First Day of School Party

The kids started at a new school this year...there are uniforms and earlier hours but they had a great first day and were so excited to tell me all about it...we celebrated with a little party after dinner.

It wouldn't be the first day of school without the annual front porch photo. 

admiring their First Day of School Crowns 

I had fun making the crowns while Sadie was sleeping.

Of course she would want to wear one...for a few minutes...(I didn't make this one)

He wore his all night.

And the First Day of School book cake was a hit, especially because it wasn't a cake but brownies.

Labor Day Weekend

We headed up America Fork Canyon to Cascade Springs...the springs were really pretty, the water was so clear and the weather was a perfect overcast. We planned on eating lunch at Sundance, but the Highway Patrol closed the road for a half hour to tow a few cars that had parked illegally, so we ate lunch out of the back of the car on the canyon road. We stopped for ice cream at Sundance.

Cascade Springs, watching the fish

Sundance after lunch and ice cream.

A rare photo (without kids)

Catching Up...Again

I have an entire summer of catching up to do...what can I say, I haven't blogged since July, yet that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it...the kids have been home and the little 'free' time I've had has gone to sleeping, eating, and doing the laundry even though I wouldn't say I am caught up on that either. It was a whirlwind of a summer at our house...below is the list of what we remember from this summer.

June:
A week floating and playing at Lake Powell
Celebrating our anniversary in Park City
Finishing our basement (including waiting around all day for contractors who say they are coming at this time ---- and really show up at this time ----)...and cleaning up all the dust
Homework to keep the kids caught up
Chores and piano lessons
The slip n' slide
Kung Fu Day Camp for Sam

July:
Celebrating the 4th of July and my birthday
Still working on that basement, decisions, decisions, decisions,
Evening bikerides and smores around the firepit
Mosquito bites

Homework to keep the kids caught up

Chores and piano lessons
Harry Potter
Driving to soccer practice
Pioneer and Harry Potter Day Camp for Maggie
Pioneer Day

August:
Uncle Adam's wedding reception in our backyard
Family reunions
Homework to keep the kids caught up

Chores and piano lessons

Hiking to Donut Falls,
The basement getting finished, finally!
Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum and digging for trilobites
The animal farm
Silverlake and the mosquitos
Maggie's 3 soccer tournaments
Movie nights
Fishing with Brian, Sam catches his first fish!
Summer evening soccer, football and baseball
the stomach flu (ugh!)
Park City, the Alpine Slide, the hotel, the pool, the wii and arcades

September before school starts:
The Children's Garden and Thanksgiving Pt.
The Zoo and more fishing
Cascade Springs and Sundance

The Zoo

Usually she moves like a Hare, today it was the Tortoise.

Sadie is always on the go, it's hard getting a good photo of her.

Stop Monkeying Around Sam!

Summer!

Our Summer...It has been a busy one, but we are enjoying it.

We are finishing our basement. It is about a week away from carpet! Yeah.

It looks a lot different now, stay tuned for more photos.

We took a week vacation and joined some friends at Lake Powell.

Our trip to Rainbow bridge on Lake Powell

The houseboat and the beach on our last night.

We celebrated the 4th of July and my Birthday.

I don't remember how old I turned.

Celebrating the 4th

The neighborhood bike parade

More of the parade

We've enjoyed  a lot of summer evenings outside, riding bikes, roasting marshmallows, playing soccer, baseball, etc...

Summer cooking and projects and messes, lots and lots of messes.

My brother Adam and my sister-in-law Epifania and their daughter Michelle

And My mom and I are hosting a wedding dinner for my brother Adam in early August to celebrate the sealing of his family. We are excited for the big event...but the next few weeks are going to be crazy!

Homework, Projects and Programs

Sadie turned 15 months.

The 3rd graders put on their program called "Salute to Our Flag"

Sam had to dress as a wolf for his habitat day at school.

Don't you just love that bushy tail!

Maggie won the 3rd grade costume contest.
They dressed as their favorite character from a book they read this year.
Can you guess who she chose?

Maggie played 'Coroner' in her school play, The Wizard of Oz.

She sang her first solo and did an amazing job. She was so confident about singing and practicing early two mornings a week and she got a kick out of the "100% real human hair mustache" (that's what the package said anyways) that she chose to wear.

Very serious and in character.

Can you spot Maggie?

The Lego Party

Okay, so I am a little behind in this blogging thing. The party was a hit with Sam and his friends.

The Birthday Boy!

He wanted brownies, "No cake Mom!" and the marshmallow lego heads.

The party bags included a mystery lego guy, a bookmark and a light stick.

They assembled vintage lego guys I played with as a kid.

The food, lego crackers and pirate booty.

They drew faces on the lego man.

The pinata, it wouldn't be a party without one.

Happy Easter

We got home just in time to unpack, clean the house and get ready for Easter. Traveling is a delight, but it is always nice coming home.

Her favorite decorated egg...

And His.

She found her Easter Basket and the Peeps.

Sunday Morning

Sunday Afternoon.  

Spring Break

We headed south to find some warm weather over the kid's Spring Break. We spent a few relaxing days with my brother Andrew and his wife Autumn down in Moab, Utah and then we headed further south to Sedona, Arizona. There was so much to do and see. The weather was a perfectly sunny 75 with few clouds in the sky.

In Moab, we hiked to the Cowboy Hot Tubs near my brother's home. The water pours through and across the sandstone, smoothing as it goes. We could have stayed there all day and played in the water. The Cottonwood trees had started to get their leaves, one of the first signs of a desert Spring and yet the La Sal Mountains were still covered and capped in snow.

Maggie found a frog in the river and Sadie was amused

The Cowboy Hot Tubs

Maggie is quite the hiker

 We hiked half-way to Corona Arch the next day...Sadie was tired and sick of the baby backpack and Sam had to use the bathroom...with kids and vacation, you just learn to roll with it. Andrew and Autumn are always great hosts and good sports to entertain all weekend. Thanks A and A...we love you!

After Corona Arch

Andrew and Autumn

In Sedona, we took the kids on their first horseback ride...Brian was a good sport to let me go while he stayed with Sadie. Sam was suppose to be 7...he did great pretending...along the trail we heard a rattlesnack. After the ride, we had a cowboy breakfast, biscuits and gravy and the kids practiced their roping skills.

At the ranch.

We saw the ruins after horseback riding, Montezuma's Castle, a 600 year old ruin that had 20 rooms and would have housed a small village. We also saw Montezuma's Well.

Montezuma's Castle, 600 year old ruins

We took the kids to a zoo called Out of Africa. We went on Safari riding a Unamog. We got to feed Keebo and get a few kisses in return. We also saw zebra, and camels, ostriches, antelope etc...as well as the predators, lions, tigers, bears and hyenas. 

Keebo the Giraffe, giving Maggie a wet kiss as he takes the biscuit from her mouth

On Safari riding the Unamog

Sedona, AZ  The Bell Tower

Slide Rock State Park, Sedona, AZ

Maggie, braving the cold water

At the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kanab, UT