Indiana

We spent a week back in Indiana over the 4th of July visiting everyone.  It was a great trip!  They are never long enough since I would like to spend quality time with everyone and still do some relaxing, if relaxing is even an option with two kids in tow!  Here are just a few random shots. 

Iris in vacation mode!

This picture is a little dark, but it cracks me up.  Iris has been doing this funny face on command!

Mom showing Iris and Eleanor some pictures. 

She loved this tractor and I love this picture! 

Miles riding Trish the pony at the Fort Wayne zoo.

This gargoyle (or cargill, as he was called) is a little whimsical and a little creepy, but very effective at keeping the kids from heading into the "down jungle"!

We had a campfire one night at Adam and Sarah's and smores were on the menu!  Iris was very into her marshmallows!

This is as close to a Dickey family photo as we got that week.  The kids loved being in the water.  Of course, on a hot, humid day in Indiana any sane person loves being in the water! 

I love this picture of Iris with Thomas and Will.  I didn't do much hanging out with my cousins when I was young.  In fact, I wouldn't recognize most of them if they were sitting here next to me.  My hope is that the cousins form a bond that lasts. 

Mom and Dad's new place is on a lake.  A 5 minute walk gets you to a dock.  We checked it out and Miles hunted for turtles.  He was obviously pretty excited about it.

So the girl who absolutely refuses to wear a hat really seems to love walking around with random pieces of clothing on her head.  Here she is sporting a pair of my hot Costco undies that she found in the suitcase!

Iris' first haircut

We went to Cookie Cutters today to get Miles a hair cut.  We are Indiana bound on Saturday and I didn't want him to look scrappy.  I decided to have them give Iris her first trim while we were there.  They gave her a fancy updo after the trim and even sprayed glitter in her hair.  I had less product in my hair on my wedding day!  It was super cute so I snapped a picture since I will never be able to reproduce it.  How beautiful is this child?!

Jurassic Zoo

We hit the zoo on Friday with Kari and Grayson.  They have a Jurassic Zoo exhibit going on now with 13 huge dinosaur statues throughout the zoo.  Some roar, some spit water and they all look very life-like.  In fact, maybe they look a little too life-like for a 3 and 4 year old :)

And for those of you that think Big Love is just pretend on HBO, you're wrong.  This happy family was enjoying the zoo as well.

Patio fun

I love our patio.  It is shady, so even on the super hot days we can relax outside after work.  The old sky chair finally died and we replaced it with a new and improved version.  Here are the boys testing it out!   

And here is a picture of what Iris usually looks like just before bath time!

Mosquito Catcher

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Adam sent Miles a bug catching set for his birthday.  We headed out last week with it because he could see a swarm of bugs in the sun's rays.  His technique is awesome!  He runs back and forth the length of the yard yelling "net coming" at the top of his lungs.  No real bugs ever ended up in the net, but a lot of energy was expended and he did manage to catch a few leaves that we pretended were bugs!

Concert time!

Tis the season for concerts up at Red Butte Garden.  We decided to buy tickets again this summer for a few shows.  Last night was the first with Toots and the Maytals and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.  Miles loved it.  He and Amber danced around and had a good time.  We got asked yet again if they are twins because they definitely look like it!  Iris was miserable 95% of the time.  She fought sleep and hated her ear plugs and cried inconsolably.  Fingers crossed she'll be more excited about next Sunday's show.  

A moment of calm for him after dance mania (see video below!)

Little Red Riding Hood

I've been harassed lately for only exercising if it's for an event that requires a hefty registration fee and involves over 1,000 participants!  I rode in the Little Red Riding Hood road bike ride in Cache Valley on Saturday with my friend Jodi.  It was a great day!  The ride is a fundraiser for women's specific cancer research.  There were more than 3,000 women out on their bikes...all ages and sizes and fitness levels.  We had a blast.  The energy of the crowd was amazing.  I felt strong and so thankful for everything I have in my life, including my health. 

And just for fun...