Reflections 2017

James and Lynnlee participated in Reflections for their first time. I'm hoping this will become something they will get excited about in future years. Lynnlee loves the arts and I think she could excel.

Halloween 2017

We went to the Halloween party at the rec center. Marshall had to work late and so I ended up taking the kids by myself. It is a fun party but so crowded. It was exhausting trying to keep everyone together. I'm glad it's not the norm for me to take the kids by myself. We all missed having Marshall there. We had an extra ticket so James brought a friend along.

I like how Taggart stuck his arm out instead of his head.

There was a science booth that was pretty cool. These bubbles are made with dry ice. Each kid got to hold one and then pop it.

This was the best Halloween parade yet. It was fun seeing James, Lynnlee and Kaden. The minis sat still and watched the whole time without any problems.
Kaden was Spiderman the last two years so I was really surprised when he wanted to again this year. Not complaining though, I'm glad the costume still fit.

Lynnlee is the sweetest witch. She was pretty excited when she picked this costume out at the store because it lights throughout the skirt.

James wanted to be a narwhal. He has been obsessed for the last year. This costume was no where to be found in the US for a reasonable price but thankfully I had time to order it from China. This is the second time ordering something from China and I'm completely amazed. Items are the same price if not cheaper. The only hassle is waiting two weeks instead of two days.

We went trick-or-treating in Heber. Marshall and I went all out this year and dressed up as salt and pepper 😆😉  Don't you just love my dad's shark costume!
The minis were amazed that people were just giving out candy. They were so excited the first few houses. Then about forty-five minutes later they were happy staying inside. Kaden lasted about two hours. James and Lynnlee went all out and were trick or treating for four hours with cousins.

Palisades State Park

We procrastinated making reservations for fall break. Once we started looking we couldn't find any openings at camp sites within a few hours of us. We checked one more time and found openings at Palisade state park. We had never heard of it but it had a lake, hiking, golf course and ATV trails so it sounded fun but my expectations were low.

Our expectations were exceeded while we were there. First it was only a two hour drive which was perfect. We had a double campsite which we shared with my parents. Ali's family stayed in a cabin just a few camp sites down from us.

There was an awesome hill behind us that was really fun to climb up and explore.

We had a great view of the lake and the sunsets were beautiful each night.

Marshall took the kids fishing each day and they were successful.

We took bikes and four wheelers. Kaden misplaced his bike helmet after the first day so he ended up using this helmet one of the days.

This is the view from the top of the hill behind us.

The view looking north from the top of the hill.

Ali built mini houses with the minis.

There was also a big playground we went to a few times.

Thanks to Marsh for watching the kids while Ali and I golfed nine holes. It was really fun and we laughed a lot. It was also very cold so we didn't see many other golfers.

Hole number 4 overlooked a ravine and the tee was across the ravine. So beautiful and scary at the same time to a person who is afraid of heights.

We had a camp fire Friday and Saturday night and enjoyed the sunsets.

Saturday I climbed the hill on the west side of the lake. This was the view of part of Sterling.

This is the view of the lake from the west side.

All of the kids loved going on rides.

Ali took Katelyn and Drew on outings up the canyon. Marshall took James, Lynnlee and Kaden.

Pictures from their excursions.

Nap time wasn't a priority but Sienna ended up falling asleep while in time out, added bonus.

Saturday was so cold so we had a campfire going all day. Thankfully the weather was nice the rest of the days.

Sunday we went to church in Sterling. My cousin's husband's family lives there so it was fun to see their ward. 

We drove to the Manti temple after church.

There is a new park with a reflecting pond across the street. 

 Sunday afternoon we drove up the canyon and found a smaller canyon to explore.

We drove even farther up the canyon and found this pond.

They put a fishing line in and they caught a fish.

They threw the fish back in but it wasn't doing so well. It was floating on his side and so they played fish doctor and tried to get it back swimming.

Marshall flew his drone around the lake.

Monday morning Lynnlee and I explored the hill one last time and climbed to the top. She's amazing!

I'm not sure which night Marshall took this but I definitely had to include it.