WARNING!! Lots of Pictures in This Post

OK, so, so much for "in a couple of days". We couldn't find the camera cord to download pictures and so I didn't update our blog, but now get ready, because we have a lot of catching up to do. Let's see...when we left off we had just celebrated Dallin and Kyleen's birthdays. After that we focused a lot on getting ready for school. Ever wondered what school supplies for 4 kids looks like?



We had a fun time getting all of the supplies into back packs and ready for the first day of school. Tamsen got the leftover glue sticks and markers, etc. She filled her back pack too, and joined in on the ready-for-the-first-day-of-school line-up.



The first day of school came very quickly, although I don't think it could have come quickly enough for Kyleen. She was so excited to be a kindergartner, and she is still loving it!



The official first day of school photograph

Every year we take the kids to school and take pictures of them sitting at their desks. This year that tradition changed. Dallin is now attending the Excel Program at Image Elementary. Because it starts 2 hours before the normal classes start there at that school, due to transportation issues, we weren't able to follow him to school, so we didn't get a picture of him at his desk. Breanne started Middle School this year, and so we were officially banned from following her to school this year. So we only got pictures of Jerrin and Kyleen.



This is Kyleen sitting next to one of her best friends from church, Emily Wise. She is in Ms. Hamburger's class and tells us almost daily that some kids in her class call Ms. Hamburger, Ms. Cheeseburger and how it is not nice and hurts Ms. Hamburger's feelings.



This is Jerrin at his desk in Mrs. Goodman's 3rd grade class. He was so excited to finally wear his Phineas and Ferb shirt!

Ellie and Kyleen both started kindergarten this year and we knew that we wouldn't be able to get together as often as we usually do, and so we had an end of summer get-together. We had a little party in the front room and watched a movie.



The cousins had a great time together and looked so cute in the tee-pee.

I'm doing things completely out of order...always keep them guessing, right? About half-way through summer we attempted to climb Beacon Rock. We had Sam with us and the little girls weren't confined in any way, and after starting our hike we realized that we could not finish it without proper preparation. The switchbacks were cement trails and wooden bridges that hung off the side of the hill and were very steep and the railings were gappy enough that the little girls could have easily slid between the rails and fallen a loooooong way! I was sick to my stomach, and so was Brandon, at the thought of the little girls running across these switchbacks like they were. So we turned around and went home. We really wanted to finish the hike, though, and so we returned on a different day, without the dog, and with Tamsen in a back pack, and Kyleen in a harness. It was still terrifying at times, mostly because of how unafraid the kids were, but once we made it to the top, it was spectacular! Truly beautiful!



Kyleen and myself at the very top, I preferred staying away from the edge. (See the gaps in the bars!)



Dallin, Jerrin, Tamsen, Brandon, and Breanne. I was very proud of Breanne because she really conquered some of her fear of heights this summer. I wish that some of her fears could have rubbed off on the boys. A little caution would be nice!



This shows the switchbacks. These wooden bridges, like the one I'm standing on while taking the picture, were supported by railroad ties, and you could see straight down through the cracks. It was nerve wracking! I know that if I had been hiking with just Brandon, no problem, but the kids were running on these trails and the spaces between the rails were just too big for comfort. It was a beautiful view, you can see some of it in the background of this picture, but I was so happy to reach the bottom again and have all 5 kids fully intact.

There's so much more to share-
The girls' love of cooking and baking...canning...cub scouts...pumpkin patch...Halloween...and Bre turns 12!!

So just to make sure you come back soon and catch up on the rest of what we've been up to, I will leave you with this parting shot.





Tamsen making pancakes. We're working on the whole cooking nude thing.