Today my old roommate, Aryelle, got married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We were happy to be invited to the sealing. I would have loved to get a picture with the bride, but we couldn't stay long enough to get a turn. Nevertheless, it was a very neat reminder of how important marriage is.
So glad I married my best friend, too. I like to remind him he's stuck with me forever!
Happy Halloween! The morning started out with the Halloween parade at Kenzie's school. This was the best picture I got, since the kids marched by so quickly, but once Kenzie spotted Parker and I she waved happily. Parker was enthralled with this procession, and really yelled for the M&M, Iron Man, and the kid dressed as a Lego. Go figure.
Parker was a zookeeper this year. He was so excited about that hat!
Here's McKenzie trying to show off her Barbie fairy wings, although they're actually hard to see in this picture. We also sprayed her with glitter spray and she wore lots of eyeshadow. (She spent a fair amount of time admiring herself in the mirror!)
The cutest trick-or-treaters, ready for Daddy to take them through the neighborhood.
Once home, Parker immediately dumped his bucket out. (This morning he commented, "Holy crabs! How I get so much candy?") Now I'm off to pilfer another piece!
Ah, what a fun time of year. Thank you Grandma Susan for the goofy lips!
We carved pumpkins last night, and Parker dictated, "Triangle eyes, triangle nose, and mouth!" He was very happy, and then wanted to take a picture with him making a scary face.
Kenzie needed to make a scary face, too, of course. She picked the largest pumpkin, and determined she'd make it a rabbit. (Don't tell her it looks more like a cat, since she's happy!)
Isn't this cute? (I do mean my family, not just the pumpkins). We had to stick the pumpkins on the back porch for now, since there's been several pumpkin-smashing incidents in the neighborhood. Better to keep them safe.
Happy Halloween!!
Not many people are as cool as I am. They call this "mini-golf" instead of the correct term, which is of course, "putt-putt." (And now you know. You're welcome!)
Parker just ran with the ball, hitting it numerous times until he reached the hole. He was constantly ahead of us, yelling for us to hurry up and join him!
I was impressed Parker was excited to go on the airplanes. Just a few months ago he was terrified of a similar ride at Jungle Jim's and refused to get on it. It probably helped that McKenzie was able to ride with him, but he's still much braver than he was. 
There she goes! Tonight was the first time Kenzie rode her bike by herself. She started going so fast that I had no choice but to let go of her. I worried for a second she would get nervous on her own, but she kept going, stopped slowly, then turned around and yelled, "I did it!" There'll be no stopping her now!
Happy Labor Day! This weekend we headed out to Albion Basin for one last summer vacation. Parker was very happy to see a small stream literally right behind our tent. He threw rocks to his little heart's content!
McKenzie showing off her new binoculars. Both kids got a pair from Daddy's work and it was perfect timing - they were constantly looking through them.
Check out the fox we spotted on our little "adventure" (what the kids call our little walks).
This cracked me up: as much fun as they were having, the second it got cold they both piled into the van and played on their Leapsters for awhile. It was especially funny because Kenzie had made a point of telling us, before leaving, "You know what I love about camping? Getting out into nature!" Nature has a hard time competing with battery-powered games sometimes...
For the most part, though, the kids were happy to be outside looking for small critters and playing in the dirt. Saturday night they even went to bed without complaint, but the middle of the night was a different story. We all woke up tired.
We figured the best vacation is one in which you know how to cut your losses - so we packed up everything a day early. The plan was to hike to the lake and then leave when we came back later. The facility map online had shown the lake was close - not so! Neither kiddo was going to make it all the way up the very, very steep hike. We got about halfway, then stopped in the shade and had our picnic lunch.
Lunch rejuvenated the kiddos just enough for them to turn around and make it back down the hill. (Well, I still carried Parker but downhill makes all the difference!) So, we never did make it to the lake, but more importantly, we preserved family unity by coming home to shower and rest. I'd have to say that made the trip a success!
