Lydia and I happened to be sitting right next to each other while Ryan had the camera out. Perfect, I thought! We were both wearing dresses, Lydia was sitting still for a minute- it would be a great mother/daughter picture.

By the time Ryan had the camera on, the moment was lost. Here is the evolution (or backwards evolution?) of Lydia's attention span for cameras.

Starting to run away.



Ran away and Mommy picked her back up

Just about gone

Sigh. Will she ever sit still for a picture?

Dressing Up

Ok People. We have officially become dorky parents. We knew we would achieve that title eventually, and some may already say we've been the leaders of the Dorky Parents Club for a while. But until this activity, I hadn't put myself in that club yet.

Even so, I will do this sort of thing again and again. I'm re-living the childhood that a house full of teenage boys prevented me from having: Playing dress-up and pretend as a family.

For our Family Home Evening on Monday, we taught the story of Noah's Ark to Lydia. Then, we dressed up in period costume-Lydia with a headscarf and Mommy and Daddy in bathrobes. (Watch for our "Best Costume" nomination in the next Oscars.)




We built a boat,



and gathered the animals.



We brought enough food for 40 days and nights (or 4 minutes) and had a little picnic.

After we had a good snack, we made sure the animals were eating too. It was hard work!

Thanksgiving Point

Against better judgment, we went to the children's gardens at Thanksgiving Point on the Hottest Day Ever. Because of the heat, we didn't stay too long, but we did enjoy ourselves while we were there.

The gardens have fun shaded areas sectioned off where kids can play with instruments, build with blocks, climb, and perform on stages.

Lydia, lover of music, had a blast with this instrument.



It was even more fun to play a duet with Daddy.




We were able to go into the big gardens for a minute to see this waterfall. I think I've heard that it's the biggest human-made waterfall in North America. To tell you the truth, I expected more. There were bigger parts than what are shown in this picture, but still. Not as impressive as it's claim.



Back in the children's garden, they had a fun lighthouse where kids could play. Ryan enjoyed climbing up to the second story.




And then, of course, Lydia wanted her turn.



The grounds were really beautiful, even though we were all melting under the hot sun.

We were really grateful for the Noah's Ark water feature. We didn't realize this was here, so we didn't bring a swimsuit for Lydia. Fortunately, she didn't mind!

High Heels

Lydia's obsession with shoes started well over a year ago. In the beginning, she desperately wanted to walk in Mommy's high heels, but needed help.

Recently, she embarked upon her first solo high-heeling walk.

She did better than Mommy. Should we be worried?

Rain, Museums, and Finger Puppets

It rained yesterday.

So our plans of a picnic in the mountains were dashed. Not to worry! We just looked at my never ending list of things to do, and remembered that the Utah Museum of Fine Arts is free every third Saturday!

These pictures are deceiving. It really was a rainy day. We were lucky enough to have a few minutes of sunshine.

Not only is the museum free every third Saturday, it also has a free craft for families to make!

Yesterday's craft was finger puppets. You are supposed to go through the galleries to get inspiration. Then, you make inspired finger puppets.

Lydia's inspiration lasted for the 2 seconds it took to scribble on her finger puppet. Ryan took over from there.

We never got a good picture of the finger puppet because Lydia tore it apart almost immediately. Here, you can see that it once had a hat.

May it rest in peace.

Lydia is obsessed with the piano. She loves the actual piano, piano books, and piano flashcards. I think we could throw away all other toys, and she wouldn't even miss them!

Thank you for my new dress, Grandma Diane!

Creek Walking

Salt Lake City just gets better and better every time I turn around. Through another blog (don't you just love blogs?!?!), I found out about this creek in Memory Grove, a downtown park. It's less than 15 minutes from our house! I hate when I discover things so close after being in a place so long.

We made up for lost time, though, and immediately went to the creek. Covered mostly in shade, it's the perfect place for some good ol' fashioned creek walking!

Lydia was like a girl on a mission. We changed her into her swimsuit, strapped her into water shoes, and she immediately took our hands to lead the way! She marched through that creek as if it was her 100th time there. It wasn't until about halfway through our journey that she realized she could sit and play in the water. What can I say? She's focused. Or oblivious. It's all in how you look at it.

We were so happy that Jill and Vince decided to join us. Lydia played tour guide to Vince for quite a little while as well.

Doesn't Jill look so stinkin cute? I want her shorts!

Playing at the Park with Cousins

Just some more pictures from our trip to California. One day there, we went to a really fun park with family. Lydia alternated between loving the toys and not knowing what to do with them. That could be because her mother isn't crazy about parks.



Her mother is, however, crazy about water fountains, so Lydia knew just what to do with those.



And so did her father.



Lydia and her cousin Zack became best friends right away. Zack is about 9 months older than Lydia, and they've seen each other 3 or 4 times. Even with such little introduction, they knew immediately how to cause just the right amount of trouble.