Boston

I decided that I needed to spend some one on one time with my only daughter. So Alyssa and I took a trip to Boston. We had so much fun and had a great adventure!

On a rainy afternoon we went to the movies and saw "The Help" with Aunt Leslie.


We went to Cheers for lunch.




Shopped at Quincy Market.



Enjoyed the beautiful parks!


Statue of Paul Revere


The Old North Church


Paul Revere's House


Walked the Freedom Trail





Loved the old architecture


Old Iron Sides


Museum of Science



Harbor Cruise



Leslie lives in Little Italy and we loved this Italian Pastry Shop, the Lobster Tail was our favorite!



New England Aquarium


Whale Watching in the Atlantic



We spent a day in Lexington




Louisa May Alcott House - Home of "The Little Women"



Gloucster, MA (where the movie "The Perfect Storm" was filmed)



Salem, MA


Rockport, MA (Cape Anne)

Family Reunion

This summer we had our family reunion in Oklahoma City, where my two brothers live. My youngest brother, Matt, was hospitalized because of a blood clot in his lungs. So we scratched our previous plans and went to Oklahoma. Matt was able to come home from the hospital right before we got there, so we were able to spend a fun week with my mom and dad, my two brothers and their families.

We spent a day at OKC Zoo



We went to the Rose Rock Museum - these awesome rocks are only found in this area of the world


The Corless Family


We spent some time at the National Cowboy Museum

Pioneer Trek

In July Alyssa was able to take part in a trek to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. She and the other youth in our Stake dressed in pioneer clothing and were divided into family groups and represented a real pioneer that made the trek in the 1800's. Alyssa chose Elizabeth Horacks Jackson. She had a great experience and learned that she can do hard things. The first day they had to hike 15 miles up Rocky Ridge. At the hardest part of the hike the men and boys stood along side the trail and the women had to pull the hand carts over rocks. This was actually a great learning experience for the girls, as there were many women pioneers who had to do it alone. Alyssa was also able to represent a pioneer who had died at Martin's Cove and is buried in the common grave at the site. Her testimony grew and she has a better understanding of what the pioneers went through. She said that she is amazed at the faith and sacrifice of the pioneers and hopes that she can be as strong as they were.

Scout Camp

Tyler was able to go on a Boy Scout camping trip this last summer. They hiked about 20 miles over three days and would camp at night. The boys carried all their gear. The last couple of days they camped at Camp Firewalker and had some high adventure activities.

Summer Fun!

The beginning of June we made a trip to southern Idaho and then spent some time in Provo.

In Idaho we swam at Downata Hot Springs, went fishing, and the kids learned to shoot. We had a great time visiting Paul's family.




We visited some fun geology spots and went fishing at Twin Lakes.





Paul and his Dad

We also shot some of Grandpa's guns at the shooting range.


On our way to Provo we stopped at a Farr Ice Cream Shop.

Brayden loves birds, so when we saw The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by Brigham City, we had to stop. We watched a short movie called "Wings of Thunder" and saw so many different kinds of birds like the American Avocet, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Snowy Plover and other shorebirds while we hiked through marsh lands. Before we left Brayden got a field guide about birds of North America, he usually carries it with him where ever he goes.




Our nephews, Wesley, Riley, and Zachary




Paul with his sister, Larkin and her daughter, Savannah

Paul's sister, Laura with her kiddos (Taylor and Ayden)

Paul with three of his sisters (Laura, Lisa, and Leslie)

All the Crawford Cousins