Our Cute New 7 Year Old

How can it be? My sweet baby boy is growing up faster and faster than I can handle. We celebrated Wonderful Watson for a week. He got a special breakfast with whipped cream and a little bit of waffle on his birthday and had a fun celebration at Grandma Nettie's with family that night. We gave him his own BMX race bike and a new helmet. He enjoyed a maple bar as his guests ate the rest of the donuts. We also had our annual Hoopes Labor Day campout. Watson literally partied all night long on his birthday. 

Saturday we hosted a dozen boys for a game of baseball and a party of water games and hot dogs. I loved to see Watson be so excited to be with his group of friends. We invited a couple of boys from his old elementary school, one from his new school, and a few from our neighborhood. They got along great and other than one threatening to drench me with water balloons, it was a fun time for all. Wow. 7 year old boys can be stinkers. 

Lovely Lake Mary

Labor Day was the perfect day for a family hike. We made our way up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird. Daisy and Watson were troopers during the whole hike. Of course Watson wanted to throw rocks in the water for hours on end and Daisy wanted to sit down and play. The water was pretty cold so we just dipped in Daisy's toes. The lake was beautiful and we watched little polliwogs swim around. 

First Day

A new school year! I'm not sure who is more ready, me or the kids. Chandler is starting his Junior year at a new high school, Skyridge. It is within walking distance of his mom's house. He said things are going great and is excited for this new year. I can't believe he's a JUNIOR! Will he be ready to set out on his own in less than two years? I hope so but there may be a sharp learning curve. He is so good, in so many ways. I'm excited about all that this year holds for him.

Chandler and his step-sister, Olivia.

Watson was completely excited to start school again. He was so ready to be with other kids all day and use his brain again. I just couldn't keep up with him this summer, such a smarty pants. He started in the Portuguese Immersion program but we switched him to a charter school the next week. I'm sure he will do great in a smaller setting. He is even more excited that he is at the same school as two of his cousins. I can't believe he is no longer my part of the day buddy, but he has been ready for a full day away for a long time.

A Weekend with Goblins

School has started and we are getting back into the regular swing of things. Challey and Spencer invited us on one last adventure to Goblin Valley. We packed up the tent and sleeping bags and lots of food. The drive was beautiful. Daisy is so good in the car and Watson is such a helpful boy on road trips. We camped outside for two nights and explored slot canyons and goblins each day. The campground also had a frisbee golf course for Scott and Watson. Daisy loved exploring and being with her cousins. We had such a great time hiking and roasting marshmallows. Goblin Valley is absolutely beautiful and the stars are amazing at night. We plan to visit again next year. Watson already has plans to catch a lizard to keep during our next stay. I can't believe Daisy will be hiking on her own next time!

Last Hurrah of Summer

I took the littles to a little Downtown adventure. We visited the Church History Museum, had lunch at the Lion House Pantry and watched the movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Watson got to touch parts of the Salt Lake Temple and explore the grounds a little. We had a great time. Daisy was sweet and content and happy the whole time. It was a great last adventure before school starts.

Daisy loved, loved, loved climbing and sliding all over this play area. She also walked everywhere. As long as she's got space to roam, she is happy. Watson had a great time building his own creation with the blocks. He was so proud of his own "temple." There are so many fun places to take the kids in Salt Lake. I missed fitting in more during the summer. Luckily, we will have breaks from school that allow us to do more exploring.

Bear Lake 2016

Summer was busy and fun. We finished it off with a bang by heading to Bear Lake with the Hoopes clan. The kids and I caravanned with Challey and her kids while our husbands were working/traveling. Scott and Spencer came up later together. We stayed at a different, bigger cabin than our usual. There was lots of cousin time and good times at the beach. We ate and played and swam and wave runnered. Daisy loved the water and having the kids around constantly. Chandler spent extra time connecting with his teen cousins and Aunt Channa. We had a great weekend and it definitely got me ready to get back to a good Daisy sleep schedule and regular life.