August

Bandelier National Monument is just a few hours away from us and has cliff dwellings where you can climb the ladders and go inside to explore.  I've wanted to go there ever since we were living in the TLF (2012) and finally we made it!  

Mighty cozy on the insides

We climbed 4 tall ladders to get to the cave at the top

We kept seeing this guy, whose shirt reads 'keep calm and don't regenerate'  The kids loved it

The abundant rain this summer meant the creek at the bottom of Bandelier was running high and everything was amazingly green.   The kids all agreed that frijoles was a good name for the creek since it was the exact color of refried beans.

The kids started school on August 13.  I only got one picture which wasn't fuzzy and it's of Noah.  I bet the kids will say it's because he's the baby and the favorite.  They might be right.  

I would like to point out that at 7:20 it was already 80 degrees.  Wearing his new jacket nonetheless

the cub scouts visited a police station.  

wilson arch, on the way to deliver D to her freshman year at BYU

This year 2 of our kids have headed out to be on their own.  For the first time ever in the history of our marriage, each kid has his or her own room.  Plus a guest room.  The weirdness of this would be overwhelming if I hadn't just spent an entire day trying to clean the house and do the laundry which didn't get done while I was driving D up to BYU.  We drove up one day, spent that night with Aunt Holly, then spent one day getting D moved in and settled.  Here's what she accomplished in that one day:

checked into housing
moved in
got a bike
got a job
grocery shopping
boots for winter
ID on campus
Books
Walked all the way around campus
Bought every flavor Stephens hot cocoa (oh wait, that's all for me)

My pedometer says we did 5 miles that day.

One advantage of not living in the dorms would be the welcoming committee when she moved into her apartments.  The EQ presidency unloaded my car--I didn't have to carry anything!  And then, after grocery shopping they helped carry everything again.  I saw them helping other people throughout the day, so it's not just the cute Ms D they helped.  Her roommates seem nice (she was freaked out because they're SO OLD (maybe 20))  I only cried a little bit. . .

Until the drive home where I actually stopped in Redmesa to the cemetery to tell Grandma and Grandpa Slade how proud I am of their great granddaughter.   Maybe I just needed to give myself permission to be all sad and stuff, but I bawled for a bit and then when I felt better got back into the car.  10 hours is a long drive to make all by my lonely.

Now I have to learn to count to 4.