Our new favorite hobby....Rock climbing!1

I kept telling Nate I wanted to get into rock climbing and that he would LOVE it. I tried and after several attempts, I got him out with my boss. Verdict....he is obsessed. We now have all the gear and have gone a few times. I am so excited about it because we do a lot of mountain biking trips and this goes so well with that! We can't wait for Sage to come home form his mission and climb with us! He worked at a bouldering gym before his mission, so I know he will love it too. I am terified of heights, so it's pretty big of me to be doing this!

Weekend with friends in Telluride

My friend Amelia Peirce invited us to her cabin in Telluride. We had the best time! We biked the bike park, rode the Gondola, hiked, and played night games. We went on a beautiful hike and I saw an Eagle right above us. 

Drew accidentally threw a ball through their cabin window by accident. They were really nice about it. They had a game set up outside and it was positioned where you throw the ball right by the window. Woops!

It was so much fun enjoying the outdoors and wonderful company, and I ate way too much candy.  Four different families were invited. The Baers, Peirces, Catons, and us. The Hawkers couldn't come because my friend Tagan got Covid and they had to quarantine. 

Drew is a great biker for his age. We biked a really hard blue and decided to take the lift up and enjoyed two fast easy green rides. He was so grateful the whole trip, easy, and never once complained. 

The views were absolutely incredible. We drove home the long way through Durango so we could drive on the "Million dollar highway".  It was incredible. It took us from Durango through Silverton and into Ouray. Ouray had the most beautiful mountains with incredible rocks that had the most colors I've ever seen in a stone. 

I told Nate I feel like a gypsy, or maybe wanderlust is a more appropriate term as I do like having a home to come back to. I just want to do all the things, and see all the places. I decided to take a picture of every city I go through. I want to see them all.  I'm dreaming of getting an RV and traveling and seeing all the states. 

Aspen was supposed to come but we left her home alone with the dogs. Her Jr year is overwhelming her with the load of homework. She's taking 3 AP classes and is basically in her room.....always. She's on a Hybrid schedule due to covid. She goes two to three times a week and the other days are online. I hate it for her. She's on the computer for hours during school, then has hours of homework. The realization hit me that we only have her two more years. I have two out of the house and two at home. I miss the kids little!!!

Julie, Amelia and I. I am grateful to know them. 

Our first college student!

McKenna is off to College!

She got accepted at BYU-Idaho. It was very bitter sweet dropping her off. Nate was supposed to come drive with me to take her, but the broiler in our house flooded so he stayed home to watch the dogs and Drew. That didn't turn out the best but thats another story. 

Aspen drove with me and McKenna, we had a great drive there. It took about 11 hours total. We stopped in Debois and stayed in the cutest little cabin. We headed the next day to see the Grand Tetons. We hiked around Jennys lake and had the best conversations. We saw a Grizzly bear, a huge Moose, Bison, and lots of cow on the drive. I love spending time with my girls.  After our hike we went into Jackson Hole and ate and looked at the shops. We made it to Rexburg that night. McKenna was a little shocked by the look of the place and wasn't to in love with it until we hit the campus. The campus is beautiful and all the housing lined the streets. There were college kids everywhere! It was so exciting. The following morning we went to her dorm and met her roommates. She has a darling girl named Monica that she shares a room with. She is sweet and a returned missionary. McKenna lucked out. All the girls she is rooming with are super sweet. There are six of them total.

Thank heavens we brought Aspen with us! She did a great job decorating her room!

 

This is her apartment complex called Heritage housing.

McKenna is lucky to have her childhood friend that she's grown up with at college too. They decided not to room with each other, but spend everyday together. They met two cute girls the first day on campus and "I" night. 

 Bria and her mom (my good friend Tina Johnson) invited us to stay the night at there cabin up in Island Park. The cabin was right on Henerys Lake. It was so stunning. The cabin was huge and had 11 beds upstairs. There Grandpa was there and I loved visiting with him and learning from him. I love the elderly!! We went canoeing and I loved every minute. 

Saying goodbye was HARD! Aspen cried when we left. Those two have always been together. They lifeguarded at the pool together this summer, did high school tougher, and early morning seminary. They always chose to sit by each other and be together. It will be hard on all of us having McKenna gone, especially me and Aspen. McKenna is our happy girl who is always so fun, ready to party, and a great person to sit with at night and visit with. Our home will defiantly not be the same without her. I broke down and cried three separate times while we drove around the campus. Not just because I would miss her, but because of the amazing person she has become and I can't help be excited for the memories she is going to make. It has been one week and she has been asked out on four date, has been to some type of party every single night, and is loving her classes. She decided this week she is also going to serve a mission like her brother for the Church. I can't wait to watch her life unfold. She's amazing. 

Spring and Fall baseball

Drew has loved baseball this year. In the Spring his coach from last year reached out and asked if he would join the team. With the current pandemic that has tortured us all, he played in the summer as Spring ball was cancelled. His team was the Angels and this fall he is playing with the same coach with the Royals. Drew is a great at stealing bases. I love listening to the coach tell the other kids to watch Drew. I love listening to the parents comment in the stands about how fast of a runner Drew is. He is a very fast runner and loves it when he gets to play first base. 

 Drew also started piano lessons. He is a natural!! He has had 3 lessons and will be in level two books for his fourth lesson. I was blown away. After his first lesson, he was frustrated and didn't want "baby songs", so he practiced for two hours and told me he would be learning "Pirates of the Caribbean". I informed him that it was a hard song and Sage learned it after 5 years of piano. Drew took it as a challenge and practiced two hours a day. His first lesson was on a Tuesday and by Friday he had the first line sounding amazing. I went to check his work. He had the left hand on the wrong notes. I told him that and he said "I don't know the left hand notes yet, but I tried to figure it out and this sounded right." It did! I didn't know he was in the wrong hand position until I looked myself. He has a good ear!! He is good at anything he tries. The trick with Drew is getting him to pick something. He will probably be a "Jack of all trades and a master at none" unless he picks his favorite things. He is great at climbing when he was on a climbing team. He is good at baseball, mountain biking, soccer and basketball. He excels at snow skiing and can conquer a double black diamond that scares me to even try. He can wakeboard, play the tuba, and clearly the piano. As of now it is looking like the the tuba is a thing of the past (against his teachers wishes) and the French horn could be in his future. He is thinking baseball is the sport he will stick with and the piano. He is a great speller and school comes easy for him. He is naturally more of a home body. He has friends knock on the door almost daily. He turns them away and I can NOT relate to that. When I ask why, he just tells me he doesn't want to play. He would rather be with me or someone in the family. He has zero temper, never ever cries, acts like an adult, has a natural deep voice, and is always kind and complimentary. I love my mornings with him before school. He always says something nice and is SO grateful for whatever it is I make him for breakfast. The neighbors down the street tell me often along with he neighbors around the corner...that Drew is a constant topic in their home. They tell me they are always asking their kids to act more like Drew, and why aren't they more like him (poor kids!).  They are amazed at his manors, gentle personality, how gracious he is, and how he always thanks them and asks if they need help. Drew is a blessing and I kiss the poor kid to death and tell him at least 3 times a day how obsessed with him I am. He makes friends easily and is just a likable kid with a perfect disposition.