Cascade Springs

Labor Day weekend here consisted of crazy weather. Saturday afternoon Michael took Catherine to the BYU football game and they were both balls of sweat sitting on the aluminum bleachers in the 100 degree sun. By Monday morning we'd had a ton of wind and rain and there was snow on the peaks of Mt. Timpanogos! By Monday afternoon the clouds had cleared out and we decided to take the kids on our annual trip up to Cascade Springs. We grabbed our coats (it was still unseasonably cool), stopped by the KFC drive thru for some dinner, and headed up Provo Canyon. It was a gorgeous evening.




David and Spencer had to stop and look at every sign we passed - which was ironic since they are the only members of our family who can't read!

Last night at the Pool

The week that school started, which was still the middle of August, we headed for one more trip to the pool. Michael got off work early and we ate dinner and swam on a gorgeous end-of-summer-night.


Michael finally talked Spencer into going down the big water-slide with him.

And David turned into the little dare-devil that night. He wanted to go down the big water slide with Dad too, and loved it. After watching Catherine jump off the diving board, he wanted to go off that too! So Catherine "helped" him jump to Michael before Michael was ready and David went under the water a few feet! (I would have freaked-out if I hadn't been in shock when I watched it happen!) I was so worried about him being scared of ever going back in the water, but I didn't need to worry. He got out of the pool and started running strait for the water slide again!

Summer Recap

This summer I took SO many pictures of outings and adventures and everyday stuff thinking, "This will make a great blog post!" and then I never got around to posting them. So here are a few of the highlights and if you want to see the rest, you can click HERE to go to the Summer '08 web album. (I promise it's not overwhelming.)


Visiting This is the Place State Park (or what we fondly call the Pioneer Village) with Grandma, Abby and Isabelle Cannon, and our friend Elisabeth who was brave enough to join us. This is always one of my favorite things we do each summer. The kids love it too. The village is in such a pretty spot at the mouth of Emigration Canyon and now that the trees are more mature and shady, it is really pleasant up there. They've also added some great new attractions for younger kids that has really made it fun for us: the 'train' that takes you around the whole park, the live animals including pony rides and petting zoo, and the mini-village of play houses. That's where we always end our visit. Here we are having free ice cream thanks to the generosity of the Huntsmans! There are more pictures from this trip on the web album.Another fun outing that is becoming a yearly tradition is visiting the Olympic Fountain at the Gateway. It's obviously fun for a lot of other people too, as you can see by the crowds.

Here is Spencer showing his sweet moves to the accompanying music:

Swimming lessons. This consumes two weeks of our summer. This year I did the Mom and Baby class with David, so it meant that ALL of us were in the pool everyday. :) It amazed me how all of us gearing-up for a half-hour swimming lesson and then showering and changing took up the entire morning. By the time we got home, changed, ate lunch, and David down for his nap, I felt wiped-out for the rest of the day. It's always worth the effort though as all the kids made BIG progress this year- esp. Emma and Spencer! It was great to see them learning to actually put their faces in the water :) and swim. The last day of the two weeks the whole complex is opened up for the whole morning to everyone who took lessons that session. Michael always meets us there and we have a fun, free swimming time with Dad.
The Thanksgiving Point Childrens' Gardens. We went with the Cannons. It was one of ThP's $2 Tuesdays so it was pretty crowded, but we hadn't been for a few years, so everyone thought it was exciting and new.
The Zoo. We also hadn't been to the Zoo for a few years and the kids had a great time. We went before it got too hot. We went there our first day of summer, thinking we'd beat the summer crowds since our school district got out of school a week earlier than many in the state. Instead we got there for tons of schools' end of the year field trips - so basically the Zoo was a zoo. But we liked it. That place sure is a lot nicer than it was when I was a little kid. There are still some areas that look the same, but so much of it has been redone and improved. For some reason the exhibit the kids were the most excited for was the albino alligator in an exhibit titled: "The Ghost of the Bayou." David kept calling it the Ghost of the BYU.


As I've looked at all these pictures I think to myself, "Oh, that's why I felt so wiped-out by the end of the summer!" I am also glad that we did so much at the beginning of the summer as I definitely started running out of gas by the end. :)

**Blogging disclaimer** I'm suddenly feeling a little more self-conscious about the Blog. I'm always afraid of it sounding 'braggy' or self-promoting. So please take this little blog for what it's worth: basically an update for all of our family members and friends-who-are-interested and now, my substitute family scrapbook/history. We love you all! Thanks for taking us as we are. :)

Fall and Summer.

Wether report: stormy on Sunday and Monday. Still Summer? Not! Fall is here! Well not really till the end of Sept. But, at least it's almost fall. I'm sick of it being hot, sticky and humid. In other words I'm sick of summer. Well at least it's autum.

First Day of School

Despite its early arrival (August 18!!) the first day of school was anxiously awaited by both girls this year. Catherine started 4th grade and Emma started 2nd grade. Both of them got the teachers they were really hoping for all summer. We were all pleasantly surprised (and relieved.) I was really impressed with both teachers - they each fit our girls' needs and personalities so well. I have high hopes that this will be a great year!

Here we are continuing our first-day-of-school tradition of walking to school with Dad.


The Saturday before school started Catherine spent the afternoon making these badges. She wore one each of the first days. I loved them. :)

Here's Spencer with his carpool buddies going to preschool. He goes to a lady's home in our neighborhood. He still requires some coaxing to actually go, but once he's with his friends, he enjoys it.

My summer vacation by Catherine Sally Smart

This summer I've found out how to post coments. It's been lots of fun. But I have been up to other
things this summer. When I went to Maine me and Madeleine ( see other pictures) went on a blueberry expedetion. That was pretty much my highlight. I've all so gone to.......... the zoo, pioneer park, the aquarium , and the childrens garden at Thanksgiving Point.
But I'm glad to be back in school.

Another one rides the bus

At the beginning of the summer we made a list of fun adventures we wanted to do this summer. I'm happy to say that we actually did a lot of them. (It wasn't a huge list.) Our last week of summer we took our annual (only we haven't done it for the past 2 years) bus ride down to visit Dad at BYU. It's amazing how exotic public transportation can be for kids who ride around in a mini-van most of their life. I've also simplified the process by driving to the University Mall (which is where we would have to transfer anyway), parking, and riding the bus from there. The ride from there is just long enough to be exciting, but not TOO long that it takes more than half our day just to get there and back.

We had a good visit with Dad and the various office secretaries who give candy to our kids and then ate lunch at the new and improved Cougareat. A great last-week-of-summer outing.

Here is Spencer pretending to be asleep.

Climbing on the rocks at BYU. For all those who haven't been to campus in a while this is a new feature on the grassy hill south of where DT (Deseret Towers) used to be. (Yes, again for those of you who haven't been to BYU in a while: DT is GONE!) The old canal that used to run along campus drive under the Bell Tower has been covered up and landscaped with a nicer looking (and shallower) stream. This waterfall is the headwaters of that stream. I'm sure this is the site of many campus engagement photos.

Norah's blessing

Yesterday we celebrated Sarah and Nathan's baby, Norah's, blessing day. They blessed her at the Branch in Provo Canyon where Nathan's grandparents live all summer. (Nathan was blessed there when he was a baby too!) Our kids thought it was pretty awesome to have church outside!!



All the cousins admiring Norah in her beautiful dress.


Spencer acting up while the Bowen family picture is being taken.

Emma with Grandma Udall and cousin Lily. (Grandma Udall is a faithful blog patron and I wanted to acknowlege her. Plus, this is a pretty cute picture.)After the blessing we had lunch at Nathan's grandparents cabin on the north-fork of the Provo River. It is literally on the river - the back of the cabin has a deck with steps right into the river! This place oozed with authentic rustic charm. Our kids thought it was magical. Everything from the goose in the river (that they bring with them every summer and then return to a farmer for the winter), to the dammed area for swimming and sitting in floats and the rope bridge that spanned the river. I also loved the loft with about 8 beds covered with old quilts.


Here is a little picnic table with scraps of wood, a box of nails and kid-size hammers! Needless to say, our boys were in heaven! There was also another table set-up with paints to embellish any creation, rock, etc.
The biggest highlight for the kids was the treehouse. There was traditional ladder-access, but there was also a ramp entrance from the second-floor balcony of the cabin. It felt like Swiss Family Robinson. The tree-house was also full of treasures perfect for playing houseOur kids were very distraught when we had to go back to our church. We had a fabulous afternoon visiting Wildwood. We also particularly enjoyed the company.

And now, school has started! More on this momentous occasion next time as well as a summer-recap.

The Maine Event

We just returned from our family vacation to Maine! Michael's parents and siblings all met-up there for a combined family reunion. I was so dreading the traveling aspect, but our kids were amazing and things went so well on the way there. (The trip home is another story.) We spent our first day in Portsmouth visiting Michael's grandmother, Grammie Millie, or Nona (Italian for grandma) as our kids call her. She is still pretty amazing and kept us fed and entertained!
We had wonderful day in Portsmouth - I LOVE that place. We used to go there a few times a year when Michael's parents still lived there- and before we had lots of kids. :) It is a beautiful New England seaside town with lots of history and character.

From there we drove to our final destination: Little Sebago Lake in Maine. Wow- so beautiful. We stayed in a great cabin (there they call it a 'camp') right on the water. The lake was pretty big, but we stayed on a narrow channel between two bigger bays. That created a nice spot for kids to play and pretty scenery to look at.

Catherine and her cousin Madeleine were very proud of themselves for rowing the raft to some wild blueberry bushes and picking some and keeping them safe during the harrowing return trip.Michael's brothers, Tim and Matthew.

We had a few nice days early in the week and then the weather turned wet and cold, but we still enjoyed the scenery - drove to Portland one day and saw the ocean and some lighthouses, ate Lobster, visited a Maine wildlife preserve and toured the lake via Uncle Larry's speedboat. We also really enjoyed being with our people.


Here are the girls braving the cold at our visit to Aunt Anne's and Uncle Larry's house. (Yes, this is their backyard!) The cousins swam with Michael out to the float in the background and went down the slide!
David impervious to the cold day. :)
Lobstah! We had a lovely lobster feast. :)

For those who are interested I created a web album of a lot more of our pictures. You can click HERE.