Heather's Wedding

My youngest sister, Heather, got married in Snow Canyon State Park the first weekend in October. You could not have asked for a better day in the St. George area -- the blue sky and red cliffs made a beautiful backdrop for the wedding, and it was cool but not chilly. It was so good to see Heather and Mike so happy and to be there when they became husband and wife. Heather looked beautiful and serene. I'm glad she found a good guy to share her life with.

Here comes the bride ...

Some of the cousins clambered up the sandstone rocks in their fancy dresses and shoes. Sophia felt content to stay on the ground, but even I wished I could change and climb the cliffs; they looked so inviting.

Mike and Heather had a reception at the Dixie College Alumni House the evening of the wedding day. It was a great place with chandeliers, and my Mom, Dad, and brother (David) strung lights on the ceiling that gave it more of a festive air. Heather's colors were peach and light blue. The butterflies on the cake were a nice touch. It was great to see relatives and friends and people my family has known for years in the St. George area. Hooray and congratulations to Heather and Mike!


Sophia also got to enjoy playing with her younger cousin Lucy. We went to the park by the library and looked at the statues. We also rode on the merry-go-round another day with Heather and Mike.

The girls wanted to play in the water by the library and had a fun time even though they weren't really dressed for it. It will be fun to return to St. George in the summer so Nathan can come too. The cousins will have a blast playing, and it will be hot, so we'll bring swimsuits and have fun in the sun. I always like returning for a visit. "In my mind I've gone to southern Utah ... can't you feel the sunshine ..." That's how I sing it anyway; I've never been to Carolina.

Sophia's 5th Birthday

Precious Princesses

Sophia wanted a princess party for her fifth birthday. That was no surprise to me as she loves pink and tiaras and wands. She had been throwing birthday parties for her stuffed animals and dolls nearly every week this past year, so she finally got to enjoy her own. Some days she would tell me, "Today is Pepe's birthday (a dog). She is three. And tomorrow Milky Way (a cat) will be four." Sophia invited over quite a few friends, and they were the cutest princesses and had so much fun together. Sophia chose to wear her pink cotton dress since her Sleeping Beauty dress's sleeves itched her too much. She looked pretty in her pink dress, and many of the girls had fun dressing up.

The girls decorated pink foam tiaras with foam stickers.

We had pink plates and cups and pink straws and ate fruit and treats. I'm glad they all had polite princess manners. The girls played Princess, Princess, Frog instead of Duck, Duck, Goose. We also did musical chairs and a Poise Relay Race in which the girls had to walk to the couch and back while balancing a tea cup and plate on her head. They all participated and had fun playing around. We also decorated cupcakes that were strawberry with strawberry frosting.

Sophia and her friends enjoyed opening the presents and playing with them afterwards. One of my favorite parts of the party was when I called to Dan to take pictures because we were going to sing happy birthday. He was resting on the couch with his eyes closed, and the girls flocked toward him, exclaiming, "Wake up, wake up!" Dan started smiling and laughing along with them. See the video below; I captured part of it. Sophia got this Play-Doh set from Grandma and Grandpa Drake. She got lots of princess presents from friends, along with My Little Pony figures and a shirt too. She also got clothes from the Drakes and Rogers, and she loved a card from Grandpa Rogers that sang out when it opens, "Because you're the most wonderful person in the world!" It goes on to say her smile is wonderful, her teeth are wonderful, and it wishes her a wonderful birthday. She still gets the biggest smile and makes funny faces when she hears it.

I saw this bag in a store a few months before her birthday, and I knew Sophia would love it. She likes to gather up various toys and papers and put them in bags, and this one even has a pretty S on it. She also got a little pink piggy bank from friends, and Dan and I got her a ballerina princess piggy bank. She got money from Grandma and Grandpa Rogers to put in it.

Thanks Grandma D! She likes the cats on the shirt.

Sophia likes her ice cream play-doh. It looks good enough to eat (but don't!).

Nathan wanted to get in on the fun too. And he really did want to eat it. Thanks for everyone who helped Sophia have a remarkable fifth birthday! She is still celebrating parties since then. Milky Way turned four -- again -- today.

Gone Batty

Now that Halloween is around the corner, I figure it's a good time to post about our family's excursion to the Eckert James River Bat Cave near Mason this summer. We went with Dan's parents, who had visited the bat cave before and told us it would be worth the trip.

We turned onto a dirt road and then had to cross a river, and we weren't sure if our cars could make it. After we got out and inspected the depth, we went for it and made it to the other side safely. We noticed most other vehicles in the parking area were trucks, jeeps, and SUVs, but our cars were the little blue Civics that could.

We all gathered on benches above the bat cave surrounded by oak trees in the early evening. We were waiting for millions of Mexican free-tailed bats to emerge for dinner, feasting on insects in the air. While we waited for the show, the "bat Grandma" shared information about the bats and how they communicate. She told us the bats would return to Mexico after the weather cools down. The smell of guano hung in the air; now there's a great idea for a scented candle at Halloween. We spotted other wildlife in the area, including a snake (Sir Hiss), a skunk, and a rabbit.
When the bats emerged from the cave, it took my breath away. They came out in droves and flew in a spiraled pattern in perfect rhythm toward the sky. They came and came in a flurry of movement, and I marveled at how many bats the cave contained. It was an amazing sight.

The bat Grandma held one of the bats for us to see up close, and I thought it was a baby, but this is a full-grown bat. I think it's cute. One bat latched onto a lady's shirt in the front bench, but before the volunteers could get to her, it flew away. I'm glad she didn't scream. I definitely recommend the bat cave experience.


Dan ditched me and the kids one week this summer to go camping in the Uinta Mountains in Utah with his buddies. While he was gone, we went with Grandma and Grandpa to visit President Lyndon B. Johnson's ranch, farm, and his Texas White House -- his retreat from Washington, D.C., while he served as president. They had some fun activities at the ranch; the kids liked the duck race and playing marbles and jacks. They don't use running water or electricity there, and it was the first time I had seen cotton plants. It was fun to hear Grandma and Grandpa's stories of games they used to play when they were young. Grandpa said it was high stakes with the marbles on his playground, and Grandma grew up in the countryside of Brazil when she was younger, and they played a different version of jacks with rocks and made up all kinds of games with her siblings playing outside. It made me wish we weren't such suburbanites and that our kids could have lots of land to explore. Of course, my ideal locale would include mountains and clear streams, but we have yet to explore much of the spacious state of Texas too. I enjoyed the tour of the Texas White House. I thought it was interesting how he had three televisions in his office so he could check up on all the three networks said about him. Nowadays the news channels can talk about the president nonstop on cable TV. I liked seeing the decor from the 1960s in the home.

And while we learned more about a former president, this is what Dan was up to -- building a fire to kingdom come. He had a great time, and I'm glad they got to hang out together. (Dan's the good-looking guy on the far right.)

Summer ends, school begins

These pictures were taken on the first day of school. Nathan was not too keen on going back after the freedom of summer, but when I picked him up at the end of the day, he said, "Mom, I was wrong! School is fun!" He has told me about math games and fun activities with the coach in gym class. He earns champ change in his classroom for doing good work and exhibiting the school values. His teacher, Mrs. McSweeney, is fabulous. She told me a story about Nathan at the orientation. She asked all the students what they liked about school at the end of the first week. She said many of them commented about notebooks or things in the classroom, but Nathan pointed at her and said, "You!" That's my boy!




We spent many days at the pool this summer. What else is there to do with the temperature hitting triple digits? I wanted the kids to start learning to swim, so they had lessons from the lifeguard at the pool. Nathan got really good at diving for the teacher's fishes, and he learned diving techniques, and the most exciting thing is he learned to swim freestyle the entire length of the pool! That's enough to get him on swim team, which he may do in the spring. Sophia learned to put her face in the water and blow bubbles, to float on her back without tensing up (she had a lot of fear of falling under), to swim with the Elmo kick board to the deep end, and to jump into the water and swim out with a couple of strokes.

It was great to see their progress. Nathan mainly used his arms to swim down the pool, and he stopped a couple of times before reaching the other side. He told me he had to "take a break and then continue the journey." Nathan's swim teacher told me she had never had a student who stopped partway through and still swam the rest of the way. This kid is determined! He may not have had all the technique down, but he still pushed himself to meet his goal. There is still a lot for them to learn, but they have come a long way from using their floaties. Nathan wrote in his writing journal at school about swimming the length of the pool as one of his favorite summer events. He also wrote about getting the video game Magika, which he has played ever since Dan got it a month ago.



Now that Nathan is eight years old, he's an official Cub Scout. The wolf pack has lots of enthusiasm. He has some great leaders who have helped him make a drum, a belt, and s'mores, and he's only just begun. I can see some real growth in him already, and I'm glad this program is around for boys to learn skills and how to serve. I like the motto, Do Your Best, because I want Nathan to know that is how to approach every new challenge.



The kids had fun going for a horse ride at our stake Pioneer Day activity on July 23. They got a hay ride and played horseshoes and pretended to milk a cow and won tickets they redeemed for snow cones and popcorn. And their Mommy lassoed a steer, which is much easier when it's not real. We had a lot of fun times this summer, but I also look forward to the fall. I like the excitement of a new school year and the changing seasons -- or at least hopefully some relief from this drought and heat.

Adventures with Grandma & Grandpa D

What happens when Grandma and Grandpa Drake come to Texas for the first time? We have all kinds of adventures! Since San Antonio has a lot to offer, we made the most of our time with my parents. On Nathan's birthday, July 1, we went to the Enchanted Springs Ranch in nearby Boerne. They have all kinds of buildings that look like a page from Western films -- saloons, a post office, a chapel, a trading post, and a dining hall that all look fit for a movie set in the wild West. We watched Pistol Packin' Paula, a two-time world champion, twirl and shoot her guns and crack a bullwhip.


The kids area had fun horse swings, a fort with a slide, and a children-sized jail and saloon. Nathan kept on wanting to return to play there.

The kids tried to make the stuffed pianist's hands play the piano.

Oh no! Grandma's in the slammer! Where's the sheriff of this town?


Pistol Packin' Paula also took just our family on a tour of the land showing a wide variety of animals she cares for, such as zebra, reindeer, longhorn cattle, and Asian deer. When she heard it was Nathan's birthday, she gave him a signed photo of herself with her pistols. We also saw buffalo, goats, and even Petunia the pig around the ranch.

Nathan was worried about the horns, but he decided to be brave and get in the saddle to ride on Woodrow. He liked sitting up high.
Sophia decided if Nathan could do it, she could do it too. She's "following the leader wherever he may go."

Nathan's a rootin' tootin' cowboy!

Watch out for cowgirl Sophia and her lasso!

That evening we had a family party with all the grandparents and some Texas barbecue for dinner courtesy of Rudy's. We ate brisket, baked beans, potato salad, cream corn (with real cream -- so delicious), and we had chocolate cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. Nathan opened gifts that included items for his baptism as mentioned in that post, and he also got a trampoline and clothes from G&G Drake and money to put towards a bicycle from G&G Rogers. Nathan also got a doggy bank, a zhu zhu pet and DS game, and a Swiss army knife from me and Dan.

Sophia also got a few outfits and matching jammies for her and baby doll Emma.


Dan and I have seen the signs for the Natural Bridge Caverns in New Braunfels many times as we have traveled from the Houston area to San Antonio, and we decided it was high time to visit them when my Dad, the rock hound, was in town -- plus now our kids are older to appreciate it. I was surprised to learn the caverns were discovered as recently as 1960 by four students from St. Mary's University. That would be so cool to crawl through passageways and stumble upon a room filled with natural wonders. We went on the Discovery Tour, which comprises the first half mile developed by the landowners and contains the most impressive formations.

This is the one rock everyone was allowed to touch. I wonder how many thousands have touched it since the caverns were made public ...


The rooms of the caverns were spacious, and there was so much to see, from soda straws and the chandelier stalactites on the ceiling to the throne-like structures and skinny scepter-shaped stalagmites. The various areas had splendid names, such as the "Valley of the Fallen Lords."

The cavern goes down 180 feet, and as we went down and explored and even got dripped on, Nathan would say, "This is so cool!" Sophia liked it too, but she wanted to be carried when it got dark or there were drop-offs beyond the metal railing.

Nathan's favorite formation was the Watchtower.

Grandpa got a bag for Nathan and Sophia to pan for gemstones at the sluice after the tour. They came away with some colorful stones!

Watch out, kids! You're on a dinosaur's back!

On the Fourth of July, we had a big breakfast and took it easy at our place. We went swimming and had hamburgers and hot dogs. Fireworks were banned almost everywhere in San Antonio due to the drought, so we watched the festivities in Washington, D.C., and in Boston instead. The day after that my parents and the kids and I went to Market Square, where the kids each picked out a toy among tons of Mexican pottery and clothes and decorations, and then to the Concepcion Mission. I had been there almost 10 years ago, and I had forgotten what it looked like and read about the Spanish Friars. This mission is the most well preserved. There are other missions, but then we decided to head downtown to see the Alamo.


First we watched the IMAX film, which helped Nathan learn what the big deal was all about with the Alamo. Now he knows the fate of Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie and the other brave men who died there and sparked the desire for independence. Then we went to see the real deal, and we came 10 minutes before it closed; I didn't think it would close so early (5:30 p.m.), especially in the summertime. My Dad said the Alamo was smaller than he expected; it's much smaller than the Concepcion mission. Then we went to the Riverwalk and bought tickets for the boat tour. My Mom bought the kids gelato, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Sophia with Grandma D on the Riverwalk boat tour

We ended the day by meeting up with Dan at the Casa Rio Mexican restaurant on the Riverwalk. We listened to a beautiful traditional love song while we ate chips and salsa. We talked while the kids watched the ducks in the water. It was a wonderful ending to a fun day. It was great to have my parents stay with us and to show them around the city we now call home. Our children loved playing, touring, and swimming with them. We're glad they made the trip out and hope they will come back again -- the sooner the better!