Through the Woods and over the Mountains...

...a hiking we will go!

I really wanted to get outside this Summer and check out the beauty we have right in our own backyard. Since I have gotten really out of shape and pretty overweight, I knew we had to start out easy. So I called up my sister since she has lots of little ones with very short legs and thought they might be at about my hiking level. My sister Julie, is a hiking beast and has hiked the likes of Half Dome and Timpanogos...but lucky for me she has recently had a baby that she now has to pack. So on Monday, we tackled Battle Creek Falls for our first hike. It was just perfect! It was a hot day and the falls were a nice reward.

 All good hikes require a proper walking stick!

 Wish I could hike in such style (Sinjin & Julie)

 Some of our hikers - Zachary, Julie, Braxton & Brooklynn

 The kids found a fun little cave to crawl into

(L-R: Braxton, Ivy, Zachary, McKenna & Brooklynn)

 

 Finally the falls...it was so cool and misty, very refreshing

 

The beautiful view from the top

A little photo op on the bridge on the way back down 

(L-R: McKenna, Ivy, Brooklynn, Braxton & Zachary)

Thursday we drove up Provo canyon and attempted to find Buffalo Peak. It was a slow start as we took the wrong trail initially and had to head up a little higher to find the trail-head. But boy, was it worth it! It was a pretty short hike but the last 1/2 is straight up so that was a little grueling, but once you got to the top, the views were stunning! And the scenery the whole way was just beautiful. It was so nice to be out in nature and enjoying all that God has created. The kids did fantastic! We took Harley this time and he was a trooper as well. I can't wait to go again! And, it has been so fun to hike with Julie and her kids too.

 Most of our hikers...on the right trail

 

We saw some wildlife along the way. If you look really hard you can spot the head of a wild turky. Ok, maybe not, but I promise it is there. There were a few but I was near the end of our group and they had mostly run away by the time I got up there. We also spotted a deer and a bunny, lots of butterflies and tons of insects.

Beautiful meadows and flowers...EVERYWHERE!

 

 McKenna and Ivy picked some flowers and made a little bouquet for the next group to pass by.

We finally made it to the top

Some of the spectacular views from the top. 360 degrees of mountains, meadows, Utah Lake and the city below. 

This little pup was pretty pooped by the time we got home

It's Been a While!

I have spent the past couple of months reading over my blog and realized that I really miss this journal. I've spent more time on Facebook and Instagram the past couple of years and even started printing Chatbooks, which has been fun, but not quite the same in regards to details. So I decided that I would try and do better at journaling our life. Life has changed so much in the past couple of years. We are certainly at a different stage of life. I'm ok with it, but I do miss some things. Our kids are all getting older, we are getting older and our interests have shifted and changed as we have grown. Lately I have really longed for a simpler lifestyle and to move at a slower pace. Our kids still continue to be quite busy and it's hard to find that balance. I won't try and catch up the past two years but I might add a few highlights here and there. My goal is to start fresh and keep up on what is happening now.

Summer is Here!

Schools been out for a few weeks and the temperatures have been in the upper 90's and low 100's for most of the time. We found a fun little spot that we like to cool off in at the Wayne Bartholomew Family Park in Springville. We have been a few times and love the ammenities it offers. We went there last Friday with the Wards and then again on Monday with some of the Gleeds, Loloheas and Oleniks. We had so much fun both times!

So the park has a great man made lake that is about 3 1/2 acres and at least 15-20 feet in the middle. You can kayak, paddle board, swim, fish and more!

On one end there is a nice, sandy beach area to play in.

Here is Julie's little boy Sinjin (almost 6mo old) playing in the sand. He's so cute!

The water is actually pretty cold because the lake is fed by the creek that runs out of the canyon which is fed by melting snow. So Ivy (Julie's-4 1/2 yrs old) is trying to warm up for a bit.

Lauren taking Ivy for a spin on "Al" the Alligator. And McKenna just chillin' in the sand. 

Here are Lauren & Tyler trying to catch some fish.

McKenna tried Paddle Boarding and loved it. Lauren and the other cousins playing in the water.

(L-R) Front Row: Coco, Sheldon, Salina, Emelia, Emmett and Weston. In the middle is Sila Boy. Back Row: Moses, Mason, Jenna Lee & Brooklynn

You might be able to see McKenna in the far distance still on the paddle board. But Tyler and Lauren are "too old" to be taking kid pictures!

Chris put together a fun video "First Day of Summer".

I smile because we are family...

...I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it!

Since my parents and sister Kirsten, and my sister Lisa and her familiy were here for Tyler and Quintin's graduations, we took some time to take some family pictures. It's been a little while...4 years for my family. Our awesome niece Pene was so gracious to come and take them for us. We were missing my brothers and their families and were sad that they weren't able to make it. They plan on taking more pictures when they all get together this Summer for my grandma's 90th birthday.

 My Parents and Sisters

(L-R: Julie, Dad, Mom, Lisa, Me and Kirsten in front)

 With our Spouses

(L-R: Bob & Julie, Dad & Mom, Chris & I, Jordan & Lisa, and Kirsten)

All the Grandkids

(L-R: Back Row-Zachary, Lauren, Tyler & Brynnly; Middle Row-McKenna, Grandpa, Grandma, Quintin & Brooklynn; Front Row-Adelaide, Braxton, Ivy, Sinjin, LaRue & Matilda)

 The Whole Gang

 Our Family - May 2016

 Lauren - 16 years old

The one of the left was taken in April 2016. She hates it, but I love it!

 Brooklynn - 10 years old

McKenna - 13 years old & LaRue - 12 years old

(We didn't get one of just McKenna)

And, we didn't take any of Tyler because we had just taken his Senior Pictures. But just so he doesn't feel left out...here is the official yearbook picture.

Pomp & Circumstance

I had to document this day because it was pretty amazing. It is hard to believe that our firstborn son, Tyler, is old enough to graduate from high school! My mama heart is bursting with pride for his accomplishment but being torn into little pieces at the thought of him leaving the nest. Does this mean I will have to rename my blog now?? Crazy to think we are here at this point. So much can be said of his high school years and all the memories that have been made, but I will stick to graduation night. We had the 7:30pm time slot which really stunk! It was dark outside and hard to find everyone and pictures turned out crummy and it was even a bit chilly if you can believe it. All that aside, the ceremony was great and we were happy to cheer on our boy! I had to choke back tears all night long so as not to embarrass him.

Tyler's Graduation Announcements - I wanted a photo card and Tyler wanted the traditional/formal card so we did both!

Front

Back

I'm glad I took a picture before we left - they ended up making him take off the stickers. They were pretty strict. The "O" is for Orem and #33 was his football jersey number.

Inside the UCCU Events Center at UVU

So I guess I have to document the good, the bad and the ugly to be fair. Our school has some pretty strict rules concerning graduation. You can only wear 1 lei, you can NOT decorate your cap, you can NOT do ANYTHING even remotely CRAZY to draw unnecessary attention to yourself and detract from other students. They take this pretty seriously. For the most part, everyone was pretty calm, however, Tyler and a few others brought their own style...which cost him. It was a damper on the evening but in the end, we worked it all out. We didn't think anything that anyone did was that bad and certainly didn't warrant holding back his diploma, but that's what happened. Even after talking to the principal, he admitted that he would not have held his diploma but some of the teachers get a little carried away holding to the letter of the law. Oh well, what are you going to do!

Tyler snapchatting during graduation

Tyler and his cute girlfriend, McKenna. 

Family Support

The parentals

Grandpa, Grandma & Kirsten Guptill came down from Washington

Julie & Lisa and their kiddos givin' Tyler some love!

The Lolohea/Maumau/Anitoni Bunch

I don't think I got one picture with all of them.

We sure loved having our Polynesian roots here with the leis and the love!

The night was so crazy we only managed to get a picture of one of Tyler's friends, Spencer. I love the look of pure happiness on Tyler's face!

Well, it is FINALLY official! About a week after graduation we were able to go pick up his diploma. 

So, now we look forward to the future. Tyler is taking some time to decide what he wants to do. He was accepted to the University of Utah, Southern Utah University, Utah State University and Weber State University. He won't be 18 until August and also is deciding on when to turn in his mission papers.