Jake

Jake and I have been enjoying our time together while the 3 older kids are at school. We walk the kids to the bus and then spend the morning playing and going on outings. It has been so fun to spend one on one time with child #4.

He has been helping me in the kitchen a little.

After our fun filled mornings, we eat lunch and then Jake has his 3 hour nap! He sleeps until it is time to go get the kids from the bus.

He loves walking to the bus stop to wait for the kids to come.

Waiting for the bus....

The kids love to give Jake hugs when they get off the bus and he is always so happy to see them.

Noah Grace and Lucy are so sweet with Jake and make him feel so loved.

First Day of School!

School started August 12th! I now have 3 kids in school. A 4th grader, a 2nd grader and a kindergartener! Our day starts very early with the bus coming at 7:35. It has been a little tough for everyone adjusting to this new schedule after such a carefree summer.

I am so glad Lucy has Noah and Grace to take care of her and show her the way.

After I took this picture, she climbed on the bus and I cried. She was so excited to go to school and loved her first day.

Meeting up with old friends is one of the best parts of starting school again!

The Grand Finale

We left Salt Lake and drove back to beautiful Donnelly Idaho. We had a few days of rest and relaxation and thoroughly enjoyed it! We slept in, stayed in our pj's, swam and watched movies. We spent one afternoon at the lake playing on the beach. The kids had fun jumping off the dock and building sand castles for Jake to destroy.

After our little break, we drove back to Boise to see my brother Jeff and his family. We met them at the lake and had a great time at our favorite spot, Lucky Peak!

This is the lake my family spent every summer at. We would head up after work just about every day in the summer and ski until it was too dark. I had fun telling my kids about my childhood memories as we drove up to the lake and spent the afternoon there.

Noah had more time to practice his new favorite past time...skiing! It was so fun to watch him learn how to get up and ski around the lake. He loved it and wanted to do it over and over again.

My sister in law, Brenna, and I decided to take our 2 little ones on a tube ride. I gave the camera to Noah and asked him to take a few pictures. He took this shot and I thought it was so funny! Jake and James had been enjoying their ride (kind of) and then they decided they were done. So we were signaling the boat driver and Noah caught this moment...classic.

Lucy was so excited to see her cousin Jackson. When we were on our way to Boise and I told her we were going to see Jackson, she said "we're going to Texas!!"

The next 2 days were filled with Aaron coming back to Boise, a big family dinner the night before the wedding, the wedding, the luncheon and the reception. I do not have any pictures of this event yet so I will have to post them later. But it was a beautiful wedding and we were so happy to be able to be there for Melanie and Jeff's special day. The reception was one big party with great food, good dancing and a very interesting DJ. My parents put on a fantastic event and Melanie looked beautiful. The best moment was when we were in the sealing room in the temple and we were able to look around and see my parents and all of their kids and spouses. I remember as a teenager my mom would often say she dreamed of the day she would be able to be with all of her children in the temple. Well that day arrived and it was a very emotional moment for everyone. My parents have worked so hard to teach their children the gospel, and we were able to see the fruits of their labor as we all sat in the temple together.

We had one last event to attend before heading home. My brother Brian and his wife Emily were blessing their sweet baby,Blake, the day after the wedding. They rearranged their plans so we would be able to attend. We loved being there!

After the blessing we had lunch with everyone at Brian's house. It was a bittersweet moment as we said goodbye. We had been gone for 5 weeks and were ready to get home. But saying goodbye for another year is always hard and I was tearful as we drove away. We are blessed to have such great parents and siblings and enjoyed sharing our summer with them.

Salt Lake

We had such a great time visiting the Ogden's in Salt Lake. We were nonstop the whole time we were there!

The week started with a reunion camping trip. I am so sad that I do not have any pictures of this event. We camped for 3 days and did some really fun things. The kids loved playing in the river, kayaking and paddle boating, campfires and night games, and just being with their cousins. Grandma Ogden went to a lot of work to plan this big event, and it was a success! The food was great, the activities were fun and we all left happy and tired.

We were so excited to be in Utah during the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. My kids loved being able to go inside and see all of the rooms in the temple. The sealing room was especially meaningful because my sister Melanie would be getting married in a few weeks and so we could talk to our kids about that special room and what would happen in a few weeks when Melanie and Jeff were sealed. It was a very special occasion and I hope my kids remember it!

Enjoying some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We went on a hike to Timpanogos Cave. It took us about an hour and a half to hike up to the cave and then we went on a tour through the caves. The kids did great hiking up. Noah was the leader and the first to make it to the top. Grace had fun hiking with her cousins Samantha and Jade and Lucy and cousin Emily held hands most of the way up.

Jake enjoyed the ride on Aaron's back and fell asleep on the way down.

Taking a quick break!

We took this group shot at the top just before going into the caves.

Emily and Lucy enjoying the view before heading down the mountain

We were lucky to be in Utah on the 24th of July for the pioneer day parade.

It was a really hot day and most of us moved off the pavement to the cool grass. But Grace and Aunt Kara stayed in their seats to enjoy the parade up close. (Aaron, Noah and Jake joined in for the picture!)

We took the kids to their very first drive-in movie. We saw Ice Age 3 and Night at the Museum 2. They loved it! Lucy fell asleep during the first movie, but Noah and Grace stayed awake the entire time. They loved sitting in the back of Grandpa's truck eating snacks and watching movies. Before going to the movie, we had dinner at Aaron's sister Krista's house. The kids played games in the back yard and we had some delicious food.

We were also able to spend a little time at Aaron's sister Kara's new house. We played games with Kara and Cory and loved seeing their new home.

The week went by so fast and we had so much fun. At the end of the week, Aaron flew back to Nebraska and the kids and I headed back to Idaho to get ready for the wedding!

Vacation Continues....

Just a few things we did while in Idaho.
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Playing at the Beach

Practicing the line dance to "Fishin' in the Dark". We taught the kids how to do this dance as a surprise for my sister Melanie. The kids practiced really hard and did a great job learning it! At Melanie's wedding reception, they surprised her and she danced right a long with them.

We spent a few days at my sister Amy's house and the kids had so much fun playing in their backyard and with their dog Sadie. We had a bbq and roasted marshmallows in their backyard.

We also spent time at my brother Brian's house. The kids played a fun game of kickball at the park with their cousins. Noah helped Jake take a turn kicking the ball and walked him home after the game.

Jake had his first ride on a horse! He was a little nervous at first. But after a ride with me, he was ready to go out on his own. My Dad lead him around the pen and by the end Jake was hugging and kissing the horse!

At the Lake! We love a day on the boat out at the lake. The kids ride the tube, jump off the back of the boat and swim. This year we bought kid size skis and all the kids got a chance to learn how to ski.

After a few weeks in Idaho, we were off to Salt Lake!

4th of July

We love celebrating the 4th of July in Donnelly. We have some really fun traditions and my kids look forward to them all year long.

Tug-O-War

The end of the backwards triathlon - run, bike, swim.

Yummy All American BBQ

The Parade

Star Wars Float

Lucy singing on the Dancing Queen Float

The Cheering Crowd

And the favorite float...Root Beer Float!

It was a great day and a great celebration!