Up and Away in August

We finally made it to a Balloon Festival!!! This one is so close, you can see the balloons floating over our houses - so was an easy win. Here are the kids enjoying the Sandy Balloon Festival. We had to get up early, of course, but the kids were so excited that it was fun to get ready to go. They all picked their favorite balloons, and we sat and watched until they had all been launched. Then, wanting further excitement, we drove around Draper trying to find where the pig balloon went. Fun morning!

We were excited for the $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point, but a little worried about lines at our usual haunt, the dinosaur museum. However, I have always wanted to see their Flower Gardens in the summer because I have only visited the Tulip Festival in the spring. We went to Draper Park in the morning for playgroup, then we went to the Gardens after lunch bringing Audrey's friend Ally along. It was awesome and the girls loved the beautiful flowers. Carson loved rolling down hills, exploring the spiral path and they all loved splashing in water, especially at the Children's garden. It was great to just let them run and play over such a large garden area. I am so glad we went!

Chad did his first triathlon - and he did great. He has picked up the sport of swimming, mostly this last summer, we got a road bike in late June, and he was already a great runner. He is well on his way to becoming a world class endurance athlete! He even placed in the triathlon - got 3rd in his age division (though it was a small race). We had a blast cheering him on and being part of it. It was too bad that it was pouring rain during the bike and run - the kids preferred to sit in the car! Well done, Chad!

We have had fun at the last few neighborhood playgroups, and here is the last one, a trip to the aquarium. We have enjoyed getting to hang out with other moms and kids from our neighborhood this summer. The aquarium is a little hectic - especially in the summer, but always a hit with my kids. They love seeing the animals, but they could play forever in the coral reef play area. So fun.

I have always wanted to take the kids to the Great Salt Lake, mostly because it is there, and it felt like a way to explore our surrounding. So, we finally made a trip out towards the Marina on the South end, bringing Audrey's friend Abby along. When we got close, Saltair said it had beach access, so we stopped there, used their restrooms and they even had outdoor showers to wash the sand and salt off when we were done. The girls loved the "castle" look of Saltair and the black and white photos of it in it's heyday. We were stoked! So, we began the long trek out to the water's edge. When we finally made it, it was just an odd experience. The bugs were so thick that they coated everything black that entered their domain along the water's edge. So we quickly all headed out into the water. Like at Antelope Island, you can go VERY far out and it only gets to your knees, so we strayed a long ways from shore. The water felt in the 90's and things were going fine, then all of a sudden, all of the kids, who were floating and playing in the water, started crying simultaneously because the salt had gotten into cuts and sensitive parts of their bodies. We made a dash back to shore, accompanied by the wailing of kids, just to be attacked by the bugs, and we had a long grueling walk back to Saltair to wash off the salt. We were all glad to leave, and we aren't planning a return trip. Now we have experienced the Great Salt Lake!!!!

We had our last cousin group this month as well - at Discovery park. We had never been to this park before, and it was amazing for the kids. It made it very peaceful for the moms to be able to sit and chat and catch up. It has been a nice summer to reconnect with cousins and sisters-in-laws! Here are Kate, Audrey and Breanne on the tire swing together. Fun day.

We are sad to see summer ending . . . it has really been a Joy.