So much to tell, where to begin...

Hello all!

I've been very bad about updating our blog. Since school started we've done so much and there's so much to share. I'll start with Karter's birthday. Karter turned 4 this year! As most children he was so excited to get on with the birthday festivities he didn't even change out of his pajamas before opening his gifts. It still seems crazy to me that he could be so big already!

The Saturday following his birthday we held his friend party. We had so much fun eating cake, playing with an AHA parachute and opening presents. The only planned activity was the parachute which I borrowed from our school. It wasn't Karter's favorite since he ran smack into a larger child under the parachute right off the bat. The rest of us had a great time right up until the spriklers came on. I'll have to remember to turn those off next time.

Karter was so happy to spend some time with all his adorable friends.

Three days after Karter's birthday we celebrated my birthday. It was great!!! I was pampered, fed, loved and got new shoes! My funny hubby even wore colors that matched my new skirt and shoes to church the day after my birthday.

As promised here are my adorable kids in uniform. This picture was taken on Constitution Night at American Heritage.

Each class at American Heritage is asked to create a "class constitution". The kids get to give their input on what they want in their constitution. Each year in mid-September the school does Constitution Night so each child in each class has the opportunity to come up and sign their class constitution in front of parents, friends and teachers (there's no backing out of the constitution after everyone you know has seen you sign it). This year our guest speaker was David Holland (Jeffrey R. Holland's son). He's a history professor at UNLV and a constitution guru. I didn't get many pictures of the kids signing since I had to stand at the Kinder-school table and help my students sign.

That brings us to October. We had a Kinder-school field trip to the ONLY orchard in the Las Vegas Valley. It's called Gillcrease Orchard. The kids were so dang cute. Most were dressed up in their western best. They had the opportunity to pick apples from the trees and select a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. We had a great time and everyone (including me) were ready

for naps when we got back to the school. Unfortunately a few of my kids couldn't make it so not all are in the picture.

Where did summer go?

We've been quite busy these last few weeks getting ready for school to start. We are NOT ready for summer to end!

Kaleb and Sage finished out summer with a bang in Cedar City at Cousin's Camp 2009 August 3rd thru 8th. They had a blast with Grandma Pam and Aunt Lynn and all the cousins! Highlights include swimming at the rec. center, Annie at Tuacahn, Bryce Canyon NP with more swimming at the Tropic Ditch waterfall, and fun at the park complete with water fights and lots of great food and goodies. Karter, Miki and I got to stay at Aunt Lynn's the last night to join in the fun before heading back home to the Las Vegas heat. The kids are already talking about how they can't wait for Cousin's Camp next year in Colorado. Thanks again Grandma!

Kaleb and Sage started school August 17th. Kaleb is now in 4th grade and Sage is in 2nd grade. My second year MBA classes started August 24th. Miki has been diligently preparing her K-4 curriculum and getting her classroom ready. Her classes started September 1st. That also means school started for Karter since he is in Miki's class and loving it. Everyone is doing very well so far in their classes. Stay tuned for a picture of the kids in their school uniforms.

Whenever we have a break, we try to squeeze in some swimming or a movie. We've scrambled to have some last minute BBQs with friends. It's the mid-day nap that seems to be needed the most, though.

And since Labor Day weekend traditionally marks the end of summer, we decided to fit in some more family fun while we can. September 5th we visited the Las Vegas Old Mormon Fort, one of the many places on our list we hadn't had a chance to see yet. They had a little scavenger hunt for the kids that made it quite fun for everyone.

We also got to go hiking Labor Day morning at one of my favorite hikes around these parts: Anniversary Mine/Lovell Wash Narrows. It is the closest slot canyon to Las Vegas that I know of and is absolutely spectacular. I could spend all day there watching the sun cast its light to create rainbows of reds on the deep canyon walls. Click the link below to see my attempts to capture the grandeur:

Lovell Wash Narrows

Now it's back to homework, homework, and more homework until Christmas. We are already looking forward to the Thanksgiving break!

Sweet Balsamic Vinegarette

I have a fabulous cousin who has encouraged me to include a recipe here and there on my blog. So, I'm starting with the one she requested. Since trying it at my mother's house it has become our favorite. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Sweet Balsamic Vinegarette

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Sweetener - Sugar or Splenda
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 - 1 tsp. salt
2 - 4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley

Pioneer Day Celebration

So after almost 9 years and 8 July 24th pioneer day celebrations, we hadn't been to one...until this year. It fell on Saturday, July 25th this year. Three stakes combine efforts to put on a huge celebration complete with parade. American Heritage Academy had a float entry which we helped decorate and pull behind our truck...



...followed by a traditional hosing of the crowd by the fire department...



...a huge pancake breatfast...







...and dozens of booths with crafts, games, and information both indoor and out. There must have been over 2,000 people there. It was quite fun!

Conversation of the Day

After bath Karter wanted me to comb his hair up "spikey". At his urging he ended up with a mohawk. Proud of his new do he headed downstairs to show his dad and the conversation went like this:

Karter: "Daddy do you like my hair?"

Dad: "I love it!"

Karter: with a smile, "That's because you don't have any."

Hanging out in Hoodoo Lounge

Last weekend, Miki had her annual retreat at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, so I offered to chauffeur her to and from to get a little change of scenery and away from the Vegas heat we love so dearly. After some Friday lunch at Iceberg, the kids and I left Miki in good hands as we headed up Cedar Mountain and across to Bryce Canyon National Park for two nights of camping, hiking, and hot chocolate by the campfire. We had a blast! Unfortunately three-quarters of the park was closed due to a lightning fire they had been fighting for nearly a month. And of course they couldn't have announced that on the website I scoured for hours the night before, planning out our itinerary. The park was a little more crowded. Let's just say that the open portion of the park is very familiar to us now. In fact, it forced us back out the park entrance to hike Mossy Cave, which turned out to be a welcomed refreshment as we discovered the fall/winter flowing waterfall of Tropic Ditch.

The kids and I had fun hiking and spending quality time together. Hopefully we will be able to return again someday to see the portions of the park that were closed. Click the photo album below to follow along and see the beautiful park of Bryce Canyon.

Bryce Canyon NP

California Fun!!!

I love summer!!! I love that Kal and the kids are out of school, the sunshine, swimming, and even the smell of sunblock. We had a fantastic vacation in Sacramento where we caught up with Kalvan's family. The kids were thrilled to see cousins they hadn't seen in a long time and meet some they didn't remember or hadn't met before. A large portion of our trip was spent getting ready for

or camping. We camped for 3 nights at Lake Clementine. In Kal's family you don't just drive out to a camp ground and go camping. They load up the ski boats and head off to a lake. It's genius I tell you, pure genius. Lake Clementine is a beautiful lake on the the American River not far from Auburn, CA. We spent 4 days in the sun water skiing and catching up with family and friends.

While we were out camping we celebrated Kalvan's birthday. It seems we are always on vacation for his birthday, but it's been a long time since he was able to spend a birthday with so much of his family. Happy birthday honey, you're so good looking!

It was exciting to get to go to a BBQ where a large majority of Kal's High school/ward friends had a little reunion! If only all kids could grow up with such a fun group.

For the 4th of July we decided to take it easy and let the kids recover from the colds they caught while we were out on the lake. After a long nap Sage, Karter and I took a little trip out to visit Katie's thorough bred horse Honey (Katie is Kal's niece). Sage was in heaven and much to my surprise Karter felt up to riding too. Thanks so much Katie for letting us visit your beautiful horse! Sage can't stop talking about it.

Of course we couldn't get through a 4th of July without fireworks. At the last minute we ran to a stand and bought a few sparklers and little fire crackers. The kids had a great time!

See our photo albums by clicking the images above.