Pack Meeting - Hike to Battlecreek Falls

It was a special Pack Meeting in our ward a couple weeks ago. We got to hike to Battlecreek Falls which is somewhere Bret and I have never heard of

let alone been there.

Before we started the big hike, Shawn worked on his big muscles and we listened while awards were given out for this last month's accomplishments.
Bret has been serving as Den leader for the Webelos den for the last several months. Each month he gets to stand up and award each of the boys for what they have been working on. I have loved watching him take such good care of these boys. He always puts his arms around them to show how proud he is of what they've been doing. And he ends each time with giving them a little kick in the pants. . . . Only Bret! The boys have absolutely loved having him for their leader. (We missed Sam in this picture above.) But we've been counting down the days for this Webelos den to get their newest Webelos member.

And we knew this new little boy was counting down the days to be with his Dad. Since Tyler just turned 10, ( Did I really just say 10?!) it was time for him to move up into the Webelos group. Bret helped Tyler with his new neckerchief and slide and Tyler was given a new book with new challenges to work on.

Just about a week after Tyler moved up into the Webelos Den, Bret got called to serve in the Elder's Quorum, so Tyler will have some new fun leaders. Tyler loves going to scouts so we know he will have fun no matter what! But hopefully Bret will keep up on his Webelos skills so he can help Ty at home.

Then we were off on our hike. The hike wasn't very far but it was a little steep. Bret hoisted Shawn up onto his shoulders and carried him the whole way. Shawn was mighty proud to be on his Dad's shoulders looking all around.

One of our dear friends, Christine, is one of the den leaders and she came on the hike with us. Just like us, she was little surprised by how steep it was. Bret was so kind to stay back with her to make sure she made it all the way safely. How did I get so lucky to have someone with such a big, kind heart!?

It wasn't long before we finally made it to the falls. And boy were we surprised to see how big it was. And to think we never knew . . . !

Off came the shoes and the climbing began. The mighty challenge was to cross the river to the other side . . . and boy was that water cold!

Once Tyler got over his nerves, he made it to the other side! He was so excited!

And it didn't surprise us to see Katy climbing trees on her way over.

For Shawn, the water was just little bit too cold for his little toes. . .

Bret surprised us with a stop at the Purple Turtle on the way home.

And Boy!, did those Oreo, cookie dough, and raspberry shakes taste awesome after that big hike!

Happy Day!

What to do on a Saturday in July . . .

We've been talking all summer about going up to play in the fountains at the Gateway, so Saturday we finally went for it. We ended up staying for hours because the weather was perfect, Bret found us a great table with an umbrella for shade and of course . . . FOUNTAINS!!!

Shawn didn't let his big brother out of his sight.

He made sure he was only two steps behind.


Katy was a little hesitant at first . . .
. . . but before we knew it she was soaked!

We couldn't keep her out!

Jenny was (as Bret would say)
"TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL" :)
She hung out with Mom and Dad for awhile in the shade.

But it wasn't long before she was pulling everybody
into the water and getting soaked herself!

I don't think it will surprise anyone when I say that Tyler had the most fun putting cups over the fountains and watching them fly when the water blew.

Notice Tyler's cup in the air and how excited he was!

Shawn waiting for his cup to fly . . .

just like Tyler's.

Pretty soon everyone started taking breaks more often

and exclaiming how hungry they were.

Bret suddenly disappeared and the next thing we knew he was back with a bag full of

tacos, burritos and 3 huge Cokes!

It definitely hit the spot!

This is Katy "doin' the gangsta'". What a meatball!

Shawn was so tired after a while.

But he was so brave to just entertain himself

while the others still played in the water.

It was a super fun day!

It was good to be outside in the sun,

fun to do something different,

and great to all be together!

Tyler's 10th Birthday!

Tyler's turning 10 so we said, "Let the party begin!"
We started out with a full day at 7-Peaks . . . 5 hours. I think that was a record for us and boy was it fun. Everyone had a friend to play with and it was 100 degrees?

What could be funner?

Then that night Tyler couldn't wait for his cousin Max to come over for a fun sleepover. We hit Olive Garden and then home for endless Wii Games!

Tyler has been planning his 10th Birthday Party since last Fall when we heard that they were postponing the release of the 6th Harry Potter Movie until July 15th 2009. As soon as Tyler heard the date he turned to me and said,
"ON MY BIRTHDAY!"
So there was no question as to what we were going to do. Bret got us some tickets for an 8:15am show Saturday morning and we were there bright and early. I wanted to make sure we didn't get doggy seats with it being a birthday party and all, so we got there an hour before the movie started. Bleary eyed and all we were the only ones there, and the doors were locked. But Hey! - We got the best seats in the house.
And the movie was awesome!


Bret, Katy and Shawn stayed back to feed some ducks and prep our house for surprise gifts when we got back from the show. And I have to say they did a great job. The room was fully decorated, presents wrapped (in newspaper :)) and Tyler was very surprised to find a new bike!

The first gift he opened was a . . . . pack of Cheese!

The second gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
The third gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
and the fourth gift he opened was another . . .
Pack of Cheese!
Bret definitely knows what Ty loves . . . and what a great sense of humor!


To top off the celebration, we hit Los Hermanos

for the best Fajita's in the world!

What a fun Birthday Celebration!

We are so grateful to have Tyler in our family.

We love him so much!

Some things we love about Tyler are:


He has the BIGGEST heart!
He is a good friend to everyone - always so kind and nice
He is so smart that Grandma Clark calls him a "Walking Encyclopedia" :)
He is a hard worker
He is a lawn mowin' machine!
He is always willing to help
He ran his first 5K this year!
He loves science!
He loves to cook and wants to be a chef someday!
He is growing like a weed!
He loves to ride his ripstik and bike!

We love you Ty!
Hope you had a great B-day celebration!