Summer was Over in the Blink of an Eye

I had so many plans for summer this year and I didn't come close to getting around to most of them.  All the messy closets that were supposed to get cleaned out are still messy, the projects around the house and yard are still waiting for attention, and of course we didn't get in enough fun activities.  I think I've given up on life slowing down, at least for the next 16 years, so we make the best of the time we have.  Here's a recap of all the fun we did squeeze in the last few weeks of summer.

Now that Kaitlyn is eight she goes to Activity Days at our church.  They went to day camp at Camp Kiesel, a local boy scout camp.  They got to do all the fun things the cub scouts get to do like, archery, bbguns, boating, and an obstacle course.  I got to go with as a primary leader and it was such a fun day.

We decided to fit one last family camping trip in the weekend before school started.  Due to some confusion about Jared's football game that weekend, we ended up without a reservation for a campground.  That was a huge mistake to head out Friday afternoon with the truck loaded with all the camping gear and excited kids without arrangements for a place to pitch a tent.  We wanted to go to Smith and Morehouse but arrived there only to find every spot was taken.  Jason wanted to turn around and go home but Kaitlyn was devastated so we headed over to the Mirror Lake Highway.  After four hours in the car and trying several campgrounds on the highway that were all full we found a campground a bit off the beaten path that had a few spots left.  (By the way that campground is now our little secret in case we are ever in desperate need of a camp site again!) Jason and I had both had it by the time we got there but we got the tent pitched before dark and eventually the dinner was finished in the dutch oven.  It was all worth it in the end.  I think this picture tells a thousand words.  All four kids smiling at the camera at the same time!

The next day I had to leave early to get Jared to his football game but Jason had time to take Kaitlyn and Andrew up to Trial Lake on the raft.  It was not the perfect camping trip anyway you look at it but that didn't matter a bit to Kaitlyn!

We were so excited to watch the finishing touches being done to the Ogden Temple that has been renovated the last few years.  We were finally able to go see the inside the beginning of August during the open house.  We enjoyed inviting neighbors and family members to go with us and one night Jason and I were able to volunteer as ushers at the open house.  The building is as beautiful inside as it outside and the spirit in the building was amazing.  We are now anxious for the dedication this month so we can have our temple open again.

We decided with a couple free days Labor Day weekend to take a trip to Moab.  We love to go there but with life being so busy it has been a couple years since we were last there.  Jason, Andrew and Jared enjoyed a few of the mountain bike trails while Kaitlyn, Skyler and I explored the paved trail over the Colorado River.

Jason had fun taking his truck on some four wheel drive roads to Gemini Bridges.  I'm not sure who was more terrified I was of the drop offs with no guard rail, Jared or me, but the truck handled it well and I was more than happy to leave all the driving to Jason.  We got to some amazing scenery though. Here's the view from the top of the bridges.

And here's the view from across the valley so you can see what we were standing on top of.

Of course the kids loved the swimming pool at the hotel as much as everything else we did.  Monday morning we received news that my grandma had passed away.  It was a hard way to end the trip but we still enjoyed a picnic at the park and of course ice cream at the Moab Diner and a stop at the sand hill on the way out of town.  Someone just needs to teach Skyler which end of the ice cream cone to eat first!