As much as I despise catching up my blog, I have to! I want to publish a blog book and I can't leave out the past 5 months...so here is August, September and October. November and December will be coming soon.
*AUGUST & SEPTEMBER
August and September were miserably hot, but FULL of fun.
Ansley got to go on a leadership retreat for her middle school. They spent 2 days in St. George and she loved it. She shared a hotel room with her friends, saw a show at Tuacahn, went swimming and ate out. She felt very grown-up being away from us and having some freedom...I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck!!!
We went swimming A LOT this summer. The boys had swim team, Eli took swimming lessons and we went swimming as a family a couple times a week. It was great. What else can you do when it is 120* outside?
*FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL*
Eli & Josh all ready for the first day. Josh is in 3rd grade and Eli is in kindergarten. Are they the cutest boys or what? Man, I love them. 
Ansley & Nate on the first day. Ansley is in 8th grade (her last year of middle school...sigh) and Nate is in 6th grade (his first year of middle school). Very weird to have 2 in elementary and 2 in middle school. Oh...and 1 at home!
Somebody was VERY excited about riding the bus. Guess who? Love it!
Paul Blart/Mall Cop patrolling the school and keeping everyone safe. =)
Eli with his teacher. He was so happy to start school. He loves it and can't wait to go everyday. His teacher has kindergarten down to a science!September & October
The theme of September & October was: FOOTBALL! We lived football. Football ruled our lives. There was football practice almost every night of the week and games every weekend...some of the games were a 5-hour round trip. The boys had a great season and finished the season undefeated. Nate played quarterback this season and he was awesome. He had to memorize tons of plays and be able to lead the team. He never complained about going to practice (in the heat!) and had a great attitude all season. We are mighty proud of him!!!
The theme of September & October was: FOOTBALL! We lived football. Football ruled our lives. There was football practice almost every night of the week and games every weekend...some of the games were a 5-hour round trip. The boys had a great season and finished the season undefeated. Nate played quarterback this season and he was awesome. He had to memorize tons of plays and be able to lead the team. He never complained about going to practice (in the heat!) and had a great attitude all season. We are mighty proud of him!!!
This was Nate's first touchdown pass of the season.
Josh and his friend, Elijah. They were the team waterboys this season and they were horrible at it!!! They were so preoccupied playing on the sidelines that they consistently forgot about their water duties. This photo shows a favorite game...throw the balls at the same time and try to catch them. They were soooo funny. We were entertained by them every game and they made the coaches yell more than the team did!
Claire at football. She is such a good girl and she loves going to football. Every time we all get in the car together she asks if we are going to football.
After a game in Enterprise, Utah, we stopped at a Church landmark, the Mountain Meadow Massacre Memorial. It is in the middle of nowhere, but it is a peaceful little place. The Church has done a great job making sure that people have a nice place to come to remember a not-so-nice piece of Church history.
This is how Claire felt about the memorial.
More football.
The coaches. They are so photogenic.
Father/coach-son pep talk before a game.
Nate dropping back for a pass.*Homecoming Parade*
The middle school cheerleaders in the high school homecoming parade. It was FREEZING!!!
Poor girls. It was so cold. I told Ansley to cover up with a blanket, but she decided to brave the cold.
*Grandpa & Grandma Visit*
Kyle's parents came at the end of October for a visit. The kids had so much fun riding 4-wheelers and play in the sand dunes. The weather was nice and it was nice to have the extra adult help for Halloween. I love this picture (Kyle's dad took it)!! Eli is sitting on the back of the 4-wheeler...see his big, round head?
Jumping into sand dunes.
Claire brought her body weight home in sand.
*HALLOWEEN*
What a cute butterfly!!! She was supposed to be a witch (hence the black clothes), but at the last minute she refused to put on the hat. Luckily, we had these wings that Ansley wore years ago and she agreed to wear them.
***This was not fun. One of my New Year's resolutions is to be a better blogger. Next up: November & December. Sooner rather than later.
The middle school cheerleaders in the high school homecoming parade. It was FREEZING!!!
Poor girls. It was so cold. I told Ansley to cover up with a blanket, but she decided to brave the cold.*Grandpa & Grandma Visit*
Kyle's parents came at the end of October for a visit. The kids had so much fun riding 4-wheelers and play in the sand dunes. The weather was nice and it was nice to have the extra adult help for Halloween. I love this picture (Kyle's dad took it)!! Eli is sitting on the back of the 4-wheeler...see his big, round head?
Jumping into sand dunes.
Claire brought her body weight home in sand.*HALLOWEEN*
What a cute butterfly!!! She was supposed to be a witch (hence the black clothes), but at the last minute she refused to put on the hat. Luckily, we had these wings that Ansley wore years ago and she agreed to wear them.The kids had a fun Halloween. It was nice to have it on the weekend. The trunk-or-treat was a hit, but having grandpa & grandma here was the real treat!!!
***This was not fun. One of my New Year's resolutions is to be a better blogger. Next up: November & December. Sooner rather than later.
