September

 So, with the start of September comes a lot of firsts. Here is Oakley on the first day of 4th grade and Tessa on the first day of 1st grade.

 Hathaway started her first ballet class with two of her little friends--they really are about as cute as they can be.

 

 

 Hathaway also started her first day of full-day preschool. She goes all day (well 9-3) Tues and Thurs and absolutely loves it. She is really growing up!

 This isn't a first, but my parents were in NYC for one day, so they invited us up and took us to a nice dinner and a show. It was my dad's birthday a few days before so we celebrated that as well. The dinner was delicious and the show, Newsies, was lot so fun. It was a great "adult" trip. The kids, however, thought it wasnt fair that we got to go to grandpa's birthday party and they didn't.

End of Summer

The end of summer would not be complete without a final trip to Howell Living Farm. We caught a bucket-full of crayfish and caught up with the Coxes. We even saw a horse and wagon obstacle course. We have had a great summer--lots of being outside, playing with friends and cousins, swimming....now back to school.

Trip West, Part 2

 Bryce joined us in Salt Lake and we headed to Grand Tetons National Park. We hiked up to this little lake. It was gorgeous and we had the place to ourselves. We even played in the water and found a little water snake.

 The next day we drove around Yellowstone and here we are with some bison in the background. The weather was beautiful.

 Oakley and Dad went on a strenuous 6 mile hike. The girls and mom took their time, but still made it quite a ways. Here they are resting on a rock.

 The next morning we headed to the geysers--it was cold but fun.

 This is the infamous Old Faithful that blew 4 minutes early for us.

 The final stop, Craters of the Moon National Park--pretty cool and  very different.

On a final note, seeing animals was one of the highlights of the trip. Bryce and the kids made a list of animals (not including bugs) that we had seen--total 52.

Trip West, Part 1

 The kids and mom started the trip west flying into Boise to see Grandma and Grandpa Smith for a day. They were heading to NJ to be with Suzette, so we didnt have too much time with them. Grandpa woke up early though and took the kids fishing. We also saw a barn owl and a few other cool animals. Tessa one the fishing competition with 3 fish in about 45 minutes.

 Saying good-bye to grandma and grandpa.

 We went to BYU to see the campus and see an old professor. Here the kids are at the Eyring Science Center.

 We had a good hike with cousins and even saw a few snacks--Bountiful Canyon.

We went to temple square.

Here we are at This is the Place heritage park--lots of fun!

Summer 2012

 Our first summer trip was to a Lake House on the border of VA and NC for the Harrison family reunion. It was a great house and everyone had lots of fun with cousins, swimming in the lake, boating, kayaking, being crazy and eating lots of good food.

 Boating with Grandpa Gary and Grandma Donna

 Marshmallow roast

 This is just summer in the back yard--still surprises me that our small sandbox still is a source of lots of fun.

 We continued our yearly tradition of camping with family friends; this year we met in Shenandoah. It rained or sprinkled most of the time but we still had a blast. Oakley got to see Joshua, which is always a happy reunion.

 Tessa was sure she could keep up with the big boys on the hike, and she did it! The moms took the kids on the big kid hike and we had fun chatting and looking at the great views.

 Campfire is one of the best times--lots of fun stories and songs along with dinner.

 Oakley and mom got to go to Boston to see AmyBeth and go on a whale watch.

 It was cold on the way out to the whales. We saw several humpback whales--it was pretty cool.

 We also got to ride the T and see some of the Freedom Trail--ending at the USS Constitution.

 We also caught up with our friends the Winnans for a day at the Liberty Science Museum and Park.

Aren't these girls cute?

End of School

 Yes, I am just catching up on my posts from over the summer. First, I need to finish the school year. Above, we went, as we annually do, to Mercerville Elementary night at the Trenton Thunder. We always have a fun time.

 Oakley and Tessa finished up spring soccer--they both improved and had a fun season.

 For Oakley's birthday he wanted to invite a few friends to the park to play on the big field. We had presents and cake under the gazebo at Veterans Park and they spent the rest of the time in the field playing, mostly a game they invented, Oakpot (which is jackpot with an O shaped frisbee). One of the best (and easiest) birthday parties.

 Oakley finished his piano year with his final recital. We are so sad that his teacher, Miss Kristin moved.

 Oakley with a family birthday party.

 Tessa's kindergarten class did an end of the year musical based on the Grimms fairly tales. It was very cute. Below she is with her teacher, Mrs. Flagg, who we love.