Halloween/Allison's birthday
Allison's costume was well liked. She enjoyed having something different -- half-asleep, half-awake.

Erica, the fairy princess.

Our pirate boys.

Allison waiting for presents.

Fall pictures

Ethan's birthday cookie cake.

Charles took the boys fishing and Ethan caught this fish. Eli almost had one, but it was "the little fish that got away." Ethan even ate some of it for dinner and liked it.

Fall Break
For the kid's fall break we went to Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Parks. On Thursday we went to Capitol Reef with Sam and his family. We had a picnic, saw deer, went on a hike, climbed a rock wall. All the adults had a good scare at the end when Eli walked around the fencing to throw rocks off a very high cliff. That night we stayed at a hotel. Curtis, Marianne, Megan, Kyle and Adam met us at the hotel. The next day we went on to Bryce Canyon. We got some cool pictures. Here is the only one with the whole family. We went on one long hike. It was cool, but we wondered if we would make it back out of the canyon for awhile. We enjoyed seeing more of Utah and spending time together.

A great fall picture at Capitol Reef.

We hiked to Hickman bridge, shown below.

Here are all the cousins after climbing up a rock wall.

Allison and Erica enjoyed posing by this cool tree.

Hay Ride!
Actually there was no hay, but we said "Hey!", so that counts right? We went on the hay ride at The Red Barn this year. Everyone enjoyed riding out to their pumpkin patch, picking out pumpkins and taking some fun pictures. Eli keeps asking when we go get pumpkins again.

I made yogurt!
I have been meaning to try it since the Elder family reunion when I heard the idea from Nicole and Roxanne. The first time I had to leave in the middle for kindergarten pick-up and I forgot to get it out and put it in the fridge after violin lessons. It didn't set right and looked inedible. The second time I was very careful. I prepared it after the kindergarten pick-up while Ethan and Eli were playing at a friends' house. I put it in the oven and even set a timer. (The first time I used an ice chest as the incubator.) Then as I was preparing dinner I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and forgot about the yogurt. I was sure it was ruined again. It cooled down and set very nicely. Today we tried it and it is good! I feel good having accomplished this small feat. Thank you Nicole, Roxanne and Anslin for the idea and the tips.

Happy School Days!

Ethan's first day of school! He is in Miss Halter's AM kindergarten class. He liked playing basketball today. He even gets to ride the bus home.

This was not Erica's first day, but it was within the first week of school. :) She is in Mr DeGraffenried's third grade class.

Allison is in Mrs. Greer's sixth grade class. It is her last year of elementary school.

Cherilyn is in eighth grade at Payson Jr High.

We had the Elder family reunion the first week of August. We went to a rodeo, hiked to Stewart Falls, played games and had a water fight at the park, played corn toss (corn hole) and generally had a great time with the family (except the stomach flu that went around). Here are some of our favorite pictures. This is most everyone who was there, taken at Mark and Diana's houseThis is Joshua playing at the park in Highland.

The kids that went on the hike. Erica isn't there. She helped Grandma babysit instead of hiking.

Here is Eli opening birthday presents. His birthday was the week before the reunion. He is four now.

Joshua is walking! He took his first steps alone today.

We got a kitten! A neighbor asked if we wanted one of her outdoor cat's kittens. A few days later the kids found a mouse on the porch. That night I heard a mouse in the eaves. Charles found evidence of a mouse in the attic. The next morning we decided to get the outdoor kitten. The children all love her. Cherilyn and Allison have been good at taking care of her. They decided to call her Tiger Lilly. She has "tiger" stripes that are not visible in this picture.

We had the Buchanan family reunion the weekend of the 4th of July. We went to parades, the park, golfing (for the men) and shopping (for the women and Cherilyn and Allison). We also had a talent show again. Cherilyn, Allison, Ethan and I played the piano. Charles also played the piano, but his official talent was demonstrating the rubix cube in four minutes. Erica sang I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas. Eli did a running somersault. Joshua knocked over stacks of blocks.

This is the grandkid craft that Grandma B helped the kids with. They each made their own quilt board (except the Fab 4).

On Monday we hiked up to first falls in Provo Canyon with Mark and Ben and their families. This is Emma, Mark and Sarah's daughter, Eli and Ethan.

Ben, Stacy, Matthew, Allison, Sarah, Mark and William looking back down the hike.

Erica, Charles and Cherilyn sitting by first falls.
It was a very good reunion.

The Fab 4 (as Grandma B calls them)
The four grandchildren born last summer. Here is my favorite picture of them from the reunion. Uncle Charles gave them all a piece of licorice and they loved it!

Another of the Fab 4.

Isn't Joshua adorable?

At the park in Tooele we played games and then ended with a relay race. Here we are getting ready to start.

A group crabwalked down the hill. They also bear walked up the hill and of course some rolled down the hill, resulting in at least one upset stomach.

There is a circle of new sod here. Work with the tractor and piles of dirt ruined the grass there. Our garden boxes are inside the fence. The first is filled with rocks to build a small retaining wall.

This is the other end of the garden boxes and our firepit.

Here is the sod in the back.

Laying sod on Friday, June 12. Monica, Marianne, Anna and Dallin

Kyle, Amanda and Dallin

Brother Putt, Monica and Marianne. Halfway done!

Charles, Marianne

Matthew Putt, Marianne, Monica

Joshua turned one! He was fascinated by the candle in the cake. He liked the wrapping paper, but didn't understand the concept of opening. He gets excited at the end of the first video.

Joshua liked hearing "Happy Birthday." He even dances a little during the video.

Joshua enjoyed his applesauce cake, but did not smear it or even make a mess. His favorite food right now is yogurt. Other than yogurt he only eats finger foods. He never really ate "baby" food though he just recently acquired his second and third teeth. Both are in a fang position on top. His favorite thing is the KitchenAid. He loves to be near it even when we are not using it. He points to it every morning when he gets up. Joshua also likes sliding and "dancing" to music. His latest quirk is a hand pump to the side. Another interesting fact about Joshua is that he will not drink from a spill proof cup. He won't suck on it so he gets frustrated and cries. So after making him try we take out the valve. He is walking with help, either hands or furniture though he prefers crawling. When someone new comes near him he curls up against Mom, but sometimes he still smiles. Joshua babbles a lot. He might say Hi, Dad, Mom and out.

Eli started kickball the first week of June. Three and four year olds play and it is their first sport. The first games were amusing to watch. Some kids still need guidance on which base to run to. They all start to lose interest after a couple of innings. Eli likes his shirt and hat and especially the treats after each game. The last kicker runs all the bases. Here is Eli as the last kicker.

Here is Eli "pitching."

Ethan started T ball the first week of June.

He really enjoys it. Look for the smile after he runs past second base. Ethan was the last batter so he got to run all the bases.

Our shed

The start of the patio

The pavers are all in!

The garden boxes turned out great!