The Train Store

The boys and I were sad to hear that one of our favorite spots, "The Whittle Stop" train store, closed last winter. Fortunately, it was recently reopened under new management. It's back and better than ever with a newly redesigned and more modern 15 foot train table with track. Here are the boys enjoying some train time!




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Today's Adventure

It's summer time and that means daily adventures (or as Sage says, "eventures") with the boys while I have a few weeks of vacation.  This summer was unusually mild weather with highs in the 70s and low 80s...just perfect for adventures.

burying themselves in the sand

pollinating the flowers at the Gardens

scaling the climbing wall at Suson Park

swimming in the creek at Mastodon State Park

pretending they are on a pirate ship

dancing with Great Grandpa visiting from California

at the World Bird Sanctuary

watching the elk swim at Lone Elk Park

Enjoying their new bunk beds 

Kings of the mountain

playing with some new friends at Schroeder Park

enjoying the Manchester pool

popsicle at the pool

building birdhouses at Powder Valley

on the bridge at Powder Valley

We were super close to the deer at Powder Valley

Guess who learned to swim this summer???  Without his puddle jumper!!!

Celebrating!

We spent last Sunday celebrating Ella's 8th birthday...



- at the bowling alley




- swimming at PaPa and Grandma's




- being tossed into the pool - Weeee!




- whoa!!!!

Biker Boys

- My three loves riding off into the sunset




Kai's face of determination to make it up the hill

Summer Fun

Three beach bums




An evening boat ride




Playing in the pool!




First time (this season) in the fountains at Tower Grove Park




With some new friends at a new playground.




Kings of the Mountain!




Relaxing with cousin Parker




Slathering on the shaving cream at Camp Queeny




Celebrating Great Granny's 80th Birthday!




Helping out with some home improvements




Boy bonding.

Bunk beds

Here are the boys on their first night in their new bunk beds!

I was worried since they've never shared a room before. I thought they might be partying when they should be sleeping. But, so far, they have been doing pretty well. They are enjoying their big boy beds.

Missing Rosco

A few weeks ago, we lost a member of the family. Rosco passed away. She has been missed immensely since she's been gone. Rosco was our first baby and was the most perfect dog. She was gentle and loving and so well-behaved. The hardest part (other than telling the boys) has been coming home every day without Rosco to greet us.

We love you and miss you, friend.

More Disney

The Fab Five outside the Nemo ride




Kai and Char bonding with Grandma and PaPa




Outside the Animal Kingdom




With Mickey




A rare lion spotting on the Jungle Safari. He posed for us! The boys said, "Simba!"




Kai shaking his tail feather in the parade at Magic Kingdom




Two tired teddies at the end of every day!




On our way to breakfast with the princesses.




Kai looks like he doesn't want to let go!




Papa recreating Mission Space




Sharing dessert - One of the perks of the meal plan!




Eeyore was actually quite fun!




The Goof Troop!




We took our first family vacation to Disney World and had the best time!
Although it was hot and there were some long lines, we only had a few minor meltdowns. The boys had so much fun and were just tickled to meet the characters! Kai loved trying to touch the characters' noses and both boys loved snuggling up to the princesses. We rode lots of rides and the boys were quite brave. They even rode The Tower of Terror when I chickened out at the last minute!!! The Everest Expedition at Animal Kingdom was a favorite ride for Jared and me. Sage said he liked "all the things." Kai's favorites were Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. We saw the fireworks shows at Epcot (great) and Magic Kingdom (AMAZING!).
We loved our resort at Port Orleans - Riverside where we slept in the "royal rooms." The pool with its big water slide was a hit with the boys. They also loved playing on the playground and taking spaceship rides on the hammock (courtesy of PaPa). Riverside had an advantage over other resorts because we could take a boat to and from Downtown Disney. The service at the resort was incredible as the employees really went out of their way to make sure we had a great time.
Not only did we do lots of fun things, we also bonded on our family vacation. The kids had a blast together posing for pictures with their Mickey ears, battling enemies with their light savers, and just being together.
The boys loved their first plane ride, too! They both asked lots of questions as usual and loved take-off.
Overall, Disney was a magical vacation! We had the best time and are so grateful to Grandma and Papa for making it all happen.