Millcreek Canyon

Once again we got to enjoy a yummy breakfast up Millcreek Canyon this morning. It's always fun to spend time with family and the girls love being able to play close to the water.

Rainbow

We have had such a dry summer this year that it was exciting to finally have a rainstorm today. Not only did we have a downpour, but it hailed too. And then next thing we knew, we were looking at a large, bright double rainbow. It was so beautiful. My camera doesn't even do it justice.

Grandpa Parry's 80th

Grandpa Parry turned 80 years old today and we got to go to a fun celebration in his honor. Seeing how Grandpa is a cowboy at heart, they had a cowboy theme and it turned out so cute. This life size poster of him was probably my favorite thing.

They had pinatas, hats, yummy food, fun dancing and more. Josh really got into the spirit of things. But if you know how much he's like his grandpa in that he loves horses, hats and westerns, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

Soccer Buddies

Aimee and I were able to get Sadie and Weston on the same soccer team this year. I'm now convinced that having a cousin on the same team is a brilliant idea. They really seemed to motivate each other. Weston was nervous to be there but would go out on the field when Sadie was on the field. And Sadie gets distracted easily, but kept chasing the ball because Weston was. Then they raced up and down the field over and over when they were substituted out. It was cute and Sadie really enjoyed herself.

Work Party

Josh's work just celebrated 1,000 customers and 30 years in business so they threw a work party for the employees and their families. It was such a fun night. We didn't get there right at the beginning and afterward we wished we would have. The girls on several occasions declared that it was "the best night ever". As you can see from the photos, they had plenty of fun activities to be involved in ranging from giant blow-up slides and games with prizes to rock climbing and train rides.

They even fed us dinner and let us watch The Lorax under the stars while the girls ate popcorn and cotton candy to their hearts' content. And just before we left, they gave each child a razor scooter. His company sure knows how to keep the family happy and we are very grateful.

School Girls

My babies are growing up so fast. Kali is now in 2nd grade. She got a new teacher this year which isn't normal for her school. The teachers stay with their class for two years, but her teacher from last year moved to the new Entheos out in Magna. He was such a good teacher that she was worried no one would be as amazing as him. Well, so far her new teacher, Ms. Lundgreen, has done a fabulous job. She seems to have a lot of fun with the kids and also gets them excited about learning. And so far the majority of what Kali tells me school-related has to do with her fun cool teacher.

And Sadie is now in kindergarten. She looks too little to be in kindergarten, but I know she's so ready for it. A couple of days ago I found out that she though she'd be at school all day long. She was pretty disappointed when I  told her that she'd have to wait until after lunch to go to school and was having a hard time understanding why. It didn't even dawn on me that she assumed she would be doing what Kali did last year as a 1st grader. Also, I was getting a little nervous about how she'd handle her first day because Sadie tends to be a little more shy and timid than Kali ever was. So when it came time to drop her off, I asked her if she'd like me to go in with her or just drop her off at the door. She told me that she would like me to get out of the car and give her a hug and then she'd go in by herself. I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea. I was more than happy to give her a hug and it sounded like she was ready to go off on her own. When I actually dropped her off, though, I saw every kindergarten child enter the building with their parent and was getting a little worried. But Sadie still seemed to want to stick with her plan. Just to calm my nerves, I told her to find her teacher first thing and give her a hug (her teacher hugs everyone). I still felt a little nervous driving away, but when I went to pick her up, she seemed just fine, like she'd been doing it for months.

Service Activity

For family home evening each week we do a lesson and then we let the girls take turns giving a spiritual thought and picking an activity for us to do afterward. Usually the activity is something like play a game, go on a bike ride, watch a short movie, play basketball, etc. But this week Kali came up with the idea of going around the neighborhood and picking up garbage. Both Kali and Sadie could hardly wait to do it and I have to admit that it turned out to be quite a fun experience.

I thought they would quickly get bored and just wander around and play, but they were so focused on finding trash that they didn't want to stop. Their bags were full by the end and Ashlyn even helped. As a matter of fact, every time I drive by the areas we cleaned, she tells me how she helped Daddy pick up garbage.

First Food

We decided to finally give Emma her first try at baby food. Although she is making a funny face in this picture, she seemed to like it. She ate most of what I had prepared for her. It just seemed a little difficult for her to figure out how to use her tongue to swallow it instead of push it out. You might think her pushing it out might be a sign that she didn't like it, but she kept opening her mouth for more so I think we're in business.

Scout Master

Josh has had the calling of scout master for a little over a year now and this is pretty much how we see him all the time. Between his monthly campouts and weekly scouts, he's always doing something scout related. Today he just got home from his big summer scout camp and is glad to have it off his shoulders. He puts so much work and effort into his calling that it's amazing he survives everything else he has to do.

Also, this is probably the only picture I'll ever have of Josh with somewhat of a beard. He doesn't usually go more than a day or two without shaving, but this is what he looks like after a week.

The Zoo

Grandma surprised us by taking us to the Zoo today and I was so glad to have the chance to go. Last time we went was before Ashlyn was born so Kali and Sadie don't remember it very well. And although Ashlyn hadn't been, she sure knew what to expect. When I told her where we were going, she kept talking about how she was going to go see some monkeys.

 

The girls had so much fun, especially because they got to go with their cousins, grandma, and aunts and uncles. When we got home, I asked them what their favorite part was. All of them really liked the elephants, the giraffes, and the monkeys, but I think they all agreed that the polar bear was the coolest.

And I would have to agree with them. The new exhibit is so cool. Not only was it super easy to see the polar bear with all the glass, but he was putting on a show. He would go up to the wall, stand up, then sink down in the water and push off the glass on his back in the water. Then he'd float back as far as he could go and then return to the wall and do the exact same thing again. It was so much fun to watch.