Raine started 3rd grade, Cater started 1st grade.

Mom and Dad got stuck carrying the supply-laden backpacks while these two whizzed off on their scooters.

And so begins another school year . . .

Carter planted an herb garden this summer and the basil was finally ready to harvest today so we made some spaghetti. Carter ate 3 plate-fulls! It was yummy.

Carter has started putting clothes on with absolutely no regard to their proper orientation. He frequently goes places with his clothes on inside-out, backward, or both!

Here is the recipe we used:

1/4 cup onion, grated
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (Pomi or Victoria brand)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup grated onion. Saute 2 minutes. Add oregano and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook while stirring 3 minutes until onions begin to brown. Add crushed garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and sugar. Turn heat to high and cook while stirring until simmering. Turn heat to medium low, simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in olive oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of spaghetti.

Tuesday, August 16 – our final day

Raine and I started the day shopping for a baptism dress. This was my favorite, but not Raine’s and so not the one we ended up buying.

After packing up our suitcases, we stopped by Pace’s Dairy Ann to pick up lunch before we headed to the park to meet everyone else. Daddy had to introduce his kids to “the rainbow.” It was pretty good and I know it brought back many memories for him.

At the park the kids played until it was time to leave for the airport. Bella and Raine could not be convinced to look at the camera.

Final good-bye with all the cousins…

Cooper, Tessa, Bella, Camille, Coleman, Parker, Milo, Rachel, Raine, Carter, and Bryce

… and all the adults.

Uncle Paul, Aunt Katie, Aunt Karin, Aunt Sarah, Momma, and Daddy

Then we were off to the airport to catch our ride home.

Monday, August 15 – Park City

On our way up to Park City we met the Browns at Waffle Love. YUM!

When we got to Park City we went to the ticket office to pick up our passes and found out that 7-year-old Raine is too tall for a kid’s pass! I was floored. Not sure when she passed 4’6″ but that extra 1/2-inch cost us an additional $30! Plus, it meant that she couldn’t ride the alpine slide with an adult, she had to ride solo. She didn’t mind but she had a hard time pushing down the lever to lift the break so she didn’t go very fast. I’m sure the people going down behind her minded!

Raine couldn’t wait to go “bungee jumping,” as she called it. The poor girl inherited my lack of coordination so it took her a while to get the hang of things. But she was determined to do a flip — good thing she has no fear.

Eventually she figured it out.

Her second attempt, later in the day, was much better.

Carter was in one of his moods when we arrived. He wasn’t going to do ANYTHING! (The problem was that he thought we were going to be hiking the mountain, not riding down it on a slide.) He eventually agreed to play mini-golf while everyone else was riding the mountain coaster.

Carter and I went on a short hike before lunch. After calming down a bit — and eating the snow-cone that I bribed him with — he agreed to ride the chairlift up to the top so he could hike around. I just about had him convinced to ride the slide, assuring him that it was completely safe, when some teenage goof comes sailing around the last curve and FLIES OFF THE TRACK! Seriously. Right in front of us. Fortunately, after the hike, Daddy was able to convince Carter to ride the slide.

That first ride was all it took, he was hooked. He went down as many times as he could before we had to leave.

Raine spent some time on the rock wall. She developed a love of climbing at LifeTime camp this summer and she is pretty good. This wall was really difficult — the hand holds were spaced far apart and there were several outcrops to overcome. She did pretty well.

She also navigated the ropes course a couple times.

Soon enough, it was time to leave. We stopped by the Main Street Bakery for some ice cream before we left town. Somebody was tired, and when he gets tired it doesn’t matter where he is or what is going on!

Back on the other side of the mountain we stopped at Uncle Geoff Gabbott’s house for dinner.

Raine and Coleman

Carter and Bryce were best buddies.

The Dewey family held their first-ever family reunion this year.

Saturday, August 13 – we started bright and early with family photos at the Garden Park Ward chapel. It was gorgeous, I can’t wait to see the final product. Here are a few photos that I took with my phone.

Here are some of the professional photos.

After photos, we went to Bountiful Park for a picnic. I didn’t manage to get any photos except this one of Daddy with his birthday cake!

We headed next door to the Rec Center to swim. Raine found a rock wall on the way to the locker rooms and made it to the top in her flip-flops. The only problem is that she isn’t used to climbing back down and she ended up loosing her grip. Fortunately, Daddy was right there to catch her!

We stayed at Grandma’s house while we were in Utah, along with Aunt Katie’s family. Raine and Bella were instant besties and could hardly be separated the entire time we were there.

Sunday, August 14 – After church, Carter taught Grandma how to play Pokemon. It was hilarious to hear her say phrases like, “I give you a tail smack.”

That evening we headed down to Aunt Karin’s house in Saratoga Springs for dinner with some of the Scharf family. The cousins had a blast and didn’t want to leave. In fact, Carter and Bryce were having so much fun that we ended up leaving Carter there for the night so that they could spend every minute possible together.

On August 12, Daddy turned the big 39 — he’s in the final countdown to 40.

Since we were boarding a plane to Utah that afternoon, we had to celebrate in the morning. The kids were excited for him to open the presents they had picked.

Designer socks and tie (by ‘designer’ I mean the design was definitely picked by kids, not that they were a particular brand); bike shorts and shirt; and an exercise shirt.

For breakfast, we fed him apple pie and sang “Happy Birthday”!

We’re so glad this guy is ours. He does a lot to make our household function day-to-day. The kids adore him and I think he is absolutely fabulous! He is patient and understanding. Just the other day Carter told me that there is only one person in this house who hasn’t yelled at everyone else — Daddy. Very true. He puts up with all our craziness and keeps the threads of our lives from completely unraveling! I wouldn’t be able to do what I love without him, and that means a lot to me.