We've 'bean' to The Bean Life Science Museum

Overlooking the main lobby display

Have your ever been to the Bean Life Science Museum? If not, I would highly recommend it. You will just have to wait until the Fall of 2013 as they are now doing some major renovations. We got in just 2 days before it closed for approx 16 months. The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum is located on the BYU campus and its FREE.

Group picture of all the kids (Karlee was sick and wanted to be held so I was lucky enough to be included).

Glad we went but one major bummer. . . Just as we got in the car and were making a well awaited stop at Sonic for a yummy slush, Karlee got super hot and said she didn't feel good. So as not to ruin the adventure for everyone we tagged along with the group. We tried to walk through most of the museum but since Karlee didn't feel good. So we will need to go back and experience it all - lucky for us it will be when it has been renovated.



Poor Karlee with the Summer Flu.

This place is amazing. Its full of  thousands of animals and insects. All the animals are taxidermied. There were so many amazing animals, they even had a large (8 1/2 feet tall large) Brown bear from Alaska.

Teni, Malia, Taylor, Jordyn, Tyler and Alyia

Payson Pool - Super Fun Water Park

While my sister Kaye was here we spent a couple days down in Spanish Fork with our brothers and their families. One of the days there we went to the Payson Utah pool to cool off. We were told that it was a fun pool and that it was. The kids had a BLAST!!!

The kid activity portion.

The pool does a 10 minute water check, and so this is where we found all the girls. They had all laid their towels on the warm cement next to each other. This made me flashback to my childhood. Such cute memories.

Taylor, Karlee, Alyia, Malia, and Jordyn

Here is our cute cute nephew Lincoln (my brother Troy and Segi's baby). He is darling - I could just eat him up. He has the sweetest disposition - such a good baby.

My sister-in-law Hayley opted out of the swimming pool, but offered to watch my sisters twins, which was so so sweet. I know that my sister Kaye really was able to enjoy a couple of hours of being hands free. Here is my sister Kaye and sister-in-law Segi with their super cute boys.

The Payson pool is so fun. They have a splash activity center for the younger kids, a lazy river and these two super fun slides.  Our nephews Teni and Austin were entertained the entire time we were there with the slides and the lazy river.

Teni going down the slide

Love this picture with my sister Kaye, her little boy Tyler, nephew Teni and Austin. They were on the lazy river.

Karlee and Jordyn had so much fun and played so good together. Karlee and Jordyn are 6 months apart. Karlee is so lucky to have so many amazingly cute cousins - she has 5 cousins who are all within 2 years of each other - which makes for lots of memories.

Jordyn and Karlee trying to warm up.

While we were at the pool we were experiencing the affects of a forest fire over in Fairview UT. The sky was a reddish brown, and we were getting coated with falling ash. It wasn't hard to breathe and the kids didn't seem to notice at all. You could see the ash in the pools. There was a nice warm breeze that moved a lot of the thick smokey clouds in the sky.

Ashy Sky

A nice breaze moving the ashy sky.



Loving Cowabunga Bay

While Rob was hard at work Karlee and I went to Cowabunga Bay with my sisters and their families.  I honestly didn't know what to expect having only driven by a number of times - but this place was so much fun. We all purchased the all day swim/play pass, which worked out great. We found a well shaded place over by the 'Kids Cove' for my sister's babies and for all of us to drop our stuff. It really was perfect!!!

Tyler, Karlee, Paige, Malia, Trenton, and Sadie.

This water park is 80% water slides, and 20% pool. The slides were so much fun. I wasn't sure I would go on all the slides, but thanks to my brave niece Paige we hit each and every one. The amazing thing about this park is that the slides don't end into a pool of water they just end at the end of the slide. I know there is a scientific word for it, but um yeah don't know it so wont even try to explain it.

Here is the top of one of two slides.

Karlee had a good time after she got over the splash features. This girl has never been a huge of Splash pads. I think Karlee got out of the water a total of two times while we were there (one time for eating a bit of lunch and the other time to eat a very expensive ice cream cone - I will explain later)

My sisters babies (Brayden and Colton were both good and gold in this porta-crib. They were able to stay out of the hot sun, enjoy the nice cool breeze and still take naps while everyone spent time playing in the water.

Okay so this ice cream that Karlee is enjoying comes at a high price (for an ice cream). Karlee kept asking me for an ice cream, I told her that I didnt think that they sold ice cream at the water park. That answer worked for awhile, then she saw someone that had one and so she got me. I told her that if I were to buy her one, she was then going to have to eat the entire ice cream (cause I knew they weren't cheap). Karlee took me by the hand and we went and got her the ice cream. I about died when the kid told me it would be $3.00. Really not sure why I was shocked I knew it was going to be crazy! By the time we had walked back to our stuff the ice cream was already melting and actually fell off the cone - luckily I grabbed the top before it hit the ground. honestly! Karlee ate the whole ice cream cone and told me that it was so so delicious. So glad it was. When I told Rob he asked me if it was ice cream made from Gold. haha

Karlee enjoying her ice cream!!!

Here is little Tyler taking a cat nap and well deserved break from the water. Such a cute kid.

So we will be coming back to Cowabunga Bay again. . . Rob felt like he was missing out so Karlee and I get to go again. So can't wait.

Visiting historic Wheeler Farm

Its been awhile since we have been to Wheeler Farm and probably the first for most of the kids. It really was a lot of fun. We walked around and checked out all the farm animals and farm equipment.

Checking out all the animals

Checking out some Farm Equipment.

We took a fun wagon ride. The kids loved it and it was fun to see old building, we also got to ride through all the land that is Wheeler Farm (yep there really is a lot).

Tractors and more tractors.

We wanted a group picture of the kids - good thing I had a small package of Oreos in my bag. Bribery works!! We even got all of them to smile. PRICELESS!!!!

Worthen Family Reunion - Bear Lake - Part 3

We enjoyed our time together and made wonderful memories. Its so fun to watch how old these kids are getting.

My sister Kaye gave all the kids these adorable shirts. Pink for the girls and green for the boys.

And honestly could these babies be any cuter, the babies got these adorable light blue polar bear onezies.

Karlee loved every minute of the reunion. She got to play with all her ''favorite'' cousins. She loves them and asks everyday if we can go to their homes so she can play with them.

One activity that we did while at our reunion is a version of "Chopped". This was loosely based on the Food Network show. My mom and dad planned a fantastic activity that all us adults were  involved in. We got paired up with one other person and we had 30 minutes to make our creation. The secret ingredients that had to be used were chowmein noodles, blueberries and red hots. The sky was the limit in our creations.

My brother Tom and I were a team and we created chocolate covered bird nests.  Rob and Hayley were a team and their creation was quite delicious as well. They made a yummy ice cream parfait.

We ended our family reunion with a very anticipated Family Talent Show. Our family reunion two years ago we had a talent show and it was a huge hit. This year was no different. In planning we were hopeful that every family would put something together. To our suprise every family prepared and did an amazing job, even the older kids made up and song and presented it to us. Rob was a fun host of the night. Great Job!!!

Rob as the Talent Show Host

Older kids singing the song they created.

Karlee got up and sang the ABC's with us all. Rob and I performed the "Mormon Rap" Rob really did an amazing job.

We closed our Family Olympics with an Awards Ceremony. All the kids got Gold medals for doing such an amazing job and all being super sportmans.

Worthen Family Reunion - Bear Lake - Part 2

We enjoyed beautiful weather and lots of family time. On Friday morning we got up and got ready to enjoy some Olympic themed games and Bear Lake. Tom brought his father-in-laws boat and treated everyone to a super fun day. We played a couple Olympic games: fill the jar, water balloons, put put golf. Looks like everyone was having a good time. Yay!!!

Here are the babies. They were enjoying themselves as well. They are just so darn adorable.

Then whats a day at the lake without playing in the water and the sand. The little girls had so much fun getting wet and filling up their buckets with sand and water.

Who doesn't love to build sand castles - And could there be anything better than building them with such a fun guy. Rob is such a fun guy - all the kids (including Rob) were having so much fun.

Rob and Karlee enjoyed a ride out on the boat (not Karlee's most favorite part of the day - but she did it). All the kids loved being pulled on the tube and hitting some air.

A few of the kids enjoying a little floating time on Engine No. 2.

Worthen Family Reunion - Bear Lake - Part 1

We recently had the Paul Worthen family reunion. We love and look forward to having this reunion every summer - its good to get together with my side of the family. This year Rob and I were incharge of all the planning. We were lucky enough to have access to Rob's parents Bear Lake home. It really is the perfect place for our family. There was the perfect amount of space for everyone. 

Our Family Reunion had an Olympic theme, so everyone made a family flag, everyone played Olympic themed games, and families picked countries for their meal assignment. We started the reunion with all the kids making some bottle cap trading tokens. They all turned out so good and it looked like the kids had a fun time. 

Karlee making her bottle cap tokens

Bottle Cap tokens

Then we all assembled for our Family Olympic torch walk, and presentation of their family's flag. Everyone did such a great job on their flags - they were Awesome!

Olympic Torch Walk

The family flags represented one of the colors in the Olympic rings. Here are the flags: 

Weston's

Tom and Hayley's family

Kaye and Jared's family

Troy and Segi's family

Monica and Matt's family

Mom and Dad

Another reunion tradition enjoyed were the guess jars. These jars have always been a fun thing to do. This year we put a little twist on it, every family had to fill their jars with something that was the same color as their family flag. Looks like everyone had a good time with this.

Tom - Red - Red vines, Big Red gum, Gatorade

Kaye - Green - Apple rings

Heather - Blue - York pieces

Mom and Dad - White - Good'n Plenty

Monica - Yellow - lemon heads

Troy - Black - Oreo cookies & marshmallows