More pics from Utah

Dallin's morning ritual in Utah included getting his diaper changed by grandma Bates (she loved getting up with him in the morning, so I graciously let her), feeding the fish, and grabbing a juice box from the mini-fridge in the backyard. If we couldn't find Dallin (like if we took our eyes off of him for 3.2 seconds), we knew we'd find him at the fridge. Juice was such a novel thing to him since I try to get him to drink a lot of water- so needless to say, he went a little crazy.

Dallin was so frustrated that he couldn't close this gate, so being the sympathetic mother I am, I took a picture of his anguish. I know, I know, mother of the year. I just thought he looked so cute.

Grandpa Easley takes Megan and Dallin for a ride

10 reasons why I love Costco

10. Who wouldn't want a 5 pound tub of hummus?

9. I love to see the look on Michael's face when I come home with a car full of great stuff when I meant to just buy milk.

8. Churros.

7. Fork lifts. Dallin is fascinated with them. If we don't watch the forklifts for at least 20 minutes, I hear about it all the way home.

6. Dog beds.

5. There are no scorpions in Costco

4. Hypothetically speaking, if someone were to run their cell phone through the washing machine, Costco would replace it.

3. Fine dining for $1.50

2. Seeing Dallin run through the giant cold room, just for the sheer exhilaration of being cold. We really need to get out more.

and the number one reason I love Costco. . .

1. The more I spend, the more I save.

Love that smile!

I love this picture because it is so characteristic of Dallin. He is such a sweet, good natured little boy (he gets this from his father). Michael and I are his biggest fans.

Discovery Museum

We recently went to the Discovery Museum in Salt Lake. I wasn't sure what to expect from a children's museum, but let's just say I was the one who didn't want to leave. This place was seriously so cool. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours and during that time I didn't see Dallin slow down for a second. He would run from station to station rather than walk. Occasionally he would come over to me for a drink to refuel, but then immediately ran back to his post. It was a lot of fun watching him and his cousins explore the differnt hands-on stations. This picture below is of Missy and Dallin as we were walking into the museum. I recently bought Dallin this Thomas the Train backpack and he LOVES it. He will take it with him everywhere we go and is pretty good about pulling it around himself the entire time.

My favorite was a TV news station where the kids could be news anchors for a program. They were projected onto an actual TV so they could see themselves on the news. After Dallin recognized himself on the monitor, he flashed a huge grin and waved to himself. It was so funny.

4th of July

We began the day by getting up very early to watch the hot air balloons take off in Provo (Dallin didn't particularly enjoy getting up early, but I figured he would thank me later). As it turned out, he loved watching the balloons. His favorites: Smokey the Bear and the giant strawberry. Next, we sat down for a pancake breakfast (on the same field where they launched the balloons) and then headed over to the parade. We used to do this every year growing up, but I had lost interest until this year (It is so much more fun seeing your child get excited about something). I finally understand why parents battle through crowds, parking, chaos, and heat to watch a parade for 2 1/2 hours. We had a blast and Dallin loved every second of it. The marching bands, fire engines, and the horses were his favorites - he would just stare in awe as they passed.

Michael, Connor, and Jeanne (aka "mom") at the pancake breakfast

Dallin watching the parade with help from grandpa Bates

Grandma Bates and Dallin

Michael and Dallin with grandpa and grandma Easley

Dallin with cousins Megan and Addi Easley

McKay reunion

We had a fun visit with Michael's side of the family this past week. Dave, Nancy, Heather, Claire, Melanie (Michael's sis), Jess, Anne, Megan and our little gang met up in Salt Lake to attend their cousin Christina's wedding. We also went to 2 family reunions, spent a couple of nights in Park City, went boating, and spent a lot of time just hanging out. Since most of us are spread across the country (Washington, Arizona, Iowa, and North Carolina), it is difficult to get everyone together. We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to next summer when we will be able to see everyone again. Pictured below: Cousins Anne and Megan McKay, Claire Jenkins, and Dallin McKay
Melanie, Heather, Claire, Michael, Dallin and Melanie

Grandma Marian and grandpa Paul Flandro in front of Paulette's remodeled playhouse

Dave and Nancy with the grandkids (in Park City): Anne McKay, Dallin McKay, Claire Jenkins, and Megan McKay

Jeff Adams, Haloti Ngata, Christina Ngata, Rob McKay, Dave McKay, Dallin and Michael

Suzy McKay, Nancy McKay, Heather and Claire Jenkins, Cindy McKay, Christina Ngata, Melanie Scoffield, Me, Anne, Jess, and Megan McKay

Melanie and Michael with Heather and Claire. This was our first time meeting Claire! She is such a cutie!

The gang after Christina and Haloti's sealing (Bountiful Temple).