August 2017

August was great!  Sad it is over, but so glad we had it!

We started the month with an official tour of the new MTC facility that we have been using for a couple months.

We were joined by Aaron and Michelle's family, Lori,  Carole, and Al and most of his family.







Scott and I went on a beautiful morning hike to Stewart Falls and were the first ones up there and had the falls to ourselves.  Beautiful rainbows in the mist of the falls!

Scott put together this collage of photos he took!

The next week was BURN CAMP PRESCHOOL with Breanna, Elliot and Braden.

So much fun and such a worthwhile day for all of us!
We had 5 cute kiddos that had a great day with us!
Yay Breanna for being director and so organized!!

August is salsa month.  Did my first batch before going to New Jersey.  Another when I returned.

Then on the 16th it was off for New Jersey to be with Jenna and kiddos.

We made a day trip to the Liberty Science Center in Newark.
Perfect for a rainy day!

Bennett on the rock climbing wall.

The boys favorite place today was the BEE DISPLAY!

Carter is pointing to the queen bee here...

Here she is with the red dot on her back.

See how the other bees all turn to face her?  It was really fun to watch this happen wherever she went.
We were there a long time.

The boys were very excited to try a dark sensory tunnel they had missed the last time they went with Grandpa Taylor last month.

Got some copies of the photos they take as you are feeling your way through the tunnel.

The boys would spend hours each day looking at and catching butterflies on the butterfly bushes in their yard!  We saw/caught and released monarchs and swallowtails and lots of smaller ones.

We LOVED the solar eclipse!
It looked just amazing!

In New Jersey it was only about a 75% eclipse, but it was still stunning!  We sat outside and checked on it for the full 2 hours.  It was visibly darker when it was at the maximum and it cooled down a bit...really interesting!

Carter had his 8th birthday on the 22nd.
He did not want cake this year, but CINNAMON ROLLS!  Nice choice!  They were delicious!

It's GREAT TO BE 8!!

We did several walks on the trail near their house with the boys.

And we did several days swimming at their friend's swimming pool too!

Here is Carter with his main birthday present,
A NEW BIKE!!  He is transitioning to a bike with hand brakes.

The boys loved the books that Jenny sent for each of them!











We went to the Franklin Institute after stopping at the Philadelphia airport to complete our Global Entry/TSA applications.

Super fun museum for all ages!

Very fun interactive displays all through the museum.

After the museum, we walked over to the Philadelphia temple.  This park was on the way and the man on the bench gave the boys bread to feed the pigeons.

We watched from the fountain nearby.

And on to the temple...

Small but perfectly suited to the area and historical look!

And the main reason for our trip this year was to be there for Carter's baptism.

He was ready and excited and it was a beautiful evening with family and friends!
Congratulations Carter!

He looked pretty good in white...
And here is how handsome he looks in his new suit!!