September Random Pictures

My sister Ashley brought the family out for a few days and I apparently didn't take many pictures, which is too bad, because her kids are adorable. 

My sister's oldest, Isabel, is wise beyond her years and knows it. I get a kick out of her. She was telling Mike some of the various things she could do. Mike said, "Well I can unload the dishwasher." She rolled her eyes and said, "Anyone can do that!" Mike then said, "Prove it!" and she did. They were both quite impressed by themselves.

A local marathon/bike race needed aid station volunteers, so we all woke up REALLY early and helped out. The kids would look from a hill to see if anyone was coming and then run back to tell us. 

Visiting Starleyville AKA Fillmore- Lava tubes and hot springs

When we bought our pop up from my cousin I thought we'd have it for a few years. I'd wanted one for a years, and this one was a great deal. There was plenty of room and I imagined towing it all around Utah. Then we went to the RV show. Mike kept saying that everyone told him he'd want a "real" trailer now that he had a pop up. I disagreed. At first. Towards the end of September we bought Casa de Starley numero dos. (I just made that name up without consulting Mike. I'm sure he'll love it, because he loves all things Spanish) We decided we needed to try it out ASAP, so we planned a visit to a place we've never been before. I like to look to Utah's Adventure Family for ideas, because they have kids our kids age and always have good suggestions. They mentioned the Lava Tubes and warm springs in Fillmore Utah. We had no idea these places existed. 

The first night there we heard a "THUMP" in the middle of the night. I yelled "Adam!" knowingly and Mike and I both ran into the bunk house. (yes, our trailer has a bunk house where we can banish the kids, although they don't know they're being banished) Adam had rolled off his bunk and was lying on the ground. I think he was too stunned at first to be scared. He obviously wanted to switch bunks the next night and we put a towel under the bunk to raise the side a little so no one would fall off. Who knew trailer camping could be so dangerous?

It was unusually cold, so we all bundled up. The lava tubes were so cool! We all had headlamps on and walked through the two nearest the parking lot. Had it been warmer, we would have looked around more. It's an area you could spend an entire day exploring.

Steven, Mr. Adventure, decided to ditch the path and climb up a steep hill. No one wanted to follow him, but I made sure to take pictures to document his feat or daring adventure. You can see him tucked away on the hill if you look close.

After the lava tubes we visited the warm springs. They are on private farm land, but the owners allow people to come visit. There are three pools with three levels of heat. The first one is the warmest, but there were quite a few people, so we went to the second. It wasn't warm enough, so after a while we imposed upon the people in the smaller pool. The kids borrowed a pair of goggles from some random people and explored the pool. It started raining, and was quite cold, so we didn't stay too long.

On Saturday evening Sarah and I snuggled in the queen size bed to watch the Women's Conference. We woke up Sunday morning to snow on the car and trailer, which meant it was time to head home. We had 1:30 church (don't be jealous) so there was plenty of time to make it home, shower quickly in hot water, and make it in time.

Family Pictures

As most people know, having family pictures taken can be a daunting task. The outfits, location, colors, weather, KIDS, etc. We wanted to do spring pictures this year, but the timing just didn't work out. The outfits I got were definitely spring-ish, so when we made it to Albion Basin, it made for some bright pictures. My kiddos are still super cute which is a win.

Revel Big Cottonwood Half Marathon

On September 9th I ran the Revel BC Half Marathon. I felt prepared for this and was happy with my time. I wanted a 1:45 and squeaked in with a 1:45:57. I'll take it! :)

Bear World

On the way home from Yellowstone we went through Bear World since Adam was in my belly the last time we went. It's way over-priced, BUT, if you only go once every eight years, it isn't bad.