And in Other News....

After much wiggling, those top two teeth are all gone!

This Was SOOOO Fun Today!!

There's a zip line course up near Heise Hot Springs and Kelly Canyon Ski Resort. We thought we'd give it a try today.... and we LOVED it!!

Back to School.... already

I must have been in denial that school was about to start, because I didn't even start thinking about school shopping until we went to Utah, two weeks before school started. That made for a wild two weeks of shopping for all five kids! I got right on the school supplies though... like two days before school started... I don't think I will do that next year.

I decided to let everyone pick their own clothes, and had a lot of fun shopping with the kids. It was also really interesting to see what was important to them, and what they thought was necessary to start the school year.

For Anaya, one of those drapey vests was a must. And she didn't care what I actually bought in each store, she just liked to try on as many outfits in each store as we could find!


For McKay, it was all about matching Kayden. Everything from McKays shoes to his hoodies, and everything in between, if it looked like something that was in Kayden's closet, McKay wanted it! In fact, McKay thought it would be REALLY awesome if I shopped for Rik too, and all three boys could wear matching outfits all year!! I often wonder if Kayden has any idea how much McKay admires and looks up to him.


Can I just say that Taisha is a SHOPPER! This girl would wear me out every time I took her. It was like a whole new world for her shopping in the juniors department instead of the girls. And honestly, it was like she had died and gone to heaven. She would come out of the dressing rooms with armfuls of clothes, and we spent a fair bit of time just figuring out what to buy from all the piles! She was really excited to move up to the middle school. She tried out for, and was one of three 7th graders that made the volleyball team. And while she was set on clothes, I don't think she was prepared for her new long school days. Last year, Taisha was home by about 2:35. This year, with volleyball practice right after school, the soonest she is home is 5:50! She has been exhausted!


Malia is fun to shop with, and has a style all her own. She likes to fit in, but in her own way. She doesn't like t-shirts with the store name printed across it, or the logo bejeweled on the backside of her jeans. She really likes the hunt, and gets so excited for a bargain. And when she finds what she's looking for, she is so excited and grateful! She made us have a moment of silence while we enjoyed looking at this favorite shirt:

And when she found her new backpack, she was giddy. And I mean SO, SO happy! Anaya just couldn't believe that Malia would wear this to school, and kept telling her how embarrassing it was!


Kayden was a little uncooperative with the picture taking on the first day of school, so you'll just have to enjoy this nice picture of Kristen on the first day of school instead (he says she looks way better than him anyway....) Shopping with Kayden is always entertaining. First on his list was a new CTR ring and a pocket Book of Mormon. In fact, jewelry in general was something he looked at quite a bit... especially necklaces and pocket watches. I would send him over to the young men's department and tell him to try things on while I was looking for other things on my list. Then I would get a text from him to come see his outfit..... and he would have found the tightest, skinniest jeans, and tight shirt, and he needed me to take his picture. *sigh* It didn't matter how many times I told him we were on a deadline.... he would find the silliest outfits to try on. When he got serious, he would choose clothes that compliment Kristen's eyes (at least that's what I'm guessing....)


The first week of school is over, and we seemed to survive it. I think everyone has been a little tired, myself included. Here's hoping for another good year!

*sniff* Is Summer REALLY Over???

I'm not sure how or when it happened, but all of a sudden it's back to school time! We even had temperatures in the low 70's today making it REALLY feel like summer is leaving and fall is right around the corner. But while the weather was hot we managed to fit a few more fun activities with the kids. Our ward's youth planned a trip to the Rexburg temple, and to Lava Hot Springs. It was a perfect day for Lava. There weren't many people there, because many of the schools were already in session, and although the day started out kind of cloudy, it ended up hot and beautiful. McKay, like the crazy, dare-devil he is, jumped off the 3rd platform, and acted like it was no big deal at all, which gave the young men in our ward a slight complex. Rik also jumped off the third platform, which gave me a complex, because he landed wrong and about knocked himself out. He told me the other day that he finally feels like he might not need x-rays.... but maybe some chiropractic work! Crazy boys!

(This must be Anaya's new favorite pose, because she was doing this in a lot of the pictures!)

We also got one more float trip in. This is the second time we floated to Rigby Lake this summer. SO much fun!!

It was super hot and sunny that day!

About half way through, there is a rope and slide. The kids spent a long time swinging and sliding into the water before floating the rest of the way.



They spent the rest of the evening playing in the water and sand at Rigby Lake.