Mckenna goes to college

 

We took Kenna up to College on Saturday August 22nd.  The kids were sad to see her go. 

Even Kenna teared up as they were hugging goodbye.

 

I drove up with Kenna in her car and Kev drove our other car.  The two hours went by fast because I was enjoying talking with Kenna.  I told her some of my favorite college memories. We unloaded all her stuff and helped her move in.  We stocked her up with lots of Ramen.  Notice her laundry basket that is full of her Van shoes. 

She is living on campus in the dorms.  I thought her apartment was nice.  She has five other roommates. She had never met any of them.  We met a few of them as we got her moved in.

She is sharing a room with a cute girl named Lily from Herriman.  It sounds like they both have a lot in common.  They both served on student council in high school, they both have lot of Vans, and they are obsessed with Shawn Mendes. 

We took Kenna out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant. Kenna jokingly referred to the meal as "the last supper." We went to the grocery store and got her some food before we headed back. 

Then it got real as we had to say goodbye. We can't believe that we are old enough to have a child at college. 

I am excited for Kenna and all the amazing experiences she is going to have! It is just hard not to have her at home with us. 

It was another emotional goodbye for all of us.  Kev was so sad as we drove home without her.  The good thing is that we can stay in touch through video calls and text messages.  We are looking forward to when she will come home to visit over Labor Day weekend. 

Back to school at last!

 

The kids were ready and excited to be going back to school!  It took doing crisis schooling at home to help them appreciate that they can go to school in person. Parker looked so handsome for his first day of High School.  He is a Sophomore this year. 

He has grown about 5 inches in the last few months and is almost as tall as me. 

Halle is in 8th grade this year.  We had fun shopping together and picking out her new clothes. 

We also took a few pictures with the mask.  It is a small sacrifice to make so the kids can back to in person learning. 

Halle took this picture of her new converse shoes.  She got ready so fast we had some time to chill before the bus came. 

I took the traditional waiting for the bus picture of her and Maddi.  I can't believe how grown up they are. 

Addy was so excited to be starting 3rd grade.  She is my social butterfly and was happy to be going to school again. 

She chose out a sparkly unicorn shirt, leggings, and sparkly shoes. 

 

Hayden is in sixth grade this year and starting his last year in elementary school. 

He and Addy are going to a different school this year.  I put a lot of time and thought into this decision. I'm glad they will make this transition together. 

We are out of the boundaries for a bus this year.  I have committed to driving them back and forth everyday. Kenna made the kids their back to school masks. 

Trial Lake 2020

 

We went camping at Trial Lake August 11-15th.  It was our last family trip with Kenna before she goes up to college. 

The kids were excited to fish and helped Kev get all the poles ready. 

 

We saw a Bald Eagle while we were out in the fishing boat.  We even watched it swoop down and grab a fish.  

I got the first catch of the trip.  It was a small rainbow trout but I was excited about it! 

 

We had a an awesome campfire that night and roasted some smores. 

 

The kids had fun riding their scooters all around the campsites. 

 

Parker and Hayden brought their remote control boats.  They had fun zipping them around the lake. 

Kenna brought her hammock and she and Parker had fun chilling in it together and listening to music.

The kids all helped to make tin foil dinners that night. 

 

This was one of my favorite pictures from the camping trip.  The kids were all waiting in the boat so we could go fishing together. 

I bought the kids some glowsticks to have once it got dark.  Parker looked cool swinging his around like a lasso. 

Addy made a pair of glasses with hers.  Parker and Kenna threw theirs into the fire to watch them burn. I have to admit it was kind of fascinating to watch. 

The next day we went to the Provo River Falls to cool off.  Kev brought our tripod so we could take a family picture. 

The kids wore their swimsuits so they could play in the water.  It also counted as their shower for the week. 

Parker's facial expression says it all.  It was really cold water!  It brought me happiness to see the kids having so much fun together. 

Kev and Hayden took the kayaks out and did some fishing.  I took this picture as were floating by in the fishing boat. 

I made this chocolate dutch oven dessert at Kenna's request. 

 

It is always a family favorite.  We made it with Hayden's sugar free cake mix and chocolate chips so he could have some too. 

The next day we decided to hike to Long Lake. The kids and I had never been there before. It was a nice hike and not too long or strenuous. There was even no complaints from the kids. 

It felt good to cool off in the lake when we got there. 

 

Addy decided she didn't want to walk all the way back.  Kev gave her a piggy back ride.  

Halle caught a fish later that night back at camp.  It was nice to getaway for a few days with just our family!  It was peaceful and a much needed break from normal life. 

Aimee & Jason's wedding

 

My cute cousin Aimee got engaged to Jason back in April.  I am so happy for her!  Our family met Jason when he came to Addy's baptism.  We liked him from the day we met him. 

My aunts gave Aimee a wedding shower on Saturday August 1st.  I'm glad all my girls were able to come with me.  I loved hearing more stories about how they met and fell in love. 

Kev and I were invited to their civil wedding ceremony on August 7th.  I had never been to the Traverse Lodge before. It was a beautiful venue for a wedding.  It was sweet to see my Uncle Phil walk Aimee down the isle. My Uncle Dave performed the ceremony. 

It was fun catching up with my Aunts at the reception.  They had pizza from Pizzeria Limone and lots of yummy desserts. 

A couple of weeks before her wedding Aimee called me up and invited me to their temple sealing.  I was very happy to be invited.  I knew that she could only invite a few people to the ceremony because of social distancing.  The other amazing blessing was our Grandpa was going to be there! The assisted living center gave him special permission to leave for the sealing. I hadn't seen my Grandpa in over six months.  It brought me great comfort to see him and spend some time with him. 

It was so sweet to see my Uncle Dave helping him walk into the temple. 

They were sealed in the Draper Temple on Saturday August 8th. It was a tender mercy to be back in the temple again!  It was a beautiful ceremony.  I felt such peace, love, and joy while I was there. We were the only ones in the entire temple besides a few of the workers. 

Aimee looked so beautiful and happy! She was wearing our Grandma Rosen's temple dress.  It fits her perfectly and it was nice to have a reminder of Grandma on her special day.  

I'm so happy for both Aimee and Jason! It meant everything to me to be at their sealing.  It is a day that I will always remember!