So, here we are with summer over...thought I'd better do a little update again. I know, it takes me WEEKS to get this done then you have to read a book. Anyways, enjoy!

First off, our end of summer excursions were quite enjoyable. On our way out to St. George, we decided to try and hike to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon. All the kids made it and it was fun. Very beautiful up there. Several people were very impressed that Kyle and Kaitlyn could do such a steep hike but they did and we were proud of them.

Here they all are climbing rocks. What do you expect from a bunch of animals? :-)

While we were in St. George, our newly sworn in Officer/Uncle Matt took us to a firestation there in Washington and the kids got to play dress-up and check out the fire engine. They all thought it was pretty cool (except for Kait who was passed out in the car). Kyle has now decided that he will be a firefighter. I think he just really liked the idea of driving down the road at top speed with a siren and an ax. Firefighter John calls it the "key to the city". Har Har.








Next up, we have the first day of school. What a great day for mom and dad...bye kids, see ya!! The good folks at Runyon left us these neat posters on our doorstep and the kids were so excited to be going to school. I do love how photogenic they all are, don't you? Of course, Kaitlyn was
wondering why she wasn't going to school and therefore insisted on being in all the pictures. What a goof. We are having fun together in the afternoons when everyone else is away. Mommy-Kay-kay time.



Jenna and her best buddy Lexi did a cheerleading clinic at Heritage High school recently. They had a great time and cheered at the opening night football game.

I believe we may be creating a monster here with the whole "I'm gonna be a cheerleader someday" but that's fine. Her and Lexi even had the same hair-do. Heritage lost to Columbine but we still had fun.


Last but not least, I needed to include this picture of Kaitlyn and Nina. They do love their princess outfits and wear them at every possible opportunity. Difference is, Nina's dresses are in pretty good shape while Kaitlyn's are quite the worse for wear. She likes to climb trees, swing, run, roll around in the dirt, etc. in her dresses. So here we have The Princess and the Pauper in their fine carriage near the Conservatory. And they all lived happily ever after...

Summer goings-on

This summer has had it's share of fun and rest. It's just about a good time for school to be starting up again :-) but we have been enjoying ourselves. Couple of weeks ago we went camping near Breckenridge with our good friends the Marshall's and the Lip's. Of course, I didn't get any good pictures of the family all together but we did have lots of fun. Aaron, Matt and Paul caught lots of fish, the kids explored the area and we made some yummy camp food. The weather was perfect and the company was superb.

This is a picture of what our Saturday mornings generally look like. Aaron and I are quickly kicked out of our bed and the kids take over for cartoon time. It's next to impossible to remove them for chore time. Why would you want to leave?

A couple of weeks ago we took our annual family pictures. Still trying to edit them but I thought I would share one that the kids really liked. It was Brennen's idea to climb up on the tree branch. The younger kids were a little nervous about sitting there 4 feet above the ground but Brennen and Jenna helped them feel safer. It's pretty cute. Thank goodness for photo shop and decent digital cameras. Saves tons of money on family photos!

Last night we had a great party in the back yard. We called it our Pioneer Day/Hawaiian party! What a theme! Brennen made a great poster directing our guests to the back yard and we all got a lei. Aaron manned the BBQ and everyone brought something to share. I think the kids had fun although we did get a few bumps and bruises. Our great friend, Bryce Jackman, surprised us with his juggling with fire act. Brennen got to participate and thought it was totally cool (or hot depending how you look at it). We are just really blessed with amazing friends and appreciate all of them so much. Thanks everybody!

Last but not least, I need to include a shot of Kaitlyn. Last Sunday she came to me and said "Look mom, I got myself ready for church!" and indeed she had. Not what I would choose but pretty good for a 3 year old. Shoes were on the wrong feet but she did get her tights on (forgot the underwear though). She knew she needed a skirt too. We were quite proud of her and she was more then happy to show off her accomplishment. Good job Kait!

TA-DA!!

Playing Catch-up

Well, I guess you could easily say it's been a while since our last update. Thought I should take some time and get a little caught up on things. This has the potential of taking on book form but I will try and make it short and sweet.

This spring, Brennen won the Pinewood derby (once again) with his very cool Bakugan blue racer. He and dad spent some quality time getting it just right and smoked the competition. The pressure is on for next year. See if they can make it 3 in a row. Good job, Brennen! (and dad)

At the end of April, Aaron and I took a much needed vacation without kids to the beautiful island of Kauai. We love going there and it was so fun to be able to do things we haven't been able to do before. I never once had to worry about kids drowning or falling down cliffs and we had NO schedule - Fantastic!! Aaron tried his hand at surfing. He never really got the hang of it but he does look good, doesn't he? This is me at a waterfall near Queen's Bath at Princeville. My hair was pretty much a frizz-fest the whole time but so what!! It's totally awesome to have parents that have a beautiful house and a car for their kids to use when they want to run off for a few days :-). Thanks mom and dad Milligan!!

Kyle graduated from preschool in May and that was really cute. He loved going to school with his bestest buddy, Howie, and he is really looking forward to kindergarten.

Our little athlete Jenna won 2nd place in the Whitman Elementary fun run. She ran a full 1/2 mile and was just on the heels of the winner. She has even gone running with mom and she does great. She also had her final performance of the year at Miss Muffie's. What a cutey!!

We were sad to see the closing of our school this year. It will be converted to a alternative middle school and our kids will now attend Runyon. No more walking to school but I think we may be able to ride our bikes. There is a killer hill to conquer but I think with some training this summer,we can do it.

For Memorial Weekend, we headed to St. George and the much anticipated Hansen Reunion. It was so much fun to be with everyone! Gramma and Papa got us shirts and we played games, ran obstacle courses, raced and swam. Kaitlyn is a little fish and was so cute in her "floaty" suit and goggles. She is such a good swimmer and jumps in the pool non-stop! The cousins loved being together and got very little sleep. Everyone is doing well. Matt and Brenna will be welcoming a new little Hansen girl this September and we are really looking forward to that. The Hansen's are doing super and we are so grateful for all of our blessings as a family.

Lastly, for now, we have had quite a bit of rain here the past few weeks. Haven't been able to get to the pool but the yard is looking great! My roses are doing splendidly and I am thrilled. So, I will close this post with lovely flowers from my yard and a promise that I WILL do better at keeping it updated. Later!