First Day of School

 Calissa's a Freshman!

 Conner - 11th grade

Early morning pictures before early morning Seminary!

The poor kids both had messed up schedules the first week of school.  Conner's and Calissa's both changed three different times.  However, they are doing great and adjusting to the new year.  Hope it's a great one for both of them!

Ward Camp Out at Rucker Lake!

We had a ward camp out at Rucker Lake last week. We left on Thursday around lunch time. It was fun to see if we could fit everything in our car!

We fit, but Calissa had to sit right next to Conner which is never a great idea.  Somehow, they both managed to survive!

We got there mid afternoon and set up camp.  We were surprised to see another ward up there, but we made it work.

Friday morning after breakfast we went on a group hike with several families to Blue Lake.  We decided to go over the river and through the woods ...

But then had to go back over the river and through the woods because we were going the wrong way!

The gang!

Taylors, Rossi's, Capson's, Chapman's, Aikele's, Beards, and us

Happy Campers!

We finally made it to Blue Lake.  It was so beautiful and we got a nice work-out in!

Enjoying the cold water!

On our hike back, we saw this cool lizard/salamander looking creature.  It was pretty small, but had such vibrant colors!

Mike and Dale eating peanut M&M's off the ground after the bag rolled off the table!

(Some of the kids enjoyed sitting under the table and eating the extras too!)

The great thing about camping at Rucker lake is that there are canoe's and stand up paddle boards to use as well.  Here are Trav and I out on the beautiful lake.

Friday night we had a ward campfire.

We sang some songs, Trav gave a short message and then we roasted marshmallows for S'mores.  I might have bought a few too many S'mores!

We had a great turnout and most everyone had a terrific time.  I think we'll be doing a ward campout again in the future.

Goodbye beautiful Rucker Lake!

Conner is 17!

 Conner's birthday was celebrated for a good 2 1/2 weeks this year!  His birthday fell during EFY, so he opened presents the week before and also after his birthday when he got home.  We also went to Benihana to celebrate once they were home.  YUM!

 Since he wasn't home on his birthday, I made homemade cinnamon rolls on the first day of school, which we ate at 5:30 am!  Unfortunately, they didn't turn out (First time EVER), so I still owe him some.  We sure love you Conner! Hope it's a happy year for you!!

One year for Parker!

 Parker went into the MTC one year ago on August 12th.  Trav and I were still home alone (since the kids were still at EFY) and we decided to go to the temple to celebrate!

One year!  It has flown by!  Mostly!  :)

Disneyland and EFY!

 We left the kids in Utah on Sunday for Grandma and Grandpa to take to EFY on Monday morning and Trav and I headed off for a kid-free week.  We started off by heading to Disneyland. It was a beautiful drive! 

 Unfortunately, just before Las Vegas there was a fatal car accident.  We got stopped in the traffic about 20 cars back as emergency crews arrived helicopters landed to take away the injured for about and hour.  It was 105 degrees outside and traffic was backed up for miles and miles. It was a very sobering part of the trip.  

 We arrived at the Grand Californian hotel that night about 10:00 pm California time.  We got a quick bite to eat and headed to bed.  The next morning, we got up and headed to California Adventure. Our first ride was Toy Story!

 We had a fun-filled day riding Cars, 

 watching the sneak peak of "Pete's Dragon,"

 texting with our EFY kids, (Calissa's cute roommate Emma Lambert who's a cousin of Calissa's friend), emailing Parker at lunch time, 

 watching Frozen, the musical, 

 going on It's a Small World, 

 and watching the parade 

 and fireworks!  It was a fun-filled day!

 The next morning we went to Disneyland early and enjoyed going on rides there.

 They were having their 60th Anniversary this year!

 My favorite ride, Big Thunder Railroad! I wanted to go on it again and again!  :)

 Another favorite, the Jungle Cruise! 

 What a fun, relaxing, and awesome two days at Disneyland! 

 Wednesday, we were planning on going to Magic Mountain for the day and heading home.  Instead, we ended up at Dodger Stadium for a day game.

 The Dodgers lost, but we had a fun time cheering them on!

 Sorry Conner!  (He was a little jealous!)

 That night, we drove home and enjoyed a couple of days until the kids got home.  I worked CHS registration on Thursday for several hours and we discovered what it'll be like when our kids are gone in four years!  Yikes!! Time goes by so fast!

PS - Don't feel too bad for the kids, they had a great time at EFY!