Fall has arrived

Ready for the rain.

Bundled up and strapped in. Here we go.

The weather has turned and it has been quite a bit cooler the last couple of days. In fact it rained most of yesterday and was drizzling when we got up this morning. The sun has come out but it is still pretty chilly outside. We went for a nice long walk between Conference sessions in the rain and the kids thought it was great. Emily stood on the back of Amy's stroller and gave marching directions. She is a funny little girl.

Soccer days

Peter Gordon headed for the goal.


Hannah makes another save.

Hannah and Peter Gordon have spent the last two months playing soccer and have really enjoyed themselves. Hannah is the goalie of choice on her team and is getting to be really good. She had her last soccer game on Wednesday and they won 4-0. Peter Gordon has the potential to be a good forward. He is quick and fast with ball as long as he is going in a straight line. He will be really good when he figures out how to turn with the ball and pass it. His last game is Tuesday. He will be sad that soccer is over.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated my birthday by attending Peter Gordon's soccer game and then came home for a great spaghetti dinner and raspberry cream pie. The pie was quite good. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I don't feel any older but when I think about how old my kids are it is obvious that I am.

Blessing baby Amy

We blessed Amy on Sunday and it was a neat experience. It is always interesting to get a glimpse of what Heavenly Father has in store for our children. It is also fun to get together with family. Mom and Dad came down on Friday and the kids were in heaven because Grandpa Pete took them out to dinner at Red Robin. They also thought it was great that Grandma and Grandpa came to their soccer games. Dad and I went to the BYU football game on Saturday and watched a rather lopsided beat down of the UCLA Bruins (59-0). Chantel's parents came down Sunday morning and stayed through Monday afternoon. It was good to see them. Here are a couple of pictures from Amy's blessing. Enjoy.

Amy in her blessing dress.

The Daines clan.

A New School

Becca, Hannah, and Peter Gordon all started school this week. They got into a charter school that is near our home and so far they have all loved it. Chantel likes it because the classes are smaller and they have a uniform policy. Peter Gordon is in kindergarten and really likes his teacher. He comes home excited each day. Hannah is in the same class as one of her really good friends and is having a great deal of fun. Becca has surprised us all and has really enjoyed school so far. Twice this week she has told me that "I love school" which is a vast improvement over last year. Emily is not sure what to do with her siblings gone in the morning. She is always happy when Peter Gordon comes home from kindergarten.

Chaos at Grandma Susan and Grandpa Pete's house

After our tour of the Twin Falls Temple we headed up to Eagle to see Grandma Susan and Grandpa Pete. An added bonus was the fact that Michael and Natalie and their kids (Sophie, Riley, and Lucy) were also there. They take off for England next week and we won't get to see them for at least another year. The kids had great fun playing with their cousins. Peter Gordon and Riley played outside, went to the fair with Grandpa Pete and Mike, and went duck hunting with me at the pond by Grandma's house (we saw 12 ducks). Becca, Hannah, and Sophie formed a girls club and enjoyed playing together. They also enjoyed shopping with Grandma Susan. Emily and Lucy were happy to play with whoever would include them. Amy got passed from person to person and was quite content.


Saturday morning we all went down to the Boise Farmer's Market and the kids had fun doing arts and crafts and visiting the balloon lady. It was a great trip even though things got chaotic at times.

Twin Falls Temple Open House

We were up in Twin Falls Idaho last week for the temple open house and it was a really neat experience. The kids loved walking through the temple and thought it was beautiful. Emily has been working all week to say the word "temple" and is getting pretty good at it. We also saw McKay and Jill and their family. The kids loved playing with their cousins and even got to go to a violin recital with them. Chantel and I enjoyed visiting with McKay and Jill and watching the Olympic swimming.