25 September 2016 - Trees!

With our yard finally beginning to take shape, Joanne decided we needed some trees. Madeline found some she loved so much that she hugged them.

Shopping for trees is seriously fun.

This week was also UVU's street fair. We scored free sunglasses for taking a picture in the giant inflatable Willy Chair.

Emily was queen of the double hula hoop.

When all was said and done at the street fair, I'd scored an impressive array of free sunglasses.

This photo shows four of the five trees Joanne bought for our backyard.

When the weekend arrived, I had business back east and Joanne joined me for the quick trip. We had a late flight back home on Sunday, so before heading to the airport, we went to the Baltimore Shipyard and took a walk on the waterfront.

18 September 2016 - Peaches and Mazes

Joanne was invited to go and gather up peaches as the fruit growing season draws to a close. She found a little helper.

If you help, you get to reap the rewards.

On Sunday we celebrated Phil's birthday. He got a season ski pass to Sundance, ensuring another season of enjoying Utah powder.

We also went to the Electric Maze at UVU. It was a night maze with fluorescent and black lights and different stations projecting images on screens, backed by music.

At the end of the maze, we scored some cool electric shades.

Joanne decided she liked this backyard fire pit. Now we just need a patio to put it on.

Even without a patio, we were able to enjoy it on a pleasant fall evening in the back yard (which as of last week now has a fence around it).

Some of the peaches made their way into Joanne's homemade freezer jam.

11 September 2016 - Mt. Timp

For Labor Day, we decided to attempt to climb Mt. Timpanogos. Our family was joined by our niece Hannah, our brother-in-law Eric, Joanne's stepdad Phil, and our friends the Larsens who recently moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Utah. Here's a shot of the older two girls with Hannah.

The intrepid climbers at a rest stop on the way up the mountain.

After five hours of climbing, we reached the top.

It was a gorgeous day. On the very summit at 11,752 feet, the wind was a little cold, but we took our pictures, ate a few snacks, and then began our decent.

Jessica took this panorama of the Utah and Salt Lake valleys. The metal hut that stands on the highest point of Mt. Timpanogos is on the left.

4 September 2016 - Volleyball & Crafts

Joanne's been busy in the craft room, this time working on a new bedspread for us.

Our garden sprouted a little flower!

The girls didn't go back to swimming this fall and decided to go out for volleyball instead. This picture angle isn't great because it looks like Emily's just standing on the court by herself, but she's actually in the game.

Here's Jessica, waiting for the serve.