Camp Zion and Hampton Beach

 Our ward went to Camp Zion, a church-owned girls' camp in NH, over Labor Day weekend.  The camp is situated in the forest along a beautiful lake.  There were cabins for the families with bunk beds.  We lucked out and got to stay in the Library, which was a small one-room cabin/building with a full porch, regular windows and a regular door instead of a screened door.  It was right across from the Dining Hall, so it was a good place to congregate, and we truly enjoyed ourselves.
 

 Of course, being a library, there were a lot of books, some of which were within Cate's reach as she went down for her nap.  Whoops!

 The kids all enjoyed riding their bikes up and down the hill.  Adam rode his bike constantly.  He would push his bike up the hill and then coast down over and over and over and over.  He was in heaven!

 Coasting down the hill.

 Running full speed up the hill.

 It's always good to involve friends.

 And sometimes we get distracted by mud puddles.

  Cate loving her corn on the cob

 Then we stopped at Hampton Beach on the way home and let the kids enjoy their last dip in the ocean for the season (probably).

 Sandy bum.  Paul and the kids in the background.

 Awesome waves.

 And this is how you make a sand castle with a Pepsi cup from the restaurant.

It was a fun day at the beach!!

 And the other day I put this hat on Cate and said, "Oh you look so pretty!"  So she left it on - for a while!  It was so cute.

Anna just cannot resist holding her baby sister (even when her mother wishes she would put her down!)  But oh how she loves Cate!

Back to School Photos

It's the moment you've all been waiting for!

Samantha is in 1st Grade this year. She's growing up too fast!

 Anna's a Kindergartener!  I let the girls pick out their fabric for their first day of school outfits.  Of course, Anna fittingly picked this rainbow fabric.  I think it pretty much fits her personality, don't you?

Samantha in the Kitchen

All of my kids love to help in the kitchen.  A couple of weeks ago, Samantha made biscuits from scratch all by herself.  I only helped with the very end of the mixing.  They turned out wonderfully!

Bowdrella

A few weeks ago the kids came out of the girls room presenting "Bowdrella"!  It was hilarious!  Then they came back with Samantha as Bowdrella.

Cate loves the sandbox.  What I love is that she doesn't (usually) eat the sand, unlike how Adam was at her age.

Samantha and Anna were enjoying drenching themselves in the sprinklers.

Cate Turned One!!

 

My littlest little girl is now one year old!  We were able to celebrate her birthday with family and friends in Utah, so that made it extra special!

Cate is such a fun little one!  She is tiny, but adventurous.  She learned to walk in the few weeks leading up to her birthday.  She is learning new words - mama, dada, Adam, more, here, done, etc.  She loves to pretend to talk on phones, play in the sandbox, swim in the pool, and just try to do whatever the bigger kids are doing.  We are so glad this sweet little girl is in our family!

 

 Her birthday cake.

The first bite

All done!  She loved it.

Some of the crowd at the party.
 (It's blurry, I know - the camera was in the wrong mode for a group shot :) )

 One of her favorite activities to do with her siblings.  Sheer joy, I tell you!