First and Last Day

Every year I take a ton of photos of the boys on their first and last day of school and see a huge difference; but this year I really didn't see a difference in the boys...It's weird! 

All the boys had another great school year. All the boys did good to great with grades and improvement overall. Surprisingly, they all love every year when it is time to head back to school, though it's mostly to see their friends again. And they are also super excited when it all comes to an end. 

I too have been excited to say goodbye to school for a couple months. We've planned a fun, jam packed summer with lots of different activities. Before I know it, school will start up again. And I'll be ready for it.

Preschool Graduate...Finally

Nathan is FINALLY done with preschool. He's been attending the preschool program for 3 years and is so ready to move up to Kindergarten! Because his birthday is in late September, he missed the cut-off date (which I absolutely hate!) 

The program was cute, those little voices singing...As you can plainly see Nathan is at least a head above everyone else! 

The next morning, Nathan was getting dressed and grabbed his backpack on the way out the door. I thought he was just coming with me to take the boys to school. After talking about it with him, he thought school started for him. Nathan thought is was the first day of Kindergarten! I wish!

Skate Park/Hiking/Tracy Aviary

We have one heck of a Summer To Do list this year and we've been great at crossing items off left and right! One day we went to TWO different skate parks, ate a free lunch at IKEA and cooled off at a local splash pad. The boys loved the skate park! They've asked to go back several times! All the boys tried jumps and tricks. Even Preston had a good time!

Another fun, adventurous day we were off on TWO different hikes. The first was Grafitti Rock (aka suicide rock) which was very easy and beautiful. I wish we would of brought spray paint though...

It was getting pretty hot that day so we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and hiked Donut Falls, another pretty easy hike and very beautiful. I  printed out nature scavenger hunts for the little kids and a harder one for the older boys. It was a lot of fun. The boys teamed up and worked together to complete their searches. 

Another day we stopped off at (THE BEST) doughnut shop (Banbury Cross) and then headed to Tracy Aviary. We stopped under a tree for a picnic then ate those delicious donuts. It was a pretty hot day so we walked to a nearby splash pad to cool off. 

This summer has been a lot of fun. My house is messier than ever because we're always out playing. And it's great! I really enjoy planning and spending time with these kiddos. They are pretty cool boys and I'm glad to be their mom.

HAPPY SUMMER!!

Martin's Cove

On our way to Mt. Rushmore, we stopped off at Martin's Cove, where we were able to experience a handcart trek much like the one pioneers endured over 150 years ago. We visited the Mormon Handcart Visitors' Center and viewed exhibits recording the tragic circumstances of two handcart companies. Leaving late in the summer, they experienced bad weather, exposure, and death (for many) in order to unite with the main body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley. 

It was such a beautiful place and a great experience for Scott and I to reiterate with the boys of how wonderful our heritage is. To learn more about this historic event go here.