Surfing at Doheny

Our last full day of beach week some of the kids were able to go surfing at Doheny. They love to go------probably because they don't get a chance very often.

Thanks Uncle Brett and Uncle Peter (no picture of him. sorry) for making it happen!

Montana & Savy

The water was a bit cold. Thank goodness for wetsuits.

Indy

The girls again.

Another Back to School

So here is Emerson's back to school picture. It was taken after the first day and after we took her to the doctor who told us she has strep throat! What a bummer! When she woke up yesterday morning, she was feeling extra miserable. Kurt told her she should just rest and not go to school. She got so upset. So we just dosed her good with meds and sent her off to school. She was too excited about having her favorite teacher, Miss Lisonbee, and being on student council and being with friends to miss the first day.

Back to School

Here are the obligatory first day of school pictures. Indy is actually smiling a real smile----miracle of miracles! He is in 8th grade this year so he knows the jr. high routine.

Montana was out late last night but was up on time nonetheless. This year is a big one for her. Senior year is so fun but brings so many choices and decisions. She has a pretty hard schedule for a senior but she is a good student and I know she will do well.

I'm excited for all the kids to come home and tell me how the day went. And, by the way, there is no picture of Emerson because I forgot. We had a before-school breakfast and she went straight to school from there so it totally slipped my mind! Hopefully we can get one when she gets home.

Newport & Balboa

It's always fun to try and round up a group of almost 30 people to go on an outing. But it's kind of a tradition to go somewhere for ice cream one night during the week. It's been a few years since we have gone to Balboa Island so that's where we went this time.

It's a bit of an adventure to ride the ferry with the whole gang. Even Duke got to come along this time.

Looks like an OP shirt huh? Yes, that is an actual picture Kurt took.

Beach Week 2010

One of the best weeks of our summer is beach week with the whole Brian family. Nothing like 6 straight days at the beach! It's amazing how fast those 6 days can fly by when you are sitting in the sand doing nothing.

We were really lucky this year with the weather. The sun came out first thing in the morning almost every day we were there-----something that hardly ever happens in Laguna Beach! I guess this summer has been especially gloomy.

All the Brian cousins---21 in all!

I read 1 and a half books during the week! (still working on the other half..)

Even Kurt got to come this year which I was so happy about! The only ones missing from the family were Sherry and Kam who were both at the ranch overseeing the landscaping.

My Sophomore

Can you tell Finn was NOT excited to take this picture? First day of school pictures are for kids in elementary he says! I hope he enjoys his first day at the brand new Orem High.

Provo Canyon

One of our favorite things to do on Sunday evenings is walk up Provo Canyon. Duke loves to go on walks. This particular Sunday Ford was with us. Bridal Veil Falls is usually packed with people but it's always worth the effort to pick your way through the crowds.

Indy's fort

Finn and Indy went on a campout this weekend to Utah Lake. They didn't take tents. But Indy and Paul decided to make a little shelter for the night. This is what they came up with.

My day in numbers

0=number of miles run today :(

1=number of trips to the grocery store

2=number of bathrooms cleaned

3=number of desserts made for FHE

4=number of various appointments scheduled

5=number of EMPTY shampoo/conditioner bottles removed from the kids' showers!

5=number of days until we leave for beach week!

214=number of pictures uploaded to the computer

Clear Creek 2010

These ladies spent 5 days and 4 nights at Clear Creek last week. It is an outdoor education camp that our school district offers kids going in to the 6th grade. The camp is about an hour and 15 minutes away-near the town of Scofield. This was Emerson's first experience away from home with no family members!

Here they are on the bus.

This was their camp mascot. I forgot his name.

These are all the girls in Emerson's cabin. She started out the week in a different cabin but got moved to this cabin so she could be with Madeline who got really homesick. And I think she got Emerson really homesick. But they made it through the week and had a really good time in between all the homesickness! Emerson was even "crowned" Miss Clear Creek--which is a pretty big distinction. The whole camp votes on that person they think was most helpful and kind to others during the whole week. And Emerson got the most votes. I even got a voice mail from the camp director, Mr. Harris, who said Emerson was a joy to have at camp. She took so many pictures (214 to be exact)! So we may have to have a follow-up post with more accurate descriptions of the pictures from Emerson.

This n that

Why does summer always have to fly by so fast? I don't like it when August arrives and I know that kids start back to school in August! A little bit of routine does sound good but not for a few more weeks. We have one more trip coming up and it's one of our favorites----beach week with the Brian cousins.

So last week Finn and Indy were at scout camp at Scofield Reservoir with Penn and Ford. How lucky is that--to be able to go with your cousins to scout camp. I'm not sure they would have gone otherwise. I think they had a pretty fun time. It seemed like they were gone FOREVER! They earned quite a few merit badges each. Finn is SO close to his Eagle now. Hallelujah---one almost down.

This week Montana will be gone to cross country camp in Price and Emerson will be at Clear Creek. It will be a new experience for both of them! Can't wait to hear how the week went.

Last week was my birthday. It was a pretty good day--nothing special. I woke up early to do a long run. I HATE to wake up early but I wanted to get it done so I could enjoy the rest of my day. When I got home, Kurt had a box of Daylight Donuts waiting for me. Nice. Emerson and I had lunch at Pizzeria 712 and then we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Lindon pool. Kurt and I went to dinner and then we went out for yogurt with the Hunters. It's taken me 41 years to learn that special occasions like birthdays are all about expectations. If you don't have any, then you can't be disappointed! Last year, on my 40th birthday, I had high expectations. And when NONE of them were met, I was unhappy to say the least. This year-no expectations. Therefore, it was a pretty good day.

Actually the fun part of my birthday came last weekend when Kurt and I went to St. George for a few days. We basically sat by the pool and read for the most part. We did leave the house when we were in need of some food! It was heaven. I could have used maybe one more day or so to de-stress but I think I'm rejuvenated enough to make it through the rest of the summer!