Summer Fun

This past Saturday we decided to go for a morning hike. There is a trail close by our home that winds up a hill to a spectacular view of Las Vegas. Not long after we started our hike Abbie spotted a rattlesnake crossing the path right in front of her. Abbie and Micah were a few steps ahead of us so we didn't really realize what was happening until we heard Abbie scream and then she burst into tears. The snake wasn't coiled up or anything so we just stayed back and watched it for awhile. 

I tried to take a picture of the snake, but he was really hard to see in the rocks. If you look closely at the picture below you can see it. The snake wasn't very big, but we could see his rattle at the end of his tail.  We walked up the path a short distance more, but we were all kind of freaked out, so we went home.

There were a lot of cool lizards out that morning too. This lizard on the rock was really fun to watch. It was the biggest lizard I have ever seen just in the wild.

After our hike we took off to the Techatticup Mine in Nelson, Nevada. It was about a 30 minute drive from our house, but worth the trip. We took a guided tour of the mine and learned a lot of Nevada history. I personally loved seeing all the old mining buildings, equipment and how the couple living there now discovered these mines.

They have filmed a hand full of movies out there, and I found it interesting how many album covers and photography were taken out in this little ghost town. I had to chuckle when they brought out the "Thunder From Down Under" calendar with all the pictures done in that area.

They showed us a movie clip where Kevin Costner blows up a gas station and this air plane. The remains are still there which was kind of fun.

It was really hot outside but I still made the girls take a picture in front of this cool building. Even with all the grumbling, I love this picture. We ended that day with the ward pool party at the Multigenerational Rec Center. Aliza was finally able to go down the water slide because they were not checking for height requirements. She has been wanting to go on that waterside for years, and she was finally able to do it. Some of the downsides of being a shorty. It was a lovely evening with our ward members.

One afternoon last week Avery and Abbie had a birthday party to go to, so Aliza and I went on a date. Of all the places to chose for our lunch date, she chose McDonalds. She loves the idea of getting her own kids meal, and I guess it is a special treat because we rarely go there. We had a wonderful few hours together. Man I'm going to miss her when she is in school all day.

We took a trip to the Silverton hotel to watch them feed the sting ray's. We hadn't been for awhile, so it was fun. Afterward we went school clothes shopping, and ended our day with a slushy from Sonic. It was a perfect day! 

Strawberry jam making with my girls is so much fun. They are old enough to really be a big help. I love Summer afternoons with just me and my girls!

It's still really is hot outside, but we have noticed that within the past week it is actually cooling down in the evenings which means Fall is on it's way. Temperatures are now fluctuating just right above 100 degrees and even some day's in the high 90's. I'm so excited for cooler temperatures and they seem to be coming. We did venture out to a park this week, but it was still too hot. We all laid down in the cool grass to try and cool off a little which was nice. I got this fun picture of Aliza flying a kite while on the grass. LOVE IT!