Ugh....August?

Wow. I'm not sure were August went. Once school starts, time seems to hit warp speed! Add in the Eastern Idaho State Fair, and the arrival of ANOTHER nephew, well, we've been busy. :-)  I'm thrilled we're getting into autumn weather, though. Here's some first day of school pics. Amelia is a FRESHMAN and Coop is a SIXTH GRADER. Next year he hits the junior high, and Amelia goes to (gulp) high school!

Our traditional back-to-school meal at Pizza Pie Cafe.

First day of school. Cooper is sooooo close to Amelia's height. Only 1/4" to go. 

We also had a fun family get together on Sunday:

The EISF started in August, so I'm gonna post the pics here, too. This year was a little different because Amelia and Cooper didn't enter anything. They've won every year, and I guess they wanted to give someone else a chance. :-)

Amelia with her square ice cream cone.

 We are lucky this year because Andy and Desiree bought a house only three blocks from the fair entrance! Free parking, plus time with Clyde! Whooee!

Cooper wanted to show how tall he is getting. He completely blocks Katie's face. 

Onto September!

Amelia's Dance Pictures

We FINALLY got Amelia's ballet pictures from May. I'm glad we weren't snotty about the wait because the photographer's son is in my class this coming year. :-) See? It pays to be nice.
Here they are! Isn't she pretty?

July Flew By!

Not long after the craziness of June, we jumped into a celebratory July. Our first outing was to the rodeo. Amelia and I love them, and Cooper is starting to like them. :-) Luckily, it cooled off after the sun set, and the fireworks after the rodeo were amazing!

The announcer was really entertaining, and the action non-stop. I have to admit, however, my favorite part of the rodeo was the look on Amelia's face when she misunderstood me pronounce "bull chutes". HAHAHAHA!

Then on the 4th of July we had the annual parade. We got up early to go to our ward's breakfast and flag ceremony. After it was over, we settled in to watch the parade and catch lots of candy.

Yes, that's a camel.

Several sets of missionaries followed behind the horses to keep our streets clean.

Ben, Kim and their boys sat next to us. Conagher ended up with a motherload of candy!

A few days after the 4th, Cooper started up his soccer games. He was a little more skilled this year, and I think he enjoyed playing because of it!  I've also had him jogging in the mornings, so his endurace was better this year.

Here's his team pictures. As you can see clearly in one, he still is a bit of a goof. :-)

We also managed to squeeze in another family reunion with the Dalrymples at Indian Springs. It was sooooo hot, but so much fun to to see family!

And FINALLY, 

Cooper finished swimming lessons so we had a free pass to Rexburg Rapids. So we met up with friends and swam the day away!

Whew! I'll try to not get behind in posting again! Amelia has youth conference this weekend, Cooper has another round of swimming lessons, we have our massive back-to-school party, and then sadly another school year begins!

Jam-Packer June

June was full of something every single day! The first week I was in teacher collaboration, so Amelia and Cooper had an entire week to lie around in their pajamas and really relax and be lazy.

The next week we had our Call Reunion at Island Park. It was so much fun to get together with all my siblings, nieces, and nephews! The house was perfect for everyone to hang out. It was rainy most of the time, but we ran outside during the breaks to have some fun.

Amelia riding the 4-wheeler with Joey. She ended up driving later on, and loved every minute!

Cooper tried his hand at driving also. It's a good thing we have a couple more years before he gets his license!

We also went to Big Springs and through Johnny Sack's cabin. Cooper was amazed he was as tall as Johnny. Speaking of height, Cooper is gaining on Amelia fast!

We also went into West Yellowstone to visit the Bear and Wolf Research Center. It was amazing to see this big guy! The workers would hide food under rocks and in trees. He'd come out and dig for it.  

Mostly, we hung out with family and ate ALOT.

After the reunion, Amelia and I headed all to girls' camp. (Like the very next day)!  After we got back we settled into summer lessons, hang outs (they are too old for playdates now), and lots of relaxing.

Wrapping Up the School Year!

I'm a little behind, but school let out for the summer May 24! Cooper is officially a 6th grader, and Amelia is a 9th grader. A FRESHMAN in high school! Except here 9th graders are still in junior high. Still, it's a big deal. :-) We were all ready for a break from school and all the craziness that comes with it. Here are some pictures:

Cooper had a science fair I managed to sneak over to:

Cooper had his guitar recital: 

And Amelia had her final orchestra concert. This picture makes me laugh, because it is so indicative of 14 year old boys and girls:

As always, we celebrate the beginning AND end of each school year at Pizza Pie Cafe.

Amelia's Final Ballet Recital

Amelia had her last ballet recital this last weekend. The performed Cinderella. Between the ballet and the showcase she danced 5 times! She was beautiful, graceful, happy, and very tired. :-) Here are a few pictures. We're so happy Nana, Jojo, and Lynnli could come up and watch the ballet with us! 

Amelia with some of her co-stars. They are such a fun, good group of friends. 

She was thrilled to have her first tutu for this performance. Apparently that means you're one of the "big girls" now. 

One of her dances was set in Paris. It was so cute! I think she'd do well in France. 

This recital is really long, and I was proud of Cooper lasting as long as he did. He managed to watch 4 out of 5 dances before succumbing to sleep. 

The ballerina after the show. She just beams when she dances! You can feel her love for it in every step.

I'll post a video of Amelia during rehearsal--she's not as graceful because her pointe shoe was coming off during the song and she was trying not to fall. 

Next up, Cooper's guitar recital and Amelia final orchestra concert!

Cooper's Last Concert

Cooper had his last choir concert this week. I was surprised when he came home on Monday and announced he had been chosen to sing a solo! I'll try to post it here. He did a fabulous job, and between his singing and guitar he may very well become the next Jon Bon Jovi. :-)

Here is a video of this solo. I had to trim it to a minute, even though I recorded the whole song. Notice he starts to get a little nervous and swallows a bunch before performing. Alos notice his smile when he finishes. Love this kid!