Summer time is BBQ time

We have loved having BBQ's each week this summer. Sofi gets to explore outside after the sun has moved around our building and there is a bit of shade to hide in.

It is fun to be able to sit outside and just relax.

We love ice cream too!

We have a family camping trip scheduled with the Spjute's here in a couple of weeks, so we decided to take a BBQ test-run off-site, so we drove up Farmington Canyon to the Sunset campground in our awesome SUV Deb - we love her! 

Cute Sofi wandered around and played in the dirt while we got things ready. I love that she loves to explore!

So dirty! 

She kinda sorta likes peanut butter.

Her face! 

It was a good thing we did a test run, because there were so many things we forgot! Now, I have a nice long list so I won't forget again.

On a completely unrelated note, after BBQing Sofi definitely needed a bath. Greg was lounging outside the bathroom waiting for us to be done and I saw his nasty feet. Please shudder for me, because those two baby toes freak me out! I mean, what are they doing just hanging there? They're like a T-rex's arms - completely worthless.

Thorley Cabin Round 2

Greg had a deadline at work, so he wasn't able to come down with us for our 2nd week at the Thorley Cabin.

I enrolled Sofi in Mommy & Me swm lessons, and it has been fun. Mostly, I feel like it is a competition between the other moms to determine whose kid is the cutest, but sadly for the other moms it is no competition with Sofi being enrolled - she IS the cutest. Hands down. But, I may be a little biased.

Anyway, we left Monday after Sofi's swim lesson in our new car "Deb," Our new Hyundai Santa Fe. We love her.

We left promptly at 12:40 pm, then stopped to give Greg the apt phone. How liberating it is to not have that dang thing for a few days. He played with Sofi, then remembered to hug and kiss me, then away we went!

Sofi slept for 45 minutes - until we got to Nephi, which was fine because I had to go to the bathroom anyway. She then decided to stay awake the rest of the trip. I loaded some movies onto my Nook, and she only lasted 5 minutes in Madagascar. However, she spent 45 minutes looking at her books; must be my child :). She started to lose it near Beaver, which was fine because we needed to get off anyway. I was happy to learn McDonald's give free kiddie cones - so I got Sofi two and myself a slightly larger one.

My older sister Jessica just recently moved her cute family to Minersville per relocation for her husband's new job. We wanted to see the new casita, so we headed west on the old highway from Beaver. I was reminded, yet again, how much I miss small towns and small highways. Sofi had a ball "meowing" at the cows and asking, "What's that?" at just about everything we passed, while happily munching away on her 2 ice cream cones. Luckily, we got to Jessica's house just in time for her to finish her second cone. Boy was she done being in her carseat.

Jess got a cute baby kitty named "Sparky." He was so cute, tiny, and a miniature of the cat I had growing up. Sadly, I didn't get a picture with him. I now wish I did, because while we were on the mountain we learned Sparky had been run over by a car ...

On a happier note, here is Sofi playing with cousin Ridge (more like stealing his treats).

Sofi loved Ridge's sandbox! Isn't that red dirt from Hurricane the best?

After crashing long enough to eat dinner with the Billings', we headed south on the Minersville Highway towards Cedar. I haven't been on that highway for 7-8 years, so it was fun for me. We were the only car on the road and didn't pass a single car until we got to Enoch. Have I mentioned how I miss small towns?

Sofi's day was made complete by getting to see Grandma! She loves that lady and lights up every time she see's her.

Sofi must've been exhausted, because she slept 14 hours! Never before has she done that. She played hard, and our vacation was only beginning.

Riding with Grandma and helping her drive

Playing with rocks

She took a 4 HOUR NAP! How she slept like this I will never know.

Taking her nightly stroll with her bear ... naked.

She was jealous cousin Ridge got to bathe in the sink and wanted a turn as well.

On our ride to Kolob.

Sofi did love this dog - her face says otherwise. This thing was huge! 1/2 Wolf, 1/2 Malamute Husky, but calm as a lamb Which was good because Sofi kept grabbing it's paw for a high five.

My mom's helmet kills me!

We love taking 4 wheeler rides to Kolob - it is a fun way to take a pretty ride and then get ice cream. Now that Sofi knows there is a dog we may be going more.

I told Greg if property ever comes available down around Kolob, we are buying it without any discussion. I forget how pretty it is down there until I go. What a fun place to have a summer cabin ...

My dad likes to torment this cat. My little sisters hate it, but I love it. They call it Princess.- we call it Prisoner. Never has there been a cat so pampered.

What a fun trip we had! Between the time spent at the mountain, I was able to get a snow cone with my little sister and going to "The Secret Life of Pets," we had a fun visit. 

Sofi was a gem and slept from Cedar to Mills, just south of Nephi and danced with me through traffic until we got home. What a fun little spirit she is, and I seem to love her more each day.

Greg scored us tickets to the MoTab's Pioneer concert Friday night. I grew up mocking the MoTab, but have come to enjoy their music, and this concert didn't disappoint. It was fun to have something to dress up for.

Greg: "This is what I was made for" as he didn't slide at all. Yes, I laughed the whole way down the stairs.

Farmington Festival Days - July 9, 2016

We kept on celebrating the week of July 4 with another parade - Farmington Festival Days. Parades are so much more fun with kids! Sofi soaked it all up and was so fun to watch.

The girls. I love this picture :).

Poor Max. All he wanted was for Sofi to wave at him but she promptly ignored any and all attempts.

Chillin' with Grandma & Grandpa

She was the lucky recipient of a Mrs. Cavanaugh's ice cream cone!

Sofi loves balls. And yes, she did hold them like this the whole parade.  

Lagoon was throwing out prizes - clothes that no one would wear. Toby, Greg and Megan were all lucky enough to score these awesome items! Toby's short shorts over his shorts, Megan's poncho and Gregs .... I don't know.

Yes, he did wear this the rest of the parade.

After playing in the kiddie pool back at Spjute's, Sofi was super tired and ready for a nap before lunch. So, I took her home. I can count on one hand how many times this has happened, so I had to document it.

You know she played hard when she falls asleep in the car.

The Farmington Parade was by far the best one of the year. July is quickly becoming one of my favorite months with kids. Sofi has loved going to the park every day, riding in the bike, and playing in any sandbox she comes across. She loves swimming and is currently in swim lessons (she's a pro). What fun we have had and can't believe July is already almost half over!

Let Freedom Ring - July 4, 2016

What a fun 4th of July we had! We had all been sick in some way or another over the weekend so it was nice to have an extra day to vedge (did I spell that right?). Greg braced the afternoon heat Sunday to save spots for the Centerville parade. It was a fun parade. Lacking on the floats with a surplus of advertisements, but Sofi did love the firetruck and mini horsies. She even gave some heartening "Rawrs!" to the Sinclair dinosaur walking by.

Sofi being Sofi

Greg using his lips as a noise buffer ... the weirdo

Its not a true parade 'til you see one of these.

Sofi had a good nap after the parade, which was just fine with us. When she finally woke up, she was ready again to party! We had a BBQ with the Spjute's and she was in heaven in that backyard with its waterfall, sandbox and deck to walk around. I got to experience just a little bit what it was like to have an independent child, as she did laps around the picnic table. Can you say Hallelujah!

Afterwards, we did fireworks. Sofi wasn't too sure at first, but she settled right in after watching a firework almost explode in Greg's face.

Sofi would cover her face during all the fireworks

She hasn't been pointing as much lately so I was thrilled to get her doing this.

Mark's face kills me in this picture! We joke that its going on the front of his funeral program.

Whoever said Greg couldn't dance, never saw him do this ...

Time with Shelby

We were able to have my littlest sister Shelby spend a few days with us and we had a lot of fun having her here! It made the transition back from the cabin a little easier on Sofi I think. Shelby brought some Beanie Boo's for Sofi to play with, and it was fun having a little helper around.

Chili's was sponsoring a fund raiser for a woman Greg works with who has terminal cancer, so we went to have dinner Monday night to support her. It was a fun night out!

I love Sofi's cheeser in this pic!

I made Shelb brace the heat one day and walk to the park with us. It was worth it for her when we found this cat.

Staying cool in the shade. Sofi doesn't go anywhere without her toothbrush!

I wish we would've gotten some pics of the pool. Shelby loved our rec center, and I loved having someone there to make it more fun for Sofi. Instead of going to Yoga one night, I went swimming with Shelby. It was fun to spend one-on-one time with her. I went to college when she was just 2 years old, so I haven't been able to spend much time with her since then.

On our last day with her, we took Shelb hiking to a waterfall up a canyon in Centerville. Although I slammed her finger in my car door, she was still willing to go hiking. I think she's glad she did! 5 minutes later, we were at the waterfall playing in the freezing cold water.

Enjoying the cool canyon! It was a hot day

Sofi was all about playing in the water with Aunt Shelby. I'm still not sure how she was able to stand the freezing cold water.

I look at this pic and realize my baby isn't a baby anymore :(

We had so much fun with Shelby and hope she visits again soon. If not, we only have 3 weeks until our next cabin trip :).