Our first pets

Some of our neighbors have been finding monarch eggs the last few years and bringing them inside to raise them until they turn into butterflies to protect them from the wasps and other attackers. As far as pets go they require very little maintenance other than refreshing their supply of milkweed and they are fascinating to watch. Unfortunately with our first batch we went out of town for a few days and missed them going into their chrysalis but did catch the last one on video while we were at church. 

The caterpillars start out very small and then just like the book they eat and eat and eat!

My cute little scientist checking out the caterpillars with his magnifying glass.

They shed their skin several times as they get bigger and then eat the skin they just shed.

 

How many caterpillars do you spy?

They form a J-hook just before turning into a chrysalis.  It's fascinating to watch the fairly quick transformation.

The chrysalis

Butterfly close to coming out

Cecret Lake hike

Albion Basin at Alta ski resort is well-known for it's beautiful displays of wildflowers in the late summer.  I decided to take the kids up one afternoon to check it out with our friends the Watsons and Smiths.   We decided to head up the Cecret Lake trail which is about a mile hike each way.   The wildflowers were just starting to bloom so we enjoyed seeing a few and the kids had fun putting their feet in the water at the lake.

Bear Lake

We decided to head up to Bear Lake to do some boating and camping on the lake shore.   Jimmy, Sue, and kids decided to join us for the adventure.  On the way up we stopped in Tremonton for Grandma Newman's funeral and then headed up Logan Canyon to the lake.  We were able to get one of the last camping spots on the south shore of the lake and there is a reason it was the last as it was right next to the restrooms.    We enjoyed some swimming and went out in the boat a few times but it was always choppy so nobody wanted to ski or ride for very long.  We did have smooth water one morning early but that was all.  The kids did enjoy wading, swimming, playing on the Hot Dog, and digging in the sand.    The last night there was a big storm at the north end of the lake that sent waves across the lake crashing on the south shore.   It was a big problem because many campers had boats anchored on the shore that were being battered by the waves.   The next day Jim had a disc golf tournament in Idaho so Jimmy and I and a few other campers worked to get the boat back in the water after it had been partially beached from the storm.   As we were packing up camp and getting the boat running again and on the trailer,  Benson accidentally tripped backwards into the fire pit and burned his back on some hot coals under the ashes.   He ended up with a few second degree burns on his back.   Not the best boating vacation due to the lousy campsite and choppy water but we still had a good time and had Bear Lake raspberry shakes on the way home!

Children's Pioneer Day parade

 This year our stake was selected to have a float in the Children's Pioneer Day parade which takes place the Saturday before Pioneer Day.  Grammy was awesome to make the girls pioneer costumes to wear .   The wards each wore a different color shirt and had matching balloons.  Our theme was Up with Family Values and was based on the Up! movie.   The parade ended at the City Hall and they had a children's festival with activities and crafts for the kids to participate in.  

From the Church News- our ward is the ones with the blue balloons in back

From the cover of the Church News

Cousins come to visit

 

My older brother is moving from Spokane, WA to Oklahoma.   Their first stop was the family reunion in Oregon the last week of June then they left the same day we did to follow us out here.  After a night at Grandpa and Grandma Morgan's house in Idaho they arrived here in time to enjoy the rest of evening activities on the 4th.  We spent the next few days going to the dinosaur museum, boating on Utah Lake, riding bikes, and hiking.  The kids loved having their cousins here to play! 

4th of July

 We hurried back from our trip to Oregon to be home for the Fourth of July festivities.  We are lucky to live in a community that loves to celebrate the 4th.   We started our day with a fun run from the church which Jonas completed the entire 1.5 miles, followed by a community pancake breakfast.  

Afterwards it was time to find our spot to watch the neighborhood parade which runs about 1/2 mile and anyone can enter (with the expectation that you'll pass out candy).  I was helping set up a station for the carnival at the end of the parade so just saw some of the entries as they were coming in.  Here are a few examples:

My favorite was the old car decorated to be Prince William and Kate Middleton followed by Prince Harry and Kate's sister in a sports car.

That evening we did the Circle of Fire in the cul-de-sac in front of the house.  Families around the neighborhood all brought their fireworks to set off in the circle and we had a dessert potluck including homemade ice cream and popcorn and cotton candy machines.  It was nice to have a great show of fireworks and only having to buy a few of our own to contribute.  Afterwards we went to the backyards to watch the view of the big shows around the valley.

Oregon Fun

We enjoyed a fun week spent in Oregon enjoying time with cousins and grandparents.   Some of the adults enjoyed a day of rafting on the Upper McKenzie river one day.   Another day we spent driving to Winston, OR to visit the Wildlife Safari park and then onto the Oregon coast to ride ATV's on the sand dunes.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins, nightly trips to the hot tub, a trip to the indoor water park, Chuck E. Cheese, and a trip to See's Candy.    The trip to the wildlife park is the only thing I got pictures of but it was quite incredible except for the llama pictured below that spit at me.   The only between you and many of the animals was the car door so we had some great unobstructed views as we drove through the park.