Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

We enjoyed many of the exciting summer activities offered at Snowbird. It is also convenient since it is one of the closest ski resorts to our house, only a 25 minute drive. First we rode the tram or gondola for a 9 minute ride to the top of the mountain and stayed for about 10 minutes at the top. It is just too hard to keep track of young children up there! So we rode the very first tram back down. The ride was fun, but a little scary, especially going over each tower since the car would swing fairly high back and forth.







This is a good aerial shot of the alpine slide, which we took turns riding later. As you can see, the slide is very long and spans the length of the entire bunny slope. The kiddie lift is also used to transport the riders and the plastic sleds to the top.











This is a good shot of the other tram going down as we were going up.







No, Dylan is not sitting on the edge of a cliff. There is actually a small hill before the steep mountain that is likely a black diamond ski slope in the winter.







It was very hard to keep the kids close to us and away from the drop offs. They are both trying to get away from me here and this was the best picture we could get.



Yeah, were going back down!



Mike and Dylan riding the lift to the alpine slide.



Dylan loved working the controls.



There was actually an Oktoberfest celebration going on in August! They have it for 8 weeks. The kids were invited on stage for a yodeling contest.



Of course, Austin was freaking out that he wasn't up there with Dylan so he joined in as well.



Dylan was very shy on stage and wouldn't utter a sound when the microphone was held up to him. Mike ended up yodeling by himself, which he wasn't too happy about.







I think they just liked going on and off the stage.



My turn to ride the lift with Dylan.



This time, Dylan wanted to go super fast and kept releasing the brake for maximum speed. I had to keep putting on the brakes since we were told that people do go too fast all the time and crash. Most people are not hurt though.

Lagoon Park

The Naval Operational Support Center (NOSC) had their annual family day at Lagoon Park this week. Dylan finally braved several rides and even rode the kiddie coaster! Austin seemed a little anxious at first, but allowed us to strap him in many of the same rides as Dylan. They did best in rides that were not side-by-side seating, since they often bickered over controls.

It was a very long day, which started around 12:30 PM and lasted until dinner at Cracker Barrel around 9:00 PM. Overall, it was a great day and the kids had a blast.






Dylan was so excited watching this little coaster.







Too bad you can't see Dylan sitting next to me in this shot! I guess I didn't plan our seating very well. But, it was a little tense before the ride started and Dylan did try to get out. I managed to convince him to stay seated though.



We all loved the train ride. It is very relaxing and also tours around the animal habitats in the back of the park.







This was their first ride together without us and Austin was quite nervous at first. Last year, Dylan was so freaked out that he cried the entire time.















Dylan liked the helicopter, but was too afraid to pull back on the bar which raises it. He rode around and around the entire ride without going up.



Notice how his helicopter is the only one down! We kept telling him to pull the bar back, but he just ignored us.



We waited forever for this ride! It really takes a long time for the ride operator to load and unload all the kids. Dylan and Austin liked it, but fought constantly over the bell in the middle! There was lots of screaming and crying, especially before the ride started.



Dylan finally relented and let Austin have the bell.



This was a great ride. They were facing apart and they both had the exact same gun.







Austin didn't seem to like going backwards though and he kept turning around to face forward.















Another great ride and they both faced forward and had the same controls.











This was the most fun to watch once the ride started. However, at first they fought aggressively over the ONE control. They were in the back position, so it was hard for us to mediate and we couldn't actually see them behind the large elephant head. All we heard was screaming and crying and saw arms flailing. I actually thought they might be removed from the ride, but I guess the operators are used to this type of behavior. Once the ride started, the boys had this look of utter shock. The ride is fairly quick and I don't think they expected the jolt. Austin, especially seemed to just sit back and hold on, no longer even caring about the one control.








It was so funny seeing him react once they were high in the air.



This was the only adult ride Dylan could board since all the others required you to be at least 42 inches tall.



By the end, he was tucked right next to Mike. He seemed to have fun and had a big smile on his face when it was over.



I actually braved my fear of heights and took Dylan on this sky ride. I much prefer the kind that are enclosed buckets rather than these chair lift types. It was hard to take my hands off the bar long enough to capture a few pictures. Dylan was VERY well behaved and appreciated the height danger.



This is a great shot of the water park area. We also played there, but I kept the camera packed away to keep it dry.

Dylan Starts Preschool!

It is hard to believe Dylan is now a preschooler! The Newcastle School is an amazing preschool only minutes from our house. I downloaded a few pictures from their website in addition to my own pictures. So, I did not actually get on the roof for the first playground picture! I did want to include these pictures since I think the playground is one of their best selling points. In fact, Dylan has now nicknamed it the "tree house school." They also have a fantastic school curriculum and music program. Additionally, there are two school productions that are performed in a local theater a block from the school. I just wish we could stay the entire school year!














These first pictures of Dylan are on orientation day. The kids have a chance to check out the playground, play with the other kids and meet their teachers.



Of course, Dylan loves the water table. Only, I can't figure out why there are baby dolls in there. It's kind of creepy, but I guess the kids like them!



Ahoy Matey! The pirate ship is very cool!







Dylan was so good and followed instructions perfectly when he was told to line up and then walk inside to the classroom. The parents were then separated for an introduction video.



This is Dylan on the official first day of school. I wasn't able to get a picture in front of the school since this school has a drop-off and pick-up system designed to get all the kids quickly in and out of the school. The teachers and helpers just open the car door, unbuckle Dylan and away we go. They also place him back in the car at pick-up time. It is very convenient and it means I don't have to hassle with taking Austin in and out as well.

Check out this short video of Dylan's "Mommy interview" before his first day of preschool!