labor day in st. george

We got to spend the Labor Day weekend with Grandma Sandy and Papa Ray in St. George. Aunt Tiff and Uncle Brett made the road trip up with us. We got to spend lots of time with Uncle Damien, Aunt Danielle and their crew who live nearby, and Uncle Ethan and Aunt Megan made the trip down with Joshua as well. The weekend was so much fun.

We pulled into town and the girls changed into swimmies while Cori and Grant headed out to play some golf with Brett, Tiff, and Ethan. The cousins had a great time at the splash park downtown.

We did the usual Sunday things - Church and a fantastic meal. Then we visited a couple Church history sites. We took the tour at the Brigham Young house downtown. Again, I love stuff like this. It is so intriguing to me. These sites are calm and peaceful. We love hearing the stories of the people who lived there. And the sr. missionaries that serve there are so sweet.

Taking in some shade at the Jacob Hamblin home. Jacob Hamblin was the Church's ambassador to the Native American tribes as the pioneers were settling across the west.

The next day we went for a hike at Red Cliff. We got out there before the day got too hot and too crowded.

Brett just didn't want to put that book down! Unfortunately, when he did put it down to help children around the ledge it fell into the pond. :(

Grammie Sandy and Papa Ray effortlessly keep up with our busy crew.

That afternoon, Cori, Tiff, and Brett hit another round of golf. They headed back to Phoenix that evening.

The rest of us showered and gussied up because we were headed to Tuachan. We saw the magical stage adaptation of Aladdin. Few things are as cool to kids as seeing make-believe come to life. The musical is packed with the works: live animals, fireworks, a 3-D trip through the cave of wonders, and a magic carpet ride that flew right over our heads. The setting at Tuachan is natural and beautiful. The weather was perfect. Grace and Grant are still talking about it. In great detail. Thanks so much Papa Ray and Grandma Sandy! What a treat!

W* family reunion

All of my siblings now live/work/school in California. It is a wonderful place to visit anyway, so we all went west for our family gathering. We bunked up in a beach house right on the coast at Capistrano Beach. We loved spending a little time with Uncle Jared. He is the perfect blend of fun and chill.

One of the outings we made was to the San Juan Capistrano Mission. I love going places like this. It is so fascinating to see how people lived, what life was like for them. Our darling little tour guide raised a few eye brows. ("The mission of the church was not to obliterate the civilization that was here already, but to overlay it and create a new culture that was not Catholic, nor aboriginal, but a blend of them both." I've never heard Californian history laid out quite like that before.) The tour was, none the less, very informative. And the mission is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Also, the children were thrilled to pieces taking turns riding in Super Grandma Bettie's chariot.

Can I just mention again how much I was missing our Nikon this whole trip. :(

Grammie brought a few projects. Gracie, of course, was overjoyed.

We enjoyed most of our meals cooking for each other at the beach house. But we went out one night to the Fisherman's Restaurant on the San Clemente pier. After dinner we strolled the pier and watched the surfers and the sunset.

After a morning bike ride...

It was a real treat staying right on the beach as we did. The children got into the sand almost every day. Cori got up on a surfboard. And Super Grandma got her toes wet.

Quality family time. Ha! Just kidding. That photo was absolutely, kind of, staged.

We were super grateful that Kevin drove down to spend one night with us. Gotta love some Phase 10.

We spent a day at Legoland. We had never been before. It is a fun place, nicely suited for younger kids. We especially enjoyed all the little shows. And we were very impressed with the mini cities and the Star Wars displays.

Our final outing was to Sea World. I had a giddy, little kid feeling in my tummy the night before we went. As a child, I was a bit obsessed with marine life. My dream was to become an oceanographer and work as a whale trainer at Sea World. We go way back, me and Sea World. Cori and the G's sat in the splash zone every single show. 

Such a great week! Thanks Mom and Dad. Definitely worth missing the first week of first grade.

still here...

So, I'm getting around to catching up on things here. We've been busy and happy. Today, I have been feeling particularly grateful for the ins and outs of my everyday and not-so-everyday life.

A few weeks ago, I took myself on a date. I couldn't remember the last time I had done something during the day, completely by myself. At the art museum, I got invited to tag along a tour that the curator was giving to a troop of docents of a new exhibit. My brain and my heart were so very happy. And then I went to In-N-Out, and the rest of me followed suit. Must do that more often...

And then there are days like today. As I went about our regular routine this morning, I was struck with some serious happiness and gratitude for my stay at home life. It is going to be a regular Monday, full of the regular things. I love that.

Amongst the highlights on the to-catch-up-on list are our family reunion trip with my family, our Labor Day weekend in St. George with some of Cori's family, and a little blue-eyed trouble maker who turned two recently.

Also, this is the last picture to come from our Nikon. I'm hoping it isn't the camera's final offering. :( Something is very wrong with it and I'm dreading taking it in. I've been thinking about saving up for an upgrade, but haven't started yet, and really didn't want things to go down like this. This camera has traveled far and wide with us. Taken thousands of photos. And it has bravely endured some serious wear and tear. Here's hoping it can be revived. In the meantime, I'm grateful for our trusty Cybershot that is still keeping the memories alive around here.

back at it

I'm a little late getting this post up. For some reason, the start of the school year has been a bit unceremonious around here. We have had a lot of other things going on, I guess. But Grace and Grant are super happy being back at school.

Grant started school two weeks ago, one week before Grace. He picked out his clothes, got himself dressed and made his bed. He confidently rode with his carpool (not his mama) to his first class. He was so happy and confident - we are so very grateful he gets this additional year in preschool.

Grace's school started last week. Earlier in the month, we went to Back to School night. Later we visited her new classroom and met with her teacher. Grace was in ecstasy. She could not wait to get back. I was glad for opportunities to meet with her teacher. Grace missed the first week of school for our final summer trip and I was pretty concerned about it turning into an ordeal. But her teacher was super great about it, and we enjoyed our extra week of vacation worry free.

Here she is on her first day of first grade. ("Actually mom, its more like my sixth day, only I missed the first five...") We are really excited for her. Grace qualified to be in an experimental program they are doing at her school called APEX (APplication and EXploration). She will be in a class of 1st graders who were selected based on standardized test scores. Her class isn't designed to move more quickly through the curriculum, rather it is designed to cover the curriculum in greater depth. We think the challenge will be great for Gracie, as she is constantly on the look out for additional projects and things to work on.