He Made It!

 

This guy has spent the summer drawing each day and today he put his skills to good use and made his favorite cousin a birthday card!!  Looking good Ben; Henry is going to love it!!

Afternoon on the Lake!

Unfortunately for Cassie, it rained the whole time she was visiting, while the day after she left it was clear and sunny and we were able to go out on the lake in honor of the second to last day of summer. 

Today we planned another boat trip with pizza and an evening of surfing and tubing. The lake was super empty, making the water super smooth for surfing. We all had amazing runs!  We didn’t realize that the cockpit of the UTO was popped until we blew it up, forcing the kids all to ride on the outside and have so much fun together!! Hopefully we will get one more day on the lake before the water gets too low and the weather changes. 

Schultute!!

The German tradition of school cornucopias is still alive around here. I keep expecting the kids to forget about this tradition, but then they’ll say something like, “this is my favorite part of starting a new school year!” Sadly, Ava only has one more year of this fun tradition!!  We did so much traveling this summer that the kids got some fun Texas and Alaska gifts!!  Because of the two different start times, we did our cones after everyone got home!

First Day 2021!

This year is the first time Jack has had a class as early as Ava.  She is able to drive him to his first class at Project Lead the Way on the days she attends school in person, while the rest of the time Kyle or I will drive him to the bus stop or WIC. It was fun to send them off together this morning!!

Our second shift was later, but still at two different schools. Norah starts her day at second period so she can attend her BYU creative writing class each morning.  Having kids at 4 schools will only last for one semester-hope we will survive!!

School Lunches!

I’ve been planning some fun new school lunches for the last month all in preparation for today!  I was so nervous about how long things would take that I actually made this the night before!  

The kids have been packing their lunches since we moved to UT. I started volunteering at the schools and felt like that was a good replacement for lunch packing. Something changed this summer, though, these kids are growing up and I’m not able to show them love in the ways I used to. Hopefully the small things like a warm breakfast and a homemade lunch will translate to these kids the message that I love them so much and will always be there for them no matter what time it is!!

School clothes!

I have so many memories of being in love with school clothes shopping and wearing new clothes!  I was thrilled to be able to take the girls to an actual store to get some new clothes today. So much fun, especially with such cute daughters!!

Family Photos!

We put Cass’ photography skills to good use while she was here!  After church, we went on a walk and were able to pose with the help of Cassie and take some really perfect pictures!!

This pyramid picture taken in the backyard is probably my favorite of all time!!  With Cass’ help, Ben made it all way to the top!!
 

Family Time!

I love how much attention Cassie gives to these kids, she talks with them, does activities with them and even follows them down to their room and chats until past their bed time.  Thanks for being such an awesome sister and Aunt!!

 

Waterfall Hike!

I love when Cass comes to visit; we chill, but still have fun.  We hung out all day repeating our favorite activities from yesterday and went on another hike-this time to see the waterfall.  It has picked back up thanks to all the rain and clouds Cass brought with her.

 

Aunt Casie in the House!

Kyle and I picked Cassie up Wednesday night from the airport after enjoying a date night of BBQ and dark chocolate! Jack and Kyle headed to a tournament yesterday after going to see Jungle Cruise.  Today we just chilled, went on walks, ate good food, watched Fear Factor and ended the day with a hike where Norah became completely entrenched in some sticky mud!  Love this picture with her black feet and the golden moon in the sky!

End of an Era

After years with this amazing lady, the girls both decided a new teacher for piano and voice lessons would be a better fit from now on. I’m excited that these lessons will be over Zoom!!  To say goodbye, Norah and I made a three layer hazelnut chocolate cake with Tessa’s name piped in chocolate on top!!

Whale!!

We had seen this whale statue multiple times on our drives around Juneau and left just enough time to take a picture before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Seattle.  

Alaska Marmot

On our way back from the shrine, some locals were gathered watching a fat Marmot chill in the rocks. When they left we spotted it and took some fun pictures. I tried to get him to move, but one look at his claws and I gave him his space! 

After a drive up to the ski resort, Kyle and I headed back downtown for a round of Dave’s fish and chips followed by a slightly smaller portion of king crab at Tracy’s.

Shrine of St. Therese

After the hike, we drove to the Shrine Kyle had read about. It was a quick drive from downtown Juneau and the view was awesome. We had to hike out to the shrine where a wedding had just taken place, then we just gazed out at the water listening to locals talk about whales and fishing. 

Alaska Day 3

 

After check out, crepes for breakfast and a mesmerizing trip to the Slamon hatchery, we drove back to Mendenhall and hiked around for a few hours looking at the Salmon swimming up stream, the glacier, the waterfalls and looking for bear.  There was no rain and the company was perfect!!

Tracy Arm Fjord

With no more rain and a tiny bit of sun, Kyle and perched ourselves on the front deck of the boat and greatly enjoyed the trip out of the arm.  The mountains cascading into the water, with the mist, the waterfalls and occasional iceberg were absolutely breathtaking.

It was such a great way to spend the hour long cruise of the arm.  Most of the other passengers had gone inside, leaving Kyle and I cuddled up on the deck for warmth.

Just as we were getting too cold, the arm ended and we were back in open water allowing the boat to increase its speed, making the cabin more inviting. Kyle and I were able to snag the standing area next to the cabin and eventually got to sit on the padded seats once the other passengers moved on. 

We ended the trip with dinner at Alaska Fish & Chips, but mourned our missed opportunity to eat at Dave’s again!!  We walked around the downtown area for a but before grabbing an Uber to the airport to pick up our rental car. We planned to drive around on Saturday once we had check out of the hotel.

Our driver ended up being a member of our church and we chatted about his mission to Figi with his wife as well as how they moved so many of their islander family members to Alaska and that it was more of a heaven here than on the islands of pacific!! 

Alaska Day 2

Kyle was up before walking to grocery store for some breakfast and boat snacks. We packed an umbrella for all the rain and Kyle ended up using it like a shield against the down pouring horizontal rain.  When he got back not only was he soaked, but the grocery bags were wet inside and out. 

I dried off the food, packed it in my bag and met Kyle downstairs and across the street at the boat.  We were soaked when we boarded and so was everyone else. The cruise was completely packed leaving only two seats across an isle from each other. 

I’m not going to go into much detail about the  nearly 3 hour boat ride that included swells bigger than I’ve ever seen off the shores of Lake Michigan, people getting sick all around, one person getting sick multiple times while facing us, rain, rain and more rain. 

We found out that our cruise was so packed, because a trip had been cancelled two days prior and those people were rebooked on our boat. We also found out that the cancelled boat turned around for the first time ever due to weather and that our weather was much worse today!  Someone even offered to pay $100 if they would turn the boat around. 

Needless to say, it was a long memorable ride, that eventually ended at the mouth of the Tracy Arm Fjord.  All the flooding caused 1000’s of waterfalls to appear and in spite of the rain, everyone piled out on the deck at the first sight of them. 

Inside the arm, the weather was more calm, with less rain and wind allowing everyone to get out of the stuffy, muggy, sick cabin.  One large passenger who couldn’t fit in the tight seats spent the whole trip outside and was completely soaked through.  We snapped some pics and waited for the big glacier at the end of the arm, the Sawyer Glacier.

It was completely unreal to see all the bright blue icebergs, that were more vibrant from the clouds, floating around freely. The giant glacier was so huge-900 feet in height and dropping pieces nearly our whole time there.

We spent about 3 hours standing on the deck in awe of this monstrous glacier, listening to capping and the waterfall running. It was completely quiet except for all the passengers’ excited chatter.  We saw some Harper seals swimming about and tried to get a picture, but none were above the water long enough. 

The deck hands pushed the boat away from icebergs that got scarily close while the passengers hung outside and ate lunch.  It was so cold from the rain, that Kyle and I were shivering, but after so much rain, the sun appeared!!  We all seemed happier for it and enjoyed the warmth on our way out of the arm. 

Tracy’s Crab Shack

While we waited for the car, we feasted on a pound of king crab, crab bisque and garlic butter rolls!!  Everything was so perfectly cooked and so fresh tasting, we were in heaven!!

Look at the size of that crab claw!! Kyle was able to remove all the meat in tact and enjoy a buttery bite!!

After dinner, our car finally got dropped off. Kyle headed out in the rain to meet with the guy we rented from and came back with a grave face. He said, “the car has a lot of Alaska on it.”  Not knowing what he meant I opened the car door and couldn’t believe my eyes. 

We have rented a few Turo cars now and they were as clean as any rental, if not more, but this car was literally filthy. There was so much dirt on the floor mats and the seat covers that the car actually smelled. I was mortified to get in, but did begrudgingly and complained the whole way back you he hotel. 

Kyle and I jointly decided once in our room, that between the gross car and hotel room, we really felt displaced on our special trip.  Kyle, being the champ he is, got in touch with Turo and cancelled our car rental, returning it on the grounds of gross!!

We watched a super dumb movie and went to bed a little early to prepare for an early morning.

Alaska Day 1

Kyle planned our anniversary trip awhile back for a revisit to Puerta Viallarta for a few days right before school started.  Unfortunately about two weeks ago, Mexico reportedly started requiring people to wear masks when outside, even at the beach.  We wanted no part of that, but instead of cancelling, Kyle cancelled Mexico and booked a trip to Alaska instead!!

I was excited when he told me, but as usual, the closer we got to our departure, the more anxious I became. I don’t like leaving the kids and Alaska was in extreme flood mode with more rain than ever scheduled for our entire trip. 

Kyle said when it’s raining outside we can just chill in our hotel room, or take scenic drives with the fun we would be renting.  Additionally, he booked two boat trips that had cabins to hang out in in case of rainy weather. 

We left last night, enjoyed a great ItAlian meal in Seattle during our 4 hour layover and got to Juneau around midnight Utah time. We made our way to the hotel and checked in. Due to all the rain, the hotel was super damp and smelled weird, probably because the building was so old and not very water tight!

We sleep ok, then woke up late, worked out/did some work, and eventually headed out of our old smelly hotel room to explore Juneau.  Kyle had no idea, but we soon found out how masked up Alaska was too, every store and restaurant required masks!  

I was super disappointed for all the aforementioned reasons we cancelled Mexico and couldn’t believe Alaska was being so lame.  We found an outdoor eating area and ordered the best fish and chips on the planet.  We enjoyed our meal and then walked through the downtown area making our way to the cruise terminal where we were to meet up with our tour.

The tour also required masks to be worn in the bus and in the boat cabin at all times, really making things bleak.  Our first stop was the Mendenhall Glacier where we hiked around and snapped pictures with me not smiling.

The next stop was a whale watching cruise where we saw dozens of whale tales and even saw a baby!!  There were so many whales spotted in the two hours we were boating, it almost became less amazing!

We endured all the cabin time with non stop snacking and finally made our way back to the cruise terminal.  Our Turo car was running late so we headed over to a dinner spot.

The Family That Surfs Together…

Stays together!  This is the first year we have all surfed!  Ben is the youngest to surf at age 10, while I was the oldest to surf at age 40!

It is so neat to have a picture of everyone surfing on the same day!  Thanks Nana!!

Ava and Kyle have been the best at surfing, staying up without the rope longest!

I was the first in the family to surf back into the boat, but now Kyle has done it more times, showing me up again.

Jack surfed onto the boat for the first time today and Ava is still trying to get it.

Norah has surfed without the rope a few times, while Ben has done it once!  So excited to see what progressions we make next season!!

Love Her!

The kids absolutely love when family comes to visit, that stems mostly from never being blessed enough to live anywhere near family. So glad we get visitors from time to time to remind these kids just how big their inner circle is!! 

Nana & Mary!

Last night, Nana and MaryAnne flew in from AZ for a few days to help out with the kids while Kyle and I fly to Alaska to celebrate our 20 years together.  We thought an afternoon on the boat was a great start to the visit!

Signage!

Ava has taken her talents to another medium-chalkboard paint!  A neighbor has a son coming home from his mission this week and after Norah and I addressed her other son’s wedding invites, she hired Ava to write these signs!

Ava did a great job and was very creative with her missionary tag and state and lettering stencils!  The back says we ❤️ you in calligraphy-so cute!

Memorable Weekend!

Kyle and the girls had a blast all weekend while the boys and I tried to keep things upbeat back home. We hit flowrider Friday night after b-ball practices and physicals.  Saturday was more b-ball, some house cleaning, video games/Olympics, school clothes shopping and dinner at Texas Roadhouse. 

I’m so grateful we are able to take time and make special memories with our kids. I hope when times are tough, these guys never question who is on their side and who will help and love them no matter what!  Love this family!!

Sacrament!

The BYU camps all host a big church meeting on Sunday and usually have a key note speaker from the leadership of our church. Seeing as how this was a girl’s camp, the organizers brought in the Young Women’s general president for our church!  

Kyle and the girls were able to catch her after the meeting and have a great talk about using your talents and light to lift others!  Such a poignant piece of advice for girls in this ever competitive world!!

Fighter!!

Monday was volleyball tryouts for the high school team. Ava sailed past first cuts and came back the next day only to be cut from the team. On Tuesday this  three time team captain, volleyball player since 1st grade found herself without a team.  

Norah and I were in Texas and were very shaken by the development while the family back in UT mourned for the end of such a great career!  Ava did all she could after her club team dissolved, she switched positions and then got in her accident, but camp up short in the coach’s eyes.

Once the three months of recovery was over and she was able to play again, Ava was daily in the gym and practicing her setting at home. She was doing camps twice a week all summer while attending 3 practices a week at the high school as well as 2 conditioning practices.

Right before tryouts Ava even talked to the coach about how she felt like she wasn’t getting a fair shake and how she felt like the coach wasn’t able to see all the progress Ava had made as well as the potential she still had. 

After everything was said and done, Ava was cut and that was it. We love Ava and know she is better than the coach gave her credit for. In the meantime this ultra talented, ultra hard working girl is looking toward different goals in this off season and making us all even more proud of her!

At the BYU girl dad camp this weekend Ava could be seen climbing ropes to the ceiling of a gym (while avoiding her injury site) as well as doing backward front flips and cartwheel back bends.  Sky’s the limit for this girl!!

Good-bye Porsche!

The Porsche was so fun to drive, it hummed when you stepped on the gas and was small, we felt like we were in a race car all week!  Our flight was delayed almost 2 hours this afternoon, so we chilled at the hotel until checkout and then headed over to Main Street and did some more back to school shopping before heading over the airport. 

Norah is such a special girl with so much to say and such energy for a 12 year old!  Her talents are through the roof, so glad I was able to hang with her for so many days with no one else to distract me from this amazing young woman!!

Wicked!!

We hit a ton of traffic on the way to the show, but left early enough to battle through traffic, get turned around 3 three times and walk from a far away lot and still make it the show with time to get some snacks for dinner and a few souvenirs!

Norah was excited about the show after getting a shirt and a novel, but was even more in love once the show ended and we talked about the plot all the way back to the hotel!  It was fun way to spend our last night in Texas!

Breakfast of Champions!!

 

We were up earlier today and headed immediately to the little water park at the hotel. We rode the lazy river  a few times and hit all the slides. We even chilled in the pool and snagged an ice cream bar!  We didn’t last long, because we wanted to have a fun brunch before heading to see the new Space Jam movie and eventually get to the main event, Wicked!!

Friend Day!!

After a fun day at Six Flags, this morning we hung at the hotel sleeping in and relaxing before heading over to Fairview for some meetups with friends. 

I didn’t get any pictures of Sadie or Genevieve, but I snapped this one of Tinsley and Norah with before we heading back to Grapevine for the night. 

We started with lunch at Liberty Burger with Sadie and then shopped for some school clothes before meeting up at Genevieve’s house for some catching up. 

Dinner was up next, so Norah and I headed to a little Italian place for some focaccia bread and pizza. We had some extra time before our next appointment, so we cruised the old neighborhoods and surprised some old neighbors!

We wrapped up the night with Tinsley and then drove the convertible with the top down all the way back to the hotel. 

It was fun to catch up with everybody tonight, but I sure didn’t feel like our decision to move to UT was the wrong one for our family!

So Many Rides!

Today was cloudy, humid and a great day for Six Flags!  The lines weren’t terribly long and we were able to ride Sky Screamer, Batman, Joker, Mr. Freeze, Runaway Minecar, Shockwave, Texas Giant and Titan in 5 hours!  We also squeezed in a late lunch at Johnny Rockets and a funnel cake on our way out!

I was so proud of myself for going on the Sky Screamer, the world’s tallest swing ride, and for bowing out the end from Titan for stomach reasons!  It was a fun, sweaty day-so glad I shared it with this beauty!!

Boxster

Part of Norah’s trip included riding around in a Porsche Boxster convertible!  Normally, August in Texas is not a time for a roofless car, but today was cloudy after last night’s storms. After our morning manicures, buffet breakfast and walkabout the hotel, we enjoyed the top down all the way to Six Flags!!

Lifesaver!

We had church and dinner before Kyle and Ava drove us to the airport. I spent the ride looking for a place Ava could get a strep throat test and some antibiotics.  Right after Kyle left our flight got delayed a few times leaving Norah and I with over 2 hours to kill!

Enter this woman!  The airline rolled out a snack display to tide over all the cranky customers and while Norah was grabbing something, a woman approached me and in spite of masks, we both recognized each other!!

We spent the next hour and a half catching up and chatting about life.  The crew finally arrived and the storms settled on both ends of that trip. We sat for 30 extra minutes in Dallas waiting for a place to open up for us to park and then another 15 waiting for someone to open our doors. 

The 3.5 hour delay landed us and a bunch of other people stuck looking for an Uber ride at a late hour. Our 10 minute drive was being quoted at $50!!  Luckily, our friends swooped in and offered to give us a ride!!  It was so comforting to have people looking out for us on this late rainy night!!