July 4th 2009

GOD BLESS AMERICA

First Feis

Emily competed in her first feis (Irish dance competition, pronounced /fesh/) this month! It was held in Salt Lake so we got to go spend the weekend with Jeremy and Shalen in their brand new house. Emily did awesome!! It was our first experience so no one really knew what to expect. She competed in three dances; the single jig, the beginner's reel and the light jig. In these competitions, she has to dance her steps all by herself. There is another girl her age dancing at the same time, but the choreography is not the same so she cannot watch the other dancer for any help but has to rely on her knowledge of her dance. And she has to try not to get the three different dances confused!

She came away with a trophy for her reel, a third place medal for her light jig, and an honorable mention ribbon for her single jig! I am so proud of her for her courage and committment and talent. She is pretty great!!

Aleise turns three

It's official. There is no baby in our house anymore. No diapers. No shopping in the infant section. No sippee cups, baby spoons, or bibs. Just a big girl who melts my heart.

Our trip to the "big trees"

The first week in June we took a road trip to see something that Emily has wanted to see since she learned about them in school -- the Redwoods. We had such a good time on the coast of Northern California and Oregon! And it must have been a success because Emily deemed it the best vacation ever -- even better than Disneyland. I am always amazed at the many beautiful and different things that a loving Father created just for our enjoyment. So glad the world is not black and white and all the same! So here is our week in pictures...

This lighthouse is on an island and can only be reached by foot during low tide. We took a tour and went clear up to the light on top.

A quiet and breathtaking walk through the redwoods all by ourselves. We were looking for a place called Stout Grove but the road was closed.

We need a few more kids for this family tree!

Crater Lake. Those clouds are the reflection in the water.

It is hard to capture with a camera just how big these giants are.


Love this slide!

Aleise was scared of the waves, but she sure liked the sand.

Glad we were just going to dip our toes in because it was too cold. Can you see that they are wet up to their waists?! We had to wash a load of laundry that night.

Have you ever seen such a straight road?

I didn't think to take a picture of it, but this is the girls inside the gondola that we rode seven times. It goes way up above the trees. Gorgeous!

Someone is making a pretty penny, charging $7 a vehicle to drive through this tree on their property. It takes all of 3 minutes but, hey, where else can you drive through a tree?!

Is there any drive more beautiful than the coastal highway?

Inside a giant hollow tree

Crater Lake. The north road was still closed from snow, so it required a detour of several hours, but the sight was worth it!
There was still nine feet of snow!