Girls trip to Whidbey Island

Zions/Horseshoebend/GrandCanyon 2016

Visiting the Provo Temple Open House

At the end of February we were able to attend the Provo Temple Open House.  It was a very nice morning with Grandma and Grandpa Toolson and the girls.  I used to attend Stake Conference in the old Provo Tabernacle when we were newly weds living in Provo.  I also graduated from BYU at the old building before it was mostly destroyed by fire.  They have done a beautiful job making this into a temple for all the enjoy now.  

The girls with Grandma and Grandpa

Celebrating a little Christmas

We have tried to do a few activities to bring in the Christmas joy over the past week.  Last weekend, we had Windsor for the night, and I took the girls to the Riverwoods in Provo.  It was lit up beautiful, and we enjoyed a ride around in a horse drawn wagon.  I made the girls stop and see Santa. . . who thinks they are too old to see Santa??

Visting Santa!

We also stopped at some of the fire pits and roasted some marshmallows for S'mores 

Roasting S'mores

It was a nice little evening with the girls all together.  

Last night, we decided to take the Frontrunner train up to Salt Lake to check out the lights at Temple Square.  It was our first time on the train, and I  really enjoyed the ride!  We were able to get on the train in Provo and just enjoy the ride.  Jeff and Eliza and Windsor hopped on at the Orem station and joined us for the evening.  The train rides up to almost 80 MPH and is a very nice way to travel.  

Lizzy and Kennedy with friends, Lily and Kailina, on the Frontrunner 

Temple Square was bustling with crowds.  It was still beautiful. . . even though extremely crowded!!  It felt like everyone in Utah was visiting the lights last night in Salt Lake!!   We got a bite to eat and enjoyed walking around and seeing some of the lights.  

We took the Trax from Temple Square back to the Front Runner and enjoyed the crowded ride back to Provo. .. the girls enjoyed making some friends on the train and singing Christmas Carols most of the way!  It was nice to not have to worry about driving or parking or traffic. Overall, the evening was a success !

Thanksgiving weekend

We had a very different and nontraditional Thanksgiving break this year.  We drove down to Southern California to support Lizzy and her team play in a tournament in San Diego... The Surf Cup.  This is a very big tournament with teams from all over that travel to compete.  The competition is very good to say the least.  Her team managed to win their pool which is a very big deal, and move on to the quarter finals.  They ended up losing to a powerhouse team from southern California, but were happy with the experience.  Lizzy played hard, and narrowly escaped what looked to be a possible concussion at the time of the hard hit and fall she took on the field.  One of the teams she played was overly physical. . . .it was a pretty brutal game.

Lizzy's Celtic team at Surf Cup

One nice thing about the weekend was we were able to stop in St George on the way coming and going. . . so we still spent a little time with Grandma and Grandpa Toolson, as well as Mike and Shareen.  Wednesday morning, Kennedy wanted to get up early and go to the St George temple before we drove on to California. .. So how do you say no to that??  We got up at 6am and she was able to go.  We hope to go again with both Lizzy and Luke at Christmas time when we are there again.  

Kennedy at the St George Temple

Our Thanksgiving meal was definitely not the highlight of the weekend.  We have never eaten out for Thanksgiving before, so this was new to us.  I just made a reservation at a restaurant with a few families from Lizzy's team.  We were a bit dissapointed. .. but tried not to let it ruin our day or weekend by dwelling on it.  First, we weren't even seated with the other members of her team. . . we were in the opposite side of the restaurant in a booth. . .the whole point of eating there was so she could be with some of her teammates?  But luckily, we were able to switch to a booth that was at least in the same room a little later.  The meal was just ok. . . we had Pasta for our Thanksgiving dinner!  But the kids loved the huge icecream sundae we shared for dessert.  Would I go there again??  Probably not. . . live and learn.  

Our Thanksgiving of Pasta

Lizzy with Elle, Rien, and Peyton at "Thanksgiving"

Luke couldn't wait to try out the dessert!

Mia was smiling when they brought this out to try :)

Luke and Mia

We weren't able to get too much Beach time while we were there, but we did stop for a short walk and took a few pictures on Thanksgiving.  I was hoping to get back, but the timing never quite worked out. .. it was a pretty quick trip!  

Kennedy walking on the beach

All my kids together!

Lizzy playing with the soccer ball

It was a bit of driving, but we had a nice time and it was fun watching Lizzy and her team play so well together!  Luke got safely back to Logan to finish up his first semester. . . And we are back to school and work etc. . . .

Vegas Weekend

This last weekend we skipped the Halloween festivities and headed to Las Vegas to cheer on Lizzy's team playing soccer in the DPL (Desert Premier League). . . This is a league where they play the top teams their age from Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.  We stopped in St. George on the way down and brought Grandma and Grandpa  Toolson with us :)

Lizzy's team won their first two games, and ended up losing the last one to a very physical and heated game against one of the Arizona teams.   So heated, that Grandpa left early. . . didn't like the contention. . . it was a little crazy, which happens in sports far too often!

Kennedy opted to stay home with a friend for the weekend, so we let Mia invite a friend.  They spent a lot of time at the soccer fields, but also enjoy time swimming at the condo on Friday night.

Celtic Premier team

Mia and Emma enjoying the hot tub

Lizzy playing hard

getting a bite to eat after a hard fought game!

Fall Break

Last weekend we enjoyed Fall Break with a little getaway to Yellowstone National Park with our friend the Parkers and the Sorensons.  We took our time driving up there on Thursday, and took a slight detour to stop for a visit with Luke up at Utah State in Logan.

My kids :)

Luke seems to be doing well at school and is figuring things out.  He passed a couple of big tests this last week including his first PFT for the Air Force ROTC.  He really is enjoying the ROTC and I look forward to seeing what opportunities the next few years bring for him.

We stayed in a Hotel at West Yellowstone, MT, and spent a couple days exploring the beauties of the park.

David giving Mia a warming hug (mornings were cold!) 

Kennedy, Lizzy, and Mia 

We encountered quite a few buffalo 

taking a quick break on a stop along the way

You have to pose for a picture at the park entrance!

Mia

Lizzy and Kennedy

David and I

Maybe these buffalo are a little close for comfort!

Stopping for lunch at Yellowstone Lake

Kennedy reflecting

Old Faithful

working on balance along the boardwalk

Our cool shadow pic

David and Kennedy 

It was a great weekend with fun company and we loved exploring the park and sights.  The weather was warm and pleasant.   A perfect fall break getaway!