End of July

We know, another post from the Swift family already? We got a new camera for our combined birthday present, so we are ready to be back to our regular posting routine. We are loving being able to take pictures again.

Christian is also very excited about the camera!

So the end of July is always a very busy month for us. We have our anniversary and both of our birthdays. We also managed to squeeze in a ward camp-out, a trip to the lake, and lots of trips to the library and the park throughout the last couple weeks of the month. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

The ward camp-out was a lot of fun, but Christian had a huge accident. On Friday night he fell down one step at the little amphitheater at the end of the ward variety show. He must have hit his eye just right because he got a huge cut that gushed out blood. Joshua ran cleaned him up and put a bandage on and the bleeding stopped but he was still really fussy and had a rough night as well. The next morning when we woke up he had the worst black eye that either of us had ever seen. For the past week everyone has either asked us what happened to him or has given us dirty looks. The picture doesn't do it justice. Now, after a little over a week it is finally starting to fade. We are glad to report that it hasn't permanently scarred him because he still climbs all over everything and seems anxious to replace the old bruise with a new one.

Not knowing that there would be a lake at the campsite we did not bring our swimming suits. However, that didn't stop Julia and Ethan from running into the water with all of their clothes on. It is amazing how slow they can be when it's time for bed and how fast they are when it comes to something like this.

At the same lake (before the swimming incident) we were able to take a nice canoe ride.

Here we are at the school playground. As you can see Ethan loves to wear his superhero cape. His current favorite superhero is Batman (although he really knows nothing about him except that he wears a mask and sometimes flies), who he learned about from a Pez dispenser he received from one of his uncles. With the red cape, he gets mistaken for Superman, and it kind of upsets him. A black one is in the works though.

Doesn't she look so big?!

The kids both completed the library's summer reading program and read 1000 minutes. They got big signs that say "A Library Champion Lives Here," which they put up in their bedroom for display. We're glad they enjoy reading because that's one of our favorite things to do with them.

You can't tell from the picture because some levels are cut off, but it boasts to be the largest chocolate waterfall in the world! It didn't look very appetizing though--we think it's all the original chocolate? Not quite as enticing as Roald Dahl paints in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.