More of the Happy Hunter!

Morgan was a hunter for Halloween! He headed out with his buddies that live in the rich area and they got the big candy bars.

Fall Fun on the Honda!

The other day Dad and I had a date with the motor cycle and went up to Daniels Canyon Lodge for a little lunch. The weather was fantastic and the fall scenery just made you so thankful to be alive. The company was great!

I had helmet hair so I had to buy a hat at the Lodge Store at Daniels Canyon Summit Lodge. It's only a 45 minute ride. About 15 minutes up from Heber. Worth the time!

Motorcycles Are Fun!

Flag Football is over!

This is Morgan's flag football team. Thanks to the Dad's that volunteer their time to coach! It takes time out of their schedule but it's well worth the time. The boys were supposed to make a funny face here. Morgan, wow you don't look very happy=)

This is the last one!

This is Hanauma Bay, just outside of Honalulu on the Island of Oahu. We took Ben and Julie there for one last snorkel for Ben. It was so worth the effort and the time! I again was amazed at it's beauty. It is an volcono blow hole that used to be round but the sea crept in one side of it and so it created this lovely bay.

Just Two More Hawaii Pics=)

This is the Tabernacle in Honalulu. We went to church there, the last day we were there. It is a beautiful building and grounds and yes the Spirit is the same in Hawaii. We felt so blessed to be with John's brothers and sisters and Mom in that church.

Just a few more Hawaii pics and then I'll move on. This is Pearl Harbor on the memorial for the USS Arizona. What a solemn and sacred place. I am amazed at the loss of life during WWII. We are so blessed that men and leaders were not afraid to fight for what is right.

Family!

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

The Kona Temple on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Dad and I on the ship! Isn't he a handsome guy?!

The Girls at the Kona Temple

I Snorkel! I know... I have no shame posting this picture on my blog, but yes I had to have proof! Snorkeling is incredible, opening a whole new world usually seen on Jacques Cousteau Adventures at Sea from your TV. It is a must do for even the oldest and "Largest" tourists. I am just sorry I didn't take contacts so I could see better when the water got deeper. This was in a huge lava flow from the volcano all the way to the ocean. What can I say - Amazing Again!

I thought you would enjoy Rosie and Shelly "flying" up on the volcano. I don't remember the name of this volcano. It's not active anymore but the elevation is very high. It was super windy up here and cold. You could look out and see the other islands in the ocean. It was amazing.

Dad and Julie down on the rocks. We saw a huge sea turtle here.

"We're not just taken pictures, we're shootin movies!" Dad got a very "complete and unabridged" video of the Islands=)

This was taken on the Road To Hana. I think this is the Island of Maui. The road is a little windy two lane road that only one car can pass on curves so the car coming up the road has to yield to the car coming down. It winds around the outside of the island with fantastic views like this one. Hey I like that shirt. Dad knows I get lost easily so he helped me out by increasing his "visibility"=) Don't you just love the view?

Another amazing picture at Akaka Falls.

Oh My! Dad and I enjoying the hospitality of the islanders at the Polynesian Cultural Center Luau. The Lays smelled wonderful.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a must see! All the different islanders float past you and put on a performance from their culture. It was beautiful and lots of fun. I could have spent more time there. The students at BYU Hawaii are the performers and workers at the Center. At night we had a Luau with an amazing amount of food. Did I mention that we ate a lot!!

Aunt Heather was our tour guide as she knows her way around the Islands and has relatives there the helped us with our travel and food. We were greeted with beautiful lays and treated like kings because of Heather's great connections. This is John and Heather at the little "Seed Shop" in downtown Honalulu. It was so interesting and had all kinds of roots, dried fruits the likes of which I had never seen before. Fun Stuff!

A highlight of the trip was being able to attend the temple with all of John's family. We were only missing two of our very important and very missed loved ones. Grandpa Dean and sister Shoshanna Rose. We felt as if they were there in spirit. It's hard traveling with such good looking people! The Temple is in Laie on the island of Oahu and is just beautiful. What a rare experience!

Hawaii - The Garden of Eden in the Pacific

Our trip to Hawaii was wonderful. Compliments of Jaynann Payne in celebration of her 80th birthday! We had a great time. It was a cruise of the islands so you always had a great bed to sleep in and didn't have to move your luggage around! The only way to fly! Here we are the first Sunday on the Big Island. I think this is Akaka Falls. We hike to the falls through a lush forest. I wore green to blend in!

Wow I really love that no one has visited my blog in the last month - or if they have they just don't feel the need to leave a comment. Well I think that is just plain lazy and rude. JK But seriously is any body out there? Just comment and say hi - I would love to hear from you- anyone... anyone... Thank you very much.

Ellee Loves to Swim With Morgan

We are going to keep the pool going for one more week. It is toasty warm - around 90 degrees so come for a last harrah in the pool if you can this weekend

Amazing Scouter

Dad was given the Provo Peaks Scouter Award and inducted into a group of men that help support the Scouting movement in Provo. They help raise money for the local Scout Groups and meet together to honor Fine Scouters and promote boys getting their Eagle Scout Award. Dad really seems to love being involved in Scouting and is the Scout Master right now in our ward. Go Dad, Grandpa, John!

Mesquito Outing with Ben the Fire Builder

Uncle Ben with a great sunburn, Drew and Olivia. Uncle Ben was very popular because he let Drew help get the fire started so we could make Smores.

What a handsome Chase Man

Is this is handsome boy or what? Chase is quick as a wink, strong as an ox, and kind as his cute smile in this picture. He takes good care of his little sister Kambria and he is a really good student. He is practicing to have great handwriting and he is a good reader. We love you Chase. This picture was taken at Bear Lake on the Mesquito outing.

Collin Cutie Pie

I love this picture of Collin. It was taken at Bear Lake when Ben had made us a little fire to make Smores! It was dark and we were fighting off the mesquitos like crazy. If you didn't have OFF on you would be eaten alive. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and was very cool - fall comes early at Bear Lake.

More of the Golfing Buddies

Flamingos at Sea World San Diego

How do you like my Flamingos? They are so beautiful, but wow did they stink. Did you know that they are pink because of all of the shrimp that they eat? I think that is true, cause I think I heard the guide at Sea World tell us that, or maybe I dreamed it. Oh well they are beautiful stinky creatures

Golfing Buddies at Bear Lake

This is one of Morgan's favorite things to do at Bear lake. Golf with his Dad. They are standing on the hole in back of the cabin. I watch for them to come down the hill to this hole then I run out and take their picture, and bring them a drink of ice water.

Bear Lake Fun

Morgs and Trigger

You gotta love those faces. Trigger puts up with a lot of "love" and we put up with a shrill bark!

Trigger Dog - King of the Backyard

Well this is our dog Trigger. Many of you know him and love him. Ha Ha. We think he is a great little dog and are glad that we have him. He makes Mom get out of the house every morning and go on her run so he has a purpose in life. What could be better than that shrill, ear piercing bark of his to greet you when you come to visit?

Morgan The Fish Boy

Morgan swam the butterfly, backstroke and the IM, and then was in all of the relays he could possibly do with the older boys. He's pretty fast! He has so many medals, plaques and ribbons that he doesn't know where to keep them.

The County Swim Meet

Danielle Simkins - Wendy and Jay's daughter is always at the County Meets for the summer as is Morgan also. They have a lot of fun seeing and cheering each other on. Danielle is supper speedy and so is Morgan so it's all good.

I love Soccer

Morgan has been playing soccer for about 5 or 6 years now and loves it! I love it because he runs up and down that huge field with fantastic finese! Weaving the ball in and out of the other teams legs and crossing it over for his team mates to score. This summer his team was in three tournaments and did very well. They took first in their division in regular season play and have moved up to a more difficult division for fall competition. Morgs is a natural athlete and a very good sport. He wants to win - but most of all he wants to play.

Congratulations Collin

Collin Mckay Daily was baptized the first Saturday in September 2008. We were able to be with him when he was baptized and confirmed the newest member in our family. We are so proud of our second Grandchild and oldest grandson. Collin you are a hero in our book and we are so thankful to be your Grandpa and Grandma and I know that Morgan loves being your Uncle!

Morgan with Grandma Payne last 4th of July.

Many thanks to Grandma Payne who has diligently served and loved all of us as long as she as known us. How long is that I wonder? Think of the many vacations we enjoyed because of Grandma Jaynann and Grandpa Dean - Haystack Rock and Canon Beach. The Beach in Washington with all of the huge trees washed up on shore. Aspen Grove, Estes Park, and on and on! How about all of the Sunday dinners that we didn't bring anything but ourselves to. Wow - we will be forever in her debt. I am so grateful for Jaynann Morgan Payne, mother of 12 and grandmother to who knows how many!

This is the last picture that we had taken all together so at Bear Lake we are going to do another one. Everyone be thinking of a great pose and something we can all wear that matches or at least doesn't clash

The summer is winding down and I just don't want it to. I am not ready to be scheduled and tied down to school and car pools and such. This summer has been wonderful and we have received some great blessings. The trip to San Diego was just so amazing. I needed the beach and the breeze and just sleeping in a different bed for a week. It was marvelous to be with Josh, Adrienne and Ellee and Andrea and Tim and their children! We only wish it could have been everyone. But I think we have to take what ever opportunities come our way. Life could be short and we would have waited until just that perfect time to get away - which never comes. There is no perfect time. There will always be things that need to be done and you will never have just the perfect amount of money. So we must take every opportunity that we can to make memories with our children. Just a quick overnight camping trip brings smiles to little peoples faces. Ben made that point when he was here and would take Morgan on an outing and bring great joy to Morgs. He was always ready to enjoy an adventure with him. Taking time to eat outside together or go on a bike ride is a real treat to kids when their parents join them. The key is to be all together. Mom, Dad and kids. Now that our family has grown we will just have to take those that can go when they can go and GO! I think that life will be more challenging in the next few years and we will need to make our own inexpensive fun. I want to enjoy every minute because you never know what lies ahead.

Next topic is reading the scriptures. You all know that I am not the greatest when it comes to being consistent at anything except well maybe being inconsistent! But I want to challenge all of us (myself included) to read the scriptures daily. Even if it is 3 or 4 verses. Just opening the book brings the Spirit into our hearts and homes. We need that influence to help us avoid evil for our children and ourselves. We will have a family night up at Bear Lake to celebrate all those who read everyday from now until then. Keira, Collin and Chase are good readers and Morgs too so get busy. I have the Book of Mormon DVD for Drew and the little ones. (Morgan actually loves to watch it) Just having it on while they play with toys will be a benefit. Well family I just want you to know how much I love you and how much I love Dad. Of all the people I know - Dad has made a lot of changes in order to be a better person. He has had plenty of reason to be annoyed with me in the last little while, but he has just made the decision not to get "bugged" - (what good would it do anyway?=) So Dad's be like Dad and take control of the anger button. Just turn it off and don't let it come on - for any reason. There is nothing to be angry about. If something needs to be worked out just keep your cool so that the Spirit will hang around long enough to help you - otherwise you are on your own and that is just too hard. Thanks for letting me ramble on my blog. Love Mom