3rd Child

For the past few weeks, It has felt like I have a 3rd child. People have seen me lots with my niece, Daisy. I will proudly take credit for her cuteness. She is absolutely adorable! We have been spending most of our time with Daisy and Jill while they have been in town. Sadly, their time in UT has come to an end. We have been going going going doing all the things. 

We went to the aquarium on Friday, July 1 with Lindsey, Simon, Esther, Daisy, Jill, Jess, and George (not pictured). My kids whizzed through that place while others could have spent hours there.

We went to the Riverton carnival on Saturday, July 2 which was a hit. Uncle Chris instantly became the favorite when he won a blowup spiderman playing a game and gave it to my kids. There were so many rides and it wasn't crowded at all thank you triple digit temperatures. It was boiling, but we didn't let that stop the fun.

Andrew and I hosted a 4th of July BBQ for my family. All of my siblings were there and Grandma and Grandpa Denning came as well. We had key lime pie which might need to become a new 4th of July tradition, fancy Trader Joes popsicles/cookie sandwiches, homemade lemonades, and more. I made rolls, funeral potatoes, a Ditto favorite--raspberry pretzel jello, and Andrew marinated/grilled chicken. Our trampoline kept the kids entertained! The kids enjoyed sparklers and pop-its until Izzy touched a sparkler on the ground and burned herself.

Giggi and Go-Daddy

We also went hiking with the 3 kiddos and Jill which wasn't always easy. We went through many snacks and treats along the way. We hiked Gloria Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon the morning of the 4th. I highly recommend this hike! Everyone in UT seemed to have the same idea that day. It was incredibly crowded, but so worth it. It's 2.3 miles roundtrip. Jill said the waterfall reminded her of Hawaii. It was massive! The waterfall was loud and Izzy was afraid of the sound. This hike was more treacherous than I expected (mostly at the end), but if 5-year-old James can do it, it's manageable. We were stopped by some grown men near the end who were huffing and puffing and asked if they were almost finished.

Jill and Daisy were there, I promise.

On Saturday, July 9, we hiked Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This hike is 1.5 miles roundtrip and was also packed. Parking here was stressful and I was grumpy about it. We lucked out and managed to squeeze into a spot right by the trailhead instead of having to park on the main road which would have doubled the length of the hike. We found a caterpillar on the trail and the kids were amazed to see it and carefully took turns holding it. We also saw 2 "chickmunks" in Izzy's words. I was surprised that in order to get to the falls, we had to use a rope to climb down some steep rocks. I was ultra-cautious and slow, especially since I was carrying Daisy. Once we got to Doughnut Falls, it was cool! Our feet were soaking wet, but it was a hot day and felt sort of good. James was a fan of walking in the water with his shoes on. We got snow cones at the end which helped keep the kids going.

Note the steep rope part. 

I love the mountains!

We went with Daisy to her first movie in-theaters. We saw "Minions" on Tuesday, July 12. Daisy did well. The last 30 minutes, she climbed up and down the stairs in the theater. I did not like the movie one bit and I can't really explain why. It didn't seem to have much of a plot? I hadn't seen a "Minions" movie before. To help pass the time, I ate so much popcorn I felt ill and was on my phone. (Which I never do in theaters. Don't worry, I dimmed the screen and nobody was behind us.)

Daisy didn't want to leave her mom and be pictured

We went swimming a couple times and the kids could have kept at it for hours. The lazy river at the rec center was a hit and James was finally tall enough to go on the big kid slide. We went to the swimming pool in Jessica's complex as well. The weather said there was a 100 percent chance of rain. We thought we could just wait it out for the predicted 10-15 minutes under the canopies, but boy were we wrong. Biggest rainstorm ever. We were absolutely drenched before we ever got in the water.

Walks became a favorite and were part of our routine. We also let the girls ride in the bike trailer a few times. We even rode to Cold Stone for ice cream one night. It was the best. We attended library storytime often. One weekend, we had Daisy all to ourselves while Jill went on a girls trip. A frequently asked question around here has been: "when is Daisy coming over?" and "Can Daisy sleepover tonight?" 

Izzy and Daisy got to go to nursery together more than once! Notice James' love for Daisy. He has a special bond with her.

The past few weeks have been a blast and a nice distraction from some hard things. I suppose it's time to get back to reality though and into more of a routine. I see you messy car. I miss my 3rd child already! (Oh, and Jill.) Until December, Denning-Plantiers!