Summer!

 Since our move coincided with Liam's birthday (again!), we decided to have his birthday party the day after school was out.  He invited some friends over to hang out, eat pizza and grasshopper pie, and go see "Madagascar 3." I am really loving these low-key birthday parties!

 The week after school was out, Grace left for swim camp at BYU with her friend Bradlie, and Garreth left for Anchorage to start work.  The boys and I took Garreth to the airport on Wednesday and decided to stay in Utah until we picked Grace up in Provo on Friday.  We did a lot of hotel pool swimming and spent some time with my sister Cait and her kids.  

We went to City Creek and decided that it is definitely worth a trip back without six kids!

 We rode Trax down to Gateway, which was thrilling - just look at their faces. Don't be fooled by Kael and Declan's bored expressions - they were a little more excited than they look!

 The Gateway fountains are probably what my kids picture heaven to be like.

 Riding Trax back up to the cars.  Sam is now a seasoned rider of public transportation.

 We played at Cait and Tom's new house in Bountiful for a while.

 And on Friday, we got to go pick up Grace! It was a long five days without my girl, but what a great experience. She loved the collegiate life and learned a lot about swimming, too.

 Friday afternoon they had a meet with all the kids at camp and Grace did so well.  I could definitely see improvement in her speed, her stroke, and her dive.  She worked really hard all week.

And while she was swimming five hours a day and working hard, her brothers were doing random things like watching cartoons from a circus tent,

 growing mustaches, 

 and, well.... this.

 

 But they also went to Pirate Camp, 

and University of Wyoming Cowboy Football Camp.

And I might not always have the nicest things to say about Wyoming (as 45 mph winds rattle the windows behind me), but you just can't beat a Wyoming sky. 

Wrapping up the school year

Sam and his first grade teacher, Mrs. Seilbach. There aren't many words to express how grateful we are that Sam ended up in her class this year.  She is so patient and loving and was just what he needed this year!

Grace at her awards ceremony, getting an award for awesomeness. 

Last day of school!

Field day fun:

Liam and his fourth grade teacher, Mr. Dietz, also an amazing teacher. We lucked out this year!

The boys and their principal, Mrs. Searle. She is one great lady, but I wish I didn't have to visit with her as often as I did this year!  One of the hardest things to leave will be the kids' schools.  We have been so happy with the opportunities the kids have had and the incredible staff we've gotten to know so well.  I know the schools in Alaska will have a lot to offer, too, but it sure is hard to leave Sage and Pilot Butte. 

Our First Taste of the Last Frontier

Sam, Garreth, and I spent a long house-hunting weekend in Anchorage and even though we looked at about a million houses, we still managed to squeeze in some fun, too.  

Sam loved the polar bears in the airport.

 Our hotel was very close to this lake (which I can't remember the name of) that is the biggest seaplane hub in North America. We had a few hours to kill before meeting our realtor, so we went to watch them take off and land.

 And then we decided, what the heck, let's go up in one! It was some of the most amazing 30 minutes I've ever spent.

 We drove by the temple, which is less than a mile from our new house.

 And we spent some time at the boys' new school.

 We spent some time at a very cool park on the water, where we saw a huge wild porcupine and Sam tried to chase it.  This picture was taken at 10pm - it still felt like afternoon. I think I'm going to love all the daylight.

 We saw a huge chocolate fountain that was used in the original "Willy Wonka" movie and Sam was in heaven.

 We found this little tourist picture spot, where I tried to laugh and pretend that getting eaten by a bear in the wild is actually NOT a true fear of mine.

 More of our float plane ride, pictures out of order. (I've really got to figure out this new blogger layout stuff)

 We drove on the Anchorage-Seward highway, which is one of the most scenic drives I've ever been on, down to the Alaska Wildlife Preserve Park.

 We saw black bears, and Kodiak bears. This two year old "cub" was our favorite.  He was playing with a log in the water and he was absolutely adorable. 

 We happened to be standing there when the trainer came over to show some tricks...

 ...and Sam learned some training techniques of his own.  He raised his hand in the air and the bear stood on his hind legs and raised his arms. It was very cool, and Sam is now convinced that he is a certified bear trainer. 

 Feeding a moose calf.

 We saw a lot of very cool animals, but the buffalo will always be Sam's favorite.

 We walked around downtown and ran into an old friend. 

 This moose and her calves were also shopping for houses in the same neighborhoods we were.

 One of my favorite things about Anchorage is the trail system that runs all throughout the city and along the inlet and through parks.  It's going to be a very fun place to take the kids!