MISSISSIPPI!

The highlight of our vacation was Mike catching this bass out of my Dad's pond. Now, does he like fishing?

Caitlyn caught this brim!

Brooke and Caitlyn loved catching butterflies! This is their equipment they used to catch them!

The domino Tournament went on for days! Who is the winner really?

 Brooke and Catie had to swim in the cow trough at least one time with all the bugs!

This is Sophie. We took care of Lee & Lori's dog while they went to Florida! Catie was a good babysitter!

Riding in the back of Grandpa's truck!

 Watching the loggers cut and load the trees on Grandpa's land!

 This little bird layed eggs in Grandma's wreath right by the front door of the house! It was fun to watch her everyday!

We went swimming at Stephanie's beautiful pool! It was so nice to "cool" off! We had so much fun!!

4-WHEELING!

We went 4-wheeling on Monday, July5th up Spanish Fork Canyon and had the time of our life! It was so dusty but nice and cool! We drove 40 miles to see where Brooke and Catie walked on their pioneer trek!
Catie & Kendyl Madsen started out in the Yamaha Rhino!

 Our first stop was to play in the water!

I should have not worn a black shirt, it was brown from the dust!

We drove to this beautiful lake and ate lunch!

Our next stop was so Mike could wash his face in the water!
Catie, Mike, Kendyl

Catie had to demonstrate how she washed her hair here when she was hiking with the pioneers!

Our last stop was so I could play in the water! What a fun day!

STADIUM OF FIRE!

We all dressed in Red & White and then 

went to dinner at Costa Vida!

After dinner we went to the LaVelle Edwards Stadium at BYU! Carrie Underwood's concert was AMAZING! She was so entertaining and we loved every minute of it!

 Then the fireworks started! They were the best they have ever been! It was so loud and colorful!

Our favorite part of the night was the fighter jets that flew over the stadium! They were right above us!

JULY 3RD!

Mike and I decided to Hike to the "Y" to watch the hot air balloons. We got a very early start and it was so nice and cool! The balloons never made it up because of the wind! Oh well, we got a good workout!

MOM'S SCARED!

Brooke's best friend Jared got this bullet bike! Yes, Mom is scared!

EXTREME ROOM MAKEOVER!

Mike and I decided to do an "Extreme Room Makeover" for Brooke and Catie while they were gone for 4 days. We turned their pink sewing/craft room into a "Girls Lounge!" We had so much fun painting, decorating, shopping, sewing etc. to surprise them. It turned out so cute and girly!

MAPLETON NORTH STAKE PIONEER TREK!

Brooke and Caitlyn went on the Mapleton North Stake Pioneer Trek June 23rd - June 26th. They were really clean when they left. 

 This is Brooke with her brother & sisters in her family. Brooke is the first girl (left to right) on the back row. 

This is Brooke's Pioneer family. The Averett's were her Ma & Pa. 

Brooke enjoyed shooting the bow & arrow and all the other fun activites!

Taking a break - Brooke getting the bugs out of her ears!

Zac Asbell washing Brooke's hair in the bucket! Wow - it felt soooo good!

Brooke and Zac sawing the log. They won the contest in their group!

Brooke

Brooke's favorite activity was the dance! She had a great time learning new dances!

The last push! This is the handcart nearing the end of the trail - 17 miles!

Brooke and her brother Zac. They did survive as the Big Brother and Sister of their family!

Brooke telling her pa goodbye!

The handcarts!

This is the first aid trailer! The kids loved decorating it!

Caitlyn pulling her handcart! 

Caitlyn with her pioneer family!

Caitlyn - Is that dirt on your face or are you really tan? She survived and had a wonderful experience!

Catie's last pull! 

The End! This was a wonderful experience for Brooke and Catie. 300 youth from our area went and they made a lot of new friends and learned what is means to work together.  They gained a great appreciation for our Pioneers!
(You will notice there are many pictures of Brooke - Catie did not even take her camera out of her bag) but that's ok! It was worth it!!

PAINTING THE SHED!

We love our HUGE shed. We decided to put a coat of paint on it to protect it from the heat, cold, rain, snow etc.

Mike and Catie did most of the painting.

Girls Camp!

This past week we went to a beautiful cabin at Schofield for girls camp. We had a BLAST and the girls were wonderful! Everyone was so nice and kind and so anxious to help. We made the cutest crafts and enjoyed each others company! Can't wait to do it again! What a great time! Thanks 20th Ward girls!

CAMPING MEMORIAL DAY!

Caitlyn loved getting the firewood for our nightly camp fires!

Brooke did crafts with Colten and Noah!

Sunday it was so hot. Jeff, Kendyl and Caitlyn decided to relax in the shade!

Mike cooked us the best dutch oven chicken enchiladas!

Noah, Caitlyn and Kyler caught lizards!

 Lexi, Torey and Brooke hanging out!

Another Lizard Caitlyn caught!

The lizard catching crew! Colten, Kyler, Mike, Caitlyn, Brooke, Noah, Kendyl. 
We have the best time ever camping Memorial Day Weekend. We went to 5 mile pass! We rode 4-wheelers, motorcycles, ate great food, and loved being with each other! Thanks Madsen's!