First day of school...again! (already!!)

Well the girls started school again yesterday (Mon. the 28th). McKenna is now in 4th grade and Katelyn is in 3rd. Although I haven't had near enough time with them, they seemed excited to go back. Anyway...here's some fun first day pics.

Another trip to "The Spruces"

We returned to "The Spruces" for another visit. This trip was especially nice because we got to take Grandma Bonnie with us. We also got to have Grandpa Steve and Uncle Scott spend a night with us. The trip was filled with laughter, hiking, good food and "squirrel catching". Everyone had a great time although the time was too short as always.

The Spruces

One of our families favorite places to go is The Spruces up Big Cottonwood canyon. Not only is it an absolutely beautiful spot but it's also so close to home. We have camped there many times and always have a great time. This last week Gary and I went up by ourselves because Katie and Kenna are gone visiting their Dad. We were lucky enough to have some visitors on Sunday though....Garrit and Kalee brought up their kids, Brie and Gage. It was Brie's birthday that day so we also got to celebrate with her. She has decided she wants to be in a rockband so of course Grandpa thought she'd need an electric guitar. She had so much fun jammin' away. Gary's sister's Tami and Lisa came up and also Dani and Joel came with their kids. We had a blast hanging out with everyone and eating yummy food. After they left, Gary and I stayed for another couple of nights. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy some time being together. We got to watch three moose that were hanging out in the campground next to ours. We enjoyed listening to the creek that ran right through our campsite. All in all it was a fabulous few days!

Another year of school is gone...

Well you have to wonder how time flies so fast. McKenna and Katelyn have finished another year of school. Kenna will now be heading into fourth grade and Katelyn into third. I can't believe it! They are growing up way too fast. We are so proud of them for all their hard work this year. Kenna has learned to write cursive and do multiplication. She is the greatest story writer. Her teacher has encouraged her to learn the writing process and McKenna just eats it up. She loves to show me her outline, rough draft and final draft. She writes so many creative stories. She has also made some great friends this year. She got an award at the end of the year for testing in the top 10% of the nation. We are very proud of her accomplishments.

Katelyn's class has been able to do quite a few fun things. I was able to go with their class on a few of their field trips which of course was an adventure. Katelyn has turned into the best little reader. She has tackled the Harry Potter books and is now in Book 4 which I believe weighs more than she does. McKenna is also reading them however Katelyn has caught up to her big sister even though Kenna started quite a while before Katie did. Little Katelyn is quite the determined soul. If she puts her mind to something there is no stopping her! The girls have both had a great year and I am so proud of them.

Backpack Adventure

We had a new adventure this last weekend... We packed everything that we needed in our packs (which got rather heavy) and hiked to "Desolation Lake". Which is situated in the top of the Wasatch range at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. We spent the evening alone with a campfire and some dehydrated food. The next morning we climbed to the Wasatch crest and looked into Park City. After eating some super yummy dehydrated eggs we packed up and walked out. Now from Andrea, a few things Gary failed to mention. First of all, this was much harder than I ever thought. It seriously kicked my butt. Three days later I am still incredibly sore. Second, I think someone should teach a class on how to properly pee outside. That's all I have to say about that.... and third, if you ever go and you say, "honey should we bring the bug spray?" and he says, "I think we'll be fine without it", DON'T listen! Just hide the can in your pack. He'll be glad you did too. We really did a fun time though...

My new car!!!!!!

So after waiting and waiting for things to be perfect for us to buy a new car for me, we finally did! Gary decided his wife who is now an LPN deserves a shiny, brand new car. Lucky me!! Katelyn has been telling me our car isn't worth five bucks but she thinks this new one is awesome! Anyway, I had to share....

Lake Blanche

This week's hike was another in the beautiful Wasatch range. I traveled to Big Cottonwood Canyon and up the Lake Blanche trail. The river was most impressive with the huge amount of spring run-off. The trail itself was very pleasant in the morning but got a little warm and sunny in the afternoon on the way down. The area surrounding the lake still had quite a bit of snow as is evident from the photo. I waited for quite a while for the lake to be still for the photo of Sundial Peak at the top of the photo and in the reflection. All in all this was the most pleasant hike I have been on this year with the best payoff at the top. The second photo shows Blanches little sisters Florence and Lillian. Then a look down the canyon from the top.

SlideShow

Hello Friends and Family,

After much time and frustration I think our new slideshow should work much better. Hope you enjoy! These pictures include a preview of the last two years for us. It starts with pictures of Gary doing his favorite things. It also has pictures from many hikes and trips including Donut Falls, our honeymoon in Mexico (including Gary diving), our trip to Zions, Capitol Reef and Alton. There is a legendary shot of Uncle Ed trying to go sledding at the sand dunes on a plastic bag, something everyone should see. We have had lots of fun times and want to share some of our memories with you!

Belle's Canyon Hike

Today I went up the Belle's Canyon Trail. I have included a couple of pictures. It was a beautiful hike, filled with trees, flowers and wildlife. We are looking forward to many more hikes during the summer.

Other Fun Blogs

So as we are adding to our blogging fun we realize it may be fun to reference other blogs as well. If you go to Doug and Heather's blog you will be able to see some very fun pictures of our visit to the Treehouse Museum last week. Also there are such fun pictures of Doug, Heather and their family. The link to Heather's photos will take you to her photography site which contains some pictures of our wedding down towards the bottom. There is also a link to Dani and Joel's site which has fun pictures of our cute grandkids too! Happy blogging!!

And Now We Blog...

Hello friends and family....

It has been one year since our new family officially began. As we were perusing Doug and Heather's blog we decided that we should have one of those too! Gary is most excited to show off his excellent photography as well. Hopefully you will all enjoy sharing some of our family's adventures with us. Our first year has been filled with many wonderful times. As McKenna Mae stated the other day, "it has been one year...the best year of my life!" We all emphatically agree. In our past year Gary and I have traveled to Mexico for our honeymoon where Gary became a scuba master (while I fed the fishies some of my breakfast), we have turned the little girls into hikers, rock climbers, bikers, campers and lately fishermen, (which Katelyn thinks is fun as long as she gets to hold her pole!) Katelyn told us a year or so ago that she was still getting used to nature. I think she would now say that she is definitely used to it, except for the bugs. We have been able to go camping several times. We have been to Zion's National Park, Capitol Reef, on the beach in San Diego, and up Big Cottonwood several times. The girls enjoy exploring with Gary as their guide. He has helped them to expand their horizons and he makes them laugh constantly. Words cannot express my gratitude for the role he has filled in their lives'. Leslie is living with us here in our "apartment home". We are so grateful to have her here. She is doing well up at the U of U and we hear she is going to follow in her father's noble footsteps and become a nurse. I have secretely adjusted to the role of "grandma" (although I have to pretend I'm shocked when they call me grandma) and love having Dani, Joel, Garrit and Kalee and their darling kids here. We just wish we could see them more often! Leslie, Gary and I both continue to work in Emergency Rooms and love to regail each other with the crazy stories we have. Gary now works at the "Death Star" otherwise known as Intermountain Medical Center, the huge new flagship of IHC. He looks forward to working the trauma and saving some lives'. I remain at Jordan Valley Hospital for now. I have completed my LPN and have one more year to go with my schooling until I will finally be done, hooray!! McKenna is just finishing 3rd grade and Katelyn is in 2nd. They have had a great year. They are both reading Harry Potter and have turned into quite the wizard masters complete with their very own specially crafted wands. Well that gives you a brief update of our past year. Gary will have to get on and add some pictures for you all to enjoy.