good bye summer

Is summer almost over???  We will miss our little swimming pool and picnic lunches.  We've had fun road trips and good times discovering new parks.  You have given us the perfect summer Albuquerque, your weather is the best!

camping in colorado

We met up with all of the Denver Granges this weekend for some good old camping in southern Colorado.  Mom and Dad Grange rented an R.V. for a more comfortable camping experience.  The girls and babies got to sleep all cozy inside while the boys (including little Ryan and Andrew) slept in tents...in the rain.  It rained and rained and rained!  In fact, it was raining so much we had to cut the trip short :(  We did mange to get some good family time in and did enjoy the time we had together.  We visited the Sand Dunes and found a gem of a place called GatorLand.  It is this random place in nowheresville, CO.  It turned out to be well worth the money.  You just don't expect to see a whole bunch of alligators in Colorado!

Ryan got to hold an alligator and was given an award of bravery that the alligator signed (it bit down on the paper)

The alligators were close!

And this is the kind of place it was....nice fence huh.  

On My Honor...

Spencer is on a scouting trip this weekend.  As I dropped him off, I told him we needed to have a girl someday so at least I could have someone to go to the movies with or something while all the boys were off doing who knows what (I hear it's best that mom's just don't know what really goes on) in the wilderness somewhere.  I feel for my mother-in-law who had all boys and a scouting husband.  In all fairness, I should feel for my dad too, who with three girls, I'm sure he was left out of stuff too!  Anyways, I am happy for Spencer to be a scout again.  Besides ward librarian and ward clerk, it is one of the callings he aspires for.  

But Ryan is very sad that he didn't go camping too.  He told me it is his most favorite thing to do (he's been once).  He keeps asking me how old he has to be to be a scout.  

I hope Spencer isn't mad about me posting this picture...but isn't he the cutest scout ever??

p.s.  Is anyone else a slacker mom when their husband is out of town?  When Spencer leaves us, we eat out, I rent the chic flick movies I've been wanting to see that Spencer won't watch with me, and my kids watch a lot of T.V.  I would be a bad single parent!