Mt. Rushmore with Sean

Last summer Marilyn and I took Sean on a road trip to the Four Corners Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.  Apparently, summer road trips are now a tradition so we asked Sean where he wanted to go this year and he picked Mt. Rushmore.  We went last weekend and, aside from a very long drive, we had so much fun!  Sean said that the view was worth the drive!

At the entrance to the monument.

Sean in front of a sculpture of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who created Mt. Rushmore.

The plaza leading up to the monument.

It is quite impressive!

Sean and I walked along the Presidential Trail to get a few different perspectives of the presidents.  We ate lunch at the cafeteria and, of course, we had to get some of the famous ice cream.

As we drove away from the monument there was a turnout to get a really good view of Washington's profile.  It is pretty spectacular.

Sean posing in front of the sign in his new Mt. Rushmore hoodie!

In the late afternoon we decided to visit the Crazy Horse Monument.  So far only the head has been completed and they have started working on the horse.  It doesn't seem like much has been done when you look at what the completed monument is supposed to look like but it is quite different from what I remember seeing as a kid.  Sean really liked the Native American museum.  In the evening we went back to Mt. Rushmore for the evening patriotic program and to see the monument illuminated.  It was a great day.  Marilyn and I had so much fun with Sean and it seemed like we were laughing all of the time at everything he said.  He means so much to both of us and I am so happy that we could take him on this road trip.  He is already thinking of where he wants to go next year!

Note:  It was the beginning of the Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis so we saw lots and lots of motorcycles which was really cool.  The street in front of our hotel was lined with parked motorcycles.

End of the Season

Saturday's rugby games were Sean's last of the season.  I have had so much fun watching him play and I am so proud of how much he has improved.  The whole team has improved so much and they played so well on Saturday.  Their first game was against Herriman and they got a huge victory against them, including a dramatic try (point) scored by Sean (pictured above).  That win allowed them to advance to the next game which was against Tooele.  Bountiful got a very hard-won victory against them and they advanced to the championship game against West Lake.  I think this game was their best of the season and they scored five tries (including one from Sean).  Unfortunately, West Lake scored eight to beat them which was disappointing to the boys but their coach was so proud of them!

I am a little bit sad that the season is over because rugby is really fun to watch (I still find it to be incomprehensible) but football will start again in the fall.

A Day at the Clark Planetarium

Since Sean and I had to leave the zoo earlier than planned, we decided to visit Clark Planetarium which is probably Sean's favorite place.  We have been here many times before but there have been some renovations with some new exhibits added.  Sean was in heaven!  The really great thing about the planetarium is that all of the exhibits are free of charge.  There are Earth exhibits about water, wind, volcanoes, and earthquakes; moon exhibits including actual moon rocks, the phases of the moon, and lunar landings; and space exhibits about planets, black holes, and gravity.  Sean really likes playing with the tornado simulator, the gravity floor, and the lunar landing video game.  He could spend hours and hours here.  You can also buy tickets ($7.00) to see 3D movies about the Earth and space in the IMAX theater and star shows in the Dome theater.  While Sean and I were there we saw a show in the IMAX theater called "Amazon Adventure" which was absolutely fascinating.  Clark Planetarium is not just fun for kids.  I like visiting in the evening to see laser shows set to music.  You can go here to find out more information about all of the activities and shows at the planetarium.

A Day at the Natural History Museum of Utah

On Friday I was on aunt detail and I told Sean that we could do anything that he wanted.  He chose to visit the Natural History Museum of Utah on the campus of the University of Utah.  Sean absolutely loves this place and we ended up spending most of the day there.  The museum showcases the history, physical geography, plant life, and earliest peoples of Utah.  There are lots of fun interactive displays for kids and Sean and I enjoyed the Great Salt Lake exhibit and the earthquake exhibit.  Sean's structure withstood the earthquake much longer than mine did!  I absolutely loved the dinosaur displays.

I had never been to this museum before and I quite enjoyed it.  I think it is a great place for both adults and kids because the displays are very informative as well as vibrant and interactive.  I think Sean could have stayed for hours and hours.  Go here for more information about hours and admission prices.

Note:  Currently there is a special exhibit about the Vikings which Sean and I both really enjoyed.

Another Saturday of Rugby

Last Saturday morning found all of us back at Murray Park for some rugby!  It is becoming a ritual just like football was in the fall.  I can't believe that I actually get up early on a Saturday!  Bountiful played Olympus, Hunter, and Herriman.  They barely lost to Olympus, they got killed by Hunter (I bet some of the players were little brothers of my students), and they beat Herriman.  Despite that win, Sean wasn't very happy at the end of the morning and could barely smile for me (but at least he did it!).  Here are a few action shots of him in the game against Hunter.

I overheard one of the Moms say that she had absolutely no idea what was going on.  Same!

Two Tries!

Once again Marilyn, my Mom, and I went to see Sean play rugby last Saturday and this time we actually got to see him play!  Just so you know rugby is incomprehensible (although I understand it better after watching a few games) and Sean is very good at it!  Bountiful played Copper Hills, West Lake, and Taylorsville and they won the game against West Lake!  Sean and two other kids on the team are over the height and weight limits for his age group so, unless the team they play is physically matched with them, they cannot tackle but can only touch the other players.  I think this is a little bit frustrating for Sean because, when he had the opportunity to tackle against West Lake because they were similar in size, he let loose.  At first he was a bit timid but then he started knocking kids to the ground!  He was always involved in the action and he was able to run the ball the entire length of the field for a try two different times!  It was so fun to watch and the three of us just about lost our minds cheering for him!  By the way, a try is a point in rugby which I think is dumb because he didn't just try to score, he actually scored!  One of the things I really like about rugby is at the end of the game all of the players link arms and bow to the crowd!  That is cool!  Here are some pictures of Sean in action!

This is the scrum.  It is used to determine who gets the ball (kind of like a jump ball in basketball).  Sean is always in the middle of the scrum!

Sean had this amazing tackle right in front of me so I was able to capture it!

The teams bowing to the crowd at the end of the game!

He was all smiles after his big win!

I sure do love watching him play!