Who's the happiest dog in the world?

It's almost as if Seiiki smiles for pictures!

I still don't claim to be a "dog person" but I sure am a Seiiki person.  She really is such a happy, loving dog.  So patient with Ruger.  Perfectly calm when Hyrum needs her to be, yet playful when he's ready.  She snuggles with me in the mornings and David at night.  She gets so excited when Levi comes over that she pees!  She acts like she she hasn't seen Brigham in a week when he comes downstairs.  And she still thinks Neve (Brigham's cat) is her friend even though Neve hisses as Seiiki everytime she sees her.  Neve might say otherwise, but Seiiki really is our perfect family dog.

First day of school 2022/2023

Today Ruger began his 2nd grade year and Hyrum started his 10th.

All Ruger cared about wearing on his first day back to school was something with a football on it.

Hyrum picked out this shirt that says, "Doki Doki" in Japanese.  It is supposed to represent the sound your heart makes when you see the person you love.

Hyrum's 15th Birthday

We celebrated a short little birthday for Hyrum last month but wasn't able to do anything until this last week because of his friend's schedules.  Brigham made him a Tes Leches Flan "cake."

When it was finally time to celebrate, Hyrum, Leia, and Corrinne went to the Labyrinth to do a reality game/escape room type of thing.  Ruger and I went to the adjoining trampoline place while we waited on them.

After that, David, Levi, and Brigham met us at a Korean BBQ place.

I had to get just a picture of just Hyrum and Leia since it is kinda their thing to make this Korean "love" sign in pictures and to each other.

The following day,we met Arika and her mom, Heather, in Salt Lake at Fat Cats to go bowling.  Arika and Hyrum haven't seen each other in around 7 years since she and her family moved to Japan.  Since she was back, the first thing Hyrum said he wanted for his birthday was to see Arika again.  They both have grown up so much!

What do I say about my 15 year old Hyrum?  He may have ADHD in his being distracted easily but a lot of times I feel it is one of his biggest strengths.  His brain is incredibly intelligent.  As far as loves, well, of course, Leia!  But he also loves playing games with his online friends, Takis, anything Japan, and Anime.  He still randomly gives me hugs, will lay on my bed when I'm working on homework or genealogy, takes time out to play with his Seiiki, and going on walks or the mall with his friends.  He has a friend in Brigham and knows he can open up to him in ways that he can't with others.  He's a good boy and I love him dearly.

 

Cecret Lake Trail

 Cami finds the most beautiful trails.  They are always quite the hike in elevation, but boy do they put out the most beautiful views.  Yesterday we went to Cecret Lake.  There was a perfect little wind but the sun was shining beautifuly as it made for glorious views along the way.  The hike took us about an hour to drive to and it was only about 1.8 miles long but we heard little complaining from the little ones.

Can you see the chipmunk Ruger is feeding?  We also saw several axolotl in the lake.  I would have never thought they were real, had I not saw them with my own eyes! 

Summer 2022 Update

 Hyrum and Ruger start school next week, so I guess it is time to update our family journal on what has kept us busy this summer.  For Ruger and I, most of our weekdays are spent at the pool or on hikes.  We always go with friends and there were even a few times when Hyrum and his friends joined us.

On the 4th of July, we went to the mountains with Grandma Helen to watch the fireworks in the valley but for the 24th, some friends of ours from a neighborhood close to us invited us to their community block party.

This is a picture of my favorite tree in front of the Mount Timpanogos Temple.  No joke, everytime I go, I have to stop and not just visit "my tree" but touch the knot in the center.  I just love this tree!

Our Primary music leader wanted pictures of the kids in front of the temple and so here's just a cute picture of Ruger with his friend, Nathaniel.

Cousin Stephen moved out of state this summer.  We had to have one last dinner with him.  Ruger was next to him the whole night...but that's pretty typical when it comes to his infatuation with Stephen.

Little Stinker found our dog clippers and decided to experiment.

David and I went to a benefit concert for North Star International in Midway, Utah.  North Star is a resource for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who either identify within the LGBTQ+ community or family members of those who identify as such.  Just as the first performer was singing her last song, the most beautiful rainbow I have EVER seen appeared in the sky.  This picture does not do justice to how bright it was!  Right after Madelyn Paige sang, a transgender member of the Church got up to bear her testimony of her journey with her identity as well as her commitment to stay close to her Savior.  But before she did that she said, pointing to the rainbow, "If you ever wondered how our Heavenly Father felt about his queer children, here you go."  It was such a precious moment, I'm sure, that was provided for those there who struggle with knowing where they fit in God's plan.

Dog Lake/Brighton Lakes Trail

Ruger and I went on a hike in the Cottonwood Canyon area with Cami and two of her girls today.  Our original intention was to make it to Lake Mary but after a very steady incline in elevation of 639 feet in 1.1 miles, well, lets just say it was kicking my butt.  So we decided to shorten our destination and stop at Lake Dog (more of like a pond, ha!).  By the time we got back to the van, we had hiked 2.2 miles and saw a moose, two calf, chipmunks, and lots of ground squirrels.