Our Summer (Part 2)

After a wonderful Fourth of July, Ezra and I were off to visit family in Houston. Here Ezra got to reconnect with his cousin Lincoln and meet his newest cousin, Phoenix! It was a blast watching Ezra interact with everyone.

Bath time is always a favorite at our house, but it is waaaay better with Lincoln around. Throw in some organic bell peppers from Grandma Sears' garden and a toy or two from the early 90's and you've got yourself a perfect memory. 

Can you sense his excitement? Ezra loves Phoenix!

 We got to go to Kemah for food, fireworks, and live entertainment. We also hit up the busy Houston Zoo, where the weather could not have hotter or muggier. Regardless, it was a perfect day and a perfect vacation. It was over far too soon.

Just days after returning to Vegas, we were off again to the magnificent Grand Canyon. I have always wanted to see this world wonder, but no picture could have ever prepared me for its vast grandeur. We walked along the southern rim, viewing the simply gorgeous landscape. I couldn't help but try to spot all the signs of mass wasting since my natural disasters class was just completed. I am so glad I decided to take that class because it added a whole new element to the experience.

  

Our final days in Vegas were spent enjoying the sunshine. We went on a lot of walks this summer. Below is a picture of Joe and Ezra "chicken bowling." Don't worry... no chickens were harmed. We also got to (finally) go see Veronic. We were supposed to see Celine Dion for our anniversary, but after two cancelled shows we exchanged our tickets for Veronic just before we were scheduled to leave Vegas. It was a fun night. Veronic is extremely talented and our seats were less than a foot from the stage! Since it was our last night with free babysitting and no school, we made a night of it, stopping at M&M World, Hershey World, the Bellagio, and to munch on crepes, and frozen hot chocolate. The night was splendid, with exception to me stepping on some broken glass on the dirty strip. Thank goodness my shoes were just thick enough that I didn't get stuck too badly and that a kind passerby came to my rescue.

Now Summer is over and we have made the long trek back to Spokane. It is chilly up here where the air is clean and clear and crisp. Autumn in Spokane is beautiful to behold; I anxiously await the changing of the leaves. It was a beautifully hot Summer, but now it is time to change gears. School has just begun and everything feels new. I hope this picture of Ezra wrangling a moose will help you get into the Fall spirit!