Happy Birthday Paul

We had fun celebrating Paul's birthday. He turned 31. We had friends over night before his birthday and played some games and had a little potluck. They all had to write on a poster we made, one reason Paul is awesome. 

He had his birthday off of work so we dropped the kids off at a friends and we had a little day date. Lunch and shopping. LAST year for his birthday I gave him a Big 5 gift card, so a year later he used it, and bought this hiking backpack! haha 

We had cake and presents with the kids. We gave him a new pair of sunglasses and a Hogwarts painting on canvas by Jessica and a few other little things. 

We also got to meet some family in SLC for dinner at an authentic place called the Bohemian. They make some great German style dishes. Paul was excited to order the red cabbage and it was fun to hang out with his family. Birthdays are the best! 

Fall Fun

We are enjoying the season so much! 

Susie is working hard in 1st grade. She is doing great at reading and just got switched into the highest math group. She struggles a little in math so we have been working with her and now she is doing much better! They have been studying monarch butterflies at school. Susie and her class went to Clinton City Council and presented their research and asked permission to plant milkweed seeds at local parks to help save the monarchs. Susie had a speaking part and everything. We went to a celebration of learning at school and looked and listened to all they've learned about butterflies. Susie likes school, although some mornings she isn't too excited about going. She has lots of friends at school. Her favorite thing is playing out side with friends and going on dates with mom and dad. I took her on a date the other day and she said, "I'll never forget this day my whole life." What a sweetie.

We loved General Conference. What a blessing it is to receive guidance and inspiration from God's chosen prophets. I know I felt answers to my prayers. We tried to do some activities again, like the General Conference store but they didn't work out as well this time. 

We've been to a few pumpkin patches. Braden and I had a preschool field trip to Black Island Farms and I got a few adorable pictures of him. He was so excited for his field trip! It was a lot of fun. Braden is doing great at preschool. He is really good at blending sounds so I'm hoping reading is on the horizon. He gets a little anxiety about worksheets and art so we are working on that. It's so fun to have him in a preschool class at home. I love it! 

We also went to Susie's school carnival. They were most excited about the face painting. Susie got a butterfly of course, and Braden picked Batman. We played some fun carnival games too. 

Bear Lake Triathlon

The whole family drove up to Bear Lake to spend the night at Uncle Todd's and come to a triathlon. This was my third sprint triathlon and it was really fun. I was excited to swim in Bear Lake because I love that lake! The morning of the race come though and it was so cold, I was so nervous! But the water temp was great. I think I had the mentality, "I've done this before- no need to push the training" and it ended up being harder than I remember! Next time I know I can place better if I train harder. Triathlons are so fun. It was a fun trip and a fun race. 

Road trips are always awesome. I love when Braden falls asleep like this! Haha! 

Here are some race pictures! 

We drove up to Idaho again the next weekend for Weston's homecoming. It was so good to see him and be with family. He served in Indiana and was an awesome missionary. And Mason was adorable with little Clark.

This kid. He's just too cute.

Labor Day at Pineview

Olivia and JP came down for Labor Day and I'm so glad they did. We always have so much fun when they come! They are so good to me and our kids. So Olivia if you're reading this, thank you for making the drive.

We went to Pineview up in Ogden and brought a canoe Paul bought from a friend. We took turned rowing around the reservoir and saw a cool pelican. It was a beautiful day. Labor Day weekend also included treats and movie nights and fun family bonding. We love when they come! 

Paul Mackenzie and Lia Wedding

We got to go to my brother's wedding in Bear Lake. They reserved a beautiful lodge with a great view. It was gorgeous. I went up alone for a night before the wedding and that was fun. Paul and the kids came on Saturday before the wedding. Susie was really excited to be the flower girl. She walked down the aisle and everything. Lia looked gorgeous, the cake was delicious, and it was great to see a lot of family come for the occasion. It was a beautiful wedding!