Day 197: Blue Flowers

July 15

I love blue flowers, because it's a color you don't see all that often in nature.  I may or may not have trespassed on someone's lawn to take this picture.

Day 196: I Scream for Ice Cream

July 14

Ellie woke up this morning and got all her Saturday jobs done so that she could go on a date with me.  I had nothing to do with planning this event, but figured if it meant she'd get her jobs done early, then I couldn't really complain.  So, between errands that I actually had to run anyway, we stopped at Ben & Jerry's for a little refreshment.

Day 195: Going Up

July 13

Tonight was the first of what we hope will be many Friday evenings at the park.  Ellie and her friend Leif climbed up the outside of this slide over and over.

Day 194: The View from the Top

July 12

My friend Rachel and I took our older kids and a few of their friends on a hike past Mirror Lake and up Tom, Dick, & Harry Mountain.  This view of Mt. Hood made the exhausting climb totally worth it.

Day 193: Sous Chef

July 11

Chris was in California and Vicki was out with a friend, so Lexi and Ellie helped me prepare dinner tonight: ravioli with alfredo sauce.  Apart from grating the Parmesan, which Ellie did for us, Lexi made the sauce herself.  Yummy!

Day 192: Passed!

July 10

Ellie got her sticker for passing from level 3 to level 4 today, which she says is no big deal because she ended the summer in level 4 last year.  Apparently the last two days were a big review for her, and now she's ready to get down to business and learn those arm strokes.

Day 191: Swimmer

July 9

The summer has officially begun for us now that we're home from vacation, and that means swimming lessons every morning.

Day 190: Stick Bomb Setup

July 8

Uncle Britton brought over his stick bomb kit, and he and Vicki spent the hours before we left for the airport constructing one.  I wish I had been able to get a decent shot of it exploding, because it was really cool, but it went way too fast to capture anything good.

Day 189: Personalities

July 7

We had pictures today with my family.  Once the photographer was finished, I snapped a few of my own.  I love how this one captures each of the girls' personalities perfectly.

Day 188: Sunset

July 6

Despite spending the afternoon with good friends, this was, sadly, the only picture I took.

Day 187: Mmmmm...

July 5

The girls headed up for a sleepover with my parents, so Chris and I spent the afternoon wandering through the new City Creek shopping center, trying on highly overpriced clothes and enjoying a snack of salted caramel pretzels from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Day 186: Waiting for the Show

July 4

We decided to brave the post-fireworks crowds and stake out a spot at the Sandy City show this year.  The girls came up with all kinds of creative ways to keep busy during the three hours we waited before it started.

Day 185: Teeth

July 3

Vicki had to have three molars pulled today to make room for her baby teeth.  She's been a trooper, but is mad about all the foods she can't enjoy while she's waiting for her mouth to heal.

Day 184: Obsessed

July 2

We took the girls to the main branch of the Salt Lake City library today.  It's such an amazing building, but more than looking at the structure, Lexi was excited to find the second book in a series she started at the beginning of this trip.

Day 183: Yema Grace

July 1

My cousin and her husband just adopted their 3rd child, this time from Ethiopia.  We were happy to be able to attend her blessing at church today, and celebrate with them afterward.