Isn't Fall Great - Squeezing in a Little More Sun

September seemed like an extension of summer, but October was true to it's season. There was a dramatic temperature change at the first of October, we definitely knew fall was here! With that change, we grabbed jackets and hit the parks as much as possible, trying to get our most of the time we had left.

Here is Kate's first preschool field trip. She felt SO GROWN UP! She had gone on a ton last year with Carson, but this was HER field trip. We went to a Fire Station, and here she is giving the fireman a "high five".

Kate has learned how to get on the swings and pump herself this summer. The other day I heard her outside singing to the tune of "It's a small world" - "I'm a big girl after all" and she pumped herself really high in the air. On this cool fall day, she and Cinderella Bear are bundled in pink and about to swing together. She really is growing up!

One of my favorite mornings as a mom was a few weeks ago while Kate was at preschool and it was just Carson and I at home (he has afternoon kindergarten). We packed our bikes and drove to the Jordan River Trail. He and I went on a bike ride together, exploring places that he hadn't been to before. When he wanted to stop for a break, we sat on a bench together and he just hugged and hugged me. I thought to myself - this is what being a mom is all about.

Audrey is learning to cook. She has been Easy Bak'n for her friends very often, but for the activity days talent show, she perfected the skills of mixing and baking her own cupcakes. It was very fun to teach her to measure, crack eggs, use a mixer and the oven - and then let her do it all her self a couple of times to get confidence. The kids actually got bored of eating the 75 pink cupcakes she produced in a weeks' time, but Audrey was quite pleased with learning her new skill.

We visited a small fall festival at Engh Gardens one sunny fall afternoon this month. The kids are always excited to do something together for Halloween - and this turned out great. Here they are on the pirate ship. They spent time in the straw maze and various fall displays. I also was glad to do a little perennial shopping - something I have wanted to do the last 3 years of living in our house. Hopefully the ones I picked out and planted this fall will add some color to our drab spring flower gardens in a few months.

Well, the school parties have begun and Kate had her preschool party with Mrs. Sue today. She loved being dressed up princess style and playing all of the fun Halloween games. I got to help out with the party and that was a treat.

Happy Halloween!

Some Sweet History is Made

September was Audrey's 8th Birthday, so we were very proud of her choice to be baptized. This was a very neat day for all of us. Chad performed the ordinance of baptism and confirmation, and Audrey was glowing all day! It was so sweet to feel her eagerness to be obedient to the commandments. On Sunday she was also beaming all day - and was willing to sit on the stand during Sacrament Meeting. She had lots of family come and witness her special ordinance and we had a crazy family party/BYU football game party afterward. Thanks everyone that shared the special day with us!!

Here is a pic of Audrey's Rocking Birthday party! She and her friends jammed out to Hannah Montana, and they all competed to be the "best singer" and "best dancer". There was so much excitement and creativity! We had fun decorating and buying fun props for the party. We had pizza and a Hannah cake and ice cream. Another party is in the books!

We were finally able to hike Timp Cave this month. We weren't very good at scoring tickets ahead of time, so we finally planned ahead and purchased them the week before we hiked it. Carson LOVED the cool cave rock formations. He loved thinking about how the formations and caves were formed. The girls loved the beautiful aspects of the cave. And, the hike wasn't as long as we remembered! We got there 25 minutes early, so we were able to explore a little earlier than we had planned.

Chad is hooked on Tri's! He did his second in September - and the weather was much better, and he finished 35th overall. It was fun to cheer him on again, and with the better weather - the kids enjoyed the experience a lot more. Good job Chad!

September was a big milestone month for both Carson and Kate. It was Carson's first day of Kindergarten - and thus his first day on the bus. He was did great - he wasn't even nervous. He is so grown up now!

Kate had her first day of preschool. This was VERY exciting for Kate because she was going to preschool with Emily! These two are adorable together - and Kate wasn't about to miss out on getting to go. She came close, she wasn't potty trained at the first of August, the cut-off, but she got it all figured out in record time so that she would be able to go! We are so proud of that cute little girl.

Up and Away in August

We finally made it to a Balloon Festival!!! This one is so close, you can see the balloons floating over our houses - so was an easy win. Here are the kids enjoying the Sandy Balloon Festival. We had to get up early, of course, but the kids were so excited that it was fun to get ready to go. They all picked their favorite balloons, and we sat and watched until they had all been launched. Then, wanting further excitement, we drove around Draper trying to find where the pig balloon went. Fun morning!

We were excited for the $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point, but a little worried about lines at our usual haunt, the dinosaur museum. However, I have always wanted to see their Flower Gardens in the summer because I have only visited the Tulip Festival in the spring. We went to Draper Park in the morning for playgroup, then we went to the Gardens after lunch bringing Audrey's friend Ally along. It was awesome and the girls loved the beautiful flowers. Carson loved rolling down hills, exploring the spiral path and they all loved splashing in water, especially at the Children's garden. It was great to just let them run and play over such a large garden area. I am so glad we went!

Chad did his first triathlon - and he did great. He has picked up the sport of swimming, mostly this last summer, we got a road bike in late June, and he was already a great runner. He is well on his way to becoming a world class endurance athlete! He even placed in the triathlon - got 3rd in his age division (though it was a small race). We had a blast cheering him on and being part of it. It was too bad that it was pouring rain during the bike and run - the kids preferred to sit in the car! Well done, Chad!

We have had fun at the last few neighborhood playgroups, and here is the last one, a trip to the aquarium. We have enjoyed getting to hang out with other moms and kids from our neighborhood this summer. The aquarium is a little hectic - especially in the summer, but always a hit with my kids. They love seeing the animals, but they could play forever in the coral reef play area. So fun.

I have always wanted to take the kids to the Great Salt Lake, mostly because it is there, and it felt like a way to explore our surrounding. So, we finally made a trip out towards the Marina on the South end, bringing Audrey's friend Abby along. When we got close, Saltair said it had beach access, so we stopped there, used their restrooms and they even had outdoor showers to wash the sand and salt off when we were done. The girls loved the "castle" look of Saltair and the black and white photos of it in it's heyday. We were stoked! So, we began the long trek out to the water's edge. When we finally made it, it was just an odd experience. The bugs were so thick that they coated everything black that entered their domain along the water's edge. So we quickly all headed out into the water. Like at Antelope Island, you can go VERY far out and it only gets to your knees, so we strayed a long ways from shore. The water felt in the 90's and things were going fine, then all of a sudden, all of the kids, who were floating and playing in the water, started crying simultaneously because the salt had gotten into cuts and sensitive parts of their bodies. We made a dash back to shore, accompanied by the wailing of kids, just to be attacked by the bugs, and we had a long grueling walk back to Saltair to wash off the salt. We were all glad to leave, and we aren't planning a return trip. Now we have experienced the Great Salt Lake!!!!

We had our last cousin group this month as well - at Discovery park. We had never been to this park before, and it was amazing for the kids. It made it very peaceful for the moms to be able to sit and chat and catch up. It has been a nice summer to reconnect with cousins and sisters-in-laws! Here are Kate, Audrey and Breanne on the tire swing together. Fun day.

We are sad to see summer ending . . . it has really been a Joy.

Oregon is Beautiful!

We have gone regularly to Oregon (every other summer for years), but this trip seemed very special. All of Chad's siblings and their families were able to go, the weather was amazing and the kids were old enough to really enjoy it.

On our way up we stopped at a fish hatchery at Bonneville Dam. It was neat seeing the big ocean going fish and experience the fish steps to return the fish to the beginning of the Columbia River.

Later we stopped at Multnomah Falls. What a pretty waterfall so close to the freeway! Breanne (cousin and "adopted sister"), Audrey and Kate are enjoying the backdrop.

The Iverson family reunion is always fun - and here are Chad and I with Ross (our Gpa Iverson's brother) and Dorothy, the reunion organizers. The Iverson family settled in Portland in the 1940's, and Ross still lives in the area and owns a Tulip farm. In the off tulip season, when their festival is over, they throw a big shin-dig along the shores of their private lake. What a neat tradition they have established.

We made it to the coast, and one of the first things we did was go looking for starfish. We did find a few, and here are the kids investigating one close up. It is amazing to see life in the tide pools at low tide. Later that day we visited the Tillamook Cheese factory and got great cheese and ice cream. It was unbelievably crowded. The cool coastal weather was attracting a lot of Portlanders trying to get out of 105 degree weather. The coast had beautiful weather.

Late in the afternoon, we went beaching. It was fun to watch the kids play in sand and water. My favorite part was body boarding with Amy and Nicole. We caught some major waves and the cool water didn't stop us. Everyone wanted a picture to document our crazy exploit. Just like old times!

On Tuesday, we got up early and trekked to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. We were pretty impressed with the sea life there. Here Carson is loving the giant crabs. We had no idea that they got so big! We also loved the 360 shark tank. Very fun to see sharks swimming on all sides of you!

On our way home from Newport we stopped at Monson Falls and later at Cape Meare to see the lighthouse. We missed our chance to go inside this year, but the coast along there is amazing and we made a stop at the octopus tree as usual.

On Wednesday we went to Oswald Beach, our favorite beach. The beautiful wooded hike is followed by a wonderful beach. Here we are having fun on the wooden suspension bridge that leads to the beach. The beach was foggy - our first day of the mist, and we were surprised when the fog lifted how many people were on the beach on the other side of the river. We had been enjoying a fairly secluded beach with hundreds of other people without knowing it!

Wednesday night we took a family picture together in front of the beach house. We made quite a crew - and dinner food disappeared quickly. The beach house was awesome - great views, tons of space and open floor plans. It was a wow of the trip.

On Thursday, we discovered the beach bikes - and they were such a hit!!! Here we are biking on Cannon Beach, and Carson was proud of being able to ride with eyes closed, and no hands or feet. What a crazy guy! We roamed along on the foggy beach for a couple of fun hours, racing, being silly and doing a little adventuring. Audrey, Carson and Kate made up imaginary places and adventures that added to the intrigue.

We were sad to leave Oregon on Friday - it still lives on in our hearts. The kids are scheming ways to move their favorite store - Flamingo Jim's - to Draper. Hmmm.

What a July Blast!

Well, July isn't over yet, but tomorrow we head to Oregon for an Iverson Reunion and then a week on the Oregon Coast. We are very excited. Next blog will be about Oregon. So, here are our happenings before the Oregon trip.

First, the kids have been so excited to go to Cowabunga bay since it was first started about a mile away from our house. Here is our inaugural trip. Carson and Audrey had a great time sliding in all the biggest slides and Kate loved to do the shorter ones all by herself! How fun.

Next was a trip to Bear Lake to visit the cabin - just like old times. We stopped and did a race in Logan area on the morning of the fourth and then enjoyed the afternoon in beautiful Bear Lake Country. That night, we did fireworks with the kids in front of our house. They loved it and it was fun to do together.

We visited the Utah Museum of Natural History on their July free day. It was good, as always and we took a couple of friends. Audrey took Kennedy and Carson brought Miles. The kids loved the dinosaurs, gems, and frogs. It got pretty crowded as the day wore on, so we were glad to leave after a couple hours.

The kids and I took a walk along the Silver lake Trail by Brighton Ski Resort. We brought Rylee with us, and we had a gorgeous hike, nice picnic and the weather was perfect - cool in the shade, perfect in the sun. Here we are cuddling in close for a picture.

One of the highlights of our July is going to Lagoon as a family. We go in part to celebrate Chad's birthday. We had a blast doing all of the rides. The lines were shorter than usual, so we felt like we could ride about anything anytime we wanted. This is the first year we haven't spent most of our time in the kiddie area. Audrey talked Carson into doing all of the big rides with her - and Chad and I took turns going with them. So, Carson rode Colossus, Wicked, and the Spider for the first time! Kate loved the little rides. Her favorite was the Odyssea, though. She loved the "Giant Squid". Here she is getting ready for some fun.

Well, July was also swimming lessons - 3 weeks of it! Today was our last day and they have all done so well. It is fun to see them swimming! Kate loved having a teacher - and here she is being helped by her teacher during class. I swam laps while they swam, so we all enjoyed the pool three times a week together.

Well, so much fun! Oregon, here we come!

Rain and Rainbows in June

It has sure been an exciting June. The rain and thunderstorms turned ordinary drives into amazing adventures. The kids loved seeing streets turn into rivers in a matter of minutes. They also loved seeing the soccer fields become lakes and the hail on the ground like snow. What crazy weather. At least with the rain came the rainbows.

With school ending, life has been busy with fun things. We caught an end of the school year party - in between showers. We visited Wheeler farm a couple of times, also between showers. The geese and ducks love the weather and were very aggressive to us while we were trying to feed them.

Cousin group has returned to our lives - though it is sometimes hard to fit it in. We went to BYU's art museum first. It was also their family day - and very fun. Audrey and Breanne were excited to get their face painted. We also decorated cookies, did art projects, blew bubbles and saw the art of Walter Wick who does the "I Spy" books.

It was Kate's 3rd Birthday! She really hammed it up, getting a make-over by Audrey before her party began. Here she is with glammed up and blowing out her candles and later after getting a bike helmet and knee pads. She was a lot of fun to party with! She has learned how to ride a bike this month - and she is becoming very talkative.

My mom, dad and nephew Luke came to visit from Texas in June for a week. We had a blast hanging out with them. We took a hike - but turned around quickly in an on-coming storm and barely made it out. We did get hailed on the last few minutes. My family was here for Kate's birthday and also went to the King Family Reunion in Pocatello, Idaho that weekend. Here is Carson playing Tether Ball at Grandpa's house just like my cousins and I did we we were kids. What a fun trip! Because of busy summer schedules, Chad and Audrey went south to BJ's baptism and Bridger's blessing and missed the reunion. I hear reports that they really enjoyed the special Iverson gathering.

For another cousin outing - we went to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden. We brought along Julie's kids, since she had just had a new baby. In all, there were a ton of kids with only three adults watching them! We were lucky we all made it home safely. We did loose Caleb for a few minutes, but found him fascinated with an iguana.

One of the coolest things this month was running in the kids race. All three kids ran in it this last Saturday. It was held at Sugar House Park for the Utah Arts Festival. Audrey and Carson ran hard and fast. Audrey ended up finishing about 5-6th. Carson finished strong, and little Kate was tough. She ran the entire 1K! When you ask her about it she says "I was crying". But she fought through her tears and finished the race. They loved the prizes and finisher medals. What a cool thing to see them run.

May is Flowering Around Us

Well, here are some newsworthy events in our May.

In addition to Chad coaching Audrey's soccer team, and Carson having a team sport (soccer as well), we have continued the tradition of having a family day most Saturdays. A couple of weeks ago, we took a hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon to Lake Blanche. We did great in the steep terrain, even with mud. But as we ascended the 2700 feet in 3 miles, we encountered the snow line. For at least a third of the steep hike we hiked through snow. We were only wearing shorts! We did make it to the top, believe it or not, because the kids were so determined to reach the top. Chad and I are amazed at what strong kids we are raising! We were also very grateful that we all made it back down safely without the assistance of emergency crews. Crazy Chad ran the Ogden marathon 7 days later, and got a PR. I wouldn't recommend this method of marathon training, I was beat for a week after the hike!


Mother's Day was awesome. Chad and the kids spoiled me. Here I am opening presents with Audrey, after she has taken me on a Scavenger hunt, made breakfast and a treat for me, and I have already collected several presents. I am holding a paper "music box" she created which is pretty amazing. Way to go, Audrey!

Audrey had her dance recital - and what a special event. She has gone to dance faithfully for over 9 months, and only has this one big recital. What a magical night. She smiled beautifully and danced perfectly. What a special night. Grandma and Grandpa came to be with us, and dad brought her flowers. It is fun to see her have so much fun.



For Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip to the Grand Canyon. It was a long road trip, but it was worth it! The canyon was amazing and the camping and fireside memories are priceless. We hiked into the canyon on two different hikes, and returned to the top only to regret not being able to go all the way to the bottom. Audrey and Chad made a pact that when she is older, they will return and do the whole trek. Audrey faithfully kept a journal with about 10 chapters in it. It is very fun to hear her report of our trip. We also saw lots of overlooks, visitor centers and Indian ruins; but hands down, hanging out together at our camp site was the best.