Ah, Autumn!

I love autumn. It's no secret. I love the cooler temperatures, the changing leaves, the thunderstorms, the pumpkin-everything, Halloween, hot cocoa, sweatshirts, raking and jumping in leaves, and walking down a leaf-strewn sidewalk. Unfortunately, autumn, October specifically, is absolutely PACKED and I don't get to enjoy those activities as much as I like. Partly because now that Amelia is in the "older" girls class, she has a lot more dances for the Nutcracker, including her solo. This translates into a lot of Saturday practices.  We still pack in fun, however!

First up, Harvest Break! We went down to Salt Lake to visit Katie, David and Linus. We were lucky enough to stay at Joey and Jojo''s condo, so we didn't have to spend a bunch of money on a hotel. Plus, the view was great! We played video games and laser tag at Boondocks.....and still can't figure out how Amelia won both games. It was so much fun to get out of town and spend time with the Utah Calls!

We also walked around Temple Square a bit, and hit the history museum.

Our view from the condo:

We also took a Friday night to head up to Herriman State Park with Andy and Desiree to listen to the elk bugle. My kiddos handled the hike in like pros.....the hike OUT, in complete darkness with nature sounds all around, was a little different. 😀

Next up: straw maze and trunk-or-treat!

September Craziness

September is always busy, it seems once the EISF begins the whole month just flies by. We had a huge weekend with Homecoming and our yearly trip to Jackson falling on the same weekend. I love having these fun traditions every year to look forward to. Here's some pictures.

Amelia wanted to hair straight for the homecoming parade so the red dye we sprayed on would show up. 25 MINUTES later, this is what it looked like:

It's adorable, but I told her we're only straightening it on special occasions! :-)

Amelia at the elk antler arches in Jackson. Glad to see those ballet lessons are paying off!

We always have to hit Yippi-I-O candy store!

This is outside a gallery just off the town square. The funnest part was watching the Asian tourists get so excited about these bronze sculptures.

As always, we head out to Mormon Row. It is getting CROWDED, let me tell you. Sadly, I think too many people are realizing what a beautiful place Teton Valley is. 

After dinner, Amelia and I went back out on the town to get souvenirs and soak up the night life. Cooper stayed behind to see if he could see us on the webcams. (He did. )

Our last stop is always a fun park with a creek flowing through it. My kiddos usually jump it over and over, but it was running high this year. Cooper still felt he could make it, so he took a running leap and cleared it! Might have something to do with those size 8 feet.......:-)

We took a different way home through Hoback Junction because we've never gone that way before. It. Was. Beautiful! The trees were changing through the canyon, the river was always on our right, and Alpine, Star Valley and Palisades were gorgeous. 

We stopped at Palisades Dam for a bit and stretched our legs. And we HAD to get a picture of the Dam Store. Mostly so I could use the word "dam" freely and in as many contexts as possible while we were there. :-)

It was a crazy, busy, FUN-filled weekend. Back to school and all the autumn activities.

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!