Summer Vacation (Camera 1)

We started off in Beijing. A really nice lady at the Jade market gave our kids some souvenir necklaces.  Yes, the frogs went with us everywhere ^_^

This part of the Great Wall was the treasure I found when exploring past the tourist end-point.

Our kids spent a lot of time playing at the airports

We arrived in the US, eventually. Cousins enjoyed craft-time.

Jeweled pirate-eye & ironing beads.

Swimming with the Washington cousins.

Backyard playtime!

Trampolines were a big hit, especially when older cousins could show ya how its done!

Ella fell and scraped her knee, walking around at Yellowstone. She needed to be carried, of course :)

Jared and friends created a fort while waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.

Ella got some sticks ready to start a campfire for her stuffed animals.  I didn’t mention that stuffed animals probably don’t want a campfire.
Cute pajamas from the Grand Tetons!! I couldn’t resist.

My mom got a matching pair and the kids loved riding Grandma Moose.

We visited the home of another teacher that had worked with us in China. Sister Anita Wilson and her daughter, Sonya, were great friends. Here they are taking turns playing X-box Kinect and then later visiting their goats.

The ski lift at Aspen Grove is a fun tradition.

Great memories from getting ice cream at the BYU Creamery!


We stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Baughman in an apartment near BYU Campus for a few nights (sorry for the red-eye).

BYU housing graced us with a fun game room, too!

Our Utah friends met us at Jump On It, and the kids got worn out.  See Dropbox for video.

 My friend’s husband got the high score on that punching ball game, too!

Ella got new glasses.

Our kids went to Art Camp at Color Me Mine.

Jared had a tutor help him learn perspective and motion for a few days.

Meanwhile, the grown-ups got to attend Education Week.  My mom, dad, sister, her daughter, and I all had a great time!

I loved my class about DNA and uses for family history and how to reconcile scientific discoveries with the gospel.

We HAD to stop and have some fun at Deseret Industries!  That’s Ella and her cousin, Lauren, in the over-size pant-leg.

Then they sort of posed with Aubrey, another cousin.

Having fun at Aidan’s baptism (hide and seek). The girls look so reverent while they count in the doorway to the men’s bathroom!

Look who Ella found! Monkey Aidan’s Uncle!

We got in some snuggle time before we said goodbye to our Michigan cousins (who came to Utah, so that was super-convenient).

More flying.

We met up with Arizona cousins. 

Carter was interested in the foreign currency.

While the older ones were distracted…

…I got in some quality time with my newest niece, Leia.

We all did… She’s so cute! 

Go Caren!

Here’s my grown-up little brother. He’s multitasking… meeting his sister at the airport, and trying to find that girl he wants to date that conveniently works at the airport.

Those silly kids are trying to have fun at another airport…

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

Besides balancing on the logs near Old Faithful, I think our children most enjoyed throwing rocks into the lakes during our visit to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this summer.  Ella's trying to dig out the biggest ones so she can make a bigger splash.

Jared is looking for the smooth flat ones that are more likely to skip.  We really had a great time, and we're so glad we could share it with Susan's parents.

Some Places We Go

Our bigger grocery store, and the ‘hole in the wall/ground.’

A place to arrange maid services (Ayi).  I’m so glad we can have a clean house after a day at the office!

A Korean BBQ and the entrance to the Raindrops Café (Western Food!).

Fostering Talent

I'm so excited to have a great illustrator tutoring Jared for a few days this summer in art!

Brent Webster
He's well-known for his "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" book-series illustrations.

Dirt

I ate dirt.
Apparently those peanuts I bought were not specially flavored on the outside for my sucking pleasure.  It was just dirt.  Too bad it's all in Chinese, so I didn't know.  Crazy that this food-buying-eating-not-understanding path hasn't led me here before now.  Guess I'm just lucky!