Millie is 8 and baptized

Millie Grace turned 8 in July, and her baptism was set for Sunday, August 11. Our stake is trying Sunday afternoon baptisms this year and it was nice.

She had been counting down on the calendar until her day, and Pauline made her this white dress to wear.

She liked the jumpsuit as well.

I hope she remembers that the gift of the Holy Ghost is real, and can help her throughout her life.

For her birthday, she really wanted a Hermione costume and Hedwig the owl (now she wants a Crookshanks orange cat to make it a Halloween costume). She wears this outfit many places if she can get away with it.

I put Bingo on a cake from frosting for her.

Eight is great for our dolls-loving, imaginative, creative, funny, definitely-the-youngest, sweet and spicy little girl.

Catching up on the summer

It's crazy how fast July and August went! A really fun day was all the Richards getting together at Lagoon on July 5 to celebrate Pauline's birthday.

These cousins got a little wet on the Rattlesnake Rapids.

Besides Millie's birthday (in another post with her baptism), we also had Max's birthday and mine in July (and JB's birthday in August in another post from our cruise). It was fun to see some photos pop up in Google photos from Max and knowing he was getting some pizza a few times in Bolivia! His favorite.

My birthday on July 25 was a nice one. 

JB's sister Suzanne made the most a delicious coconut lime cake for me on that Sunday! I am so grateful.

We went to the baby blessing of my brother Peter's new baby on July 28.

Wolfie the dog joined us for scripture reading.

I won the free passes from the library for various museums and attractions in July.  On Saturday, July 6, we went to the Natural History Museum, one of James's favorites in particular.

This looks like Wolfie, her stuffed dog.

The Clark Planetarium is free already but the passes were for the laser light show (which James did not like), and we went there twice.

Marmelade Library downtown.

Tracy Aviary with a friend.

On July 20, we went to the Sandy Rec Center to try out the climbing wall.

Then we went a few blocks away to the Days of '47 float preview party

We went to East Canyon State Park on July 24 with Richards cousins who have all kinds of fun lake toys.

I got passes from work for the Days of '47 rodeo on the evening of July 24.

The summer had plenty of swimming because of our county passes and Lagoon passes.

(Big thanks to Suzanne for taking them while JB and I were on our cruise)

Millie tried a soccer clinic on Aug. 12 and said it was fine but she didn't like it. So I guess she won't be doing soccer! 

Football also started for James and Andrew in July, and I should write a whole post on that. They are doing so great, even though it is hot and difficult!

August 20 was the first day of school. Andrew was out first in order to catch the bus to middle school.

Ben, James and Millie leave at the same time almost an hour later.

Saturday, Aug. 31 our street had a get-to-know you block party and dinner.

We are getting into the swing of a new routine now and hoping to help our children succeed this school year.

St George retreat

We had a fantastic week in Southern Utah with JB's sister Sarah, her husband Joe and their four great kids!

These two played dolls anywhere and everywhere they could, especially by the pool (where we were every day).

 

Cousins loved the bunk room.

We played pickleball at a cooler six in the morning with the sunrise.

We visited several awesome playgrounds and parks in the mornings, like Fossil Falls Park by the Virgin River (where the boys found a tire)

Thunder Junction All Abilities Park

Desert Vista Park with good shade where the kids ran through their own timed ropes course.

And a park with a hot wheels track on the playground where I forgot to take a picture.

We hiked on Thursday morning to Scout Cave at Snow Canyon State Park (later learning that someone died of heat stroke at this same park a few days later! We started hiking really early; the fatality happened in the afternoon).

Everyone needs a cousin to talk to as they hike.

Millie has announced in the past that she is "not a hikey person" but she did great this time.

This staircase really had me hurting the rest of the day, haha.

Thursday afternoon, JB and Andrew and Ben did baptisms in the St George temple

On Saturday, JB had gotten us permits to hike Kanarra Falls. 

Much of the hike is through water. The first set of falls has a staircase.

The second set of falls has a log ladder to scramble up and over.

The third set of falls is where you stop, enjoy the view, praise yourself for your hard work, then turn around and go back down the river. And get someone else to take a photo of everyone together!

Here's a shot going back down the staircase.

On Sunday we went to church at a local ward and then toured the St George Temple Visitors' Center and the Brigham Young Winter Home. 

Inside the visitors' center is a spot where people can write blessings from God. Joe saw James go in and write something and he pointed it out to me -- and I got teary-eyed. James had been complaining only moments before about something or another and scuffling with a sibling, and then he was so sweet! Millie is pointing out the words here, how James had written the names of his family members.

Before that moment, I had to sit with the kids to separate James and Andrew here:

 

We went to JB and Sarah's cousin Michelle's house for dinner and swimming in her pool.

Here is a picture of grandpa Byron with John Byron and James Byron.

And sometime during the week, we got a car wash at the Dino Dash mainly for this guy.

Thank you again to the Prestons for inviting us!