Mom and Dad's Vacation

 Mom and Dad were able to go on a trip of a lifetime in September. They had waited for seven years to go on this trip since they booked it. I am so glad they were finally able to make it and make lasting memories. They spend a week touring the Holy Land in Jerusalem seeing all the spots that were significant in Jesus' life from his birth to his mortal death and then some. Next they traveled to Egypt for another week and stayed in Cairo and got to see a lot of really neat artifacts. Lastly, they spent a few days in Germany to watch the Passion Play in Oberammergau.

Jordan River

Sea of Galilee

Birthplace of Jesus

The empty tomb

Garden of Gethsemane

Old olive tree

Great pyramids of Giza

Temples in Aswan

Nile River

Valley of the Kings balloon ride

Inside the Citadel

Pooped. Waiting to go home.

Happy Sabbath!

 We get to have our stake conference at the Ogden Tabernacle which is right next to the Ogden temple. Zander and Lucas participated in the children's choir and sang during stake conference. After the meeting Zander asked if we could go see the temple so we walked over and the kids found grasshoppers along the way. It was a beautiful day!

A Day With the Dead

 On September 10th our family got to participate in the Syracuse Day of Service in honor of  the victims of 9/11. We went to the cemetery to clean it up--we used brushes to clean the headstone, weeded, and picked up trash. It was such a humbling experience. I took the three boys with me since Stephen and Hannah were on a father/daughter campout. The boys were excellent helpers. Lucas was afraid of working in a cemetery, so he refused to get out of the car for a while, but he eventually came around.

That afternoon we took our family to the Curiosities and Oddities Expo. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had been looking forward to this outing for weeks. The line to get in the doors was extremely long; we waited for around 45 minutes to get in, and when we did get in it was just too crowded. They allowed too many people inside at once so it was really hard to enjoy being there and being able to see everything. I was kind of disappointed in what was there. Most of the booths were taxidermy, art full of dead zombies, skulls and the like, bugs, animal parts in jars, etc... The kids watched a strongman show while I did my shopping, and then we got to go a freak show. Most of that was animals with two heads or extra limbs. Lucas didn't enjoy being there and said he was scared and wanted to go home. That's when Dad took the kids to watch the strongman. But after hearing Lucas and looking around I realized he was right. It wasn't enjoyable being surrounded by dead and scary things, so I probably won't be going  back. We took the kids out to McDonalds for dinner on our way home.

Last Days of Summer

                                        

Playing a competitive game of Slap Jack

I hope the kids grow up and remember all the times Dad made homemade rolls and bread for them.

Lucas is hard at work doing the dishes. I love that he didn't complain about not being able to reach the sink, but rather jumped up on the counter and balanced himself to get the job done.

Zander had an accident on the trampoline. His face got smashed into the ground when he went under the tramp and Dad landed on him. He's super lucky it wasn't any worse than a scraped up face, bloody nose and lip. 

Yes Sensei!

 Zander and Lucas started karate last month and have loved every minute of it. I have to admit, I love it too. Their senseis are amazing-so focused, organized, and all around great role models for the kids. The first thing the owner did was sit the boys down and have them promise, twice, to never use their karate to hurt each other at home  

Both boys received their yellow belts last week!

Back To School!

 

These three started another exciting school year. I’m so glad they love going to school. Hannah has been waiting for two years to start kindergarten; she could hardly wait! I was a little nervous about only having Grayson at home with me because he wouldn’t have anyone to play with, and he can be a little clingy sometimes, but so far it’s been very pleasant. He’s a great errand partner and he helps me out at the house. We read books, listen to music, and eat snacks. 

Both Zander and Lucas started taking karate last month, and Zander is excited to join the robotics team this year. Hannah is trying out jazz dance as well. 

Bear Lake

 Another year at the lake with the Washburns in the books. Unfortunately, Stephen wasn't able to come with us this time because of work. We made some good memories. The first night we were there was Esther's birthday, so being the good sister she is, Rachel bought a cake so we could sing Happy Birthday to Esther. Then Rachel made the quintessential AFV video clip and ended up dumping the cake onto the floor! It was hilarious.

We spent lots of time at the lake. I don't think Zander got off the boat except to eat. Hannah loved finding shells, and Grayson loved being on the boat. He even jumped off the boat into the  lake to go for a little swim. And without fail, we get to enjoy seeing moose wander through the backyard or through town. I love this family tradition we have started.