Yes, I've been slacking

Yes, I know it's been over 2 weeks since I posted. I tried really hard last night, honest I did, but blogger was being really frustrating so I gave up in a fit of tired anger. Yes, we are still alive. We've been on the go a lot the last couple of weeks, so between activities and trying to convince Connor that he doesn't need to do Wii boxing yet again, it's cut into my blogging time. Jake's now up in Seattle, though, so I may have a little more time to blog. He left yesterday to start his residency today!! He's loving it already and I'm so excited for him. I miss him, though. I don't do very well with separation. I'm just glad to be at my parent's house and have some distractions and extra help with the kiddos. :) Anyway, here's a recap of all the exciting happenings in our lives:

We took the kids to Ross Park with my mom for the afternoon. They have a really fun kiddie pool. Ellie was in heaven getting to splash around as you can see.

My cute boys had fun too, as long as Connor wasn't getting sprayed. He's not a big fan of H2O in the face.

I guess I have to post a picture of myself every now and then. I usually get out of it since I'm the one taking the pictures, but here you go. Visual proof that I'm still alive. :)

We took the kids to the IF zoo. Not nearly as big as the one in NC, but it was kind of nice. We were able to get through everything in about an hour and a half. The whole way there, Connor kept talking about how he was "going to get thirsty and take a big drink out of the hippopotamus mouth drinking fountain." There wasn't a hippo, but there was a lion. I guess since they are native to the same continent, it's ok. :)

I have a picture on this very tiger from when Connor was a year old. I can't believe how fast he's growing. Jake is still a handsome beast as ever. :)

My awesome lil' sister Amber. She's been so helpful while we've been here and the kids love her. I keep asking my parents if she can just come live with me in Seattle, but no such luck. We'll just take advantage of her while we're here and be in withdrawal when we move.

Connor loved the monkeys. I think he's jealous that they can jump as much as they want and no one stops them.

On Friday we went down to Antelope Island for Jake's family reunion. I'd never been to Antelope Island before. I can't say I'm dying to camp there again, but the company was great and Jake's sister had put a lot of work into it. Aside from the dust, biting gnats, and lack of shade, it was actually pretty pleasant. :)

Connor was in little boy heaven. Lots of dirt and open space to run.

The view was actually pretty nice from this angle. . .

. . not so much from this one. It was nice not having to worry about bears, but we would get the occasional bison wandering close to camp. That was kind of a fun experience for the kids.

Jake's uncle was kind enough to bring a couple of horses for the kids to ride. Ellie (in the background, riding with me) was so excited she was giggling the whole time (especially since her beloved Andrea was leading the horse) , and Connor had a huge grin on his face. It totally made his day.

Connor especially loved playing with Gavin. They started playing this game with a tie rope "so that they could stick together." They'd start walking in different directions and see who would get pulled down first. They had a great time, and it made some pretty good entertainment for the adults. :)

So, the real reason I didn't blog on Father's day is because we had a family dinner and didn't get back until late. It was really fun seeing members of the Johnson Family. We didn't get home until really late, and I was too tired by the time we got kids in bed. We've really enjoyed being so close to family again. We really miss North Carolina, but having family around is a nice consolation.

My uncle is an amazing gardener. This is his backyard, and even more amazing is that he's done this all himself. This is the kind of yard I want when I grow up.

Our ward (my parent's ward) had a Fathers and Sons camp out the Friday before Father's day. Jake was so excited to take Connor. It seemed like he always missed the one in NC for some reason. So, they went to the camp out with my dad, and Ellie and I stayed with my Mom and sister and had a girls night and went shopping the next day. Jake took the camera with him, so I don't have pictures of how excited Ellie got when we went to the shoe store. Just look at the picture above of her in the pool and imagine that expression on her face, just with a lot of squeals and with her sitting in a stroller.

Connor loved shooting guns. Here he is getting some pointers from Grandpa Johnson.

Isn't it funny how exciting a sleeping bag is when you're 4? For Connor it was magical. He told me all about it when they came home.

His favorite part, of course, was the fire. I wouldn't expect anything different from a little boy. He told me on the phone that night all about how he "got fire on the sticks and then put it out." We had a talk right after that about how we just do that camping. It was almost like I could hear him thinking it in his head that that might be something fun to try at home. . .

Well, this isn't from Fathers and Sons, but it was from a boy's outing two weeks ago. It was Connor's first trip to the driving range. Apparently he even hit a couple of balls.

Well, there it is. A monster post, but now I'm caught up. Hopefully I won't continue this trend of not blogging regularly. I've already been scolded. :)