Back to school

Yup, it's already that time of year. It really is amazing how fast summer flies by. But Makenna was happy to go back to school. She was excited to be in SECOND GRADE and see her friends again. And, I have to say that she is one darn cute second grader.

The night before the big first day, we made Makenna pull out two of her teeth that were literally dangling. Seriously, they both came out so easy. They first got out a top tooth. I'm a little sad to say goodbye to her baby smile. But she looks pretty cute with a missing front tooth. The other top tooth will be out in a few weeks too, which will be entertaining. The other tooth was the other bottom front tooth. She really did not want to pull the second one. But we were determined to get them both out while we were at it. It was sad- she was crying and asking Travis why we were doing this to her. So dramatic. But she was thrilled when she had two teeth to put under her pillow.

TEETH-PULLING

"Wait, wait Daddy. Why are you doing this to me? Can't we pull it tomorrow?"

THE FIRST DAY OF SECOND GRADE

I told her to strike a pose. Ha ha.

Hadley's turn is in a few weeks.

Love that missing tooth!

 Waiting outside her classroom.

Good luck this year my big second grader!

Redfish

We camped at Redfish Lake for the first time and really loved everything there was to do. Our good friends, the Dalleys came up and camped with us for 3 nights. We always have so much fun together. It's fun to have some adventurous friends that enjoy camping too. Makenna and Prestyn were born 3 months apart when we were living in the same ward and became instant friends. Angelee even watched Makenna while I taught, so Makenna has always felt right at home with them. And then Hadley and Royal are 4 months apart. And their older girls are amazing babysitters. We had fun relaxing at the beach, riding bikes, eating, and laughing around the fire. I think we have started a new tradition.

The famous rock that the kids played/lived at.

The second half of the week included more swimming and bike riding, listening to live music at the lodge, visiting the fish hatchery, going on a date to the lodge (thanks to my mom and sister), hiking, and the wedding. The whole reason we decided to stay at Redfish was that we had a wedding to go to that weekend. My dad's fiancé, Mary Jo's son, Colby was getting married. What a cool place to get married, right? We went to a welcome dinner on Friday that overlooked the Salmon River and then the big, beautiful wedding on Saturday. It really was an amazing wedding and our favorite part was the live music (the same talented guy that sang at our reception and his equally-talented brothers) and the dancing under the Sawtooth pines. Thanks Colby and Erin for getting married in such an amazing place!

Bath Time

"Fishing"

Notice the smoke that's hiding the peaks.

Feeding the Fish

My Dad and Mary Jo

Our hike to the lily pond

Ian and his cute chica, Tessa

My handsome boys in blue

(Note the couches on the beach.)

Some seriously cute kiddos

How beautiful is this? (The bride and groom are in the middle. I didn't get a good picture of them.)

DANCING TIME!

11 Months

Camden turned 11 months on the 1st while we were camping. I can't believe that he will be one in a few weeks! It makes me a little bit sad. But, we are loving this age! He is a learning machine. He is picking things up left and right. It's such a delight to watch. And his two big sisters are the most excited of all when he does something new. I remember worrying about this guy, as the third child, not getting enough attention. Ha, ha. Camden would probably love to be left alone every now and then. What a good life. 

He was ready to walk all month, but camping held him back. He would just let go of things and stand there. I knew he'd be walking within a few weeks of getting home. In between our trips, he discovered his walker and he LOVES it. He also mastered going down the stairs. Oh yeah, no more putting up and taking down the annoying gate!

Our home away from home...

We spent our annual week at Alturus Lake in the majestic Sawtooths. It flew by and we loved every bit of it. I'll let the many pictures tell the rest...

Some of my favorite people (unfortunately we never remember to get one when everyone is there)

Camden's First Alturus Trip- he was a fan!

Makenna's one and only attempt to ski, in which she fell immediately. Maybe next year. Thanks to Joey and Kristi for helping her and to Joey for bribing her to try it in the first place. :)