Halloween parade

This year we had Indiana Jones, a bumble bee, and two pirates.

Pumpkin carving

Ten

Curren turned ten. Double digits. He is our oldest son who loves art, playing with his brother, and reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We love you, Bug.

Duchesne

My aunt Dawnette invited us to make a trip out to Duchesne for a visit and we took her up on it. We wanted to see the land my parents have owned for years and see cousins, too. Dawnette and her mom was so nice to let us stay with them. Curren got to play her father's antique piano, we ate homemade bread and jam, saw the property, and drove out to Vernal to see cousins. We had lunch with Natalie and her cute kids at a park and then let the kids run around at the Utah Field House Museum.

Brothers

Just had to snap this one of Curren and Hunter. I love my boys.

Bear

Curren has earned his Bear award in Cub Scouts. The past two years have flown by. Den meetings, pack meetings, scout camp, Pine Wood Derby, etc. He has lots of fun with his friends and has learned so much. We are so thankful for diligent leaders! Way to go, Curren!

Texas surprise

For a few days in October I surprised my good friend, Christine for her 40th. birthday. Lauren picked me up at the airport and we headed over to Christine's to surprise her. She had no idea I was coming! It was so fun to be there for part of the week long celebration. We ate lunch at Central Market with lots of good friends. It was great to soak up the sun and catch up with everyone. She made an awsome Greek meal for her birthday dinner. Then I spent the night with the Wrights. So fun to laugh with Nate and Lauren, just like old times. We went for a walk in the morning, after I slept in!! The next few days were filled with more food, a movie at the Fork n Dine in Grapevine, and a mani/pedi and some shopping in Southlake. It was fun to be back in Texas and celebrate Christine's birthday with her.

Locks of Love

Emily has been growing her hair out for almost two years with the thought of donating it the Locks of Love. Her cousin did it and she wanted to, also. We looked at the before and after pictures of kids who needed wigs and she was touched. We had Heather do the cutting and styling of the new 'do. First she made a ponytail and then quickly did the cutting while Emily chatted with her friend, Avery. No tears!! And her new haircut is adorable. She loves it.

Reading Festival at University of Utah

Our family loves to read! And we love free books! I took all the kids to the U to pick up new books and of course candy as we walked from booth to booth. We even ran into Rusty and Rosy, the mascots from Hunter's kindergarten prep program. I want them to be comfortable on college campuses and look forward to going to events like this one.

Boating on Utah Lake

We spent Labor Day waiting for the rain to stop and the weather to warm up so we could go out on David and Mary Ann's boat. It finally cleared up and we headed down to Utah County. What a fun time we had! They have two big tubes, and the favorite was the "taco". Porter went out for the first ride! It was a little crazy to see my little boy out there (with his life vest on) with all the kids. He is fearles! We had a ball! Curren had fun with Jace and Denton, Emily went out with Anja and Kenah and even James and I took a turn. We ended the day with a bbq before the storm came through again. Thanks for a great day, Wrights!

Hunter goes to kindergarten

Every time one of my kids start kindergarten it makes me so sad. Even though they are gone for just a few hours a day it makes me miss all days we spent going to the library, zoo, and park. It means that in one more year they will be gone ALL day! Hunter was thrilled to finally be starting school. He goes in the afternoon and comes home with his big brother and sister. He loves being at school with his friends and having his own desk and tote tray.

Lagoon

James' company hosted a family party at Lagoon this year. It was a very hot day, but since the kids thought they were the only people in Utah who had never been, we decided to go. It has also been on their summer bucket list for the past two years. We packed our swimsuits so we could go to Lagoon-a Beach, too. Curren and Emily went with James on the big slides while the little boys and I played in the little water park. One of our favorite rides was Bombora. It's a new roller coaster that Porter could go on, too. He liked it, but he preferred the good old little whale ride that goes around and around in a circle. He rode it at least 6 times!

First day of school 2011

Back to School

We have a family tradition of celebrating the start of a new school year. We have a special dinner, which the children help plan, a fashion show featuring new favorite clothes, and at the end of the night James gives each of them a father's blessing. This year Curren is starting fourth grade, Emily is in third, and Hunter is a kindergartener. So sad to see the end of summer. I love it when we are all home together. But, it's going to be a great school year!

Emily's baptism

Emily was baptized on August 6, along with several other eight year olds from our stake, including her good friend Avery, and Derek, who is in her primary class. So many members of our family came to support us and share this special day with us.

Yellowstone National Park

We arrived at our campsite in the park after 9pm so we quickly set up tents and got in our sleeping bags. It was cold! Then, a few minutes later it started to rain--really hard! I was thinking that maybe the rain might keep the bears away. The next morning we drank lots of hot chocolate and pancakes before we drove out to see Old Faithful and hike to see the hot pots around the geyser.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

On our way up to Yellowstone, we stopped in Jackson, with Russ and Rebecca and all the kids. We ate hamburgers, did a little shopping, and watched a shoot out. Emily was chosen to be part of it and danced with one of the actresses. Jackson is beautiful!

Emily's baptism

Emily has been looking forward to this day for so long. It was such a special day for her. Her good friend, Avery was also baptized, as well as Ethan, from her class at school. James baptized her and as he confirmed her, he gave her a very sweet blessing. We had lots of family come and celebrate the day with us and we had lunch in our backyard afterwards.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Nana and Papa stayed with the kids so I could spend a day with Curren and his friends at the Space camp in Millcreek Canyon. The boys loved doing archery, learning about the solar system, and the obstacle course. It was great spending the day with him doing things that 9 year old boys love.

Cousins

This summer was full fun family visits. We saw Nana and Papa Ellsworth in Utah and San Diego and cousins from Tennessee and LA, too. Sunday dinners at Grandma Falene's were so fun with everyone!

8

Our sweet Emily turned eight this summer! She celebrated her birthday with friends at the Lion House in Salt Lake. She had such a cute pioneer party. Our hostess gave us a tour of the home where Brigham Young, his wives, and 56 children lived. The house is furnished to look just like it did when they lived in it. The girls played "Thimble, thimble," pulled taffy, and had lunch and cake and ice cream. Each girl was given a bonnet to wear and Emily wore a crown. We ended the party on the patio to open presents. It's great to be eight!

Seal Beach

Every summer we spend time with cousins at Russ and Rebecca's in LA. It's a big party and our favorite part is going to the beach. The boys spend hours on the boogie boards, the girls love jumping in the waves, and the little ones have fun playing in the sand.
One day we took lunch with us and had yogurt at Golden Spoon before we went home , another we picked up In-n-Out on our way home, and the last time the dads came with us and it was so windy that we had to leave. But, we will be back next year!

Sea World

San Diego is so beautiful! I love the weather and there is so much to do. We spent a gorgeous day at Sea World. We saw several shows (Cirque de la Mer and the dolphin show were favorites), rode the roller coasters, played with starfish and saw the sharks. The sky ride over the bay was great and at the end of the day Jearldene took the little boys home and we ended the day with my cousin, Ginny and her family. We stayed for the fireworks and then headed home. We had such a fun day!

Swimming lessons

This summer, Hunter learned to swim and Emily brushed up on her strokes. We are so lucky to have a girl in our ward who taught lessons in her backyard pool.

Fireworks

We love sparklers! Especially when our neighbors come over to do them with us. The kids tried writing their names with the fire.

Tennis

Curren has been playing tennis all spring and now Emily has joined him in lessons. They have been working hard and Curren has a pretty good backhand now. They have fun coaches and even participated in their first tournament on Saturday. Lots of kids from school were there, which makes it even better!

Emily's ballet concert

Emily has a passion for dance. She has loved ballet this year and has decided to go twice a week. Her skills have improved so much, as a result. Our little girl has become so graceful and is a beautiful ballerina. We loved watching her dance in two different numbers. One was very special because she had a big solo! She loves being on stage, especially if she has it all to herself. She was so sad when it was over and cried herself to sleep that night! She has an amazing teacher that made the show so fun for all the dancers.

Summer bbq

To celebrate the official beginning of summer, we invited lots of friends over for dinner and fun in the backyard. Everyone brought a dish to share and food was delicious! We are thankful for good friends to share warm summer evenings with.

Hunter's last soccer game

Due to several games cancelled due to rain/snow, we finally finished the spring soccer season today! Hunter's team, the Lightning Bolts, had a great season and learned some skills, as well. I coached with Molley and Tim and it was fun working with Hunter and his friends. The boys are so cute!

Last day of school

Curren had an amazing third grade teacher and Emily's second grade teacher was the best! We are so thankful for all their hard work and dedication to their students. Thanks for a great school year!