Boulder Cave

Last weekend we decided to go to Boulder Cave. It's about two hours away from us up in the mountains. It ended up being so much fun! It was a beautiful drive there. When you get there you have to hike on a little dirt trail for probably not even a mile to the cave and right next to it was a nice waterfall. We took flash lights with us so that we could explore the cave and played at the waterfall for the afternoon.



In this picture Alan finally got the courage to emerge completely in the water. Normally you would think no big deal, but the water was really cold! Oh he just makes me laugh sometimes.

Afterwards we decided to hike up the trail a little further. Up ahead we found another little waterfall. A family there were using it as a water slide. We thought it was such a great idea that we both took a turn going down it as well. We both only went once since the water was so cold, but it was a lot of fun. We definitely will have to go back there again sometime.

The Fourth of July

So for this Fourth of July we decided to go to Portland to visit Jessie, Erik, and of course Eli! We decided to drive there a more scenic way. From the road you could see Mount Rainier really well. It took a couple of hours longer to get there, but it was fun to see new things.



We met Jessie and Erik in the mountains close to this random lake. The water was surprisingly warm. We also tried to go on a short hike but they didn't really have any trails around the area we were at. Maybe we will have to go for a better hike next time.

When we got back the boys were filthy! They really enjoyed taking a bath together. It is always more fun when there is someone else to play with.

The next day they took us to this really cool swimming place. It is specially made for children but it has enough stuff that adults can still have a good time as well. Michael didn't really like it at first but after a while he started to really enjoy himself.

Alan forced Michael to go down this water slid with him quite a few times. At first he would cry at the end, but eventually he warmed up to it. It was a lot of fun to be able to spend some time together as a family and with Jessie and Erik. Now it is their turn to come see us! =)

Alaska Trip!

Last month we had the opportunity to go visit my family in Alaska. It was so fun to spend some time up there with my family. I just love being around them. It is too bad that we live so far away from them. One of the first things we did while we were there was drive to Anchorage so that we could have a picnic lunch and take a walk along the ocean. It was really pretty and fun. Next to the trail they have a park so we let the boys play there for a little while before we had lunch. My camera ran out of batteries after the first picture I took so I didn't get any pictures of anyone else. My Mom and Sisters will have to send me some (hint, hint!). =)



Early Monday morning Alan and I went fishing with some guys from my parents ward. They have a fishing boat so they drove us a ways on the Deshka (?) river and knew exactly were to stop. They set us up right over a fishing hole and we were able to catch this 20 lb King Salmon. It was a small fish for Kings but I didn't care. I was just so excited to catch something! Alan also got a fish on his line but it got off his line after a couple of minutes of pulling it in. Next time I want to fish silvers because they come in in bigger groups and you are aloud to catch more then one.


This picture is taken in Denali National Park. The trails in the park were kind of boring so we decided to play along the river for a little while before our white water rafting trip started. Here Alan and Brett were trying to throw in a big rock. Brett almost feel in! I love it! Boys just make me laugh!

Here's Alan in his stud dry suit! You wear your clothes on underneath them and they are supposed to keep your cloths dry. Everyone was wet free except for me at the end. Mine had two leaks in it, one in each leg!

Continue of Alaska Trip

We wanted to go on a hike that Michael could go on with us. My sister Laurie suggested this one called Lazy Mountain. By the name of it I thought it sounded PERFECT! Ha, I guess you can't judge a mountain by it's name! It was 2 1/2 miles up with an elevation increase of 3,000 ft. Lets just say that it was like being on a stair stepper for 2 and a half hours straight and then you still have to go down the mountain. It was a lot of fun but also a HUGE eye opener of how out of shape I really am! Of course Laurie was skipping and singing the whole way up.




Alan and I had to turn around to go down the mountain about 100 yards before we reached the top of the mountain because of Little Michael. It was getting way too cold for him and he wasn't doing to good. Needless to say he caught a cold because of the trip. Eventually Michael feel asleep as we were coming down the mountain which helped a lot.

I had to include this picture because Michael's hair just looks so funny. With the way the light is hitting his hair it looks like he has a mo hawk!

This is a picture of everyone who went on the hike. The far left is Laurie and her husband Brett, Katie's husband Troy is in the middle and our little family is on the far right.

Alan also got the chance to go golfing late one night and use my Dad's chain saw to cut down a bunch of trees in my parent's yard (his idea). We played lots of games and just enjoyed everyone's company. I am so glad that we were able to go visit my family this summer. I wish I would of taken more pictures of everyone else but at least I have the fun memories! I sure love my family and I can't wait until we get to see them again. Thanks you guys for putting up with us. We sure did enjoy seeing all of you!

The Birthday Boys!

We have a lot of Birthdays in the month of June for our little family. Alan's was the 16th and Michael's was two days later. Since we were flying out to Alaska on Michael's Birthday we decided to celebrate it a day early. With everyone being sick and the big trip coming up we didn't get to do too much for their Birthdays but it was still fun.

Alan requested the usual (strawberry rhubarb pie). I couldn't find rhubarb in the stores anywhere so I ended up having to buy one. It was really.... good, especially since I didn't have to make it! =)

I actually let Michael make a huge mess with his cup cake and he loved it. I think most of it ended up on the counter or the floor instead of his mouth but it wasn't too bad to clean up.

We bought Michael a hiking back pack, a quiet book and some clothes for his Birthday. He kind of got spoiled but most of the gifts were for us so what can I say. We can now take Michael on hikes with us which is a lot of fun! The quiet book was a purchase in hopes to help keep little ones quiet and still during church. We tried it for the first time last Sunday. It worked for a while but I guess I can't expect too much. Church is a long time for little guys. Michael really is a pretty good boy and we sure do love him!