Brave!

What a brave little girl she is! Makell had asked to get her ears pierced for her birthday, so we headed to the mall to get holes in her ears. She was so excited up until she saw the lady pull the ear gun out. A look of terror fell upon her face. We told her she could change her mind if she liked, but still wanted to go through with it. She had been looking forward to it for several weeks now. Her sweet sisters told her that they would each hold one of her hands. She quickly took them up on it. She did great! No tears what so ever! She chose stars with her birthstone. It makes her look so much older. She loves showing everyone her new accessories!

Makell turns 5!

Our baby girl turned 5 today! Wow, how those five years have passed quickly! Makell is such a fun and sweet little girl! She is always at the center of everything that goes on around here! I love that she is a little crazy at times and quiet as a mouse at others! I still love kissing those full little cheeks of hers. Just looking at her smile makes me want to smile! Adam and I told Makell that she would have to stay five forever because we didn't want her growing up anymore. She just looked up at us with giggles and told us how silly we were being. She said, "Heavenly Father wants me to grow up!" Heavenly Father knew that we needed Makell in our family! Life is so fun with Makell! We love you Makell! Happy Birthday!

Girls Night Out!

I couldn't think of how to spend a more enjoyable evening other than to spend it with friends and listening to the words of our Prophet and church leaders!



What a fun evening! As I walked inside the doors of the Conference Center and witnessed the sisters of the church, I couldn't help but think about the magnitude of strength that filled the room. When they talk about strength in numbers they aren't kidding! I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Many times I feel the words spoken are personally directed to me. I am grateful for times like these when you walk away uplifted and edified! It puts me back on track and going in the direction I need.

I have the best friends in the world! They are such a spiritual strength to me. I love that there is always a lot of laughter when we get together! These gals make me smile!

Rock The Walk!

Once again we participated in the JDFR "Rock The Walk" fundraiser this year! We have so much fun! Elizabeth is one of my girls in my young women's class who I dearly love! She is such a sweet girl, and we love being able to support her! I didn't know much about Type 1 Diabetes until I meet Elizabeth. My understanding has grown a lot. Our hope is that they will be able to find a cure for this disease in the near future.





























We love being on Elizabeth's team! Elizabeth rocks! Thanks Ashley for designing such fun shirts!


























This was the beginning of our 5K walk. I'm not sure how many people came out to support Elizabeth but she definitely had one of the largest teams!
After the walk everyone was treated to lunch and several activity booths. All the adults were sitting around talking when all the kids ran back looking like this! The found the hair coloring booth and went to town!

The Moving Wall

About THE MOVING WALL™
"The Moving Wall" is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than twenty years. When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.

I was extremely excited when I heard that the Moving Wall was going to be displayed in our town for one week! What a touching and educational experience!

There aren't words to describe the feelings as we pulled into the cemetery to see The Wall and all those names of fallen men who fought in the Vietnam War. What was amazing to me was to think that the monument in D.C. is twice the size as this one! The girls had the opportunity to rub names with a crayon to take home with them. It was sad to see small crosses next to the names of men who's bodies were never found or recovered.

I am grateful our children had this opportunity to experience this. Seeing all those names really put things in perspective for them. It was a wonderful experience to take time to honor those who serve!

Olympic Park!

The girls had several free tickets that they had received at the end of the school year. They were able to try several different rides. We went to the Olympic Park and watched the ski jumpers in action. They are brave souls! We all loved observing the different tricks and flip into the pool below. Looking at the zip line from below scared me! Adam and Kourtney were all for going, but Kaitlyn was a bit hesitant. At first, she wasn't going to ride it and then the last minute she decided to go for it! Bianca, Makell, and I watched from the ground below. They rode the ski lift up and waited for their turn. It was obvious when Adam and the girls arrived at the top, that one of our children are terrified of heights! Can you guess who? The tears in Kaitlyn's eyes started welling up. Adam had to have a little talk and explain that he would never let her do something that wasn't safe. He explained that she would be completely strapped in. It was exciting for the rest of us to watch the gates open and they began their descend to the bottom! The ride was a quick one! Kourtney had this huge grin on her face! She would have ridden it over and over again! Adam loved it! There is actually a larger zip line that goes from the very top of the mountain to the bottom. I told him he better wait an do that with his brother or someone else because none of us would ride it with him! That one is definitely for the adrenalin junkie! Kaitlyn was crying as she got off. She said it scared her, but if you ask her now she loved it. Funny girl!

Bianca took us to this amazing pizza place on main street! Some of the best pizza I have ever eaten! We enjoyed watching Adam try the ghost chili! (That one gets a post of it own!) The girls enjoyed ice cream accompanied with a life sized cow! Nothing like packing your day with endless fun!

The Alpine Slide!

We spent our Saturday enjoying sunny Park City! I think it is one of the most beautiful places! I was a little shocked to see the autumn leaves changing colors all ready! You know what that means, and I am not ready for winter quite yet. I hope the fall season lasts a while. Kourtney was the only one of our kids that has had the opportunity to ride the Alpine Slide. I have always understood it's a must when you are in Park City. ;) The ride up on the ski lift was absolutely wonderful! The fresh crisp air and the view was spectacular! I decided to head down the track first so I could snap a few pictures. Makell wasn't quite ready to ride by herself, so she decided to take the fast ride down with her dad! Adam said she had a tight hold of his pant legs the whole time. He asked her during the ride if it was fun or scary, and he heard a little voice reply back, "it's scary". Although when I asked her at the bottom how it was, she told me it was FUN! Kourtney loved every minute of it. She is a girl after her dad's own heart. When Adam needs a partner and the rest of us are to afraid, Adam can always count on Kourt to go or do things with him! Kaitlyn was a little afraid in the beginning, but was brave and jumped on by herself. She is such a tiny thing that her sled didn't have much weight to accelerate very quickly. It was funny watching her slowly round the last corner. She was trying everything she could to make it go faster. Poor girl had quite the line of people behind her.

Buddies!

What can I say, these two are buddies! Makell considers Harley as her best friend! She asked me the other day if having Harley was just like having a baby brother? I told her that I bet it's a close comparison! Makell spends most of her time mauling, tackling, or chasing Harley. I love the look on Harley's face as he is running from a giggly little girl! It amazes me to watch the girls now after having a pet for a few months. The three of them were pretty timid/scared around animals. Oh my word , it is so different now! If Harley has something in his mouth, Makell will dive and tackle him until she gets it away from him. Sometimes she is extremely rough with him and I think he likes it just as much as she does. He thinks it's all games! The other morning, after the older girls had left for school, Makell went in a picked out a book and sat down in Harley's bed. She proceeded to "read" or retell the story to him. He sat right beside her the whole time. Makell tells us all the time how much she loves Harley. He loves the attention!

First Day of Pre-school!

This is a bitter sweet moment for me. My "baby" is starting preschool! She is ecstatic that she gets to attend Luv-A-Lot Preschool. I just love Miss Patti. She does such a great job with the kids! She has taught for over 25 years, so I am excited Makell would will have to opportunity to have her since Kourtney and Kaitlyn did as well. Each time we would find ourselves driving down fourth north Makell would make sure to point out her preschool. I told her that I was going to miss her and cry when she was gone and her reply was, "mom, your freaking me out"! I wonder where she heard that from?











Now I have a picture of all three girls in front of the famous pre-school gate!





















Makell sporting her bag she decorated and personalized to carry her school work in.
Makell and Jackson are in the same class along with her other friend Daniel. She came home from school today and told me she has seven new friends! Those faces make me smile!

Pickin' Berries!

We thought we would try something a little different for a family adventure. Through the fields where we live is a raspberry farm that is available to who ever wants to pick raspberries! It's a fun family activity. If you know Adam very well, you know he absolutely LOVES raspberries! It takes a spot in his top five favorite foods! When we arrived at the farm, the man told us that we could walk through the field and eat berries and even pick some to put in our buckets to take home. We spent about a hour walking up and down the rows of raspberry bushes picking and eating. The proof is in the picture! Adam and Makell did more eating than picking! lol! The kids will tell you that there is nothing better than fresh raspberry milkshakes! They told us they will have berries until mid October, so we will definitely be going back!