Fourth of July in Utah

 Carly's family went to Utah for the 4th of July weekend, while we were there too. Joey and Katie were gracious hosts, welcoming all of us into their home. The cousins had a great time together.

 

 Annie thinks she is one of the kids.

Daniel reading Cows to the Rescue! 

We took the kids up Hobble Creek Canyon, to the place where we used to have family reunions, while Joey, Abby, Rich and Kevin went kayaking on the Provo River. It's a lot nicer than when we went there years ago.

There's still a creek for cooling off and playing in.

Katie brought Daniel up for awhile so he could join in the fun before having to go home and take a nap. He loved being in the water with the other kids.

This is how the grandchildren cooled off- sticking their heads in the water! 

 

Muscle men! 

 

 Grandpa had a rousing game of Three Billy Goats Gruff going on this bridge.

We went to Costco afterward for smoothies.

 In the meantime, here are Carly and Rich taking a plunge off a different bridge.

On the 3rd of July we went across the street to Joey and Katie's friends' house and watched a wonderful fireworks display.

 We spent some time the next morning at Bridal Veil Falls. Evan really wanted to climb up to the top again, like he did two years ago. Jackson went part way up, then decided he'd rather play in the water at the bottom. As you can see, he stuck his head in again!

 There's a great splash pad at the City Center in Springville, where Daniel and Jackson had fun playing with friends- and Grandpa.

Katy put this on FB, so I'll include talented Jovie here.

 We got together with Valerie and her baby, Ana, one night when we all went out for dinner. 

 Carly and Rich went home on Monday, and we stayed until Wednesday, so Tuesday, we took Jackson on a little adventure. We rode the train (which only cost $10.00 for all of us, and we could have had two more adults included for that price) up to Salt Lake and went to the Children's Museum.

 We just followed Jackson around and let him do whatever he wanted to for three hours. During that time, he didn't show any signs of fatigue, but just had a wonderful time going around to all the different activities. All he cared about was having us close enough that he could see us, but he was fine playing on his own.

 He especially loved playing in the helicopter.

 He liked being a garbageman a lot too. There were recycling conveyor belts with fake trash and cans, etc. He stayed there longer than anywhere else.

 Ready to head home.

 Daniel was kind of partial to Grandpa.

New Haven, CT June 2015

 I was fortunate to find a flight that went all the way to New Haven, so I didn't have to ride a bus and train from Hartford this time. It was a very small plane with propellers that went from Philadelphia to New Haven.

 I was so excited to see Stella for the first time in several months. She changed a lot in that time! She loved going over to East Rock Park, which is about 6 blocks away.

 Sarita made baby food from scratch, which Stella loved!

 Sarita reads a bedtime story every night, although Stella isn't totally into it yet. I recall that Katie did the same thing with Jackson, and eventually he began to love story time.

 Stella liked to sit in her bumbo seat while I cleaned up in the kitchen. However, she learned how to get out of it, which makes it less useful.

 Jesse leaving for campus in the morning. 

 There's a cool cemetery within walking distance- the Grove Cemetery, which has some historic people buried in it. I thought this one might be related, since we have Isaacs in our family, but couldn't find a connection. Stella and I were caught here in a downpour, so took refuge in the caretaker's office until the rain let up. He was an interesting old guy who said he had worked there for 42 years, 7 days a week. When I asked if he ever got a day off, he said, "Well, I guess I could." We took him some cookies a couple of days later.

 The area is most beautiful in the fall, but pretty this time of year too.

 Sarita was able to get some drawings done while Stella and I took our long walks. She has a deadline of the end of this month, so was feeling some pressure. It's hard to sit down and draw with a baby wanting attention. Her pictures are wonderful, and are bound to get some attention when the book is published.

 One of Sarita's friends was out of town and offered to let us go to her apartment during the day so Sarita could work. There were lots of fun toys there, but Stella preferred to climb on me!

 Jesse was in Argentina for a conference of transplant surgeons for over half the time I was there, so couldn't go with us to the Boston Temple. Sarita hadn't had a chance to go to the temple in a long time, so we made the 2 1/2 hour drive and made a day of it. The grounds are beautiful and the weather was nice that day, so Stella and I enjoyed waiting outside.

 We stopped at Costco on the way home. Stella can't really ride in the cart yet, but we tried sitting her in it.

 Stella usually showers with Jesse at night, so while he was gone we put her in the tub. It was her first time bathing without the baby bathtub, and she liked it. She's very slippery though, so had to be held onto.

 Here are some of the pretty places we saw on our walks.

 I had to get a picture at Walmart! I tried carrying Stella in this, and she is pretty heavy. 

 She learned to stand up in her crib while I was there.

 With her little top knot, Stella looks exactly like the baby Sarita drew riding in a basket on a turtle, for her baby announcement.

 We taught her how to use a pacifier, but when we bought a bigger one and offered it, she wasn't too interested. She seemed a little embarrassed to use it.

 She loved swinging at the park.

 Jesse got a couple of these handmade dolls when he was in Argentina.

 Sarita took some very sweet Father's Day pictures ot the two of them.