Roger's birthday 'party'

Roger turned 38 this year. Unfortunately, there wasn't much fanfare. We took the kids to the zoo in the morning and then he spent the afternoon transporting scouts home from their campout. The evening got even better as I ditched him to attend the General Relief Society broadcast. The only bright spot was that he was able to eat a slice of his birthday pie (homemade Coconut Cream) before he started his fast (our Stake moved Fast Sunday to that weekend because of General Conference - just his luck!). Since we were never all home at the same time on his birthday, we had a little party for him on Sunday. Emily, Caitlyn, and Andrew happened to be over for a visit, too. Apparently they really like him since they remember making an appearance last year, as well! The partially eaten pie and partially burned candle seem so pathetic!

The kids were acting crazy and the noise level was high, so Roger made a show of raising his hand to get a chance to speak.

Wow - what a haul. As usual, no complaints from Roger, though!

I told Roger to look happy for a picture, so he obliged us with this scary version of happy.

ZooWorld

The local zoo does a "Zoobilee" once a year, where they offer admission for $1.00. Derek and Dustin were on a scout campout, but we decided to take Kaylee & Brandon, along with their friends Savannah & Cody.

Apple Pie Tribute

After much tedious labor, Roger produced the most delicious apple pie ever! Not bad for a first try!

Birmingham Temple and Cheyenne's game

We were able to make a quick overnight trip to Birmingham to attend the temple. It took a little last minute scrambling, but we were able to arrange for Derek and Dustin to do baptisms at the same time. It turned out to be a nice experience to take the boys with us.

A pleasant side effect of going to Birmingham is that we get to spend a little time with Roger's sister Sherri and her family. We had been wanting to see Cheyenne's soccer team play, and we were able to stick around on Saturday for one of her games. Brandon found a random kid to play with in the woods, so he was happy!

Derek, Dustin, and Kaylee with Chase

Nathan & Sherri

Roger - still sporting the facial hair

Cheyenne and Tyler (fresh off his mission)

Flag Raising

In honor of the anniversary of Sept.11, Southport Elementary did a family breakfast, flag raising, and patriotic program. First, we had breakfast and visited with the school mascot.

After breakfast, the kids showed me their normal routine of walking laps before school (as opposed to sitting in the hallway). I never realized how hot it was out there at 8:00 in the morning!

Once school started, the kids all gathered in the courtyard for the flag raising and program. Kaylee sang in the choir. It was very nice, but I was super glad I was in the shade. I was really feeling for the kids on the bleachers. The sun was so hot!

Brandon was in the shade, too, but you'd never know it. That kid really sweats!

A Strange Sleepover

Kaylee and Brandon asked if they could sleep under the kitchen table. I have no idea why they would want to, but sure, why not? Surprisingly, they stayed there all night and didn't even complain about aches and pains from the hard floor!

Kaylee's Television Debut

Kaylee was excited to be selected for the television crew at her school. I happened to be at the school on her first morning as anchor, so I snapped a picture of the TV on my phone. She did a great job!