Our Train Ride to the Planetarium

Sarah and I were feeling pretty adventurous the other day and decided to take the boys on a little field trip.  They were pumped to ride the train to Salt Lake.  Now the question became, what are we going to do once we get up there?  We settled on the Planetarium.  Seems like a great place to take 5 little boys.

We had a tight schedule to stick to since we had a show at the Planetarium to get to.  I'm pretty impressed with our ability to navigate around the big city with 5 little kids.

We even had time for a little photo shoot on the moon.

And Mars!  Max's pose makes this pic.

Exploding Universe seemed like exciting movie choice.  Unfortunately I was the only one entertained by it. Quantum physics didn't quite hold the kids attention like we'd hoped.  My mind on the other hand was BLOWN.  My minuscule brain can't comprehend the universe.

We snapped some pics before heading to the food court to prove we were there.  Like I said, we were on a pretty tight schedule in order to catch our train.  We hurried as fast as possible with kids to eat lunch and then realized we had nearly a mile walk to the train stop.  If we missed the train, we had to wait an hour, in a bad part of town, for the next train.  We saw the train approach the station and realized we had to RUN!  These boys ran their little hearts out and poor Jack kept saying he had a side ache.  We were quite a site jumping on the train just seconds before it left.

Phew! We made it.  Don't worry, Sam made it too but wouldn't leave my lap.  I know shocker.  I love how Tuck looks tired even though he was pushed in the stroller the whole time!  It was an adventure and a half and many memories were made.  Mission accomplished.

Gary Clark Jr.

We gave my dad tickets clear back in May to see Gary Clark Jr. at Red Butte Gardens.  I haven't really listened to his music much but after one song...I became a fan.  He is so talented...and HOT!  It also didn't hurt to watch my dad jamming out, grinning from ear to ear.  My family is seriously the coolest.

Randy and I had a couple photo bombers behind us.

We were so happy Sarah could join us and ditch out on the Jones Family reunion for a bit.  Look at that smile on my dad's face!

He was definitely in his happy place with a great concert, and his entire family by his side.  

Sarah made a great dance partner.  Our air guitar is pretty legit.

Beautiful sisters!!

A guy sitting behind us came up to me and my mom to tell us what an awesome family we have.  He said he and his family had been watching us the entire concert and loving how close we all were.  He insisted on taking a picture of our whole group.  My family pretty much rules.  That's all. Such  a solid night.

Cabin Time

Jeri and Scott invited our little family up to the cabin for the weekend of the 24th.  We were so excited since our 4-wheelers have barely been turned on this summer.  The kids couldn't wait to get to riding so we unloaded at the base of the canyon.  Randy followed us in the truck.  Sam's helmet is no joke!  I could barely see around it!

The beauty up there always takes my breath away.  The fact you can just see a moose around any turn is pretty awesome.  It is so peaceful and serene.  Jeri and Scott take such good care of us up there.  I feel like I don't have to lift a finger. 

When we woke up the next day, the kids were anxious to get on the wheelers!

Sam was cracking me up in that helmet.  I also loved that he kept turning around to check on me and Max.

Max really impressed me with his riding skills.  Last year I was a nervous wreck watching him ride.  This time, he was really cautious and did a great job.

I can't believe Hank's almost getting old enough to ride the big 4-wheelers.

What a good little rider.

We stopped for a little snack and blood sugar check at the top of our ride.

Such a cute picture of such dirty peeps!

Had to get one of Scotty!

I think the star of the trip was Hank's "dirt stash".  It's the best way to prove you're the 4-wheeling master.  Not everyone can achieve such a look!

The expression that comes with the dirt stash is perhaps the funniest part.  I finally got smart and put my bandanna around my face and became the 4 wheeling ninja.  We are quite the pair.

We'd get back from a long ride just to have Randy take the kids out again.  They couldn't get enough.

Look at that view! 

Spectacular

His little body and that gigantic helmet makes me giggle every time.  And yes, Randy was trying to open a locked gate in the background.  

My boys are pretty awesome.

After showers and fresh clothes we enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by s'mores.

These boys are pretty lucky to have her as their grandma.

A Reese's peanut butter cup is a great alternative in the s'more making process.

Sam sure loves his bro, especially when he will carry him like this.  Probably not the safest way to travel.

We had such a fantastic, relaxing, fun weekend.  It was just the vacation we needed.  It was probably one of my favorites of the summer.  Thank you so much to Jeri and Scott!

Boating with the Crott's Family

I have an exciting announcement to make.  I've found Hank's future wife!! I'm pretty sure this picture will be on Hank and Evie's wedding video.  In all seriousness, it's so fun when your friends have kids who get along with your kids.  Randy and I love spending time with Gina and Brandon and after our day on the lake with their kids, we found out our families are very compatible.  I love it when kids aren't shy and they are down for anything.  The wind was messing up our chances to wake board but the kids couldn't get enough of the tube so it all worked out.

Since Gina has recently broken her nose, she had to pass on the family tube time.

Sam opted out of tubing as well but settled on being our official flag holder.  As soon as the wind started picking up more, we decided to head in.  The kids begged us to take them swimming since they hadn't had enough time in the water.  

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To say they took a liking to Randy would be the understatement of the year!  I mean he is pretty fun, I can't blame them for wanting to hang with him.  What a fun day with an awesome family!  I'm looking forward to many more memories with the Crott's Fam.