Hiking, biking and geocaching

I'm trying to get caught up so I'm having to combine a few things into one post. We've had a pretty busy summer and have been able to fit some fun things in as a family.  Sam and I have talked a lot about what we can do to teach our children to be active and love spending time outside. We've decided that the best way is for us to get out and do these things as a family. Following are some pictures and I will try to explain as we go.

Ruth Lake

Sam had July 5th off so we decided to head out to the Mirror Lake Highway and hike into a lake that someone had told us about as a good family hike. It was beautiful and we took along our fishing gear. Sarah really likes fishing with her Disney Princess fishing pole and will cast and reel back in for hours. She hasn't caught anything yet but that doesn't seem to diminish the experience for her.

Sam and I have an interest in cycling. Sam of course has participated in some races but it had been years since I was on my bike. For our anniversary this year, Sam arranged for the girls to stay at my brother Adam's house and we had almost 24 hours of time to spend together. We went and saw a movie about cycling and then went to dinner. The next morning we had Bountiful Baskets but after we were done we were seeing all these people out on their bikes. Sam suggested we go for a ride and I jumped at the chance. It took a little while to get my bike ready to ride after five years sitting in the garage. I was a little nervous because it had been quite awhile but it was great. I don't have any pictures (you don't want to see me in my cycling shorts anyway) but it was a fun thing that we did this summer.

A couple of days before that we had the opportunity to see a stage finish for the Tour of Utah. The finish line was right outside of the building Sam works in. I drove down with the girls and we all went down to watch the riders come in. I didn't realize just how fast they would be flying by, especially during the sprint. It was also fun to try my hand at getting some action shots with my camera.

Sprinting to the finish

This is George Hincapie. We have been watching him race with Lance Armstrong for years at the Tour de France. He is an amazing cyclist and it was so much fun to see him ride in person. I didn't even know that I had gotten this shot until I looked at the pictures later.

The cyclist in the middle in the black and yellow of the Trek Livestrong team is Chase Pinkham. Sam worked with his dad at Perfect Practice MD and at Mediconnect. Chase is 18 years old and is a professional cyclist. He spent the summer riding all over Europe. He is an amazing kid and we are looking forward to watching him develop and hopefully be very successful.

Waiting for the racers to come in.

Sarah thought the whole thing was pretty fun especially since they were giving out free ice cream samples, but Lily didn't have a very good time.

Sarah loves to ride her scooter and really likes going down hill. She makes me nervous sometimes but at least she wears her helmet.

We have also done some geocaching this summer. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's like a high tech treasure hunt. You go onto a website and download the GPS coordinates of a place where someone has hidden a box or "cache".  Caches come in different sizes, anything from boxes to micro caches that are little tiny tubes.  Inside the cache there is usually a log book to sign and date and in larger caches there sometimes are little items to be traded. You take what is there and leave something equal or better. There are geocache sites all over the world.  It's a fun way to get out and see things and places that you wouldn't even know about otherwise. We have been doing ones close to home so far. There are many just here in Kaysville. 

You are supposed to be careful and not let anyone see you find the cache. Unfortunately people are not very considerate and will steal or vandalize a cache. You make up a code name to use on the website and to sign the log books. Our family has one but it's a secret! The bandanas in the pictures have something to do with our code name.

Finding the cache

This is a micro cache

Heading off to find the next one.

This friendly horse got a little too close for Lily's comfort.

We have had so much fun this summer and we hope that as we stay active our kids will want to go out and run, hike, bike, geocache and stay active all of their lives.

Platt family camping trip

This year we went camping with my family at Downata Hot Springs in Downey Idaho.  They have a water park and campgrounds and we had a wonderful time. It was great to spend time with everyone and the waterslides were so much fun.

We took a group picture the morning before everyone left. My parents aren't in the photo because they had to leave the night before but they were at the campout. Next year I'll be sure to get proof that they were actually there.

Sarah eating candy. The kids had so much over the weekend.

Summer Fun and Playing with Cousins

We've had a lot of fun this summer playing with cousins and just enjoying some time together. Here are just a few highlights.

My girls have so much fun playing with their cousins.

Swimming has been a very popular activity this summer. Lily practically lives in her swim suit. She throws fits when we have to strip it off of her.

One night for FHE we had pudding as a treat. As you can see, Lily really got into hers.

Lily wouldn't let go of her trail mix to put her arms out so the elbows were all we'd get.

The zoo is always a favorite activity.

Sam bought the girls these butterfly nets. Sarah had fun trying to catch bubbles with them.

Father's Day

For Father's Day this year I made Sam a slideshow to music and put it on a DVD. I did one last year and I think it will become a tradition. I thought I would post it. It's kind of sappy but my goal is to make him cry and so far I  am two for two.

Ragnar 2010

Sam ran in the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay again this year. His friend Chad invited him to be on his team again and then Sam brought in a couple of friends. They had a great time and all did really well. This time I vowed I was going to be prepared. We had Sam's cousin Ryan's daughter Stephanie staying with us that week and she was great to help with the girls. We went and bought poster board and made signs for the girls to hold and we decorated the car windows to cheer Sam on. His first leg of the race was in Liberty and was Friday afternoon. We packed some snacks and put the girls in the car and drove out there. We found this nice grassy spot at an LDS church right alongside the route and we sat and ate food and waited for Sam to come. I pulled out my camera to get some shots of him coming down the road and I realized that I had left my battery at home on the charger. I couldn't believe. I took a few pictures of the girls holding their signs with my cell phone camera and as soon as I figure out how to get them on the computer I'll update those.

The next day we drove up to Park City to see them at the finish line. Sam was in van 1 so they had already finished and had the opportunity to go a condo that Chad had rented and showered. The families met up with the runners at the Ruby Tuesday in Park City for some food and then we were to head over to the Canyons Resort for the big finish. Brilliant that I am, I locked my keys in the trunk of my car at the restaurant. We had to call Sam's dad and have him come up with an extra set of keys. I really appreciate him bailing me out and then he got to come along to the finish line.

The Friends and Family Plan at the finish line

I forgot to take pictures of the car when it was all decorated but Sam wouldn't let me wash off the back window until I got a picture. It took me several weeks before I finally pulled my camera out and snapped a picture of it. Yes, I drove around everywhere with this on the back of my car. I got some funny looks and a few questions.


One of the vendors at the finish line gave away smoothies. The girls loved them especially since it was very hot that day. Here they are trying to get every last drop.

Preschool graduation

 

Sarah graduated from her first year of preschool.  She attended the Raggedy Ann and Andy Preschool that is run by my sister-in-laws mother and grandmother. They have been doing this for years and do a wonderful job. They love the kids and the kids love them right back. Sarah enjoyed preschool but sometimes thought it was too long. We'll see what she thinks of elementary school when she's there for seven hours. Her first day of preschool she cried and reached out for me but her teachers held her and told me to go home, that she would be fine. I cried all the way home. I raced back after the two hours only to find her happily lined up with the other kids showing the child standing next to her her new shoes. She has grown up so much this past year I can hardly believe it. We are proud of her progress and can't wait to see how much more she will learn and grow.

Sarah receiving her certificate from Miss Kaylynn

Sarah's other teacher Mrs. Hodson

Sarah's spring dance recital

Sarah loves her dance class. She told me one day that dance was WAY more fun than preschool. This past spring they had their big dance recital and she couldn't wait. She drove me crazy for hours before the recital asking if she could get dressed yet. I finally told her she could get dressed and then she spent the rest of the time complaining about her collar hurting her. We would leave the collar undone until she had to go onstage and then hurry and do it up then undo it again in between numbers. She was so excited to have both sets of grandparents there. We are so lucky to live close to both our parents and they are always there to support us and our kids. Sarah did a wonderful job at the recital and was so cute. There is nothing quite like watching a group of three and four year olds up on stage trying to remember what to do. I love it and I'm so glad that Sarah has had the chance to do this.

This was taken at the dress rehearsal. I just love her expression.

The big finale with all the classes. 

 The two girls behind Sarah in the cute hats are Sarah's friends Olivia and Paige. She wasn't able to be in the same class but at least at the finale they were standing together.

Because I am so far behind on my posts, Sarah has already started taking dance again this fall.  She loves it again but is very put out because there is another Sarah in her class.  She thinks that she should be the only one and can't understand why parents would give their kids her name.  I've tried to explain and told her that it's such a beautiful name that other people like it too. I'm afraid she better get used to it. Sometime in the future she will have another Sarah in a school class and I'm thinking that she will have to be known as "Sarah H" I guess that's the price we pay for going with a classic name and spelling it traditionally. Good luck with that my Sarah H.

Best Mother's Day Gift

For Mother's Day I told Sam that I wanted to go camping. I know that may sound strange for some women but that was what I wanted. I wanted to get away with my little family and enjoy some time just the four of us. We decided since the weather was still quite cool that we would head south. We decided on Goblin Valley. We then had to explain to Sarah that they weren't real goblins and showed her some pictures of what it looked like. After that she was very excited. This would be Lily's first camping trip and I couldn't wait to see what her reaction would be. We loaded up the car and headed out Saturday after Bountiful Baskets. I apologize this is quite long and has a lot of pictures but it we packed a lot of fun into the weekend.



Lily spilled all over herself in the car and ended up stripped down to her diaper. Eventually both girls fell asleep and it was a very peaceful drive the rest of the way.



We camped in Green River at the Green River State Park. It was a nice campground with large trees that shaded our campsite almost the whole time and the ground was grassy.

Sarah helped Sam set up the tent.


She got thirsty so she put on one of our camelbacks and worked while she got a drink. How very efficient of her.



Lily had the right idea. While everyone else worked to set up camp, she kicked back with a can of Pringles.



The next day we drove down to Goblin Valley. It was fun exploring the valley but it was really windy so we didn't stay very long.


We drove just outside of Goblin Valley State Park and found the Little Wildhorse slot canyon that we had been told about. We decided to go for it and I strapped Lily on and away we went. It was a tough hike but very amazing. The worst part again was the wind and let me tell you, that wind gets flying through that canyon. On the way back out, we strapped Lily on my back with the baby wrap and tucked her head under it and she fell fast asleep. Sarah was a little trooper and hiked for most of the way then Sam carried her on his shoulders.



After our hike, we headed back to camp and a cooler environment. While dinner was cooking, Sam tied a rope he had brought along into a ball and swung the rest over a tree branch and the girls used it as a swing. They had so much fun.



Lily sure enjoyed the corn on the cob we had for dinner that night.




When it was time to go home the next day, Sarah fell apart and started sobbing that she didn't want to go home. She was upset because we had brought gear to go fishing and stopped on the way out and got licenses so she was adamant that we had to go fishing before we went home. So we ended up stopping in North Salt Lake and going fishing at a little pond out there. She loved it and Sam even caught a fish!


I love how she's holding the pole between her feet.

Not a bad sized fish for a little pond. Everyone around us had been there for hours and had caught nothing. We were there for maybe an hour. Awesome!


Lily checking out Dad's fish.

It was a wonderful weekend and the best Mother's Day I have had so far.