Idaho and Colorado

Now it is my turn to post about the other half of our summer adventures.  Ethan and I first went to Idaho Falls to visit my parents and so Jeremy could focus on studying for Step 1. We had a great time and did a lot of fun things.

We enjoyed playing outside in the cooler weather and the soft, green grass which is rare in Lubbock

We visited a local dairy called Reed's Dairy which is famous for its ice cream and chocolate milk.  They have all these animals that you can go look at like pigs, chickens, and cows.  Ethan liked the ice cream but I think the animals were his favorite.   

We also went to Tautphaus Park Zoo.  Here he is watching the penguins get fed.  He was so worn out at the end that he fell asleep on my Dad's shoulders!

After our time in Idaho Falls, we drove to Breckenridge, Colorado to meet my sisters and their families.  My parents rented a nice house there with plenty of room for all of us.  This was Ethan's favorite part of the house besides the stairs of course.  

Ethan had a lot of fun running around and playing with his cousins.  

He loves playing in the dirt!

We also went on a gondola ride up the mountain

Ethan loved getting shoulder rides from Grandpa during the several hikes we went on.  

The house we stayed in had a nice backyard and a fire pit so we spent a lot of time outside.  

Overall, it was a great trip and Ethan still talks about his cousins and knows all their names.  

Some pictures

Here are a few pictures from my phone from the past few weeks

Trip to California

Well we have had a fun but short lived summer vacation! I took my board exam on June 20th, and since our orientation started July 1st, I didn't have much time for summer. Kristen and Ethan went to Idaho and Colorado before I joined them so maybe Kristen can do a post about their fun time there.

We had a fun dinner together on the evening of the 20th with lots of family and friends. The next day we went to the Folsom Zoo and to Keith's wedding. On the 22nd, we headed down to Monterey on the coast.

We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a couple of times. My dad watched Ethan so that Kristen and I could go look at all the cool stuff at the aquarium. I feel like we could have spent another day there because we still didn't see everything!

Ethan had never been to the beach (at least since he was a newborn when we were at Lake Tahoe). He loved playing in the sand! Even though it was overcast when we went, Ethan got a little sunburn and my dad and I got really burned. Kristen and my mom were fine! Weird

We took a drive on 17 Mile Drive, which is a scenic drive along the coast connecting Monterey with Carmel, passing by some of the most expensive real estate in California. They have tons of golf courses there too, including Pebble Beach and Spyglass. We eventually made it to Carmel and went to some shopping malls and back to the beach.

My parents watched Ethan one night while Kristen and I went out on a date together. We had decided to splurge a little bit on a nice restaurant. It was kinda funny because apparently there are not many young couples who visit the expensive restaurants in Monterey on a Tuesday evening. We were the youngest people in there by a long shot! We were pleased with the food though. We stopped at a dessert cafe afterward.

On Wednesday, my grandma came in from Florida so we were excited to see her again! We went to the aquarium with her on Thursday as well as back to Carmel for more shopping excitement.

On Friday, we headed back home to Sacramento and then back to Lubbock early Saturday morning.

I've had some 3rd year orientation activities this week and I start my psych rotation on Monday.

Riding the train at the Folsom Zoo

At Cannery Row in Monterey. We were happy that Ben was able to come down for the day

At the park

Riding down the slide with Mimi

Fun slide

Slide with Grandpa

At Lovers Point Beach in Monterey. Ethan loved the sand!

At the beach along 17 Mile Drive

Ethan playing with the sand again

My grandma Frayer came out from Florida to visit with us while we were in Monterey! She got Ethan a campervan toy that he loves

The glamour shot!

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Grandpa. Ethan spent most of the time climbing the stairs and ramps, but he did look at a few exhibits!

Another picture at the beach!