Nate's Birthday!

We love this little guy! His favorite thing is to ride his bike. He wouldn't touch it for almost 5 years until one day he decided to do it. He hasn't looked back since. His current favorites include Legos, Scooby, and running/climbing/playing outside.

She's probably reading

October Fun

Costumes! Halloween is in the air. I found the kid's costumes at a local second hand shop. I couldn't resist Scooby (which is currently Abby & Nate's favorite thing to watch). I think Nate looks hilarious.

Pumpkins! Time to hit the pumpin patches, or in this case, the pumpkins at the Arboretum. I have never seen so many pumpkins as I did there. They made some fun displays and houses with them as well.

Camping! We took advantage of the great weather and a soccer-free Saturday and headed for the hills. Or just Erwin Park, which is really close but a great place to camp. Things got a little exciting with the local wildlife - coyotes howling in the not-too-far distance, an armadillo rustling around in the brush, and huge spiders in equally huge webs hanging low from the trees surrounding our tents. At night we played hide and go seek in the dark, roasted hot dogs and marshmellows, and stayed up late talking. I think Matt and I were a little unprepared for how cold it got that night in our tents, but it didn't affect the kids - they slept wonderfully!

The boys' favorite activity - holding their sticks in the fire.

Brooke apparently couldn't wait for the sausage to be cooked and just went for the package itself.

Playing soccer warmed them up pretty fast!

September=Soccer

With the start of September came the beginning of soccer. This is Abby's 5th season and Nate's 1st. This year Abby's field is bigger, the quarters are longer, and they've added one more player to the field. It's fun to watch. Her coaches are excellent and they've taught the girls some great soccer skills which they put into action on the field. Nate is playing with a lot of boys he knows and his coach is wonderful with them. I feel lucky that these parent volunteers do such a great job teaching our kids the sport.

Our little "Angel" and Mr. "Incredible"

Matt and I thought that Nate would be a little bit timid on the field. However, he has proven to be quite the go getter. Between action poses and wrestling moves, he loves to chase after and kick the ball. It's fun to note the differences between boy and girl players. The boys are definitely a lot more aggressive with kids falling down all over the place. Nate really enjoys it though and it's fun to see him play.

The kids modeling Brooke's clothes (???)

August in Utah

We spent a few weeks of August in Utah. Highlights include: the fabulous family reunion that my sister-in-law Leslie planned for us in Deer Valley, Abby holding her own quite well on the tube behind the boat, the Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery and In-n-Out with my brothers, getting to see lots o'family, visiting Temple Square, summer nights in Utah, camping in the backyard with kids galore, seeing lots of dear friends, visiting BYU with Matt, spending time with my parents and picking apricots and making jam for the first time. Here are some pics:

July in Alaska

Four wheeling at the cabin!

Alaska is not meant for the faint of heart. Read closely. "If you capsize your chances of survival are poor."

Jake Fishing! It got a little wild with an actual hook on his pole, so we just removed it and let him "fish" away.

We had a great time visiting Matt's parents this year. Matt's sisters Brittany and Kristina were there with their families (minus Kris's husband Chris who was working away in Guatemala). We did the usual - fished on the river, played outside, rode the four-wheelers, went on walks, saw some moose, and just enjoyed being with family! Matt and I were adventurous and went with Brittany's husband Mitch on a short plane ride. We saw some wildlife and got an up close view of the mountains and a glacier. I also went with some of the family to the ocean to fish for halibut. Here are some pictures of our adventures!