Zoo Family Fun

If you didn't already know we have a couple of animal lovers in our house. So we decided to take them to Willow Park Zoo before the summer is gone and I go back to teaching.
They loved looking at the animals and just "hanging out"

Their favorite part of the zoo was feeding the birds.

Baby Kitties

We thought we needed a few more animals to add to the Jones' Petting Zoo. Bobcat had NINE baby kitties! The boys were in heaven with them. They would spend hours outside playing with them and searching for them when the mom would move them.

One day I couldn't find Jack and Hank anywhere when I heard something down the window well. They had both climbed down the well because the kitties were down there.

And then when Cort got home from work he of course joined them.

Does anyone want a baby kitty- or eight or nine?

Murder Mystery Dinner

Cort's best friend from high school, Trevor, turned the big 30 this year. We have had some fun surprise 30th birthday parties with all his friends this year, but this was way fun! We dressed up and had a Hawaiian murder mystery dinner and had such a blast!
Surprise!

The birthday boy

Trevor and Hayden (The hosts)

I don't remember their names- friends of Trev and Hayden

Vic and Shelly (Vic ended up being the murderer, but that doesn't surprise us)

The game


Cort and I

Chief Wiki Wiki

Bear Lake

Every summer we love to go to Bear Lake with Ashley, Katie, and kids. We have so much fun hanging out on the beach talking while the kids play and play.
Jack loves to get all muddy in the sand.

I could take a million pictures of this beach baby. He melts my heart!

It amazes me how sand can keep a kid occupied for hours and hours.



Would a Bear Lake vacation be complete without Jack and Burk's white bums washing off to go home?

Groundhog day- I mean Preston Night Rodeo

Yes- three days and nights of the exact same thing. Sidewalk sales, carnival, parade, and rodeo. It is always a fun time of year and it keeps getting better with little kids to take to the festivities. This year there was a little shake up with the last day of the parade. Jack got to ride on the preschool float on Thursday and on his pony on Friday.



This year they had an all horse parade one night as part of the 75th Anniversary. We painted Jack's pony Maggie for the parade and he rode her with Cort leading them. I could be partial buy I thought that was the best part of the whole "all horse parade"

Painting hand prints on Maggie.
Jack the Big J's Monkey, Jack, and Cort

Sawyer getting her warmed up.

5 little cowboys - Jack, Sawyer, Wyatt, Ben, Hank

Getting ready to catch all that candy!

Nate, Scotty & my Dad chilling at the parade

Close up of Nate and his awesome hat. This year they even had karaoke. Nate sang Will Smith "Getting Jiggy With It"and took Sawyer & Jack up with him. They were suppose to be his back up dancers, but somehow they all got mics and talked and laughed through the whole song. It was hilarious. I will try and get the footage.

Cowgirling it up for the Rodeo

Watching That Famous Preston Night Rodeo

Then of course we can't leave Granny's without getting ice cream from Big J's when it is all closed up and Hank gets to choose whatever flavor he wants. We love rodeo and can't wait until next year!

Preston Biathlon

I just love that Cort will do races with me without even training. He always does awesome at them also. This year we did the Preston Biathlon which was a 17 mile road bike and 3 mile run. It was both our second time on a road bike and we did pretty good!
Nervous and getting ready for the big race.

Us at the starting line.

I ended up getting first place in my age group and second overall!

Cort did awesome!

Getting my award for winning- a free oil change and $25 at Al's. I'll take it!!

Friends camping get together

We love to get together with Cort's best friends from high school and their families. We always stay up way too late playing silly games and eat way too much. We call it camping- but it is in my mother in law's yard which has a kitchen, bathroom, green grass, and a river, to it isn't roughing it too bad.
Here are my boys on the vacation- they are all so dang cute!

We went kayaking down the ice cold river and it tipped on Cort and I- or Cort tipped it. It was FREEZING!


In case you didn't know Cort's friend Vic began playing for the other team...

Just kidding about Vic- we had to wonder sometimes though.

Jack has made such good friends with all the kids. Jack and Tayson. I am so mad I didn't get a picture of all the kids together this year- or a picture of all the families. What was I thinking???



The boys got up and went golfing one morning so the girls decided it was our turn for fun and went and got glitter toes.

Me and Shelly

Hayden, Tayzlee, and Katie

Hayden planned a really fun game called "Minute to win it" where you have a minute to complete a bunch of activities. We were in teams named by our first names combined. I am sad to say that Cort and I did not win. Team SHATIE took the gold medal- but wait until next year because Cort and I will be training for the victory...


Always a fun weekend with these guys. Can't wait until next year!

Sun Valley Vaca!

Sun Valley once a year with the Egberts has become one of our favorite summer traditions. It is so beautiful up there. We love the bike trails, shops and fun little places to eat.

Here are all the little boys ready to do some biking.

Here are the big boys and me ready to do some biking down the ski hill!

This is on the bike trail (on the road) right after Nate decided to give Cort the Christmas goose a little early. Needless to say Nate caused the biggest crash, with the biggest bruises for both of them for the whole weekend.

Raspberries on his legs and arms from his little stunt. Cort wasn't much better off. Maybe next time he will think twice before he goes and checks somebodies oil while cruising down the bike trial.

Here is cute little Ben at 8 months. We are trying to motivate a little crawling with an oreo.

Ah! Success!

Chilling at the condo without their shirts on. That was their favorite way to do it on this trip.

Jack and Cort ready to bike!
Jack is one determined little biker. With his camel back and helmet he is ready to hit the trail.
But he got tired so I had to pump him on my back.
The beauty of our bike ride
My dad just rocks.

One of our favorite things to do together.

The views from our ride- does it get prettier than this?

We went to the fish hatchery one day. The little boys loved it. I found it a little creepy.

Hank going for some lunch.

All the kiddos on the beach.

We walked around Sun Valley Lodge on Sunday before we left and found this little stream. What do you do when you are three and four and you find a stream? Try and jump across it of course!

Thanks mom and dad for such a fun trip