It’s time for that post–the yearly Lagoon post! Bryce’s company takes us every year and we always have fun.

The little boats.

In the kiddie area there’s about a million rides like this one–they go around and around and up and down with various things to ride in (helicopters, planes, more planes, animals, space ships…).

The train.

The carousel.

And that concludes our tour! Next year there might only be 2 photos.

Wrapping up our Summer Adventures series: Goblin Valley! A 4 hour drive south of our home, Goblin Valley is just amazing. It’s filled with these fantastic rock formations created by erosion–these are the goblins. As Bryce said, it’s “the best playground on earth” for kids. As we were planning our trip a while back, I discovered that there are two yurts in the campgrounds. They are managed by the Dept. of Natural Resources and can be rented for a very reasonable fee. Best decision ever! Our yurt had two bunkbeds, a futon, space for Liam’s pack-n-play, a table and chairs, a propane grill, a picnic table with a fire pit, and (drum roll, please) an a/c! That a/c made a huge difference. As you can imagine, the Utah desert in August is hot! Ready for the massive amounts of photos? It was the best trip ever!

Behold, the yurt! Doesn’t it look like something from a postcard?

Can you believe that setting? The yurt was tucked back into the formations, giving us privacy and protecting us from the wind.

Here’s a panoramic shot to give you a feel for the interior of the yurt. Except it was round and not flat–think globe vs. map of the world.

Ta da!

The goblins!

It was like something out of Star Trek–a scene from some distant planet.

Two of our explorers. There was so much climbing and running and calls of, “Come see what I found!”

And they’re off!

The crew. With Easton looking super gangsta.

Me and my girl.

At the suggestion of a friend, we made our way over to Little Wild Horse Canyon. And it was stunning! This was my first time hiking through a slot canyon.

I have to say, our kids did so great! Liam was such a trooper–walking and hiking for hours. Calder was the king of adventure and so excited. Easton went with the flow and Amelie turned “I can’t” into “I did it” over and over again.

So so beautiful.

Hi, cutie!

Finding “secret caves” as Liam called them.

Sand dunes!

On the drive home. Bryce and I always marvel at Utah’s amazing scenery. In the space of a 4 hour drive you see big city, goblins, desert, canyons, mountains, lakes–it’s amazing.

Until next time, Goblin Valley!

To my own wonderful dad…

Holding Amelie.

And to the father of my children…

One of my favorite pictures ever. Holding Amelie.

With Calder. Looking so sweet and tender.

With Easton.

This picture captures this time with Liam so perfectly. Happy, but exhausted and worried.

And now some other fatherhood moments…

Sleeping with Amelie.

Getting ready for a swim with Amelie and Calder. And those of you that know Amelie might recognize her famous hand twitching in this photo.

In tribute to all of the fishing trips! Here he is with Calder.

Being silly with Calder.

Sad face competition with Liam.

I could go on and on…We sure love you, Bryce!

I told some clients of mine about this and they thought it was the funniest concept. “Preschool graduation? Did he pass cutting and pasting? How about coloring?” It’s okay. Someday they’ll get it–in about 4 years to be precise! Yes, it’s a little silly, but it was a big deal to our sweet boy and kind of a big deal for me, too. My baby is growing up and on to kindergarten!

He was so proud!

This picture doesn’t even really look like the real Easton to me, but had to include it anyway. Must be the graduation cap.

Bryce’s birthday fell on Memorial Day this year and per his request we went to hike Ensign Peak before joining family for some fishing and BBQ action. Ensign Peak, so named by Brigham Young, rises up behind the state capitol building. According to local history, when Brigham saw the peak, it brought to mind a vision Brigham had of Joseph Smith telling him where to fly the banner of freedom and Brigham said, “This is the place.”

The birthday boy at the summit.

Pretty amazing views!

Fishing later that day. Didn’t catch anything.

At the graves of their Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Steadman.

At the graves of the Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Haymond.