Silver Dollar City

We met up with family to spend the day at Silver Dollar City.  Dad was there.  Miranda and her family was there.  Some of Jonathan's kids were there. And Charlotte came with us.  It was a fun time.

Fun enough that Zachary fell asleep when Alex got lost and we were looking for him.

But aside from the missing-Alex issue, we had a marvelous time.  Dad enjoyed going up and down with Emily.

And Marian rode the Time Traveler multiple times.

Time Traveler was one of the most enjoyed rides.  Alex and his Dad went on it.

The new River Raft ride had a very long wait, and I discovered that I did NOT like it.

Yeah, the pictures are totally out of order.  But here is Dad, working hard.

And then a cute shot of Emily, as they descend.

I think this was a "proof of life" photo I sent to Dan.

 

Time at the Temple

My darling niece Issy was going to go through the temple for the first time in preparation for her mission.  We were very excited about this and formulated a plan to go there to be with her.  This involved taking my 4 girls, plus Charlotte on a 4 hour drive to Kansas City.  Dad drove with us and we were suppose to pick up Issy from the airport.  We were going to meet up with family there and the girls were going to babysit Miranda's kids while we were inside.   We were already on the road when we got word that Issy's connecting flight had been cancelled, and she would not be arriving in the evening.  

Well, we were already on the way!  So we kept going.  We were able to drop the girls off at a hotel, as Miranda did not bring her kids.  She and Deborah carpooled up together and we met up at the temple and had a lovely time. 

This is my new favorite photo! that photobomber in the back is the best!

My sister and the Temple.  What's not to love?!

Okay, these are totally out of order. But here I am, with my "I was there" selfie.

I love how tall Miranda looks here.  And I love my sisters!!

Me and the temple and the setting sun.

And I was really going for a shot with Moroni.  But alas, I did not quite get it.

Me and Dad. 

 

Playing at the Pool

My friend Vela has a pool.  We like to go visit her when we are in town.  Partly because she has a pool, but mostly because I just like her.

The water was a little chilly, but they did not care.

Marian had a delightful time.

We had a lunch break and I sent this picture to Dan.

Callie ran out of steam early, but that was okay- she brought a book.

We brought Charlotte with us and she had a marvelous time.

Charlotte and Rylee stayed in the whole time and had to be dragged away!

 

Good Times

Deborah and her family came for a bit and it was cute to see these cousins cooking.

Marian found a friend!

She fished him out of the pond, but he didn't turn into a prince, so she sent him back.

A sneaky picture during evening scripture study.

This is Marian, getting her driving test. Actually, this is the pre-test.  We did not know that the Tester would ask her to demonstrate adjusting the mirrors, and locating the hazard lights, parking break and high beams.  Marian still passed and was authorized to drive!

Delaney had fun with Hailey.

Rylee also had a good time with Hailey!  I think they would have enjoyed having a younger sibling. Or maybe it is really only fun when you don't have to live with them?!

This vest was a fabulous thrift store find. Marian had to model it so we could send the picture to Callie.

And another thrift store delight.  No. We did not bring it home, this photo was enough!

 

Independence Day Shenanegans

I'm not a good Independence Day celebrator.  I mean, I like it, and I do like watching fireworks, but I don't go out and buy them.  I don't know what to get or what things do.  So I leave that to my brother-in laws to take care of.  Ian did not disappoint this year.  Deborah and Ian were visiting and they made it a more exciting evening than I would have!

Pre-firework festivities; being dive-bombed by a firefly!

More worried about future attacks from fireflies than she is about the fireworks.

Haley and her sparkler.

Charlotte and her sparkler.

I wanted a sweet 4th of July picture with this kid.  But the sparkler died too fast.

Take 2 with the sparkler

Love this cute kid!