And He's Off...

On Wednesday night, Britton took about five or six steps - the farthest he has walked so far. He even stood up in the middle of the room and took a couple of steps. And then yesterday, he just took off! He is now walking across whole rooms, turning around, and walking back. He still looks a bit like a drunk sailor, but it's dang cute!!!

Kenzie's Birthday

Yesterday Mackenzie turned 12 years old. It was a great day, and I am excited for this new phase in her life, but it makes me sad that my kids are growing up so fast. She didn't want any regular ol' birthday cake this year. No, she wanted a chocolate cheesecake. I have never made a baked cheesecake before (I have the yummiest no-bake recipe), but I think it turned out pretty good. Nobody complained while eating it, anyway.

Her number one birthday request was a new comforter for her bed. Guess the cute little girlie one just won't do when you're twelve. She wanted one with no pattern - just a dark purple or blue.

Nothin' Like Mountain Air

We were invited to join our friends, the Johnsons and the Webbs, for dinner at the Johnson family cabin on Sunday night. It was up Millcreek Canyon - what a beautiful drive. We had yummy food and fabulous company.

Emma, Maddy, and Kenzie had fun with the Johnson kids in the "fort."

Sydni, Kristol, Britton, and Stephen put the finishing touches on dinner.

Britton loves being outside.

Emma found a handy place to rest halfway up the hillside.
Maddy was getting a little tired by the end of the night.

The Gift of Music

Thanks to our friends, Chris and Melanie Hall, Don and I got the opportunity to attend a wonderful concert Friday night. It was the Utah Symphony and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, with special guests Denyce Graves and Brian Stokes Mitchell held at the Conference Center. It was absolutely wonderful!!! The Utah Symphony and MoTabs were awesome, of course, but Brian Stokes Mitchell made the night for me. Denyce Graves is an opera star, with a wonderful voice, but she just sang the songs beautifully. Brian Stokes Mitchell is a Broadway star, and he "shared" the songs with us. It was like he was singing each song from his heart and so many of them touched my heart. My favorite was one called "New Words." It was written by a man named Maury Yeaston when his son was a baby. It is about teaching your child new words, like moon, stars, and love. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm going to try to find it on I-Tunes and then try to add it to this blog. It was also neat when the MoTabs did an Armed Forces Salute. They sang all of the songs from the different branches of the armed forces, and then had all those who were serving, or who had ever served in that branch, stand. It was very moving. It was a great night and a great date with my hubby!

Pickin' Peaches

My friend, Mary, invited me to pick some peaches from her mom-in-laws tree Wednesday. Since I'm a sucker for peach crisp, I jumped at the chance. Mary took me and our friend Emily over after school and we did our best to clean that tree off. Thanks, Mary!

I got a good shoulder work-out in, too, holding Mary's daughter, Madison on my shoulders to reach some higher branches.

Britton hung out on the porch swing with another of Mary's daughters, Emily.

Good friends and a peach tree. What a great way to spend an afternoon.

Hike Of A Lifetime

Last Saturday, Don and I had the opportunity to hike with my brother, my sister, her hubby, and his mom and brother. We hiked up the backside of Mount Timpanogas, starting near Aspen Grove. It was fun, and beautiful, but also the hardest hike I have ever done. We were up so high that we could see into Heber Valley. We even passed the tree line. After four hours, we made it to Emerald Lake, and decided that was far enough for the day. We will have to try for the summit another day. It took us another three hours to make it back down. There is a beautiful waterfall about one hour up that we want to take the girls back to see. It was great spending so much time with Don and my siblings, and I can finally walk up and down stairs without having to hold on to the rails.

Back In School

We are in a year-round elementary, so Kenzie has actually been back in school for 5 weeks. Emma and Maddy started 2 weeks ago, and Syd has been back for 1 week. That's right - we will be on three different school schedules this year. I really wanted Kenzie to have the A-Track teacher for 6th grade, but Emma and Maddy needed to have the D-Track teachers for 5th and 3rd grades, respectively. I'm sure it will keep me on my toes this year!