June Fun

June was a busy month with two big trips. We spent the first two weeks in New Zealand, so make sure to read our posts about that amazing trip. Then we came home and immediately went to a baseball tournament. Mark played well even after missing baseball for two weeks.

We went to our favorite Cedar City restaurant and Mark ordered these pancakes that were bigger than his head.

Seth loves to pull our wagon at the baseball games. 

We went on a few little adventures to Discovery Park, which was rebuilt, and the Aviary. We love visiting the Tracy Aviary because there are so many cool birds and the bird show is amazing. Dad was invited to be involved in the show. He dressed up as a tree and a toucan hopped across his arms. We had fun watching Dad have so much fun.

The new park was fun, but HOT!

We love feeding the ducks at the Aviary.

Dad played peek-a-boo with the pretty pheasant. 

Dad made a great tree!

The toucan stopped to check Dad out for a minute!

After a week at home filled with baseball for Mark and Dax, and a few fun adventures, we headed off to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We barely had time to get all the laundry done and catch our breath. June was a busy month!

Mormon Miracle Pageant

The boys first and last time at the Manti Pageant.

The Church decided to end all Church-sponsored pageants this year, which meant no more Mormon Miracle Pageant on Manti Temple Hill. Dad grew up with this pageant and had the script nearly memorized after watching it dozens of times as a youth, but we'd never taken the kids. Even though we were preparing to leave for Yellowstone, we decided we had to take half a day and go see the Pageant one last time.

We left about three-thirty and got to Roy's Pizza just in time for dinner. It is one of our favorite restaurants because the boys can get pasta, the adults can get pizza, and everyone can get mozzarella sticks. Afterward we loaded up on candy so that the boys would have something to munch on during the performance.

We love Roy's Pizza! 

Gates opened at six o'clock, and we arrived about ten minutes later. There were already thousands of people covering the grounds. Dad had everyone get out and rush for some seats, and we got some good ones on the right hand side just a few rows back. Dad parked the van and found the family with blankets and coats set on the seats ready to try a walking adventure in Manti.

We started by walking down to Miller's Bakery where Dad used to eat "fly" burgers for fifty cents as a kid. The line was out the door, but they had bakery items set up outside, so we got maple bars for the kids and donuts for Mom and Dad. Then we headed over to the shaved ice booth and got fancy drinks for Mom and Dad and shaved ice for the kids. All along the way we were talking to people that Dad (and sometimes Mom) hadn't seen in years.

It was hot, so we were grateful for the cool treats.

We enjoyed the donuts later at our seats.

We worked our way back to the temple and found our seats. It was cooling off quickly and got down to near fifty degrees, even though it was June 21, the first day of summer. Dax tried to settle in for a nap as baseball had kept him up late and Cub Camp had gotten him up early. Meanwhile, Seth and Dad found members of the cast to take pictures of. The cast was dressed in costume and wandered around mingling, answering questions, and taking pictures. We took pictures with Lamoni and his wife, Lamanite dancers, Zerehemna, Captain Moroni, and a Nephite Warrior. Everyone was grateful that Mom brought lots of blankets, coats, hats, and gloves.

We loved being here as a family.

This was the first person Seth was brave enough to ask for a picture.

Seth was so funny! He wanted to take pictures of Dad with all the girl cast members.

Seth and Captain Moroni.

We had a long time to wait, but the boys were great. 

Zerahemnah was intense!

King Lamoni and his wife were very nice.

Finally it got dark and the Pageant started. The boys loved the performance. They all stayed awake, even though it was late, and Seth was chuckling, asking questions, and enjoying himself. They were able to follow the complex story, and everyone left with smiles on their faces. Best of all, since we hustled it to the car, we were in Nephi by midnight, which is a miracle, too!

It was a perfect evening!

We had so much fun!

Seth Coach Pitch Baseball

Seth loved being on the purple Bees team.

This was Seth's first year of playing Coach Pitch, and much like Dax's first year of Coach pitch, Seth missed more than half the games. Most of his games fell during the two weeks we were in New Zealand. Seth took it pretty well, and was just happy to play when we were around.

During his first game, Seth made the best play in Coach Pitch history. He made an amazing catch at second base. It was a shallow pop up and he back pedaled and then spun at the last moment and made an over the shoulder catch. It was amazing. Seth always played well in the field and knew where to go and what to do. His favorite spot to play was first base because he saw the most action over there.

Seth has a great arm, and we had to remind him not to whip it too hard to the other kids. 

Seth just made a great play and stopped the ball. 

He loved playing first base.

Seth was also a pretty solid hitter. He consistently put the bat on the ball, and he loved to be a base runner. He would take a lead off and slide, just like his big brothers.

We are excited for next year when Seth will get to play Coach Pitch again. Hopefully we will be around for more of the games!

Seth has a great hitting stance.

Seth has been around the baseball fields since he was a baby, so he was right at home on the field.

New Zealand Day 10

We didn't have to be on a plane bound for Sydney until 6 pm, so we wanted to make the best of our final day in Christchurch. We slept in a little and ate breakfast at the house. Then we drove down the road to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, which is like a small zoo. As we went in, they asked us which animals we'd like to feed. We weren't really sure, so we said, "All of them," and they sold us some food.

Mark was so excited to see everything in the reserve!

Our first stop was a pond full of eels, and we had a small container of raw meat. There were spoons along the wooden walkway. It was our job to spoon feed the raw meat to the eels. This was quite intimidating because the eels saw us pick up the spoons and they knew what was coming. Amazingly, they can get about a foot and a half of their body out of the water to reach for a spoonful of meat, or in some cases, a person holding a spoonful of meat. We were frightened half out of our wits, but still giggling. Everyone was a little relieved when the eel food was gone! We were both excited and terrified of this activity!

Feeding the eels was definitely a first for all of us.

Everyone was a little nervous once they started coming out of the water.

We also had a bag of bird food. We sprinkled this out for at least a dozen types of birds. The most aggressive were the ducks and geese, but we also fed little wild sparrows, assorted types of fancy pheasants, chickens, and and pigeons. Many of them would eat right out of your hands, and the geese would take it from you whether you were offering it or not. The boys were plenty brave though, and of course, they always wanted to give the food to the underdog. Mom enjoyed seeing the tiny baby ducklings and chicks that were only about a week old.

Dad had to feed everything first. Then we all knew it was safe.

Mark got pretty brave about feeding birds.

Dax does not love feeding animals, so he sprinkled seeds for the little birds.

Dax did get brave and fed the rooster. I think his gloves helped him feel safer. 

We saw this little bunny, and he ate some food, too! 

Seth is the bravest of all at feeding animals.

These geese are supposed to look like this, but Mom thinks they need to get their feathers done.

This pheasant was beautiful. 

There was a farm section with horses, donkeys, several types of cows, pigs, llamas, and fallow deer. All of them wanted some of the larger food pellets. The deer would knock each other out of the way, but most of the other animals were more patient. Unfortunately, the wallabies wouldn't really eat at all. One did approach us, but when we tossed him food, one nasty goose got right in his face and nipped at him. Then we decided it wasn't worth it. We also got to sprinkle a little fish food in the ponds, and the massive trout went after that, though they did have to contend with the eels.

Our boys were particular about which deer they fed. No pushy ones were getting our food. 

Dad really wanted to feed a wallaby, but they did not want to get too close to us.

This is the closest one came.

It ate from Seth's hand, but then the mean geese came over. 

Another beautiful pheasant. I'm sure know Mark knows all their names.

We found some eggs in the farm section.

There was no way the boys were feeding these huge turkeys.

Mom feeds the animals, too. She just takes the pictures most of the time.

These goats were very gentle.

We even fed pigs, which was another first. 

We saw some more Keas.

There were a lot of other animals to see, but the highlight was the kiwi enclosure. It was dark and musty, but they said there were four brown kiwis inside. Mom spotted one as soon as we walked in, but he was hiding in the back, and we could only see his silhouette. The enclosure was quite large, and we searched and searched for the other three. We probably spent a half hour, but the boys spotted all four of them before we left. One was moving around quite a lot and ran right over the fence by us. It was so dark and quiet that it made for a unique experience, but it was tough to take pictures. No flash pictures allowed.

Can you find the Kiwi in the picture?

We drove the three minutes back to the house for lunch, and they had spaghetti ready for us. Then we took our final adventure to the Antarctic Center. They scheduled out our time for us, and the first activity was a Hagglund ride. A Haggland is a tracked vehicle that is used in Antarctica to cross snowfields and crevasses. At the centre, they take you up very steep hills, across gaps that simulate crevasses, and over logs and other obstacles. It's a pretty rough ride, but the Haggland only has small windows to see out, so we got bumped around pretty badly. The boys thought it was amazing!

Our boys have studied and learned a lot of about Antartica, so they were really excited to visit this place. 

Here we are inside the Haagland.

Dax loved the bumpy ride. 

We had to wait a few minutes, so we took some silly pictures.

Mark is definitely #morecool!

They also had a husky experience. We got some training on how to approach and pet the huskies before we went in their enclosures. They were the most docile and quiet dogs ever, so the training didn't seem necessary. Rolling onto their backs to have their tummy scratched was the most sudden movement they made.

I'm always proud of Dax for petting a dog. 

These dogs were very calm and loved being petted.

Dax was so brave!

Inside the Antarctic Centre there were many interesting displays. We watched several movies, read about exploration of the continent, and learned a lot. Dax and Seth liked watching silly penguin movies in the kids only section. We also saw a 4-D movie about exploration by boat. The theater would spray water in your face, blow wind at you, and it even snowed, all while you were bounced and jostled around. In the second movie we took the point of view of a penguin sliding along the ice on his belly. We were laughing and wet by the time the two movies were over.

Dax stood on ice from the North and South pole at the same time!

Seth and Dax thought videos in the kids' zone were hilarious.

There is a picture of Randy's mom in this exact spot, so we took a picture here to remember her.

We also went inside the Antarctic simulator. The temperature was near zero with frozen snow scattered everywhere. Then a storm struck and massive fans raised the windspeed. As the wind chill passed twenty-five below, any exposed skin was so cold! Luckily the storm only lasted about five minutes and we all huddled in a tiny igloo for warmth and protection. Just outside there was an Antarctic water display, but only Mom was able to keep her hand in the water for a full minute. The rest of us were freezing too fast!

I love this picture of Mark trying to beat Mom's time.

There were special coats for everyone to wear in the Antartica simulation area. 

The wind chill is so cool!

We still had fun even when we were freezing.

This place was such a fun adventure.

Our last adventure of the day was seeing the little blue penguin feeding. A trainer came out and tossed fish to the birds as they darted in the water. We could view the penguins from above and below. Since they birds are all rehabilitation birds, some can't swim, so she feed them by hand, and they were well trained, waiting their turn and never biting the trainer's fingers. The boys loved seeing the little blue penguins, and we were excited that one was even sitting on some eggs.

The penguins were very interesting.

Randy's brother and sister-in-law picked us up with all our baggage at the Antarctic Centre and drove us across the street to the airport. There were no lines and we checked in fast, so they came and sat and we talked for another hour in the airport, not wanting to say goodbye. They've been so nice to us, driving us all over the country, paying all the gas and many of our meals, and taking good care of the boys (not to mention putting up with them). Though we certainly saw a lot of New Zealand, this trip was about family, too, and we are very glad that Seth finally got to meet his long lost aunt and uncle. Hopefully the boys will always remember them and the time they spent here. Randy's brother kept encouraging the boys to save up there money and fly back and spend a summer once they were older. Finally, it was time to leave. We waved goodbye one last time and got on the plane. It was a wonderful flight into Sydney, where we had to Uber for the first time to our hotel. Since our flight would leave early the next morning and we got in fairly late, Uber was our only adventure in Sydney this time.

Dax and Seth loved pushing the luggage around the airport.

We lucked out and flew Emirates Airlines on the way from Christchurch to Sydney.
There were video games on the airplane! 

Mark watching the birds at our hotel in Sydney.