September Miscellaneous 2019

For the first time in what seems like forever, September started us without going to the Onion Days Parade in Payson.  The parade has been part of our Labor Day tradition, but this year we failed to make a good plan so we opted for a cousin sleepover, and a slow start to the morning.  We did go to the park later in the afternoon for a family picnic/reunion with the Hancocks.  A summer get together is our newest tradition and it was really a lot of fun.  After the picnic, we headed to Santaquin so the boys could help my dad.  On the 4th of July, all of the boys worked together to help my dad start building his patio pavilion.  Since then he worked to build the rest of the panels, and then needed all of the guys one last time to put it all together.  It took a lot of muscle, and a lot of cooperation, but they got it done and did a great job.  We are already enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Ada kept all the littles entertained with her facepainting skills

The Broadbent/Hancock clan

Running and training for a marathon this summer has been tough, and it hasn't always sounded like a good idea to get up early for a long run.  On this particular morning though, the views made the early alarm totally worth it. 

The Provo High School Homecoming Parade was a total hit with the kids.  It was short and sweet  with plenty of candy.  We saw a few people we knew which made it especially fun.  

The drive to catch candy was fierce!

Tim's new bestie

After the parade we headed to the football game.  We loved adding Luke's friend Sonny to the gang.  They ate pizza and snow cones, and had the best time playing football with other friends at the field.

Ruby was invited to Coconut Cove to celebrate a friend's birthday and had so much fun with her and her sister.  The three girls played so well together and were completely worn out by the time we left. 

Luke and Ruby were invited to sleepover with Gavin and Juniper - it was a big deal because it was their their first night away without parents or grandparents. They all said they had a great time.  Honestly, I'm not sure what Ruby loved more...playing with cousins, or playing with the dogs.

Ruby brought home, and read her very first book!

Ruby was chosen to be the Star of the Week in Kindergarten which was so exciting for this little five year old.  We worked hard on her "all about me" sheet and she loved showing her class all of her favorites.  Since she was the star, I was able to go to her class and read some books - she chose We are All Wonders, and Snuggle Puppy.  

Our neighbor Nikki was giving away some cowboy party supplies and Luke was all in.  He thinks his bandanna is the coolest, and is kinda obsessed with the cap gun.  It's totally old school with caps that come in a roll and have to be threaded through the gun.

Cutest gang of girls at the school picnic.

We had a lot of teeth lost this month

Father daughter lunch dates are the best

Some days he is just too cute!

Bonus Cousin Weekend

Towards the end of September, we were able to have Juniper and Gavin stay with us for the weekend, and Luke and Ruby were in heaven.  When the kids are together they play so well - it is really fun to watch and listen to them.  They are all super creative and I love watching the games they invent.  On Saturday, we had a busy morning with soccer games, then decided to take everyone to the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point.  The experience there is just magical.  I think the favorite part for everyone was being able to "hold" a butterfly when they landed on hands, shirts, and even heads. 

The rest of the museum has so many cool insects and spiders and a fantastic play place.  Of course, we had to take advantage of the great props for a few group photos.  

We watched a presentation about various bugs and roaches - the docents showed live specimens and taught the kids about their quirks.  At the end anyone that wanted had the chance to hold a roach.  Initially the kids all said they wanted to see it up close, but did not want to hold it.  I decided to set the example and said I was excited to hold it and after seeing my reaction, all four ended up deciding they wanted a chance.  For me it wasn't gross at all - it just felt like a grasshopper moving on my hand.  When we were little we played with grasshoppers all the time so it seemed just fine. 

Luke and Ruby loved having Gavin and Juniper here for church.  They all worked hard to find matching outfits and were so happy with how cute they looked together.  Our family definitely took up a lot more room on the bench, but loved having the extras. 

The boys spent most of Sunday afternoon working on Origami.  They each made the cutest pianos - of course Gavin decided to give his to Grandma.

Weekends are for Camping

The camping bug hit Tim and Brycen and they were lucky to be able to get two weekend trips in before the weather turned too cold.  When Tim was young, his dad would take him camping near the radar towers that are at the top of Farmington Canyon.  He decided he wanted to take Brycen since he had never been to that area.  They only stayed one night, but had a great time relaxing, hanging out by the fire, and enjoying the spectacular views.

While camping at the radar towers, Brycen and Tim decided that they wanted to do a longer camping trip near Mirror Lake in the Uintahs.  For a little while we considered taking the whole family, but the logistics were rough so we decided the big boys should just go on their own.  They were gone for three days and Tim came home so excited about the area - I think he is already planning another trip for next year.  The pictures are pretty enough that he might just convince me to go. 

I was worried they wouldn't have enough to eat,
Turns out they did pretty well with their fishing poles