Last Week of Summer (And First Day of School!)

Somehow, summer came and went so fast!  Before we knew it, we were on the countdown to school starting.  In order to capitalize on every last second of summer, we packed those last days full!

We took the kids to the Davis County Fair and pet some adorable baby animals and rode a few sickening, spinning rides (no one threw up, including myself, so I count it a success).

 Our good friends, the Coleman's, invited us to enjoy their timeshare with them for the last weekend of summer.  We had SO much fun with them!  They took us to see Tarzan at the Pickleville Playhouse.  It was so well done!  The show and the theater were pretty impressive for their small size.

 The next day was church in Laketown, population 330 (for the last 100 years).  Apparently all summer long, the amount of people attending their ward doubles, and they handle it like champs!  Our meetings were wonderful!  It is so nice to be able to go to church wherever we are, take the Sacrament, and feel the Spirit.  

We walked down the country lane to the church building.

 And, we had to take some pictures by the cute, red barn.

 We loved this house!  It was huge and had everything fun we could have wanted.

 The Coleman's barely beat us in the Ladder Ball Championship of the World.

The next day more friends (the Smith's) joined us and we went to Bear Lake to play in the water.  The sun came out from behind the clouds for a few minutes, so we didn't totally freeze to death.

 Yes, that is a tractor pulling the boat through the lake.  I love small towns!

 When in Bear Lake, you must eat raspberry shakes.

 It was such a fun long weekend with friends!  We sure love the Coleman's and the Smith's, and are grateful for good friends, both for us, and for our children.

 The next day was the first day of school!  Somehow, we got everything pulled together and the kids out the door, and just like that, everyone is a year older and wiser, too.

Avery is in 10th grade, and her first year of High School!

 We are making her ride the bus.  Does she like this?  No, she doesn't.  But, we already have to drive the Jr. High kids each morning, and this is the first year we have qualified for the bus.  Plus, the pickup is at the end of our street!  And, it is good for kids to occasionally be humbled by the mortification of showing up to school on the bus.  (She carries two backpacks because she is double studious.  Just kidding.  Her running stuff is in the 2nd backpack.  If I were her, I'd be way more embarrassed to carry two backpacks...)

 Maren is in 8th grade.  Something about this picture makes her look so old to me!  Starting her second year of Jr. High was a breeze for her.

 And, just to make things exciting, we've got all three schools covered for the next few years.  Ryan and Grant are both still in elementary.

 Ryan rules the school in 6th grade.

 And, Grant is in 4th grade.

It is always bittersweet to have the kids start back up with school.  I love having them home!  And, I love watching them grow up and learn!

A Trip to Denver

This summer, we got a new nephew, Ole.  We planned to take a trip in August to Denver area for his baby blessing, and for a visit with Dustin's family, but we ended up needing to move up our dates by a few weeks.  Our sister-in-law, Holly, passed away unexpectedly.  This is Dustin's brother, Ryan's wife.  Ryan passed away from cancer the year before I met Dustin, and we haven't seen her very much for the last few years.  Even though this was sad, in some ways it feels like a sweet release for her.  Now she and Ryan are reunited!

On the way to Denver we decided to stop at something that we pass by every time we go: Fort Bridger, Wyoming.  This was a key fort for the Oregon Trail travelers, and the Mormon Pioneers.  We had fun wandering around and practicing for our upcoming handcart Trek.

 We got to Denver late at night, and the kids were up bright and early and ready to play in the creek behind Dustin's dad's house. This is one of their favorite things to do at Grandpa and Grandma's!

 Dustin's dad is almost done with the restoration of this 1956 Chevy.  It is so pretty!  He tried to get me to take it for a spin, but I couldn't handle the pressure.  Instead, he took Dustin and I for a ride, and I just sat behind the wheel and tried to look like a Beach Boy.

 The funeral was nice, and we felt so grateful for the knowledge of eternal families!  We got to meet this little cutie.  The kids could not get enough of holding this tiny little cousin.

 We went with cousins and Grandma Lana to the hands-on aquarium in Littleton.  The kids loved touching and petting everything!  We even got to pet a wallaby!

 

 Cute Mason.  He is a loving little guy!

We went from a celebration of life, to a celebration of life of a different sort.  Ole's baby blessing was nice, and it is always fun to be a part of these special days.

 The next morning we got the kids up nice and early, in an attempt to get tickets for the Denver Mint, but we failed.  So instead, we walked around Downtown Denver for a couple of hours, and then took a tour of the State Capital.

 Mile high 

(or, is it that marker above it, or the one above that??  Apparently there has been some debate over the years...)

 Holly's graveside service was later that day.

 We ate lunch at Casa Bonita, a Wiberg family tradition.  The food is actually kind of gross, and way over priced, but we spent hours just sitting and talking, watching the diving shows, and exploring the huge, ornate restaurant.  So, it was worth it.

 On the drive back to Dustin's dad's house, Dustin showed us his old elementary school.

 We enjoyed a huge rainstorm that night.  So much water!

The next morning we said goodbye and decided to stop at the Laramie State Penitentiary on our way home.  This was such a fun museum!  This is the only prison that actually held Butch Cassidy.  That is him, next to his fellow outlaw with green sunglasses.

 Those are some rotten prisoners.

 Naughty outlaw prisoners!

It was nice to see family and support Holly and the Braithwaites.  It was also fun to see some different things than we'd seen before.  We always love spending time at Grandma and Grandpa Wiberg's house, and this time we also got to see Briana and Jeremy Wiberg, who are both living in Denver.  We are thankful for family!