An Afternoon at the Waterfall

After a long week of busy-ness, it was high time for some unstructured exploring.  They choose the waterfall every time and I don't mind one bit.  Friends joined in the spontaneity, and in the end they didn't want to leave. As one of the mom's who joined us said, "they could stay up here all day".  

I enjoyed watching baby Jofus explore for the first time on his own. Sadie made dinner for the fairies, and the boys were dirty and rowdy and happy. Grateful for the beauty that we have so close and the willingness of my littles to explore it again and again!

A Weekend on the Mountain

One of the reasons we moved to AZ was so we could take advantage of the relative closeness of family. 13 hours may not seem close, but it's a lot better than 25. So when your family is willing to meet you part way and cut your drive by 4 hours you jump at the chance.  After a quick stop in St George, we headed up Cedar Mountain to stay at Hulet's cabin. One of my all time favorite places!!

I've been going to this cabin every simmer since I was about 10. The Hulet's are dear family friends and their mountain home holds a special place in my heart.  This summer was especially rewarding for me because I got to see Ben at the same age I was when I began coming to the mountain. He was in heaven and did a bit of growing up this weekend.  He did some real hunting, drove a four-wheeler, and showed some responsibility on the road with his siblings. My mom heart was happy.

It was exhausting, especially without Dean, but the chance to spend time with family and friends outweighed the drive. There are plans in the works for a "next time", possibly even a trip where everyone comes South and we show them our neck of the woods.  However it happens, we just hope "next time" happens soon!

Alan's Baptism

7.31.16 

After jumping through some hoops, Alan was finally given permission to be baptized in Utah.  We were able to celebrate his special day with family and friends.  We even got to snap some pics at the Ogden temple grounds.   I know he felt so special that afternoon.  He brought his new scriptures and we even snuck over to Farr's for a double dip cone after.

Sunday, we met in the font room. The same room where I was baptized and confirmed 30 years ago. Ben was also baptized there.  I love the idea of the saints who sacrificed to build this building, wanting there to be a font even though it wasn't a Stake Center. 

We celebrated after with some good eats and cake and ice cream, per Alan's request. 

He confessed to me that he felt like Superman after this shot. We talked about how our baptismal covenants make us feel and about whether the water would be cold and about how licorice ice cream is seriously the best flavor... I hope he will remember his baptism forever. 

Way to go Alan, it's great to be 8!!