Nicholas gives us a scare!

Well Jed and I ended up in the ER with our sweet boy Nicholas yesterday afternoon. The story goes like this:
I was on the phone with dad, loading Nicholas into the car, on my way to go pick up the Muddy Crew as they were done with the mud VB tourney. I realized I had forgotten plastic bags so I left Nico in the car and ran in. When I got back, he was out of his seat so I buckled him in, noticing he was chewing on something but assumed it was the snacks I leave in the car. I get in my seat and notice a bottle of Ibruprophen. It was open with a few pills out to the side, one appeared to be licked. So I jumped out of the car, ran to Nico's side and said to him, "What are you eating?" while I open his mouth to look. He points to the bottle and tells me that its "that". So I rush to pick up Jed, telling him to call Poison Control and/or mom to find out what I need to give him or if I need to get him to the hospital. Well, obviously we ended up at the hospital in the ER, giving our smiling boy a full cup of charcoal. UGH! His first drink, he sucked it through a straw and looked in the cup, uttering matter-of-factly "that's sick." Yep its sick but we weren't taking chances. So we stayed a while for them to watch him after he had drank the "black stuff". I got to really watch him and he just bounced about with a smile on his face. Thank goodness, this was not a serious incident.
(picture from day at Gateway)

Salem Days Mud Volleyball

This was a riot to watch. I loved watching my girls play with their dad. Emily played well and consistently, going for everything her way. Little petite Sarah moved so well in the mud and water, making some great plays and never missed a serve. Nicholas couldn't wait to get in the muddy water but it had to be on his terms. When Macy threw a blob of dirt at him, he had a fit despite the fact that he was covered in mud to his knees and to his elbows. Then as the mud dried on him, he HAD to get it off and get cleaned up. So he trekked on over to the fire truck to get blasted by the fire hose.
The team - Jed, Emily, Sarah, Breea, Mark and occasionally Shide and then Mark's sister - played to about 6th place out of group of 19 teams. Not bad! Way to go! Sign me up for the next one!

An afternoon at the waterpark

Jared, Jenny, their boys, Grandma with the Mahaffey kids and my crew went to the waterpark for some serious cooling off. (I wish we had a picture of the whole group together but it didn't happen - maybe next week.) Nicholas loved it when Christian and Charlie went down the waterslide with him. Macy got a ride on Uncle Jared across the pool and slid off his back to swim to the edge. It is so fun to watch the cousins play so well and enjoy being with each other. Its such a beautiful thing! We visited and sunbathed, enjoying the warm sun, and cool water until the drama unfolded with the fire. (We were at the pool when we noticed the smoke coming from the mountain near Payson.)

The Gateway...to family fun

This was a day that was supposed to be a day at Lagoon but we ended up at Gateway to play in the water and do some school shopping instead. The kids, as you can see, had a blast! No need to elaborate anymore than this. It was obviously great fun!

Ethan did something hysterical. As we were walking along the walkway, he spotted a big drain spout coming out of the wall. He stuck his head in it and began to push against the wall as though he were stuck, using his feet as well for added measure. Jed and I watched, with tears streaming down our cheeks as we watched people point and stop. The crowd around him was about 20 people who looked at each other in disbelief. Finally a woman in her 50's tapped his shoulder, "hey are you okay?" After a minute, Ethan gives one last push against the wall, falling backwards, with everyone stepping back as he fell, and he looks up at her with a smile, "Yah!" It was so unbelievably convincing, we were bent over from laughter watching. One of the other women, said to him, "where you really stuck?" And before he could answer, the woman who had tapped him said, "No he was just being stupid" and walked away. Ethan just smiled bigger. Oh how we laughed!

Hitting the River

First, Ethan is a crazy boy - full of life and adventure! Thanks for the pose, buddy!
The river was COLD! But as always, your feet adjust and then your legs, then your tummy on up to your face. At least that's what the kids learned. Ha!
The kids had a blast playing in the river, tossing rocks to splash each other, and trying to swim upstream. Macy had to be "saved" by her big sisters. She is so grateful they got her back across to safety. :-)
The weather was so beautiful. First a little overcast and then as we were leaving the sun came out in full force, warming our wet bodies and drying the sand to our feet.

Welcome to Zions National Park

Nicholas and Macy join in song as they anticipate a hike along the river. We decided to take the River Walk this time and see how the kids do to determine if we would do another hike. Along the way, we hit a few spots to climb some boulders to take some fun pictures. The "slide rock" was a hit until on the way back Macy stood up during her slide down and lost her balance, falling face first into the retaining wall. I saw it happening and was sure we were in for a huge slit on her mouth. Luckily, we were blessed with ONLY a cut above her lip and a swollen lip. So for obvious reasons, we didn't hike anymore trails after the River Walk. Along the way, we met a wonderful family - the Jeppsons! The kids were excited to learn of their world travels and adventures. (Hope all is well with you and yours!)
This is a family who loves to hike but doesn't do it enough!

Ethan as Spiderman or Mowgli or Tarzan!

Ethan, an avid climber, accepted the challenge of climbing the Rock Wall in Park City. He didn't miss a beat. He scaled that rock liked he was born to do so. Once he got to the top, he hit the button, and kicked off to swing down, showing his "love". He got to go up twice. He has always been a climber. We've decided that if ever there was a Mowgli or a Tarzan living in the jungle, Ethan could have been them and survived without a hitch!