Summer hike

School has not been out very long, but we are ready to get out and do a little exploring. I took Gracie and Jake with me up Logan canyon while Emilee did a photo shoot there. While we waited for her to finish up, we went and enjoyed everything this time of year has to offer. Every time I am up in the mountains with my family it reminds me of growing up and makes me grateful I had parents who helped me appreciate the beauty around me...

 Hiking buddies

 They actually got along...

Relaxing by the water  

It was so beautiful and green up there

End of Year program

Jake is always pretty excited to get up in front of everyone and show us what he's learned. They always do the most clever songs and skits...and I love watching my kids come out of their shell.

 Let the show begin

 Finally got him to look at me

A little end of year gift from his teacher

Relay

Riley was the top in his class for running the mile this year. He's very competitive and wanted to win again with this being his last year at Lewiston. All of the students from the school district meet at the high school for the last deciding race. Riley participated in the relay and did awesome.

 All of the Lewiston competitors

 The home stretch and hand off...

 Riley and his friend Whitt

My little runner

14th Birthday

I still can't believe that two of my children are teenagers. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that they're growing and learning and becoming young adults...but a little sad knowing one day, they'll be off on their own without a second thought of what I'm doing or where I am.

I'm very proud of Haydn and excited to see what he does with the talents he's been given. He is a very smart and imaginative kid...one after my own heart ;)

Happy Birthday Haydn, we love you!!

Birthday Banner 

 Lighting his own candles

Oh, the love....

Dance Review

It's that time of year again. Gracie has really enjoyed being a part of Lapetites. The conventions, the competitions, and the social part of it all is something Gracie has really loved. She has made some good friends this year and has grown as a dancer. We are very proud of her and were excited to have her show us everything she has learned.

Grandma and Grandpa Hillesheim were not able to make it this year and we missed them. They have some the last couple years with Diana and her family. It's always fun to have family around.

Until next time...

Getting ready backstage

 Tap dance

 That's a wrap!

 So proud of Gracie

Back home after a very long day

Family Pics

This year we kept family pictures pretty simple. It was nice to have my sister Natalie come up from Salt Lake and take them. The weekend they were here, we were able to hang out with her and her husband Wes. The boys even did a little golfing.

Pictures are always a chore for me, but I love to have them taken almost every year. Here are a few...enjoy!

Family History

Last fall, I started to do a little indexing and dabbling around in my family history.  I was a little leery to do work on my side because my grandmother and her sisters had already done so much. So I assumed there wasn't much to do.

Little did I know...I have a neighbor who is very involved in family history and he gave me a little info to make it easier when finding names that needed work. The next thing I knew, I had a total of almost 200 names from both sides of the family. I also found out more about those ancestors that have already had their work done. Several of my ancestors came to the Cache Valley and played an important part in the building of the Logan temple and settling the area. 

Once I had the names printed, I took Emilee and Haydn to the temple so they could be a part of the whole process. It was a great day. And I'm grateful for those who came before me and sacrificed so much. But most importantly, those who had faith and were obedient to the gospel. 

 Grave site by USU campus in Logan, UT

Lars C. Larsen ....3 x's Great Grandfather

Baptisms for the dead....all finished!