Utah summer trip

Mmmm. Yummy traveling crackers! What is it?!

Happy Face crackers with Cheez Whiz on them from Derek. The ONLY time I would purchase "cheese" in a can. Just sayin'...

We love BYU!

Me taking a break from all our activities. I was pooped in the bed of the pickup!

Went to the county fair and EVERY ONE of us got sick except Iron Gut Katie. We were miserable that night. Too many G-forces for us...

Every kid got to plan the food menus for a few days. Evan (goofy 3-D glasses he kept and hallowed out after we went to watch "Miserable Me" in 3D) chose to make homemade pizza and bake them over the fire at our campsite. Actually REALLY good. One too many episodes of the cooking channel for him though. He only wanted the most expensive ingredients.

Sweet little Alexis. Never a complaint with that one. Easy.

The "robbers" had just come through the train and accused Katie of stealing their loot. She was kind of upset but Evan thought it was great.

Everyone getting ready to board the Heber Creeper train up into the mountains.

Evan swimming in the Provo River. Ohh! That's cold water!

Baiting his hook to fish Provo River. Got skunked. Look at that skinny kid!

Free swim day in Heber City, Utah. Evan thought it was dumb, which explains his expression. He was all smiles a while after that when they threw money in the pool for the kids to get.

Alexis tossing a stick in the water.

Alexis and Evan on the chairlift to the slides at Park City.

Katie (and my toe--I'm connected to it) getting ready to shoot down the mountain on our alpine slide.

Obviously, Park City was the site for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Miss America 2010 emcee: "Katie Troy--8 years old, 4'7", 52 pounds, hails from Longview, Washington. Her favorite foods are beef jerky, pizza and nacho goldfish crackers. When she grows up she wants to be a soccer player with five children..." I just said I wanted a picture and this is the pose she gives me? Cracks me up!

Alexis, Evan and Katie going for a sunset dip in the reservoir near our campsite. (life jackets were required for anyone under 12, so the girls HAD to wear them).

In early August, Derek went to summer church camp (Especially For Youth - EFY-in Utah at Brigham Young University). HIGHLY recommend it for all church youth as it is a wonderful pick-me-up spiritually for the kids. Anyway, since JD was working and Derek was at camp all week, I decided to bring all the kids with us and make it a vacation for the rest of us. Two days in the truck, 10 hours of driving a day and NO FIGHTS!!! Derek was a great help to me and kept everyone stocked with snacks and electronics. BIG help. Derek stayed on campus and the other kids and I stayed at a campground in Park City, Utah. I pulled the trailer all by myself through four states and everything went off without a hitch! I even emptied the poo tank (gross, seriously. Thank goodness for gloves and a good breeze). Everyone had a great time hanging out and doing fun things together. We missed Daddy though. Katie cried one night that she missed him too much. I know he enjoys working and we so appreciate how hard he works, but even JD felt a little left out staying at home to work. He promised he would take time off next summer and come with us. Next year Derek and Evan will both go to EFY so it will probably just be the girls with JD and I. Can't wait. Had so much fun.