FUN! FUN! FUN!

McKenna's Young Women Project!

I have such a wonderful daughter! I am consently amazed at how inspiring and wonderful she is and wonder how Jeff and I ever wound up with a daughter like her! One of her young women leaders asked her to do a page for the book they are making. McKenna went all out and took pictures along with making up a quote and sharing her testimony! It was so amazing when I first read it I couldn't stop bawling!

***Click to enlarge it and read it! She's so amazing!***

Halloween 2010

OK, So I know my photo skills are nowhere near many of my other relatives talent (they shall remain jealously nameless), but everytime I get the camera out near Leighton now, she smiles and immediately starts to crawl towards me! It's a "get it in one shot Rach, or the moment is over" kind of a thing. Even though this is kindof fuzzy, this photo basically starts off our Halloween. The Monday before All Hallows Eve - we took to our pumpkins with knives, scoops and lots of patience (with 5 kids - we need it)! Garrett found this seedling INSIDE of his pumpkin. Wonder where it would be in the spring if we hadn't of found it! We took it as a good omen of a great things to come!

Addison telling McKenna with great care exactly how just to carve that special pumpkin just to her specifications! Thank goodness McKenna is a great listener!

McKenna took about as long a break as she could afford. With state volleyball championships comming up in a couple of days, McKenna had a bunch of homework to do before leaving for a couple of days to cheer. Notice the scriptures! Couldn't be more happy to see those sitting out with all her homework too!

The end result! Addison has an A carved on the back of hers and couldn't decide which side she really liked the best. By this time - Leighton had given up the ghost (so you could say) and was sacked out in her bed fast asleep.

Again I found myself with a little one in tow to watch the annual Elementary Halloween parade. Thank goodness we had good weather this year again!

Kimber and her best friend Brooke:

Addison and her best friend Jaci:

Finally after waiting for what seemed like eternity to the kids, Halloween night arrived with costumes, smiles and buckets (or in Garrett's case a pillowcase!)

Leighton the butterfly:

Addison the medival princess and Kimber the witch:

Garrett as Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black from Twilight). I've heard him called Garrett Lautner by a few of the girls here around town. Notice the full pillowcase! Now that the kids are getting older and going more with their friends, our Halloween night had several beginnings and endings.

Baylee the spy, Frecia as BamBam, Katlyn as a fairy, and McKenna the spy as they headed out the door to the costume dance:

Happy Halloween!

Daddy's Little Girls

I couldn't resist this shot! Just adorable! Addison and Kimber quickly joined in to snuggle with their dad!

Look-Alike-Leighton

My friend and co-worker has told me since Leighton was born that her little girl has a little Finch Baby look-alike. We finally met up at gymnastics - her with the doll, me with my camera. We all had a good little laugh about it!

Rain, Rain, Come and Stay

You can't ask for anything better on a rainy day

than a friend who will jump in the puddles with you! Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.
A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half cracked.
“Money might make you wealthy, but friends make you rich.”
“If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t jump with them, I’d be at the bottom to catch them.”

"The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.”– Abraham Lincoln

A road to a friend’s house is never long.

X-Country - Region and State

This fall has kept McKenna busy with cross country. Up at 6 am for training, drivers ed at 7 am followed by school and then cheer practice and games after that. Recently McKenna ran in region at Valley's golf course. A great course to watch the race, but a difficult course with the ups and downs. She placed well enough to compete at state this past week.
Sharing a sip of water with Leighton after the race.

Great runners and even better friends!

State was held at Sugarhouse park in SLC. She had really slacked on her training, she basically ran out of steam - all those early mornings. She hadn't really practiced for a couple of weeks before state thinking she was going as an alternate. When she found out she would be running, she tried talking the coaches into letting another team member run. However, they kept her on the roster and she placed 61st out of 80-100 runners. Not bad for not training. Way to go! Maybe next year without drivers ed to worry about, she will have more uummph!

Pre-run group motivation boosting going on! Girl power!

YUM!

Anything Leighton can feed herself is what she prefers to eat! Forget the baby food - applesauce, sweet potatoes, squash, etc. She wants grahams: kiwi:

cake:

and peaches!

She's fits the family mold to a "T". She is INDEPENDENT!!!

Calf Creek

The first day of UEA vacation, I loaded the kids up and took them to Calf Creek over by Escalante. The weather was perfect (mid 80's) and after the almost 2 hour drive, we were finally ready to get on the trail.

Almost at the end of the trail, Garrett found a spot to take a break while the rest of us caught up.

If you have never hiked lower Calf Creek, it's situated in a beautiful little canyon between sheer cliffs. Most of the hike is in sand, which is why we have only hiked it in the fall and spring. It gets really quite hot during the summer.

McKenna helped out a ton by carrying Leighton more than half the way on the way back. She provided the perfect shoulder to sleep on!

After 3 miles in, we reached the lower falls. You can't really tell, but Addison's arms and legs were bright red - it was sooo cold in the shade! The wind generated from the fall added to the cold!

The pool under the falls was FREEZING!!! I guess that would be the benefit of taking this hike in the summer - to cool down! However, there was a spot in the sun where a little stream ran into the pool. This was the perfect spot to strip Leighton down to her diaper and let her splash.

Kimber and Addison took advantage of this spot as well.

Lower Calf Creek falls.