Halloween 2008!

Brooklyn was a "Funky Sheep" for Storybook Day at School and a "Funky Witch" for Halloween Night. I guess she's got the "funk" down! Parker was Tom from the book "Ghost Hunters" for Storybook Day and "Scream" for Halloween Night. What fun that Maddie and Tyli stopped by so we could see their darling bee costumes!

St. George

One of our family traditions is to go to St. George and hike on the beautiful red rock. It is always a hit with everyone. We had a great visit, and even saw "Les Mis" at the Tuacahn Theatre which was wonderful - in spite of the unseasonably cold weather (luckily we were prepared with lots of coats and gloves).

Zions

Zion's National Park was so beautiful. We took the tram up and down the different sites and then got off and hiked around. It is truly amazing the beauty there is in these amazing formations so close to our home!

Hiking to Timpanogas Cave!

Labor Day 2008: What a beautiful day to take a hike to Timanogas Cave! It started out raining and cold but we had no fear and forged on and to our pleasant surprise, by the time we got to the trail, the sun came out and it was a perfect day. The last time we did this, I was pregant with Parker, so it was about time to do it again. Unfortunately Dylan had to work or he would have come too - you'll have to ask him some time about his experience the last time he went through the caves.

First Day of School!

Parker and Brooklyn started 3rd and 5th grade this year. They both seem to really like their teachers and enjoy school. Mom was especially happy for school to start.

Summer Highlights

Posing With Cousins: We are having so much fun with my sister Amy and her kids here from Florida for a visit. This is in my sister-in-law Jodi's cute backyard and a bunch of really cute kids.

Train Ride to the Gateway: We toook a fun train ride to the Gateway Mall with a bunch of the cousins and they had a blast on the train and playing in the water fountain.

Swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's: One of the best summer memories is swimming at my mom and dad's pool. It is a family tradition and the kids love it. Darin especially loves throwing them in and seeing how high they can fly!

Fun at Mueller Park Canyon

Cook-Out at Mueller Canyon:

What great mountains we have here in Utah. I love the clean fresh smell of being in the mountains and the sounds of the creek, and the especially fun sound of cousins playing together!

Twilight Party

Twilight Party: Yes, I will admit I am a "Twilight" fan. I got sucked in right from the start and have read the first 3 books twice over, so when the 4th book was released, it wasn't hard to talk me into attending the party the night before it was released. What fun to go with fun neighbors and my sister Amy and sister-in-law Jodi out to eat and then to the party at Barnes and Noble. Thanks to Jodi for arranging the whole thing! I loved the 4th book just as much as the first three. What a fun escape they are and reading has become such a passion for me lately. Thank goodness there are authors like Stephanie Meyer who write good, clean books that can be enjoyed by all!

Hogle Zoo

Wendy's work reserved the Zoo for the night and we had a blast!

Parker's Baptism!

Parker was baptized on May 31, 2008. We are so proud of his decision. It was a really neat day for all of us - and especially momentous because this is our last "baby" to be baptized! It seems weird that we are old enough to have our baby 8 years old! Oh well, time does fly. One of Parker's good friends, Connor, was baptized with him. Parker's Grandpa Jim and Grandpa Dennis were the two witnesses. He is so lucky that they both were able to be there. His grandpa Dennis is getting quite frail after having MS for many many years. Parker was excited to have Darin give the famous baptism talk where he has two shirts on (one dirty and once clean) to show the difference it makes to be free of sin - it is a family favorite. We were lucky to have lots of family and friends there and we had a fun get-together afterwards in our backyard. It was a beautiful day (although maybe a little too much direct sun - which has since motivated Darin to plant 2 more trees in our backyard). We hope Parker will remember the special feelings he had on this day and that he will remain faithful to the promises he has made.

Vegas and St. George

Over Spring Break we went to Las Vegas for a few days and stayed in the Luxor Hotel. The kids loved the cool slanting windows and the neat decor of the Hotel. We did lots of fun site seeing. On the way back, we took a hike in Snow Canyon which is a family favorite.

7 Baby Bunnies!

Seven baby bunnies unexpectedly appeared in our rabbits cage one afternoon (we aren't very good at noticing when our bunnies are pregnant). Since we had an unfortunate experience a month earlier wherein all the babies died within a matter of a couple hours, I had researched a lot about how to keep them alive and I was determined to do just that - but I never dreamed we would be able to keep all 7 alive! It took quite a bit of work and a lot of creativity to keep these little guys alive, but they were such a hit with our kids and all the neighborhood kids (and adults) that it was all worth it. For the first 4 weeks or so, the momma bunny didn't want much to do with taking care of her bunnies, so we would have to hold her over her bunnies twice a day so they could nurse (we employed everyone's help - even Dylan was quite tender with them). The kids gave them away to neighbors and friends so they all ended up with happy homes!