So this is what Brayden does in his spare time. He just started a month ago and even though the piano is not quite as fun as he originally thought (gasp--it involves daily practice) he does enjoy learning to read music. His teacher is the cream of the crop...Mrs. Eleanor Marshall...and lets just say he is already learning things that I didn't learn until my third year of lessons. By the way, he is going to be a birthday boy this weekend...can't believe he's been in our family for nine years!

Today is the first day of first grade for Maddie and third grade for Brayden. I couldn't believe how excited they were...I didn't even have to beg them to wake up. We have a tradition of me driving them to school the first day. I always walk them into class and take a picture of student/teacher. And to my surprise....I really had to fight back the tears on both of them. I had been waiting for this day for weeks! And now here I was wanting to cry about it. No matter what, they will always be my babies. Heaven help me when I have to let them go to college. I hope they have a great day....oh, and I hope Maddie enjoys her first experience of cafeteria food.

Bryce Canyon

This past weekend, we went to Bryce Canyon for the Brinkerhoff Family reunion. I haven't been to Bryce since I was ten, and this time, I was going with my own family which included my own nine-year-old son, pretty crazy to think about. We camped with Riley and Crystal and we enjoyed their boys soooo much, especially their newborn, Will.

The canyon was so amazing. We went on the Navajo Loop hike, which took us from the top of the canyon to the bottom and back up to the top....and let me just say, the canyon is even better from the bottom. I highly recommend adding this adventure to your "bucket list."

I have to tell you, Utah is an amazing place to live. I don't get out of the Uintah Basin much, but when I do, I'm usually on Hwy 40 or I15. But, we chose to drive the scenic route home from Bryce Canyon, which was Hwy 89. The extra time this drive took was extremely worth the effort. We saw beautiful rivers, towering mountains and many, many cute "small" towns that I never knew existed. The whole trip left me a very sweet taste of our state and now I know why we ran into so many foreigners! I'd want to come here too, if I were a rich tourist.