Silly Boy

I found this picture... no explanation needed!

One Big Rose

Don is Cindy's boyfriend.  He is a great guy.  We have enjoyed getting to know him and his daughters. We find it ironic that Don has all girls and Cindy has all boys.  They have been dating for quite a while now.  Don is very nice to Cindy.  Don knows Memorial Day is hard for Cindy and because he is so kind he gave her this gigantic rose from his flower garden.  I thought is was a tissue paper rose at first.  It is so perfect!  I took a picture of it next to my lens cap so you can get an idea of how big this rose really is.

More Memorial Day

On Memorial Day we had a BBQ up in Ogden Valley.  We were on a very large lot and so we set up a little shooting range.  Everyone had a lot of fun.  We had delicious Costco steak for dinner and a yummy chocolate cake for dessert.  It was a nice relaxing way to spend the day.  Memorial Day has been hard for our family since Kyle's dad passed away just over 3 years ago.  Right after Memorial Day is is Grandpa Grant's birthday and then Father's Day.  

This is Desi's first time shooting a gun! She did awesome!

Lee striking a pose!

Don poising a shooting shot. 

Hey Don! You are pointing a little high!

Kyle wanted me to get a picture of him shooting a clay pigeon.  I have blown up the pictures so you can see it too! 

Here you see it...

now you don't.  

(It is the little cloud looking thing in the very middle of the picture)

Memorial Day

I love holidays and family traditions!  On Memorial Day we always meet all of Kyle's extended family at the cemetery.  We usually stay and visit for a while before we head to other grave sites.  It is a nice opportunity to see our loved ones and remember the ones who have passed on before us.  

It is never a family get together without someone doing something silly.  This cemetery in Ogden is on the bench of the mountains.  It is really steep!  A few years ago one of the aunts lost her balance and rolled down the entire hill.  She couldn't catch herself until she had rolled all the way to the bottom.  This year was less climatic.  One of the cousins came to the cemetery with really long hair.  We were all amazed at how long her hair had grown since we last saw her.  She went on to show us these fake hair extensions she had put in her hair.  Kyle's Aunt Joni thought they were so cool!  She asked if she could try one.  We would all agree that you need to buy more than one hair extension.  Otherwise it looks a little silly.  

Thanks Aunt Joni for the laugh this year!

Trip to Utah

We went to Utah for Memorial Day weekend.  When we got to Cindy's house Thursday night  Chris had a camp fire on the patio.  Grant thought it was so cool!  We roasted a few hot dogs and marshmallows for a late night snack.  It was a great way to start a fun weekend with all our family.

Swimming Lessons

I put Grant in swimming lessons this spring.   I figure the sooner he learns to swim the better.   Good thing too! The first day it took about 5 minutes before he would even touch the water with the tip of his finger. 

We did two entire months of swimming lessons.  It has been so good for him.  I think he has a lot more confidence and is more willing to try physical activities.  

Two months of lessons is a long time to spend at the pool.  We had two different teachers.  The change was good for him.  The first teacher was a lot more willing to let the child lead.  She was great with a cautious child like Grant.  The second teacher was a little more aggressive and pushed the kids a little harder.  For Grant this was perfect.  By the time he had a month or so of swimming lessons he was ready to be pushed a little bit. 

Putting his face in the water was the hardest part.   He didn't like it much at all.  To be quite honest I don't like to do it much either.  I am not a fish like my swim team sister.   After he put his face in the water the first time we started counting how many times he put his face in during each lesson.  It was a lot of swimming lessons, but he passed the first level!  Hurray!  I took a lot of pictures!  I can't believe how much progress he made in two months.

Face in the water one time...

...second time...

...third time...

...and a big smile!

In the water five times...

...and still happy!

Make that six...

...and now we will back float.

This is Grant's FAVORITE part!  The kids pretend to be a tree, the teacher "chops" the tree down, and the kids jump into the pool.  Grant was a coconut tree today!

Timber!

All the way under!

I counted at least 11 times with his face in the water during this lesson, but then I lost track.  Grant was so proud of himself.  And I think he has every right to be!

The Big 21!

We felt honored to be in Utah for Chris's big 21st birthday.  He is such a great guy.  Chris is so thoughtful and kind!  If it weren't for this guy we never would have moved our stuff out of our home in Utah in time.  He worked all weekend night and day!  We are so grateful to have him in our family.  Happy Birthday Chris!