Isaac

     We arrived home safely from our vacation. We had a few minor car issues to be dealt with in Oregon and one more minor issue once we were home but Greg was able to fix everything with a little/lot of help from Uncle Mark and thankfully we didn't have a break down at any time.  Financially it could have been much worse and miraculously (And I mean that literally!) we had enough funds for all the repairs, and all our other expenses as well, so I can't complain too much. 

      Isaac was especially grateful for the money miracles because he wasn't ready to sacrifice his birthday gift wish in exchange for car repairs. It's hard to believe that this handsome boy is 14! He can now legally attend church dances and he'll be ordained a Teacher on Sunday. He's been the Deacon quorum president for the past several months and he's looking forward to less responsibilities for as long as possible. Today, as we celebrated his birthday, he enjoyed skipping school and playing with his birthday gift.

Birthday card and cash from G & G Baker. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

And the much begged for birthday present, a cool 4X4 R/C truck.

And to end his special day, Grandma Budden's jello cheesecake, so yummy!

      I think he's a happy 14 year old. I know we're happy to have him in our family. He's fun! He makes up songs that we'll probably be singing for the rest of our lives. He breaks out in song regularly and he can be very helpful and sweet when he wants to. We're lucky to have him!

14 Traditional balloons

Fall vacation (Photo explosion!

     Before I forget we had a mini-vacation last weekend before the big one. Our friends invited us to their cabin up A.F. canyon and it was a blast. The boys especially had a great time. The scenery was spectacular.

A.F. Canyon

Only the five youngest joined us and they all had a great time. (Kayli had work and Mark had attendance school.)

       Now let the fun begin! And before I forget, if you want to view more of our fun check out Mark's vlog on YouTube, just search Mark Kmetzsch and you'll find even more hilarity.

All seven kids, this might be one of the last times we take a trip like this before people start leaving the nest.

The drive to the coast was beautiful in all directions.

The view from the bridge in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Family photo time with the cool North Bend bridge in the background.

North Bend bridge Coos Bay, Oregon. So cool!

And the reason we drove over 900 miles! 

Our first stop was this scenic spot in Bandon.

And the second reason for this trip, hot tubs and showers.

They spent every second they could at the hot tubs.

Not the worst place to hang out when it's a little drizzly outside.

Individual photos.

The beach house hasn't changed but we did have an extra guest or two. (MICE!!)

Fun little spot along the hwy. but a little too pricey for an actual tour.

He had to ride Jerry's Rogue Jets so I could buy a t-shirt he wanted.

This is the western most point along the Oregon coast. Cape Blanco lighthouse. Super fun tour.

Another family photo opportunity.

Kayli photographed us from the top looking down, kind of cool.

On our last day we finally got a sunset!

Recreated from two years ago. A few people have GROWN!

So long Gold Beach, it's been fun!

And one last stop to finish up our fun. Crescent City, CA the Battery Point lighthouse.

      Such a fun vacation! We may have spent a little more time in the car than the kids liked but over all it was fun and well worth it. Now on to a few more hours of fun with family before heading back to good old Utah.

Hidden

     McClane wiggled out his first tooth!!

He got his tooth out, unfortunately it's not the one he needs out but hopefully the other one comes out soon.

Charlie and 'tiny' Sarah are the best of friends.

     Lately Charlie has become a bit more adventurous and will leave the house without saying anything and if doors aren't locked down like a prison I spend a good portion of my time hunting her down but occasionally she tricks me and I find her sleeping instead of out trying to find a friend to play with. I prefer the surprise nap for sure.

She found her way into Carter's bed for this nap.

       That's about all I have to report for this week's activities. Everyone is beyond excited for our upcoming trip to Oregon so stay tuned for a little more excitement in the next blog post.

The littles!

    McClane took a trip to the dentist to check on the bottom big tooth that's growing behind his baby tooth only to find out he also has two cavities. Time to wiggle out some baby teeth and 'make his teeth sleepy' so the dentist can fill those cavities. He's cute now but I have a feeling he's going to have some mangled looking teeth in the very near future.

      And this 'little' likes to play dress ups with her cute friend 'tiny' Sarah and this is how she came home tonight. Shirts in the wrong order and pants inside out, but hey, the tags in the back like it should be. I'll take this over coming home naked though, which has happened more then once! She's a character!

      Not as much going on this week but it's never completely dull and boring around here.

New and Older!

     My front room is finally coming together the way I've been dreaming of. I found a great deal on the couch, coffee table and rug and decided it was time. I LOVE it!

This is one way we tried placing the furniture but it's a bit too cramped with the piano behind the couch.

This is how we decided to put it instead.

     And to finish up our week we had the privilege of celebrating McClane's 6th birthday.

He's a happy boy!

A new bike! Yay!

Barefoot, sucker, 7 A.M. That's how he rolls on his birthday.

I told him to look lovingly at his cake, NAILED IT!

Hot dog dinner, cake, ice cream and card and cash from G&G Baker. A perfect way to end his big day. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

      And here's this years fall decorations minus cornstalks that should be added shortly.

Sadly this year I had to buy the majority of my pumpkins. The three on the ground are the only ones that came from Greg's garden.

      Then Greg decided he needed to go for a motorcycle ride now that he's got his official motorcycle endorsement, so we ditched the kids for several hours and took a ride up Big Cottonwood Canyon over to Guardsman Pass and into Kamas. There are no words for how amazing this ride and scenery was. I'm still wondering how I've lived here in Utah for 21 years and never been up this canyon, no other canyon I've been to beats this one, absolutely SPECTACULAR!! (I didn't even mind the rainstorm we drove through on our way back down.)

This is a few shots I got as we were driving. They don't do it justice but it's something to help me remember my new favorite canyon.

This was heading down.

And we grabbed a selfie at the top of Guardsman's Pass. Our neighbor was a great guide and lunch date.

He passed his driving test with only one small mistake. He's an official biker!

     I'm so glad it's conference weekend. It's always good to get a little break from our routines and get a good refresher on what matters most.