Cow Appreciation Day

The pains our children will go to for free food! Chick-fil-a was giving a free meal to anyone who dressed up like a cow, so these three spent the morning preparing.


Abigail was not in full costume, but she still managed to make away with waffle fries. Here, she has found a hard surface in Doug's office to scibble out the items on his to-do list.

Elephant Rock

The Averys decided to take a trip down memory lane with dear, old Dad. This was a trail he hiked many times in his younger days and he assured us it "wasn't bad". We started out with gusto, but 4 hours and six miles later, we were all ready for bed!

Josh, Hannah, Abigail, Doug, Rebekah, Kristen, Breann and Jared.
We meant to get a baby backpack to shove the little bump inside, but Dad said he could carry the her on his shoulders. After a couple of hours, she decided her hind parts had enough, and since Dad was not going to let her down without a fight, she decided to give him one!

We finally made it to Elephant Rock, and what a gorgeous view! Was it worth it? Some of us have to put some time between the experience and our answer.

A close up of our boys who were brave enough to go out on the rock. Why the name Elephant Rock? From the valley below, it looks like a white elephant is scaling the side of the mountain.

The girls wanted to cook their piggies off in the FREEZING water of a mountain stream (except Rebekah who was not aloud - and as you can tell, was not happy about that!).

God Bless America

We celebrated the Fourth of July with our nieces, Breann and Kristen, and Kristen's fiance, Jeremy. After a yummy cookout and killer game of kickball, we watched the fireworks from our front yard.




Abigail's first experience with a sparkler. Unfortunately, her parents should have been standing a little closer because after the picture was taken, she decided to touch it!

After the above mentioned experience with the sparkler, Abigail does not want to be within 10 feet of anyone with a sparkler in their hand - and that includes her best friend, "Nannah".

Congratulations, Dirk!

Doug's brother, Dirk, graduated from law school at University of Michigan. It was such a happy occasion to celebrate together.

Naomi and Dirk worked hard to make it happen! We are so proud of you both!

Summer Fun!

It really does get warm in Utah...sometime around the end of June! We are all enjoying the dry climate, and the kids especially love running around in the sprinkler. Having a valid excuse to tackle each other to the ground is another bonus.



Abigail does not like to walk around in the grass. This grass was just a little too high, so she decided to step over it. She also doesn't like the sprinkler, so we dress her up in her little bathing suit and take pictures of her.

Abigail loves flowers!

Thanks, Emily, for the dress, apron and bonnet!

Poineer Trek!

Hannah had a great time at the Pioneer Trek in Wyoming. It was VERY different than the trek her friends in Maryland experienced. Hannah had plenty to eat, deoderant and make-up. She still came home smelling a little "ripe" and after taking a long, hot shower she slept for two days. I wish I had snapped some pictures of her wicked sunburn! Her hands were especially fried. Over all, she had a great time.

Our Garden is Growing!

Here's the progress (as of a month ago)...we're a little (okay, a lot!) behind.