Preschool :)

Katie started preschool this week and loves it so far! Here she is on the first day with her teacher, Mrs. Muhs. When I picked her up after 2 1/2 hours, she said, "That was really short." I guess that's a good sign--no separation anxiety there!

Snuggle Buddies

When I put Alex down for his nap today, he had to have all his usual paraphernalia: lovey, binky, Puppy Dog, milk cup, fuzzy quilt, and Big Ducky (who doubles as a pillow). But he added another snuggle friend into the mix, too: a little orange bouncy-ball. Just to hold in his hand. Just to help him feel happy as he was falling asleep. This little one is all boy, that's for sure!

First Grader

Abby started first grade about three weeks ago and is doing great so far! Here she is at the bus stop on the first day, looking so grown-up!

She is an amazing reader and writer, which is so fun to watch as a mom. I love her drawings and cards, which she likes to leave on our pillows as surprises. We miss her during the day, but Katie and Alex seem to relish the time with Mom all to themselves.

Missouri Botanical Garden

You may have noticed that I'm somewhat of a feast-or-famine blogger . . . so enjoy the feast!
(Who knows how long it will last?)

Alex, Katie, and I recently visited the beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden and loved the plants, flowers, butterflies, and children's playground. Here are some of our best shots!

Breckenridge, CO!

Yeah . . . I'm a little behind on blogging . . . but I'm working on it! Here are some highlights from our super-fun trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, in August with the Boyer side of the family.



Breckenridge is a charming little ski resort town located at 9,600 feet in Colorado's beautiful Rocky Mountains. In August, 25 members of my family gathered there from Utah, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri and had a blast together for a week. (We missed my sister Liza and her husband, Ben, who were too close to Baby Andrew's arrival to make it!)


We rented this cabin, the Eaglesnest Lodge, which luckily had plenty of space for our crowd!


Hands down, the best part was just being together. The gorgeous scenery was a bonus too!
(By the way, what you can't see in the swing picture is all the little kids admiring these cool dads, Uncle Luke and Uncle Adam!)


This is a view of nearby Dillon Lake, where we took a short hike. (I wanted to get more pictures on this hike, but I was a little busy with poor Abby, who got carsick on the way and lost her lunch! Not fun.)


We were reminded of just how much we miss the mountains . . .


Alex gathering rocks on our hike.


Adam, Anna, Joe, Luke, Jennie, Spencer:
This courageous crew hiked 14,000-ft. Quandary Peak . . .


. . . and saw some breathtaking views!


Riding the gondola . . . Katie and Abby cruising down the alpine slide with Aunt Anna and Uncle Spencer.


~"The Triplets"~Katie, Lucy, and Marian (cousins born within a few weeks of each other) . . . they're so cute together!




I couldn't get enough of these gorgeous flower baskets that hung all around town.

What does it look like to shop for 25 people for a week? Well . . . you end up with 4 full shopping carts, 4 slightly punchy shoppers (nephew Matt, sister Lindsay, Mom, and me), and one late Saturday night at Safeway! (And yes, you guessed it--Lindsay was back Monday morning for a thing or two . . . )

Some other highlights were: lots of great walks and bike rides, a fun river-rafting day, game nights at the cabin, shopping on Main Street, "Super FHE" (family home evening), lots of delicious food . . . and even some close encounters with a curious black bear!

What an awesome trip!!

{The whole crew: Alex, Luke, me, Katie, Abby; my sister Melissa, her husband, Sammie, and their baby, Bradley; my sister Martha, her husband, Adam, and their girls, Emily and Marian; my brother, Joe; Mom and Dad; my sister Jennie; my sister Anna and her husband, Spencer; my sister Lindsay, her husband, Dan, and their kids: Matt, Lizzie, Josh, Sam, and Lucy.}

Baby Andrew

Welcome to Baby Andrew, our newest nephew, born on Tuesday in Salt Lake City! We're so excited to meet him in person. His beautiful mama is my sister Eliza, and she is so brave to plunge into motherhood in the middle of her medical residency. I know she'll be fabulous at juggling her responsibilities, along with her husband, Ben (who is also a resident!).

(Don't you wish you could plant a kiss one of those chubby, little cheeks? I do! SO cute!!)

Catching Up . . .

In July we took a road trip to Colorado for the Linscott family reunion. It was a l-o-n-g drive (during which Alex asked every few minutes, "Mama? Out?"), but we had a great time with our relatives! Here are a few highlights (with thanks to Mike Burton for many of the pictures):

Good times at Aspen Lodge cabin and at The North Pole, a nearby Christmas-themed amusement park: Abby and Katie hiking; Grandma Nora with Emie, K., and A.; Luke and Alex at the North Pole; Abby and 2nd-cousin Anna with fancy face art; all of us in Breckenridge; A. and K. in Alex's favorite spot (the stream!); Lara and Mike loving the ferris wheel!; Teisa and Baby Bayla; A. reading to K. and cousin Emie

(You can click on the collage to enlarge it.)


~Aspen Lodge~


Katie making a friend at The North Pole


Alex all decked out for the luau and loving the cabin swingset


Abby and Katie admiring Uncle Lance's catch


Grandpa Scott and Uncle Richard "judging" the horseshoe tournament


Abby on the zipline at the cabin
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After a few days in Colorado, we drove even farther west to Utah and got to see the other side of the family!

At Pops and Grannie's cabin on my b-day: Alex raiding the lollipop stash; Abby and Katie with cousins Sam, Lucy, Josh, and Lizzie; me with Mom and my sisters Lindsay and Jennie



Luke in his beloved (and sorely missed) Little Cottonwood Creek
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We had two extremely long days in the car at the end of the trip (22 hours!), but we--and our dear, old minivan, thank goodness--survived. It was a great trip!