New Wheels

Kiley took driver's training last Spring and had to drive for six months with a learner's permit.  With the time getting near for her to start driving without one of her parents we decided we needed to get a car so she could get herself (and hopefully some of her sisters) around.  We bought this car in October and since she couldn't drive it yet, I have been driving it when I don't have a bunch of kids with me.  It is fun to cruise around in something small again.  It is also a lot more enjoyable to fill up at the gas station.

A Walk in the Park

Every year on the first Sunday in October we join all of the Dildines for a Sunday night walk in Kathryn Albertson Park.  We had such a mild Fall this year that the leaves had not even started to change colors.  It was nice to be with family on such a beautiful evening.

BSU

This year we bought BSU football season tickets (at the very top of the stadium). 

Tailgating 

 With Grandpa Baker

The gang heading into the stadium on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in September

Atlanta

Over Labor Day weekend Brad and I traveled to the BSU game in Atlanta.  We had a great time.  BSU beat Georgia and we had fun together shopping, going to restaurants, visiting the World of Coca-Cola and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and museum.

An added bonus was having DragonCon in town that weekend.  The streets were full of colorful characters.

1st Day of School

Kiley- Sophomore

Hannah- 7th Grade

The elementary school gang

Lizzie- 3rd Grade

 Kerrie- Kindergarten

Susanna- 1st Grade

 Paige- 5th grade

 Kerrie and Mrs. Wetherall (she has Mrs. Atkinson in the afternoon)

I think we are in for a great year.

9

Lizzie's birthday was on August 30.  For the second year in a row it was the first day of school.  She invited a couple of friends up to the lake the day before for her party.

We had to get up bright and early to enjoy her birthday breakfast before heading off to school.

That night the whole family headed to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Lizzie!

Summer's Last Hurrah

We went for a very easy (but beautiful) hike in Ponderosa State Park.

What an awesome group!

We did a little tubing on the lake.  Susanna hit her mouth on the tube and knocked her two front teeth almost out.  They were hanging by a lot of skin and we were too chicken to just pull all that out, so I took her to the ER in McCall where they numbed her gums and snipped the teeth off.  Isn't that one of the most attractive pictures you have ever seen?

We met the family back on the lake for a little more boating.  Every year I take a picture of all the girls jumping off the back of the boat.  Susanna was feeling better after her tooth loss and joined in, but Kerrie decided to sit this one out.

On our last night we found a campsite and had tinfoil dinners.  They were delicious!

I am grateful for all the good times our family is able to have together.

15

Kiley turned 15 on August 17.  We had plans to go to McCall on her actual birthday, so she celebrated with friends the night before.  She invited Courtney and Claire to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  Brad and I sat at another table across the restaurant.  It was like a date night for us.

Later that night Hannah joined the party for U-Swirl.

Birthday morning- family gifts and a breakfast of blueberry pancakes with homemade buttermilk syrup.

Hannah made Kiley a duct tape wallet.

I think the iphone may have been her favorite gift.

In the afternoon we headed up to McCall.  We stopped at Lake Cascade for some tubing.

We celebrated that night at Chapalas.

Later, I showed off my awesome mothering skills with a fancy Zinger birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Kiley.

75

July 31 was my dad's 75th birthday.

We celebrated with a lot of good food, family and, of course,

 a waterslide.

Back to the Mountains

Also in July we spent a weekend at our friends' cabin with two other fun families.

Along with fabulous food and late night card games we enjoyed canoeing on the private lake,

playing on 4 wheelers and motorcycles (I learned how to ride a motorcycle.  So much easier than I imagined.),

hanging out by the campfire (the helmet is to keep smoke out of her eyes),
being goofy with friends,

fishing for part of our breakfast,

playing in and on the lake,

 hiking to Goose Creek Falls (the whole gang),

(if you click on this picture you can see Paige)

Us

Gavin, Sammy, Chloe, Audra, Jeff and Cooper

Brent, Daidree and Gigi

and, of course, breakfast at the Pancake House.

It was a wonderful weekend that we will always remember.