Springfield Has Its Perks

One of those is being the home of the State Fair. We met several other couples from our small group to take it in. We took part in some scrumptious and ever-so-healthy fair food and introduced the kids to the carni world through the ridiculously expensive fair rides. Drake had a big decision to make. He had to choose between a really cool jumpy ride which would take all his money or tickets for two of the other rides. He decided on the big jumping ride. Here is some footage from the experience.

So, after Drake got done jumping away, Hadley got to have her turn on the rides. She rode with another little boy from our small group. They had a blast riding the boats and the helicopeters and each time it stopped Hadley would say, "MORE AGAIN!!"



She was not too happy about being done but we left the rides with the intentions of heading to the barns to check out some animals and then on to some dessert- a funnel cake and lemonade shake-up. Yum.

What happens in Vegas...

Gabe surprised me with a trip to Vegas this last weekend. (And he got tickets, buy one, get one free, so it was a very inexpensive get-away since he was going for work!!) We left on Thursday afternoon and got home Monday afternoon. For me, it was a great trip of relaxation, sun, reading and the pool. When Gabe wasn't working, we did get to drive out to Red Rock Canyon and drive through the beautiful 13 mile path through it. We also got out and walked around a little to enjoy the scenery up close. For Gabe, the trip involved a lot more work that looked like this:

He visited two church to learn all about IMAG (live video during the church service) and to watch it in action. Our church is getting ready to launch this HUGE project and so Gabe really enjoyed getting to get behind the scenes at other churches that are doing it well and learn a few more tricks of the trade.

We had a great time, but were very ready to get home too. We even tried to switch our flight and come home the night before, but couldn't get it switched, but we were up bright and early the next morning to catch our flight and even got to see the sun rise over the mountains- beautiful!

Knight's Action Park

This weekend has definitely felt like August- whew, hot and humid! So, we have kept cool by swimming! Yesterday we went to camp to swim all afternoon and today (after church and lunch) we went to Knight's Action Park. (We knew this might be a dangerous move because the kids would miss naptime altogether, but we decided to chance it.) We went one day last summer, just after we had moved to Springfield and it was a lot of fun. This year was even better! Aunt Kara and family got us tickets to go for the kids' birthdays. Hadley absolutely loves the water and enjoyed it all. Drake is a terrific fish and is so brave, he even tried the BIG slides this year and loved them! Hadley started small, but after several times down the kids' slides she was going by herself. She even told me to stop getting up to catch her at the bottom of the slide- "sit down mommy, hadley do it self." Drake is SUCH a good big brother, he so patiently took Hadley to the top of the slide, would wait for her to go, then would go himself and wait to take her back up to the top with him. When Hadley was looking at the pictures tonight of her standing in line she kept saying "wait my turn", I think she heard that about a million times today and for 2, she did an awesome job standing in line and waiting! Drake is so independent now in the water and he is so much fun. Gabe and I had a great time taking turns going with him to the big slides and got to enjoy them for ourselves too. I think a season pass might have to be in our future. The kids did an amazing job, although Hadley did say "long day, mommy" a few times. I don't think we saw any tears all day, even when it was time to go home. I think they were so exhausted they were ready, I'm hoping for a good 14 hours out of them tonight!

Opposites

Hadley's latest reading ability (okay, not really reading but memorizing)

Yum, summer

We've been enjoying our last few weeks of summer. Today we headed to a splash park about 1/2 an hour away. Can't beat free fun with good friends! We've also been loving all the fresh summer food (including a few squash from our one squash plant that grew!).

The Big Day

The day started early with hair appointments for all the ladies, followed by make-up, pictures, eating and then the big ceremony! I won't mention that someone forgot to take her brother's ring to the stage, uhem, and then her sister bailed her out and handed her the ring during the ceremony. (thanks for covering my rear, Kara!) Other than that little glitch, the day was beautiful! The weather was perfect, the couple was lovely, the kids were well-behaved, and the laughter was plenty. What more could you ask for?! It made me get a little sentimental and feel a little sappy that Gabe and I are coming up on 8 years of marriage. Wow, I can't believe it and yet, since we started dating nearly 13 years ago, it is hard to remember our lives not together. I sure do love him more each year and am so thankful for our life together. ( A big thanks to Nana and Papa for helping out with the kids Friday night and Saturday morning too so that we could take part in all of the pre-wedding festivities while the kids got to have a fun time too!)

Seriously Crazy.

For some unknown reason, Hadley learned how to cross her eyes. It's a little creepy. She does it at the most opportune moments, just to get a laugh. What a goof! I tried and tried to catch the best picture, but couldn't get it to snap at the best moment, so here's a close shot...