Cora Drawings

I cleaned off Cora's dresser today and among the bird feathers, fall leaves, and lego swords and robots, I found a little book she wrote about her favorite Pokemon, Tepig.

Halloween 2014

This town has so much Halloween stuff to do!  We could have taken our kids trick-or-treating 6-7 times between all the different nursing homes and colleges and city business activities.

We decided to stick to just the church trunk-or-treat and regular trick or treating on Norris Ave this year.

I said, "Smile Ivy!" and this is what she did.

Jumping around playing Simon Says

Kids got to mummify the Branch Presidency

Ivy with her bee antenna on

Finn the Knight is eating a doughnut off of a string

My pumpkin.  We grew white ones in the garden this year.

trick or treating on Norris Ave

One house had a spooky tunnel

Finn the Knight with his friend Austin Captain America

Two little bees

Back to School

I have mixed emotions about back to school this year.  I think it hit me today when I dropped Finn off for afternoon preschool and I walked home with just Ivy how little time I have left before they're all gone to school all day long.

Here's Cora, all ready for 2nd grade that started last Friday.

And here's Finn, on his first day of preschool today.  He's at the elementary school's preschool program.  We were super lucky to get in.  They only had two spots for 4 year olds since preference goes to kids who were in the 3 year old program the year before, and it's supposed to be the best preschool in town.  He was so excited last night when we went to meet the teacher night.  He was dancing as we walked down the hall.

Here he is lined up to go in.  His friend Axel from church is also at the same preschool, and they were busy discussing Finn's Ninjago Lego shirt.

The Great Bogardus Family Vacation 2014

Rob won a teaching award this year that came with $1000.00, so we thought we'd go on a big summer vacation that didn't involve visiting family, as most of our vacations do.  We made a loop through the south-west and went to Albuquerque (where Rob served his mission), The Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde.

I've been putting off this post for so long now that I think it's best I at least put up the pictures rather than nothing at all!

Swimming in the Albuquerque hotel pool on our first night.

Ivy swimming

Albuquerque zoo

Albuquerque zoo

Albuquerque zoo

Eating real New Mexican food at Mary and Tito's

Riding the Sandia Peak tram- the longest tram in the world!

Finn on the tram

Ivy napping on the way up.

Hiking at the top- stopped for a few pictures

Family selfie on the Sandia Peak trail

Hiking with the kids

Cora's pointing out a fossil in the rock.

Ivy stopped to pick up every single pine cone, and there were thousands of them everywhere.

Nice view of the tramway from the top

At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument on the way to the Grand Canyon.

Hiking around lava rocks.

We hiked up a steep cinder cone.

We made it all the way to the top.  I was glad Rob carried Ivy.

Eating S'mOreos at the Grand Canyon campground.

Ivy had some S'mores too.

Here's our Grand Canyon campsite.

We hiked around the rim the next day.

Rob at the Grand Canyon

Here's Finn's view from one of the many visitor's centers.  He called it the "Grand Canyon Hole."

Hiking buddies

Cora resting in a giant tree.

View from the rim.

We took a bus to a sunset lookout in the evening.  Cora climbed another tree.  I see a pattern here...

Sunset view.

Ivy posing with mom as the evening got chilly.

Last vacation stop- Mesa Verde in Colorado.

The two oldest were big enough to go down into a restored Kiva.

Finn on the ladder.

Cora coming up.

We stopped at a lookout on the way back to the campground.

View from the fire lookout on the mountain top.