was good to visit with her.We made the drive up to Cottonwood Lake. It is so beautiful up there! Here's mommy and Aunt Jen Jen at the lake.The caption for this picture is . . . . I caught a fish this big. Hum . . . daddy! Put me down! Lucky Sam slept through this whole time at the lake. We played at the lake and just relaxed. I wanted to hop in the water but it was too cold. I played right at the edge and managed to get my hands plenty dirty/sandy. Wait for it . . . . .The best part about having dirty hands is that no one wants you to touch them - and you can make them run if you try. Cousin Josh could barely outrun a 4-year-old. We love him anyway.Daddy and Josh got in a round of golf. Here's a picture of daddy hitting the ball.And here I am in my little "nest" where I slept. Comfy!Another fun thing that we did while in Star Valley was hike to Intermittent Springs. It was an easy hike with great scenery. Here's a family picture next to Swift Creek.The three boys - hiking.There was a big avalanche at the top just beneath the spring. It didn't stop us - we went right up and over it. It sure was slick and steep!

Here we are on the hike back down. We threw rocks (I know - you couldn't have guessed that one), found fuzzy caterpillars, and pretty flowers. It was a great afternoon!
Grandma and Grandpa G. were able to spend a few more days with us back at home. Since we didn't get to do any fireworks (sparklers really) over the 4th, we broke them out the other night and entertained the family. Here we are with Grandma and Grandpa the night before the had to leave to go home. And in the spirit of trying to enjoy every minute of our summer, mommy took some time off work (not that she's been there all that much) this week and we all went up to the Ogden Dinosaur Park. It was our first visit - and I'd have to say it was pretty cool. They had a museum and an outdoor area. Here we are in front of the woolly rhino. We got to do a gem dig in the gem cave. We found some really cool rocks!
And any faithful reader knows how Sam feels about rocks - the kid is crazy about them. He was in heaven!

Then we strolled around the outdoor areas. Lots of cool dinos!

Some of the dinos seemed pretty real . . . at least to me. Sam isn't afraid of much. Maybe he'll be a dino dentist when he grows up.One last picture of the dinos. It was a great afternoon!
Sam had another test this week - a kidney ultrasound. The doctor said that his internal organs are "beautiful"! Nothing wrong there.

The weather has definitely turned warm and is planning to stay that way. That means one thing . . . . fun in the water. Sam Alert: Howdy y'all. Here are some pics of me for your enjoyment - external pictures only, no pictures of my beautiful internal structures. This is me on a hike up in Star Valley. See all those rocks under my feet? Suffice it to say those rocks are no longer on that path - I believe I got them all tossed in to the creek before mom and dad could get me away from that spot.

Ah - Summer Time!

It's finally summer and we're trying to enjoy every minute of it . . . it always goes by so fast. It was, of course, a nice long weekend. We enjoyed celebrating Independence Day (multiple times) and getting away to the mountains.

First we spent a little time with our neighbors at our traditional 4th of July block party (this year held on the 3rd). We had a yummy breakfast and then the zip line was put up. This is my first summer being big enough to ride the zip line. I loved it!

Then we headed up to Uncle Noley's cabin to spend a few days. We like to call it "quality time in the mountains". We drove part-way down the mountain to watch the fireworks across the Park City valley. Thank goodness for sunroofs!Sam spent some quality time . . . stirring!

And cooking . . . . two of his most favorite things.And we both did a lot of dishes . . . mommy says she hopes that we ALWAYS are so excited about helping to clean and do chores!We did some hiking. This doe wanted to play hide-and-seek with us. She sure was a cute little thing! She had a fawn nearby and wasn't too happy with us getting so close.It was an absolutely beautiful weekend . . . . a little nip in the air which made it completely perfect! Check out the clear blue skies.I picked some wildflowers for mommy. Aren't they pretty?Then we drove in to Park City on Sunday night to watch the fireworks up close and personal. They were great!We fed the hummingbirds. We checked out the remnants of the robin's nest from the rafters of the porch.

And we had a super great time playing with our marshmallow shooters - we were getting almost as good as daddy blowing marshmallows across the yard. Here I am shooting marshmallows at the moose crossing sign.And at the raccoon crossing sign. If you look closely in both pictures you can see the tiny marshmallow flying through the sky.
Prior to this last weekend, mommy was away for 9 days in China - you know that huge country clear around on the other side of the earth. She loved it and had a great time. She has promised to take me there when I'm old enough to stand the 13 hour plane ride to get there. I can't wait! Here she is climbing the Great Wall of China.
While mommy was gone, Aunt Ludaun, Uncle Randy, Bart, Aunt Cindy, and Uncle Sandy had a birthday party for me. It was a wet one! We had a big water fight and played in the swimming pool - I loved it! My friend Easton came over and played too.

They're the best neighbors ever! Thanks everyone!Sam Alert: Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! I'm having a bunch of new tests run to see why I'm such a little guy and we should get the first round of results back this week. Gotta get all the serious stuff out of the way first. I'm sure it will be just fine! Enjoy a few pictures of me from this week.

Here I am with my marshmallow shooter - this is the greatest toy!

And here I am hanging around the house snackin'. Have a great week everybody!