Happy Birthday Cami and Malia!!

Look at her go! Malia got a big girl bike for her birthday. We couldn't wait to give it to her, so we broke it out early. She is loving it and is actually getting faster every day. Thanks to Grandpa Vaun and Grandma Anya for bringing it up from my parents' house.

It's too bad this picture below turned out so blurry...but, it cracks me up because you can see Kate waving through the window in the background. :) Alder and Malia had fun putting on a little puppet show for us all. Look how tall Alder is getting!! Can we have some of this cake yet???
Wooops, we didn't get any pictures of the fellow birthday girl, Cami. We hope her day was great today! :)

Cecret Lake

This evening we enjoyed our annual hike to Cecret Lake as a family. However, now that Alder has discovered that salamanders live in the lake this might become a more frequent event! The salamanders were cool to watch as they swam beneath the surface, rising occassionally for a breath of air before diving back down. This was the first time any of us had seen a salamander in the wild and Alder remarked that he could "watch them all day it's so cool!"

On the return hike we watched a deer graze for a while and then, as we approached the parking lot, we saw a HUGE bull moose. He too was grazing and even though we kept our distance we were all a bit nervous given his size. Finally, to cap off the evening, we saw a hawk circling above the car that let out a cry straight from the movies.

The Nielson BBQ

Here are some photos of the family feast in Mark & Cami's backyard. The food was amazing, and the kids played until tears flowed freely.

Millcreek Hike

Here are a few shots of the men only hike from last Saturday up Millcreek Canyon.  Sorry ladies, the subject matter discussed was too testosterone filled for your ears.  Thanks go to Mark for getting us out.

A Typical Sunday Dinner at the Batemans

I just had to share these adorable pictures of Henry and Owen and their favorite "Baby Tessa" from about February 2008.

Notice that Owen can't keep his hands off Tessa's food (which is unusual, since Owen rarely wants to eat)

He's Home! He's Home! He's Home!

Yea, I'm almost 3 months late with this blog entry, but oh well. All of you already know...Tyson's home from Iraq!

Here are some pictures of our joyous family reunion.

Tyson and the other returning soldiers from his flight. (This was only a fraction of the 4000 soldiers from Tyson's batallion who were returning from deployment).

Do Tyson and I look happy, or what? The two of us are thrilled, but Henry and Owen don't know what to think.

Tyson and his boys

Owen was fascinated with his daddy's Army hat.

That's Tyson's Tante (Aunt) Sanne in the background. She and her husband (Uncle Gene) took time off work to see Tyson come home.

Welcome home decorations at our home.

It's hard to see in this picture, but our nice, "rocker" neighbor across the street, put up red, white, and blue lights and a big sign that said "Welcome Home Neighbor."

It's hard to believe that 3 months have passed since Tyson returned home from Iraq. We're so blessed for his safe return home. Thank you for your prayers for Tyson and our family.

Nicki

Popsicles and bubbles...

Who could ask for anything more on a hot July day? Our stake had a party at the park. We were grateful for the shady trees!

Frog Hunters

Kate hoped it would turn into a Prince!

Kate is Cute

Gymnastics Competition

Kate competed in her first gymnastics competition yesterday afternoon and did great! While she didn't place in her group, the experience was positive and she's excited to do it again next year. Plus, she was awarded a cool medal. This year was more of a learning experience anyway as her instructor asked last week if she wanted to perform a more difficult routine that incorporated back handsprings (which she just learned). Of course she said yes and while her legs need some straightening on her back handsprings, she was able to finish the routine and complete all of the required elements. To make the afternoon even better, Grandma Toni was able to watch.

Pass #1
Score: 9.0



Pass #2
Score: 8.0



Pass #3
Score: 7.5

Family Home Shredding

Kate rips the dh on her rigid singlespeed:









Alder and Kate tear up the short track: