Our Yosemite Trip

We took a three day trip to Yosemite July 25-28. We stayed in a hotel right outside the park. It was wonderful to be together as a family. We visited the park, swam in the pool, and played in the river. We took a couple hikes to Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, and around Glacier Point. The water level is really low so the falls weren't really strong. Lloyd was excited to show us Half Dome because he had just hiked it three weeks before. The weather was warm, but the kids enjoyed ice cream and Icees to cool off. We enjoyed the majestic views of one of the most beautiful places on earth.

At the base of Yosemite Falls.

The kids wanted to climb on top of this huge rock.

The girls loved playing in the Merced River.

Harry Potter Mania

Well, it took me almost exactly a week to the hour to finish the seventh and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I bought the book around 1:00 am on Saturday, July 21 and finished it at 12:45 am Saturday, July 28. I probably would have finished it sooner, but I was busy getting ready for our Yosemite trip and I wanted to take my time reading the book. I knew there would be a lot of information and I didn't want to miss anything. I have many friends who finished the book in two or three days. I am amazed at the creativity and imagination of author J.K. Rowling. Just minutes ago, I watched her interview on Dateline. I am quite impressed with her. She said she is thrilled to know that she has gotten people excited about reading. She has such a love for her work and her characters! The task of writing seven books has taken seventeen years of her life. Now that the final book is over, it's hard to believe. This last week I have felt all consumed with Harry and his world. I have been dreaming about him, recalling past books, and fitting all the pieces of the plots together. I have been eager to discuss it with friends who have also finished. Even though I have completed the book, this is not the end of Harry. I still have two movies to look forward to. I anticipate reading the books all over again, maybe with my boys when they are preteens. Would anyone be interested in a Harry Potter movie marathon where we watch all the movies? From Dateline, I learned they are going to build a Harry Potter theme park in Florida. Potter Mania will live on! If anyone wants to talk about Harry or the seventh book, please leave me a comment.

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Kylie recently lost her front two teeth. She is excited to be getting another visit from the tooth fairy. She even wrote the Tooth Fairy a letter asking her, "How do you get all the money?" and "What do you do with all the teeth?"

We think Kylie has a very cute toothless grin! As for what the tooth fairy is doing with Kylie's teeth, we think they are going to baby Conner as he now has two new front teeth, making that four teeth altogether.

A New Look

On Monday, July 23 Courtney cut her long hair off for a more mature, short cut. She wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love where they make wigs for sick children who have lost their hair. The pony tail she is donating is 16 inches long!

Courtney is enjoying her new haircut and is excited to start seventh grade with a new look.

Santa Cruz Mini Vacation

We don't have a major family vacation planned for this summer, but we decided to spend one night in Santa Cruz. On our thirteenth wedding anniverasy, we took the whole family to the Beach Boardwalk. It was quite chilly, but we loved going on all the rides. We even got an anniverary picture of us kissing on the Giant Dipper roller coaster. The next day, which was Lloyd's birthday, we went to Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton. We thought it would be fun to go on a train especially with how much Cameron loves trains. Kristi's parents came along for the trip and helped to make it a wonderful mini vacation!

A Fabulous Fourth

We had a fun and relaxing Fourth of July. Lloyd had to work so we didn't do too much. We attended a church party the Monday before the Fourth. Then on the Fourth, we spent a couple hours playing in the Stanislaus river. It was over one hundred degrees so the water felt great!

A New Nephew/Cousin

Brad (kristi's brother) and Anahi welcomed their second son, Dylan Kyle Lauritzen on July 3. He weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces. Congratulations Brad, Anahi, and Cayden!

Our Little Monkey

At two and a half years old, Cameron is our little monkey. Lloyd wanted to get him a harness/monkey backpack so he couldn't get away from us like he has so many times. (One day we lost him in Mervyns for about ten minutes!) He wore his "monkey backpack" for the first time to church on June 24. He also wore a matching outfit that says "little monkey." Well, we were able to keep ahold of him a little better, but by the end of church he had figured out how to take the monkey off. Although he's very active, we do love our little monkey.

Conner's First Cereal

On June 21 we fed Conner his first cereal. Boy, did he love it! He fussed when we didn't feed him fast enough. It's hard to believe he's almost six months old. He has two teeth and is beginning to scoot all around. It won't be long until he's getting into everything. He is still a very happy baby. He loves to smile and laugh. He is the love of all of our lives. Cameron always says, "Mom I love Conner. He's cute!" We feel so blessed to have this little guy.