Arches National Park

On our way home from Utah, we stopped at Arches National Park, one of our favorite places. Last time we were there was back in 2008. I was 6 months pregnant with Evan and we had three little girls. This time it was just Benny. The older kids missed out on this trip since they were in school. (So grateful for my parents taking care of them all week while we were gone!) We only had a couple of hours to spend at the park, so we mainly stayed in the Windows section. We hiked to the North and South Windows, Turret Arch, and Double Arch.

Benny loved all the stacked rocks that marked some of the trails.

Balanced Rock

Way off in the distance, you can see Delicate Arch. One of these years I would love to do the long hike that takes you right up to it!

18!

Elayna turned 18 at the end of August! A few days later, we drove out to BYU and helped her get set up in her dorm room. She is staying in the exact same dorms I did 22 years ago (she's on the 1st floor and I was on the 3rd). After setting up her dorm room, we went with her to get her student ID and then headed to the bookstore and walked around campus. That evening we ate dinner with her at the Canon Center (parents ate free!). It has changed so much since I was there! So much nicer!

After we said goodbyes, Dan, Benny, and I headed up to the BYU Creamery for our favorite ice-cream (Bishop's Bash) and then hiked up Rock Canyon to watch the sun set. We spent a lot of time there when we were dating. So much fun to be back in our old stomping grounds! Sadly, I didn't take many photos because it was such a busy day and I was really enjoying being in the moment.

Copeland Family

Always a treat to take photos of my cousin's family. The last time I saw baby Ellee was when we did her newborn photos. She has grown so much and is just the cutest baby with the prettiest big blue eyes. We took these on a very hot day in June and her kids did so well!

Back To School

Hard to believe another summer has come and gone! I'm always so sad to see it end. This year it ended a lot earlier than normal. The first day of school was August 15th! The good news is school gets out before Memorial Day for the first time ever (that I can remember).

This year we have one in 9th, 7th, 4th, and 1st. We also have a freshman in college! Today was her first day of classes. Next year my baby Benny will be in kindergarten and all six of my children will be in school!

poor Lorelei had a mosquito bite on her eyelid, which made her left eye a little swollen.

recent read

This book tells the amazing story of the author's rise from an isolated, unschooled child in the mountains of Idaho to earning a PhD at Cambridge University. It is a fascinating memoir that I would definitely recommend! Reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle, one of my favorites.

Surfside Beach Vacation

At the end of July, we enjoyed a fun, relaxing week at a beautiful beach front home in Surfside, Texas with lots of family. Six of my siblings, my parents, and all 19 grandchildren were there! We lucked out with gorgeous weather. It started out a little overcast on Monday, but was clear and sunny the rest of the week. Some of the highlights of the week included a bonfire on the beach for s'mores, night crab hunting with flashlights, long walks on the beach, and enjoying wonderful meals cooked by a different family each night. The older kids also loved their little fishing trip with Uncle Brian. Here's a few photos from our week..

Loved how the house was just steps from the beach!

About midweek, the currents changed direction and the water was unusually blue and clear. It's very rare for this to happen at a southeast Texas beach!

This was our set up everyday. we had soooo many beach chairs sent up under those canopies! (That big stripe of brownish gray water is where the sand bar was.)

The next few photos were taken at the beginning of the week, before the currents changed.

Uncle Andy burying Evan in the sand

my cute niece Addie wasn't too sure about the water at first, but she quickly warmed up to it!

The next two photos (taken with cell phone- no filter added) were taken on our last day at the beach. you can see how clear the water was at the very end of the week! Never seen it like this in Texas, except for in South Padre! We truly lucked out!

I wasn't able to get a group photo with my big camera, but Dan got this on his cell phone. All 19 grandkids (except for Lukie) with grammy and grandpa!!

Andy's drone got this cool photo of the whole crew.

Such a wonderful week! Wish I could go back! So thankful for all the family that was able to make it. Love when we can all be together!