Backyard: Check!

We are LOVING having our back yard done! Dallas worked tirelessly and his brother Beau came from Logan several times to help us. We laid sod with the help of neighbors and friends after a torrential downpour and on muddy ground. It was pretty wild! Having a quiet spot to play with just our family is the greatest. Wonder what our next project will be?

Happy 9th, Billiam!

 This boy!  Next year he hits double digits which kind of blows my mind.  I know every mother says they have the best kid, but with Will it is the truth.  He is kind to his siblings, is my right hand man, tries to do what is right, keeps whining to a minimum, works hard in school and at home, and truly tries to always do what he feels is right.  We are SO LUCKY that we landed him in the baby lottery 9 years ago.  Plus, look at that smile! He is the handsomest boy in all the land.

This year he requested another chocolate applesause cake (always trying to be just like his dad), and asked for more animal books.  He is a walking animal encyclopedia and it is awesome to always have a reference around!  He got some money from grandparents and from working out in the yard that he is going to use to buy a microscope. He enjoys science and learning about the world around us, chooses cookies over every other healthy snack I can muster, picked crepes for his birthday dinner, loves roller coasters and is intrigued with haunted houses, and still loves hanging out with his dad more than anything.

Happy Birthday to the kid with more nicknames than I can count!

Sunny Sundays

"The mountains are calling and I must go." -John Muir

It makes sense to me that the first temples were the mountains. It is easy to feel close to God when you are in the midst of some of his most wondrous creations. On Sundays, we have been taking full advantage of the beautiful weather, our family, and the peace of the Sabbath. We have loved our Sunny Sundays this summer.

CASCADE SPRINGS

UPPER PROVO RIVER FALLS

RED CREEK

The Summer of Lagoon

After spending so much time away from the kids while we were building the house, I wanted to do something extra special for them. We decided to get season passes to Lagoon! There was a catch- they had to earn $50 each to go towards the passes and memorize and pass off all 13 Articles of Faith. They did extra chores, sold cookies and toys, and used some of their savings to earn their money, and we were so proud when our 5 and 8 year old kids passed off all the Articles of Faith!

We have made our way to Lagoon at every chance we could get! We usually went with our Robinson or Hansen cousins, but some friends have tagged along as well. It has made for the best summer ever!

Back-to-School Dates

Back-to-School dates have become our favorite tradition in our family. Dallas and I take each of the kids out for dinner and an activity all on their own. We get to talk and play and create life long memories. 

We took Annie to dinner at Zupas (her choice) and to Color Me Mine. Annie picked out a kitty that she named Fisher. We painted him grey together and Annie talked incessantly the whole time! She makes us laugh and is so tender and sweet. We are so lucky she is our big girl. 

Will has been obsessed with dinosaurs (again) this summer. After much debate and previewing the movie ourselves, we took Will to see "Jurassic World" in the theater. A direct quote mid-movie when I asked Will how he was doing was, "I wish I didn't have eyeballs anymore!" When it was over he said it wasn't even scary. ;) He also chose to go to Zupas for dinner. It was such a fun night!