BLOG of the MONTH....

I should be better at updating the blog...but alas, I'm not. We might be getting high speed internet at home so Teeny can do this, and maybe more often. So with that in mind we give you the last month...or so.

First up is backyard camping. The kids loved the tent we just got and so we HAD to put it up in the backyard, especially now that our fence is finished. We had a campfire and marshmallows, that the kids never eat, so I end up eating what they usually burn. After the fire we put up the tent. The boys love running around in circles in it like a race track. Makes it lots of fun trying to put out sleeping bags. We finally got all settled in. We pulled out the portable DVD player and watched a little 'Heffalump'.

The monkeys all settled in

The next day we headed down to Spanish Fark to the County Fair....Giddy-up! It used to be at Thanksgiving Point, which we loved becuase it was closer and there was more shade. But for some reason they moved it back to Spanish. I still love seeing the animals, the smells not so much, but the sights are pretty great. So we cruised the animal parts and then headed over to a shed that had trains, legos, and the vegetables. They could watch trains for hours. This one display was all out of Lego's and was all local stuff like Thanksgiving Point and Salt Lake. We pulled them away from the trains after about half hour and headed over to make some little crafty stuff. They kept asking if we were going to ride the rides and we told them that we could ride them in Payson at Golden Onion Days (keep reading to catch those highlights). We figured we'd reduce the odds of one of the chairs falling off the ride that way too. Of course they loved the tractors too. It was a fine day at the Fair.

These sheep look cold withou their fur

N's windmill

Trains.....gotta love 'em

More trains

My favorite tractor...HOT

So apparently there is family night at Thanksgiving Point every Mon. night and we hadn't known about it until now. So we took the boys there and it was 'Mideval Night'. They had 'Narnia' playing in the theater, a place to make shields, marshmallow catapults, and some other fun themed stuff there for families and it's all at the Gardens which is our favorite part of Thanksgiving Point.

T checkin' the ammo

Loadin' up

Letting it fly. These looked like they'd be pretty easy to make. We'll have to try, but I'm sure I can screw them up somehow.

Bob the builder calls these 'Summer houses' and so do they.....

Makes you wanna take a swim with those slimy bugger huh?

The only way we can get the boys to look the same direction is to have them point at planes, or my belly button, or whatever else. This is the Italian Garden.

A and his shield.

Thanksgiving Point had all the stuff to make them, we just had to help the dudes put them together.

An awesome view of Teeny and Lone Peak.

Me showing off my mad photog skills.

Teeny took the boys on a two-dollar-Tuesday and it was a mad house! There is usually one or two other families there when we are. This just looks crazy.

A loves the water

N - run away, run away.....

Our good friends, the Walkers, invited us to go to a Bees game with them. It was fan appreciation night so we got to watch fireworks after. We got together before the game and had a little BBQ at our place before heading up to the game. We had a great time minus the %$#@! parking ticket we got for parking like everyone else there.

The Walker's and us

Just us, obviously

A breaking out his Kung-Fu Pada moves.

The dudes getting down in front of the rest of the crowd before fireworks.

Teeny made this airplane with the box from our tent. These guys couldn't have loved it more.

So, A has started Kindergarten. We've been dreading this for 5 years and it still seems too early to let him off into the lone and dreary world. I stayed home on his first day and saw him off with Teeny. He has been SO excited about going and didn't even flinch when his teacher took them all inside. After he told us he almost cried, but he was brave and didn't. It is so fun for him and we love hearing about his day and the things that stand out to him the most. So far it's the letter of the day and recess.

Making the hike up to school.

All backpacked up and ready to go.

The final moments. They still haven't finished the playground yet, which is what the orange fence is keeping the kids out of. It should be done today though.

For anyone that knows us, knows that Labor Day in Payson is next to Christmas as far as fun holidays go. My parents grew up there and we've been to Onion Days every year that I can remember. It's a great tradition and get together for our family. We all show up at staggered times on Friday (this year Nate, Neil and I biked there) hit the Carny, eat home made doughnuts and watch fireworks from the Searle's front yard. Then Saturday it's golf (Dave, Tonya, Jess, and Chari's team won this year at 1 under) and just hanging out. Sunday we head up to the Grotto and have another family reunion before we head to the flower show. My Uncle Mark usually has quite a few entries in the show and this year won the Golden Onion Award. Monday we finish things off with the parade (got soaked this year) and lunch at the park. We love being together with such fun family. We get along so well and pretty much act like kids for a weekend.

Ava and T at the Parade
N and T
Cole and A

A at the Grotto
N and I at the band concert
T after hearing there is treats
N's treat, I think...
The Clan and the storm at the parade

These kind of make me sick with all the round and round.
The kiddies bustin' a move at Granny's
T and Saylor
Teeny, Trina and N on the way to the Grotto
The Grotto....what a place. A and Cole
A's lovin' it

We headed down to the Owlz game again. It's an amazing place to watch, or try to watch, baseball. The views there are awesome. The monkeys like the popcorn and keep a close eye out for the Owl.

N and T waiting on the popcorn

Our niece, Maggie, got baptised last weekend. It was great to see her make that choice and we are so proud of her for that. We are always grateful for family that sets the bar for our kids a little higher. We have such great examples on both sides of our family that our kids can look up to and we appreciate it greatly.

All of the grandkiddies (Rach has one more on the way). Maggie's dress was made by my Mom. I would have never guessed, she did great.

Every year after our Stake Conference in the late summer/ early fall we head up to Cascade Springs. We've been doing this for a couple of years now and usually the leaves have all changed and it's been so nice. This year the leaved hadn't started changing, but it's just as beautiful with how green it was. We love the fish and the neat trails they have through there. It's always a nice outing.

the leaf collectors
Noly. What a guy.

Checking for fish. Nice yellow love handles huh?

Contemplating the water skeeters.

Love the waterfalls

Teeny didn't love the stinging nettle

Beauty and the bridge

August rushing around.....

I love my lame titles to our blogs... At any rate we've had a great last few weeks. We can't believe how fast summer has blown by and we sat down a couple of weeks and made a list of things we want to do before A starts Kindergarten (Aug. 18th...holy crap!!). So here is what we've been up to....mostly.

A had swimming lessons for a couple weeks in July and loved going to the pool everyday. He loves putting his head under the water and learned a little about some different strokes. Teeny was a trooper taking N and T with her to watch, and most of the time they behaved really well. They are such good kids and have been a lot of fun lately. Most of the time at swimming lessons A would just spend goofing around in the water until it was his turn to learn what his teacher was teaching.

A is the one standing up goofing off.....

Finally, A's turn....

Here are just a few pics of the primary activity Teeny planned. Kids and water, always a hit.

A soaked his brothers, and everyone else...

N kickin' it in the pool.....

We hit the Goon again with Gma and Gpa Jensen. They are the best for taking the whole family (all 35 or so of us) there. The boys once again had a great time.

Swingin'

The train ride was a little more adventurous this time than others. As our train cars passed the tiger cage, he came lunging at us full roar and everything. Had it not been in a cage, we'd be tiger fodder right now.

We have a pic of A just like this one from the last time we went. Kid loves the whales.

Space cruisers.

A on the Music Express

Teeny and A started it off on the Dino Drop....

It's time.... We finally decided to take the bull by the horns and potty train N and T. So far, they have done pretty good. We knew that they were ready and we're excited to not buy diapers anymore!

Bare bums

Teeny, Lindy, Kris, and Becky got all dorked out for the new Twilight series book. They were going to go to the release party all dressed up in prom dresses, but luckily they couldn't find dresses, so Lindy spent her 'allowance' on these super T-shirts. I personally thought the vampire bites on their necks was the part that took it from normal to fanatic. Teeny has since finished the book and I now have my wife back. If I ever see Edward around, I'll punch him in the nose, I swear it.

The back of their shirts say 'Edward', but I think they should say, 'Dork'

Teeny and Lindy Coken' it.

Becky and Neil took the fam up to the Gateway to see a 3D movie about Sea Creatures. It was the first 3D movie I'd ever seen and it gave me a bit of a headache, but the kids loved it. N and T had a hard time with the glasses, but A loved it and would keep putting his hand out like he could touch the fish and such. Finn came with his parents too and we all had a headaching good time.

Speaking of dorks....

A got these figured out

So, this part goes out to my Grandpa Spencer. He's 94 and has been such a great grandpa. Growning up he would ALWAYS give us kids smarties when we'd go over to his house. He took us fishing all the time, and we'd go on boating trips with him and Grandma Mae a lot. Grandma passed away about 15 years ago and he took such great care of her in her last days. So he's been alone for a while now and we have been able to learn so much more from him. He's had health up and downs, but seems to be strong as ever now. At any rate he gave my parents some money (inheritance) and my parents were kind enough to buy all us kids tents. Not just any tent, these are Springbar like tents. They were going to get us all Springbars, but I've been looking for a Springbar all summer, and in my searching came across the Kodiak tent, which is the same thing as a Springbar with a few upgrades that is $200 buck cheaper and doesn't take all summer to get here. So we have a new huge tent for our family camping trips for the next 100 years. So, THANK YOU Grandpa Spencer, and mom and dad for getting this for us. We love it!!

I had to throw this one in. Our garden looks great, but as of yet has to produce much of anything. Love the sunflowers though, and the undies!!

We had all kinds of plans for a summer trip that centered around my dad doing a coast to coast bike ride. For those who don't know my dad he's been planning this trip for about a year now. But due to some complications with his riding companion, he's had to postpone. So we were able to go to the annual Bear Lake trip with my home ward. It was great. The weather was awesome (even the crazy rain storm the first night was great because it cleared things up so much). We spent the day at the beach and the kiddies played in the sand and swam. Very relaxing. We were able to try out the new tent too, and it was superb!

N at the beach...

I think T thought the water was too cold, but it was actually warmer than I remember it ever being!

These guys could've played all summer long here. You could go out 100 yards without the water coming up more than 2 feet!

Tough duty huh?

The dudes heading out....


The annual sand sculpture was back in full force. It took Nate and I about and hour and a half to create the 'Dino-Neil'.
The finished deal and the sculptors.
Our model.....
Jodi and the Fish...
Camp Spencer - Nice tents!!

Larry's good.....

Our good friend, Larry, was kind enough to take our pics. I'm still not sure she'd have agreed to do it given the 'T' factor. He's not onery, but the kid just won't look at the camera. Getting three kids to look at her at the same time was tough! She did it though and we are forever grateful! Thanks for making us look good!