Watering Emrie

Emrie was helping dad water some plants. First she got so wet we had to take of some clothing. Then biggest brother Matthew stopped by and decided to water Emrie. He tried to make up to her by giving her a bike ride.

A Day at Lagoon

Each year the Alumni Association hosts a day at Lagoon for BYU-Idaho. This year was the first time Isaac and Emrie were able to go. Emrie loved the kiddy rides and Isaac showed now fear going on all the big kid rides he could. Unfortunately, he his just one inch short at 46 inches to ride the biggest roller coasters. Christopher was a great big brother host, especially for Isaac.

Our Big Helper

Once we returned to Rexburg from our summer vacation, we had to spend time unloading the van. As usual, we arrived fairly late. All of the kids pitched in helping us unload the car, but we were happily surprised how much Emrie wanted to help. She made several trips back to the van from the house, always looking for something to carry.

A Visit to Tim, Haley, and Athen

On our way home to Rexburg we stopped to visit the Harris family in Pasco. While there, Steve hosted an event for BYUI students and thankfully the host family had pool since it was 105 degrees that day. Christopher spent nearly the whole time in the pool and Isaac mostly just danced around getting his feet wet now and again.

Our Annual Visit to Anthony's

Each year when we visit the Dorman family we make a stop at one of our favorite restaurants, Anthony's. They have an early bird special which provides a four course meal, topped of by an especially good Anthony's Burnt Cream. Christopher was adventurous and ordered panned fried oysters, which he ended up having to swap with dad. Grandpa Dorman ordered the same thing and thankfully he is a big fan of oysters.

We like to remind Isaac that his last name is Anthony, so this is one of his special places.

A Visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Laurice

We had a nice visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Laurice and they hosted us to a nice picnic and some much needed relaxing time in their very cool and lush backyard. Emrie enjoyed playing with Ivan the dog, Grandpa Dorman took a little snooze, and Isaac and Christopher raided the garage sale next door.

Lake Mowich, Spray Park, and Spray Falls

On Saturday we ventured into Rainier National Park to hike to Spray Park and Spray Falls. The hike started at Mowich Lake and was 3 miles to Spray Park named for its lush meadows and thousands of wild flowers. Along the way we stopped at a point with a great view of the mountain and later we took a 1/2 mile side trail to the waterfall. The waterfall descends 300 feet and is nearly 80 feet wide. It is one of the largest waterfall in the state of Washington.

Our hiking group included Uncle Roger, Michael and his two sons Dale, Andrew, as well as Christopher, Isaac, and myself. I was particularly proud of Isaac who at just under 4 years old hiked the whole 7 miles with hardly a complaint. I think he probably threw 500 rocks into creeks, ponds, the lake, and waterfalls and all the boys enjoyed playing in the snow in July.

We also spoked a black bear of the rode as we drove to the lake and the kids enjoyed seeing just how close they could get to a friendly marmot.

Fort Warden Bunker

Our day in Port Townsend included exploring the old World War II bunker that once protected the Puget Sound.

Fort Warden Bunker

After playing on the beach Christopher, Jenna, Isaac and I explored the old World War 1 and World War 2 era military bunker. There were lots of places to explore including dark narrow hallways, abandoned rooms, and stairways.