Cat's Pre-Baptism Photo Shoot

Cat turned 8 shortly after we moved away from Orem.  In the LDS Church, children are able to be baptized and become members of the Church at this age.  I wanted to be sure to help Cat recognize how special her upcoming baptism was, so she and I went on a pre-baptism outing before we moved.  First we went to the Deseret Bookstore so that she could pick out a special piece of jewelry.  She chose a locket that was engraved with "CTR" which stands for Choose the Right.  Next, she chose to go to the Provo LDS Temple to take pictures in the white baptism dress Grammy bought for her.  I used one of the pictures as an announcement/invitation to send out to our family members.

It was a lovely evening away from the craziness of moving preparations, and I'm glad we took the time to make it happen.  I'm so proud of Cat and the good choices she makes.  She impresses me with her knowledge and understanding of the gospel, and continues to bless my life in many, many ways.

Timpanogos Caves

We've heard about Timpanogos Caves since we moved here but the hike is considered strenuous and young children should not attempt to hike it, so we never tried to do it.  When we thought we were leaving Utah, Ben decided that Cat was old enough to do the hike, so the two of them took a day and visited Timpanogos Caves.  They had a great time, and they both considered it a real adventure.

Paint Rollers

In an attempt to use up art supplies before our move and keep the kids busy, we set up a paint rolling station on the deck one day.  We used boxes from Costco to keep everything contained and paper towel tubes were our rollers.  The kids had a ball, and really did their best to use the rest of the paint.  They ended up painting much more than just paper, and they used more than just rollers to do it.

  

A Walk to the Fair

When Mike finished his rugby camp at BYU, he spent some more time with us before flying home.  We lived just a block from the city center park so we took advantage of the proximity and walked to the park to ride a few rides for Summer Fest.  Mike was a good sport and even rode on a "big" ride with Cat.  The kids had a great time, and Jack even successfully rode on multiple rides, unlike last year.  It was a really fun way to spend the afternoon.

Luke was there too.

Playdate & Cookie Puzzles

During what we thought would be our last playdate with these friends, we made sugar cookie puzzles.  The kids all had a great time with their puzzles, especially when it came time to "paint" them with frosting.  Jack preferred to paint his paper plate, though.