Parker's first date!

 

Parker was so excited to ask a girl to the homecoming dance. He put this poster together, and bought flowers and treats. It said, "Flowers are the 2nd most beautiful thing in the world. Can I go to homecoming with the 1st?" He asked his friend Kate Bradley.  They live in our old ward and Parker and Kate have known each other since they were little. 

Parker found a Llama piñata and balloons on our doorstep one night. The note on the piñata said, "Break open this piñata to find out if homecoming will be a HIT!"

He opened it up and the note said YES! 

Parker picked Kate up on Saturday August 28th for their day activity.  They went up to the cabin to ride horses and have a picnic.  They also jumped in the river.  He said they both had a great time. 

He picked her up that night for the dance. My friend Wendi sent me these cute pictures of him giving her the corsage. 

Then Kate put on his boutonniere. It was cool because she didn't have to pin it on since it was magnetic. 

I met them later down by Utah Lake to take their dance pictures. 

I loved that Parker asked me to take their pictures. I was happy with how they turned out. 

Parker was looking so grown up and handsome!

He took Kate to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then they went to the dance. He told me all about the moshing.  He said at times he would lose Kate in the crowd but he could see the bun on top  of her head moving along in the crowd.  They came back to our house after the dance.  He thought Kate was awesome because she wanted to hang out and play minecraft.  I'm glad he had fun on this first date!

Hayden's first Mountain biking race

 

The mountain biking season has begun! The first race was at Powder Mountain.  We left before the sun was up to get there. 

Parker talked with Hayden for awhile and gave him tips for racing. I love to see my boys getting along. 

Hayden made it in time for his coaches meeting.  He is on the Jr. Devo team this year. It is fun because another boy from our new ward is also on the team. 

We are so proud of Hayden for finishing the race!  Kev even had tears in his eyes when he raced through to that finish line. 

Parker had fun hanging out with Ben.  They are easy to spot with their straw hats.  They also recorded some of the race for the school Thundervision. 

We had several hours between Hayden's race and when Parker's started.  Parker was so excited to race with his new mountain bike that he purchased this summer. Unfortunately, dark clouds quickly blew in right as Parker was getting changed into his racing gear.  They canceled the race and it was a mass exodus of people heading back to the shuttles.  Kev had parked the car earlier farther down the mountain. He also went and got in the long line for the shuttle. I stayed with the boys and helped take down the pit zone.  A race official on a walkie talkie informed us that lightening was spotted less than a mile away.  Hayden and I quickly ran to a nearby NICA truck for shelter.  Once we got inside it started pouring rain and then hailing.  I had no idea where Parker was at this point. He and Ben had gone off on their mountain bikes when the race was canceled.  I was worried about Parker being out there in this crazy storm. Parker had also found a place to wait out the storm.  He came looking for us about 30 minutes after the storm let up and told us that Kev was waiting at the car. We felt so bad for Parker that he didn't get to race.  They also don't reschedule the races.  NICA decided to give all the kids who couldn't race a perfect score so it didn't count against their season ranking. 

Back to school

 

The kids went back to school on Tuesday August 17th.  This summer just flew by us.  I think it had something to do with getting Kenna ready for her mission and moving. 

I was excited to take back to school pictures on our new front porch! Parker is a junior in high school this year.  I can't believe how grown up he is!  He has gotten so tall. He is a part of Thundervision and also is on the Mountain Biking team!

Halle is a freshman this year.  Our 9th grade is still in the middle school.  

She tried out in the spring to be on the high school ballroom dance team and made it! I can't wait to see her compete in a couple of months!

Hayden started 7th grade this year.  He is at the same middle school as Halle. 

He was happy to pick out his classes and have multiple teachers.  He is taking band and will be learning how to play the clarinet. 

I took this picture of Addy putting her on her converse shoes.  This is the first year she has asked for name brand shoes.  I am loving having a mudroom bench with hooks. It is perfect for backpacks, jackets, and shoes. 

Addy is in 4th grade this year. It is crazy that she is now my last kid in elementary school. She was happy because she already knew three other girls in her class. 

It was hard on all of us getting up early and starting our new school schedule.  I wake everyone up before 7.  The view of the mountains in the morning was beautiful!

Halle took this picture of all the traffic leaving the subdivision. Unfortunately, there is only one main way out.  We left early but the kids were almost late. This new driving schedule is going to take some getting used to. I hope the kids have a great school year!

Trial Lake

 

Our camping trip got off to a rough start.  The car engine was running really hot as were driving up the canyon.  The car completely shut off in Heber.  We called a rental car company but they didn't have any SUV's big enough to tow the trailer and fishing boat. Uncle Cody saved the day by letting us borrow his truck! It was really nice of him!  All six of us fit comfortably and we made it to the campsite with no problems.  It was the first time that I thought it might be nice to have a truck!

The crazy day was made better by this view that night.  It is beautiful and peaceful being up in the mountains together. 

I was also able to get in some reading time. 

The next morning we were excited and ready to do some fishing. 

The lake was fuller than we thought it would be since we are in the middle of a draught.

We caught a few fish that first day. Then not any the next day.

As Grandpa Grant used to say, "The fishing was great but the catching wasn't as good"!

Kev rode scooters around the campsite with the kids.

 

The whole family enjoys making tin foil dinners just how they like it. I decided to add some jalapenos to mine.  Just a word of advice, never accidently rub your eyes after cutting up jalapenos.  My eyes have never stung so bad! 

The kids were loving their corn on the cobb.  We always agree that food cooked in the mountains always tastes better. 

It was beautiful as the sun was going down that night.  The stars were really spectacular too. 

I always admire Halle's braiding skills! It is a skill that I don't have. 

She was kind to give Addy a "fishtail braid". 

Parker and Halle enjoyed kayaking around the lake together. 

 

The boys had fun driving around their remote controlled boats. It was another memorable year at Trial Lake! The only thing that could have made it better was having Kenna there with us. 

Operation Chick-fil-A drop off

Kenna's favorite place to eat is Chick-fil-A.  She was going through withdrawals while she was at the MTC and they don't have any restaurants in Europe.  We messaged her that we would bring some food and drop it off at a designated gate. 

We saw these two cute faces smiling at us when we arrived.  We got to see Sister Foster and her companion Sister Richey!

We were all able to talk with her and give her a hug through the fence. It was so good to see her! Especially since she was flying out to England the next day. 

We hurried off so we wouldn't get caught. I need to mention that I'm normally not a rule breaker.  This was a big deal for me.

It was worth it though to see her so happy! She sent us this picture of their feast.  Not long after this MTC security came and asked about the suspicious package they received at the gate. Kenna said the food was worth getting in trouble for.  Mission accomplished!!