Watermelon Eating Contest

Cami was determined to participate in the kid division of the Watermelon eating contest at our ward's Memorial Day Picnic. She really went at it and tied for second place with her friend Whitney. Immediately after the last picture was taken, she burst into tears and said, "My stomach hurts!". We had a little rest in the shade, cleaned off the sticky juice, and felt much better:)

I forgot to take pictures of anything else, but we had a fun time playing sports and visiting with our friends. It's going to be tough to finish another 4 weeks of school after this taste of summer!

When they said "GO", Dom held the bowl up where they couldn't reach it. It was funny to watch all the little people jumping up and down around him.

The first bite tasted great!

Now she's slowing down a bit.

Tied for 2nd place!

Water Fight

We have so many cute kids in our neighborhood. Some of them got together for a slip-n-slide party which turned into a water fight with all the little ones taking on Dallin and Taylor. It was so fun to watch all the different ages of kids helping each other have fun. Ahhh.... summer is finally here!

That is the face of Pure Joy! I love this picture of Matt.

Meghan had no idea what was going on, but once she figured it out she was all about chasing Taylor with the hose. So cute!

Meghan would fill up her bucket and then ask Taylor "Which one?", as in who am I supposed to dump this on?

Dallin had control of the hose most of the time and the boys loved trying to get to him with their buckets. They took a lot of water in the face in the process:)

Carter had been trying to get Dallin for about 20 minutes when he finally got him from behind. He was very proud!

Noah didn't want to play. He just looked cute in his hat.

Taylor's Concert

Tonight we went to Taylor's Orchestra and Chorus concert. She has really enjoyed playing with the orchestra this year. The group has grown and the teacher is amazed at the quality of this young group of musicians. So was I! Taylor wasn't thrilled with the bandana around her neck, but the teacher insisted is was necessary for the last song (a very difficult country style piece). They did a great job.

The big event of the night for us was Taylor's solo. She decided to audition for it with 20 or so other kids while Ed and I were on our trip. She did a lot of practicing and fought off some nerves before stepping up to do a beautiful job. We're very proud of you Taylor! (sorry the camera is a little shaky, I was really zoomed and any movement is really magnified!)

Africa Museum

Taylor's class hosted an Africa Museum today. Parents and other classes could come and learn all about the many African countries the 6th graders have studied. Taylor's group did a great job and their food sample (Yams) was a big hit among all the kids.

2nd Grade Concert

Cami did a great job in her 2nd grade concert. I really love the music teacher Mr. Grumble. He does such an amazing job with all the kids at Bridge Valley (1,200 to be exact). I was so pleased that the kids sang (among others) a patriotic song as well as "Angels Among Us". I guess all is not lost in public schools after all;)

You'll notice that Cami is very serious about singing and although she was thoroughly enjoying herself... it's hard to tell:) Great job Cami!!!

Paris - Day 4

Today we took a trip to Versailles. This opulent chateau is unbelievable in size and grandeur. We spent the majority of the day wandering the grounds and the buildings. I just can't believe that there were so many people starving while the royal families were covering everything in gold and trying to replicate the canals of Venice with thousands of laborers. No wonder there was a revolution. The grounds certainly were beautiful and we relaxed on the grass in the perfect weather. We particularly enjoyed the gardens and the overwhelming smell of lilac.










We spent our last evening in Paris strolling down Champs Elysees and visiting the Louvre to see the pyramid at sunset. It was the perfect ending to a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. I can't wait to see the kids tomorrow!

Paris - Day 3

Ed wanted me to say that this Lamborghini was our rental car while in Paris.

You all believed that... right?
Actually, we have very luxurious metro passes and they are much safer than driving in this crazy city!

Do you recognize this place from a movie? I'll give you one clue - Haambuuurger.

That's right - Jacques Clouseau parks his smart car in front of this building and walks up the stairs.

Today we went to the Musee d'Orsay. It is housed in an old railway station and has a great impressionists section (my favorite). Ed really enjoyed the architectural drawings display and we were both disturbed by a lot of the sculptures. Sorry, I'm just not an art lover I guess, but no one needs to see some of that stuff.



Next we went to the 17th century Hotel des Invalides. Built to house wounded soldiers, Napoleon's tomb is here as well as one of the largest collections of militaria in the world. We wished Dallin was with us to see all the swords, armor, and crossbows. It was very interesting, but also depressing to see how much war and bloodshed Europe has endured over the centuries.

The royal armor of Louis "the Lion"

Armory was actually an art form. We decided these must have been made by beginners. Look at the openings to see through - the little pin holes aren't even at the same level. How's this supposed to protect you in battle if you can't even see? They are funny though.

This is Napoleon's tomb. He requested to be buried at this place built for soldiers.

Paris - Day 2

Today we got up early to beat the crowds at the most popular tourist attraction in all of France - Notre-Dame. The foundation stone was laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163 and took 170 years to complete. It was almost destroyed during the revolution and was in a terrible state of decay when Victor Hugo published The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in 1831. Hugo was determined to save his country's spiritual heart and helped mount a campaign for restoration which occurred in 1841-64. It was beautiful and there was even a service going on with some singing while we were walking around.






After touring Notre-Dame we headed over to Sainte-Chapelle. It was a long line and because it is in the same complex as the government buildings, you have to go through extra security. This chapel was built by Louis IX (1214-70) as a place to store his collection of relics. The upper chapel is famous for its stained glass windows. It was beautiful, but amazingly smaller than I expected.

Paris - Day 1 Evening

We wanted to see the Eiffel Tower at night. I'm so glad we did. We were able to go to the top and also walked through the surrounding gardens. There is a light show on the hour and many great photo opportunities. This structure is so steady that it never sways more than 4.5 in. - even the strongest winds. It was a little cold and windy, but it was a good excuse to snuggle close.