Trip to the States: Utah

Lake Powell

Hyrum and I took the twins to spend some time on the house boat that Hyrum's sister Andrea and her husband Craig own.  We left Julian with Oma because we figured he wouldn't like having to wear his life jacket 24 hours a day!  I am so glad we didn't have him with us, he would have gotten tired of the water and then been really bored on the house boat.  The twins really loved playing in the water with their cousins.  They could go down the slide from the top of the houseboat into the water.  They could use the little rubber raft to get across the lagoon we were anchored in.  They loved being pulled on the "molecule" by Uncle Craig's ski boat.  I relaxed and enjoyed the free babysitting the cousins were providing.  In fact, I read all three Hunger Games books in 5 days!

 

 A shot of the houseboat from across the lagoon.

Emerson, Townsend and Cooper Doxey head out on the rubber raft for some adventures.

Townsend with Sam and Cooper Doxey on the "molecule"

Emerson, Hyrum and I on the jet ski.  

When we weren't in the water having fun we were gathered around the table eating yummy food and playing games.  Andrea and Craig Merrill were there with their 3 kids and Katrina and Steve Doxey were there with their 4 kids.  Also in the mix was Hyrum's brother Jason.  It was a full boat but there was plenty of room and it was great to spend so much time together with family.

One of the days we took the boat over to this giant sand dune.  The boys had so much fun running down at full speed.

A couple of the evenings Hyrum took the boys out for a hike around the lake.  Don't you love the windblown hair?

Family photo op during one of our hikes.  I really loved Lake Powell.  There are beautiful canyons to explore, wonderful swimming and boating but the best part was time spent with family.

Pleasant Grove, Heber and Salt Lake City

For all the time Hyrum and I were away from Germany we spent a relatively short amount of time with Oma.  I would have loved to have seen some of my good friends in Utah but the time just flew by and we couldn't squeeze everyone in.  I hope to catch up with people next summer on our move back to the States.  We did love the time we could be with Oma.  Hyrum helped out a lot in the yard.  We enjoyed eating at some of our favorite restaurants.  The boys loved riding the ATV.  And, as usual, Oma spoiled us with wonderful food and great evening conversations.

Eating shave ice at a local stand with our Doxey cousins.

We went to an indoor trampoline gym in Provo that also had this great climbing wall.  The boys could climb as high as they wanted and when they were done they just fell into a big pit of foam blocks...they loved it!

 We had a few dinners over at Craig and Andreas house.  Here Julian is playing with Ellen Doxey's iPod.  I'm pretty sure he is addicted to the iPod.

Oooohhhh, Thank you Andrea!  She knows that my favorite treat is the giant Costco chocolate cake!

Emerson, Townsend and Hyrum wading through the creek that runs out of the canyon right near Oma's house.  Utah was supposed to have a huge flood problem this Spring but, as you can see from this photo, it didn't really pan out.

Mmmmm.... Smart Cookie.  Two cookies of your choice PLUS a scoop of ice cream.  What more could you want?

Keeping cool in Oma's backyard.

At the Lindon swimming pool, one of the many pools we went to this summer.  The boys are getting so good at swimming, they never wanted their life jackets on while in the pool.

Mmmmm....J Dawgs.  The yummiest hot dogs and it's right near the BYU creamery so of course you have to get a scoop of ice-cream to finish off your meal:)

This is one of the things the boys love most about Oma's house.  All three of the boys were able to ride at the same time.  Oma's house is in the perfect spot for ATV rides because she lives right below the foothills which are full of trails.

Speaking of foothill trails, we spent our last morning in Utah going for a hike with Oma and Uncle Jason.  It was a pretty steep hike but the boys did just fine and the view from up there is amazing.

You can see all of Utah Valley from these trails!

Mmmmm....Cafe Rio.  This photo is here mainly to make all my sisters jealous.  We all love Cafe Rio and you can't find them anywhere but Utah and Arizona!

A great hamburger spot, the Diary Keen in Heber.  Love the milkshakes!

This is what Julian did while we all ate our lunch.  He LOVES trains!

We went to the playground right across from the restaurant.  It was pretty cool because they were having a hot rod/oldies car show that day.

Emerson and Sam Doxey in front of the coolest VW bus!

Not the best shot but it will have to do.  We spent a day up in Salt Lake City with Oma and Uncle Jason.  We walked around temple square and rode trax and went to the planetarium and walked around the Gateway mall a bit.  It was a fun day, even if it was a bit rainy.

Emerson and Townsend at the planetarium.  We watched a movie about space that the boys really liked.

Logan

We spent our 4th of July in Logan with my good friend Kari Christensen and her family.  Kari is a friend from our time spent in Washington but her parents own a dairy farm outside of Logan so she was down visiting her family.  It worked out perfectly for us to get together over the 4th of July.

We took the boys to the Logan temple.  Julian kept saying "biiiiig" while he reached his arms up into the air.  This temple really is BIG compared to our short little temple in Freiberg.

Collecting candy at the 4th of July parade with our friend Maggie.

I love this shot of the boys and Max playing with water guns.

Julian got up close and personal with some of the cute baby cows on the dairy farm.  He is such a brave boy around animals.  He loves to feed them and to give them "loves" by resting his head on their heads...super cute.

We just HAD to stop at the ice cream shop outside of Lewiston, home of the famous "fat boy" ice cream sandwiches!

The Christensen crew.  L-R: Tessa, Max, Kari, Aaron, baby Eli and Maggie.  We have so many great memories with these guys from our time in Washington.  It's so cool to get together with good friends and just pick up right where you left off.

Julians introduction to sparklers...he was a BIG fan!

Waiting for the Lewiston 4th of July fireworks to begin.  Thank you so much Kari and family for making our 4th of July a great one to remember.