A brunette?

What do you think? Did I finally get a brunette? Only time will tell.

Get-togethers

We had a great time at the Donaldson reunion in early August!

We had a huge family picture taken- I think the final numbers were around 106 people.

We also took pictures of our little family- the firstsince Lydia was born.

Aubrey got into the picture-taking spirit and started posing randomly. She had quite the photo shoot at the tree...

Allie and Aubrey had a great time, too.

Another get-together was Aubrey's third birthday party. Technically, she had parties.

This was an informal gathering with some of our friends, Heston and Maclaine. This picture in the middle was her Lloyd family bday dinner. She looked so much older all of the sudden. She wanted to wear her hair in a side ponytail like her idol, Cassidy! Lydia also decided to grow too fast and play in the Exersaucer!

Charred remains

When we went back to Nephi Canyon after the fire, this is what we found. It was interesting to see how the fire moved in different directions, leaving some places undisturbed and others reduced to ashes.

The fire fighters worked heroically to save the Hopcreek Hideaway. (see post entitled "Utah's burning") Below is the a picture of the same sign from the highway. The area all around the property was charred, but the campsite was saved.

Below is the mud flow running along the highway. It is full of ash and mud. Very gross! A few weeks later at the family reunion, the creek was still running black. It is usually crystal clear, but it was like tar. The kids seemed to enjoy painting themselves with the nasty mud. Thankfully, my girls wanted nothing to do with the mess!

This picture below was taken few weeks later from inside Hopcreek Hideaway. You can see the contrast between the green grass that was saved and the blackened hillside across the highway. This picture doesn't do it justice!

What's new...

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted anything. Here's what we have been doing.

My friends, Alyssa and Matt Grow are visiting from Indiana, so we got together for a play date. I have pics of the kids playing in the sprinklers and on the Bounce Around. I will have to post them later. Our kids played very well together! It was so fun to see them together. I wish they lived closer so we could get together more often!

Hillary, Steve, Abi, and Emma also arrived last week, so have been together for all kinds of fun. We had pictures of the kids together with the grand parents. It was fun, even if the kids didn't always think so! I'll put those on here when we get them back.

Friday night Tim, Steve and Sam went camping and fishing, so we had a sleepover with Hill and the girls. We HAD to watch High School Musical 2 for Jenna! Here's the girls in their jammies.

Yesterday was Emma's baby blessing, so we had a big get-together at our parents' house. Here are some pics that Hill took.

We have also been back and forth to see our nephew, Justin, at Primary Children's Hospital. He had heart surgery two weeks ago, and it has been a rough road for him and his parents. They have been so strong! Things were a lot harder this time around, but he seems to finally be moving in the right direction. When we went to the hospital yesterday, he even got to go for his first wagon ride. He looked so mad! He looked around like, "Look what you people did to me!"
We were so glad to see him up and out of bed! This was Justin in the PICU. He has improved by leaps and bounds since then.

More dramatic than ever...

As I was sitting here typing, Jenna came in with her hands behind her back, wanting to show me something.

In a hushed whisper she says, "Mom!" (long dramatic pause...) "look at this" (more dramatic pause) "You'll be amazed!"


Du-du-du-da HER ARTWORK!!

(by the way, Hill, it is a picture she's working on for you.)

Splendid

During dinner last night, we were asking Jenna about her day. Two of her friends had been here during the day along with two baby sitters so the friends' mom and I could go to the Parade of Homes.

Anyway, she was not happy with the way things had gone. With a very serious, forlorn look on her face she told us so!

"Things just weren't splendid. I wanted them to be splendid, but they just weren't."

Justin's surgery

My nephew, Justin, had open heart surgery yesterday and many of you have asked how he's doing, so here's some info.

The surgery went well and Molly said he already looks more pink. (He's always had a bit of a blue color.) When they cut into the large muscle it kind of short-circuited his electrical system, so he's on a pacemaker. That will double his expected stay from 4-5 days to 8-10.

It sounds like they were able to do everything they needed to in order to re-plumb his heart. Our prayers are with them for a speedy and full recovery!

Confession of an addict

I didn't realize how long it has been since I wrote anything here! So much has happened in the last three weeks that I could have written about! I have tons of cute pictures to put in, too, but I have a new computer-based addiction. FamilySearch Indexing.

Once I start, I can hardly stop! I feel compelled to keep going! If you have read the article in the August Ensign, you may be familiar with it. The Church has a program that anyone can download onto their computer to transcribe or index historical records, such as a census. They collect the records and will make them available online for free. Coming from a family with lots of genealogical dead ends, it is so rewarding to think that someone else might find an ancestor because of my work. If you have some spare time here and there, you should check it out!

So, in the mean time, here's some of what we have been doing since my last post.

We spent some time around the 24th at a condo next to Jordanelle Reservoir with family. That was so fun! We had a nice, relaxing time!

We drove through Nephi Canyon to see the charred remains the day they reopened the canyon. I will post some pictures later. Everyday since then, Jenna includes in her prayers a plea that the grass in Nephi Canyon will grow back.

We have also decided to go back to school. I think I have finally picked a major- Heath Promotion and Education. It is a good combination of my Human Development studies I have already done as well as my experience in the Dental and insurance industries, I am very excited! I am planning on starting next fall, since I have missed the scholarship deadlines for this year.

Tim is still debating between his Master's in Urban Planning and an Engineering degree. We are blessed that his employer will help with tuition!

Along those lines, we are also pondering selling the house and moving into family student housing at the U. Many things to consider...

Right now Aubrey is getting excited for her third birthday on Thursday. She is growing too fast!

Jenna is excited for the start of Kindergarten in a few weeks and has it marked on the calendar.

Lydia is getting so big, and even treats us to a cute little giggle now and then.

There's an update on life at our house. I hope to do better, but I can only pry myself away from the census for so long! (And I probably should care for my kids, too Ü)