Utah fun

After battling through a lot of technical/picassa difficulties I was FINALLY able to make some collages of our summer fun!

Lake Powell!

Summer is not summer without a trip to Lake Powell. We have so many fun memories of time spent there with family and friends. These are some pictures from this trip and some from a few years ago of the fun we have at Powell.

The highlights from this year were fishing fun (it's the reason Kevin goes :), Palmer learned how to knee board, and he decided to be brave and jump off the back of the houseboat into the water! This was huge for him, he's usually pretty timid with stuff like this. We also saw our first scorpion and Preston learned how to skin a snake. We had a huge wind storm one day and our tent ended up blowing over and up the beach, that was a new one for me.

Lake Powell is one our favorite places. Between playing on the beach and playing in the water it's non-stop fun for the kiddos. Great times with great people!!

Summer time!

We celebrated 2 birthdays. Preston in June and Nick in July.

Preston is now 10 and we've been parents for a decade! It has gone by crazy fast. Preston wanted to celebrate his big day by going to Chile's for the queso, and then we bought him a new bike. I don't have a picture up, but it's a blue mountain bike. He also wanted to have a golf ball cake, and because he is so old now, he HAD to light the candles. I can't believe he's ten. He is getting so grown up and we are having a lot of fun with him.

Nick turned 6 in July. My baby is six and a first grader!!! Nick was able to spread out his birthday fun over a weekend so he decided that he should have extra treats to celebrate. He wanted carrot cake for a bbq on Saturday night, and pumpkin pie for a Kemp family dinner on Sunday. He also got Lego Harry Potter for the Wii and was in heaven. Nick is our little comedian and he always has us laughing. He makes an excellent caboose for our family!

The kids had a fun summer of playing, swimming, riding bikes, and hanging out. Nick finally mastered riding a two-wheeler! He was very excited to dump the training wheels and be able to cruise. Palmer got a little carried away with the bikes and ended up with some pretty gruesome road rash. Kaydie and Preston had their first "camp out" in Grandma's back yard. They were pretty proud that they were the only ones brave enough to sleep out without a tent. We tried out making homemade ice cream in plastic bags one night for FHE. Some of us ate smores made from gigantic marshmallows when we celebrated the 4th of July. We went to the Kearns "bucket" pool and had a blast playing in the different pools, standing under the bucket, and diving off the spring boards and diving platform. We also spent a lot of time at the SJ pool, and spent one afternoon playing at Gateway. Some of our days were spent hanging out, but we tried to make the most of our summer "vacation"!

Temple Square

One of our summer days was spent at Temple Square. We should have made it 2 days! We started out taking the shuttle for a tour of Welfare Square. I thought it would be a fun experience for the kids to see a part of what my calling is, and learn about the food they've helped me deliver. At first they were a little bored with the idea of a tour, but once we watched the video and started seeing everything they had a lot of fun. We got to see the warehouse where all the canned food is stored, loaves of bread being sliced and put into bags, and the favorite was the dairy. We saw 40 lb. bricks of cheese being cut and the dairy equipment being washed. The dairy was the favorite because this is at the end of the tour and you get to sample food, including the world's best chocolate milk! Even at the end of the day, after everything we did, that was the favorite part.





After our tour we checked out the south visitor's center and then it was time for lunch. We went to the cafe at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was fun to eat there and check out the beautiful building. After lunch we headed to the Beehive House and Lion House. The tour of the Beehive House left the kids wanting to build a new house like that to live in.





We went to the Relief Society Building to go to the Resource Center in the basement (for me). The kids had fun playing on the computers and standing by the giant scriptures. We also walked around the grounds to look at the flowers and fountains. I hadn't taken my kids to Temple Square other than to see the Christmas lights. It was so much fun to be there in nice weather and to see the beautiful summer sights.





To round out the day we went to the Church History Museum across the street. It was SO much fun. I was sad we saved it for last because we ran out of time. There is so much fun stuff to see. We took pictures by a huge Angel Moroni and standing behind Pres. Hinckley's podium that was in the Conference Center. There was also a fun kids area and my favorite was displays of memorabilia from all of the prophets.





I was sad that Kevin wasn't able to spend the day with us, but it was still a very good day. It was a lot of fun being with the kids and watching them get excited to see the temple.

Timpanogos Cave

One of our last big adventures was hiking up to Timpanogos Cave. Neither Kevin or I had ever done it before, and we wanted to try it out now that the kids were all old enough to go too. Grandma and Grandpa decided they were up for a work out and came with us. We left early and I was glad we did, because that hike is pretty steep. The kids weren't so sure it was a good idea once we got walking up a steep trail and would not be able to ride piggy-back. It is defiantly not a hike for a hot day! We took our time and slowly but surely we made it up to the cave.





It was a lot of fun touring the caves. There were a lot of cool rock formations to see. We had fun squishing through openings, ducking under low ceilings, and seeing what total darkness looks like.





The hike down was faster than the one going up, but harder on our legs. At the bottom the kids thought they were starving so we got some lunch at the restaurant. Yummy corn dogs and pizza.





When I think of all the fun things there are to do in Utah I realize that there are lots of them I've never done. I'm glad we took the time to see and do some fun new things while we spent our summer back home. I say back home because Utah will always be home, and the kids refuse to call themselves anything but Utahns.

One heck of a hole

Since we are residents of Kansas now, we figured we would do our best to be Utah tourists during our stay this summer. One of our stops was the Bingham Canyon Mine. It was the first time any of us had been to see it. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours. It is an amazing site to see, and very intereseting to learn about.



The mine is 2 3/4 miles across and 3/4 of a mile deep. It is very hard to get a picture that shows how massive it is. We were all very impressed. We spent some time wandering around the platform that overlooks the pit, and when we were hot we went inside the Visitor's Center to look at displays and watch a short movie. I was worried my kids would get bored because this was a "learning" activity, but they really enjoyed reading the different displays.



What impressed them the most is how everything is SO BIG! This hauler is huge! Notice the stair case along the front. To get an idea of HOW BIG these trucks are......

.....this is how BIG those tires are!

And to give you an idea how big the pit is.....

See all those vehicles on the road way across the way? Yep, those are those BIG trucks!


I can't believe it took me so long to make the drive up to the mine. It was a fun, inexpensive trip to take where we got to see a lot of cool stuff, and learn a little too. It's fun being a tourist!

Catching up...

I'm so crazy behind on being up to date, so let's pretend it's early June instead of July.....then this isn't so late!

First up, the little Kempers finished school back on May 18th. I can't believe how fast the school year went!

This is Nick with his teacher Mrs. Hall. She was so wonderful and Nick loved being in her class.

This is Kaydie and Mrs. Garcia. We love Mrs. Garcia! She made Kaydie's year one we will never forget. It was year full of fun and smiles.

Here is Palmer and Mrs. Oliver. She will always be one of our favorite teachers!

Not pictured is Preston. He rotated between three 4th grade teachers and had a great time with all of them. On the last day his teachers were not out at the back of the school for photo opps. Preston learned a lot this last year and was glad to have teachers who pushed him to do his best.

What a fun, crazy year we had; one down two to go!

The last weekend we spent in Kansas before our crazy summer started we had a fun Friday. We pulled the kids out of school a little early and headed for Science City and a Royals Game.

The Royals game was great. We went with families from the JRC and took up about 3 rows. The Royals won! Preston was rooting for the White Sox thus the whiner look on his face. It was hilarious to watch some of the dads tease him whenever the Royals scored.

It was also a fireworks night. We had a blast during out last spring weekend in Kansas.

The next week in Kansas saw the last day of school, and then the insane preparations to be gone for 2 months! Our townhome was going to be renovated while we were away, so not only did we have to pack up what we were taking with us, but we had to pack up pretty much everything else! We moved furniture around and covered it in plastic, packed up our kitchen and put it in the basement, and loaded a ton of stuff in the car! It was another uneventful drive to Utah, and that's just the way we like it! We were all excited to get to Utah and see our friends and family here. I think Mother Nature wasn't as excited to see us, because after only being here a few days she greeted us with snow!

These were taken on May 24 if I remember right. Of course the next day was sunny and beautiful, but it was definitely a wacky Monday. Especially because some friends in Kansas texted me to say they were playing in the sprinklers that same day!

Welcome to Utah!

what a weekend!

May is an especially crazy month around the Kemp home. This last weekend was no exception, only it was a VERY GOOD kind of crazy!

First up, Palmer was baptised!

We had so much fun watching how excited Palmer was. For a while he couldn't decide where he wanted to be baptised. Kansas, Utah?; We had several chats about it, letting him know what the pros and cons were for each decision, then let him choose. I was a little surprised when he finally chose to be baptised in Kansas, but I am glad he did.

He was baptised along with two other girls in our ward. It was such a neat service. The spirit was there and I know he felt it. The talk was given by a friend who used to be in the Primary Presidency, she gave the kids an awesome baptism object lesson with used pennies. She showed them a dingy penny, but then showed them how it can become clean again. When they are baptised by someone with the authority they can be washed clean. She had the kids put their pennies into a cup of water (baptism) then had them add in baking soda (priesthood authority). When they took their pennies out they were nice and shiny again. This also helped demonstrate to them the principle of repentance. Then she gave them each a 2002 uncirculated penny, telling them that they would be like the uncirculated penny after they were baptised. Her lesson was so awesome! I know Palmer will always remember his baptism service because of this talk. Thank you Sunny!!!!

Here's the fam.

Palmer loves his suit. He's all about the look. Every Sunday I get a kick out of watching him put together suit, shirt, and tie to make sure he looks like a missionary. Nick also thought it would be a good idea to go as a missionary. He's wearing Kevin's name tag.

This was such a special Saturday. I am so thankful for these special times that bring our family closer together. I am also thankful for my kids and for all the lessons they teach me. I hope I will always have the same enthusiasm for living the Gospel that they do.



Next up, Kaydie's birthday and Mother's Day!

This was the cake Kaydie had to have! She has a cookbook with this cake on the cover and wanted to recreate it. This was ALL she wanted to do ALL weekend! I tried out making fondant for the first time ever to give it a prettier look, I hope I pulled it off!



Our version was a little different from the one on the book, but I don't think she minded too much! She was pretty pleased with her handy work. The little balls are Starbursts that we cut in half, heated up, and rolled into balls. She and I had a fun time making her cake together, which was good, because after all that work to make it she didn't eat much of it!

She woke up at 7:30 so excited for presents. She got a Strawberry Shortcake play set. I was a little worried that she is maybe too old, but she loves it!

I can't believe she is 7! My little surprise baby girl is growing up way too fast! My sweet Kaydie is becoming a young lady, and although I am excited, it's a little sad.

Happy Birthday sweetheart! We love you!!

Kaydie and I had fun sharing a special Sunday together. We got a yellow bouquet of flowers and stuffed french toast from Kevin. He made sure his girls had a great day.

Time is flying by. Kevin will be finished with his first year of law school in 3 days! With everything that is going on right now I am so glad we had this weekend to take time to be together. It was such a special weekend for our family. A time to focus on each other and to celebrate the important things in life.

Happy Birthday Palmer!

Palmer is now 8 years old! Where does the time go?

For his birthday we decided to go with some friends and check out a place called Science City.

It is in Kansas City, and it is our new favorite place.

At Science City you can......

dig for dinosaur bones

play "science golf" where balls fly through the air

check out the space shuttle potty!

learn how to fly the space shuttle

wrestle a gator

check out some critters

practice your high-wire act!

(if you're tall enough)

Preston is strapped to the bike, but the bike is NOT hooked

to the wire! You can read how the science works below.

fly a helicopter

and so many more things we didn't get pictures of.

We had so much fun we bought a yearly pass so we can go back for more!

Palmer said it was the best birthday!

And then there was the cake.

Palmer drew a design of what he wanted this year's Star Wars cake to look like....

.... just right!

Happy birthday buddy!

We love you!!

Little Mr. Robot

Some kids do funny things; this kid IS funny, he has a sense of humor WAY beyond his 5 years! This was his birthday song to Palmer. Not sure who, where, when or how he learned this, but it cracked us all up!

On the Road Again

April 20th was a BIG night for the Kempers. It was our first concert!

We told the kiddos on Easter that we had tickets to see Willie Nelson and the count down began. Nick was the most excited. He asked me if he could make a poster that said "Willie Rocks!" As funny as I thought that would be I had to say no, the concert was not at the right venue for signs.

Kevin has always been a Willie fan, I also enjoy his music. I can give a lot of credit to Lyle and Ashleigh for our little Willie fans. They gave us Guitar Hero World Tour which has "On the Road Again" on it. We all know the words to that song by heart because of Guitar Hero, and because they liked to hear that song when we were in the car we've listened to a lot of Willie ever since.

The kids were SO excited when he finally came out. I forgot about the warm up bands that play at concerts, and Nick was really irritated that he had to wait an extra hour. If I had planned better I would have arrived later so we would have missed the waits at the door, and then the wait in our seats. But, the wait was worth it to see the kids' faces when Willie came out on stage.

Preston and I played photogs. These pictures were of us taking pictures of each other at the same time.

This is Nick's tired/mad/sad face during the warm up band. The saddest thing for me about the whole night was that after Nick had been SO excited for so long, he fell asleep after Willie had only been playing like 10 or 15 minutes. He slept on my lap until we got up to leave.

Kaydie was not tired, and had a great time. She's the night owl who can stay up for anything.

He started out he concert wearing a ball cap. After a few songs he threw it into the crowd. Then he put on the signature bandana. He had 6 or 7 of them, he would wear one for a bit then throw it to a fan. He didn't talk a lot in between songs, but he played for 1 1/2 hours.

The boys had fun. It was a late night and after a while Palmer had had enough and wnated to go home because he was tired. At 10:15 we could tell the show was wrapping up, and Palmer was claiming to have a stomach ache so we ended up leaving a little early.

See the bandana.

At the end he was out of bandanas.

There were a lot of people who looked at us with funny expressions on their faces when they saw a young family at a Willie Nelson concert. There were not many kids. A lot of people have thought it was funny that we are even fans at all. It's all good. I'm glad we were able to take our kids to see a music legend. I know Willie Nelson is an old pot head, but he is an awesome musician. He is amazing on that guitar. We had a fun time despite the fact the kids were tired and got a little bored towards the end. It will be great memory for them.

I always laugh that my first concert was New Kids On the Block. Lame-o! I think it will be awesome that our kids can say their first concert was to see a legend who was around for decades, even if it was the pot that kept him going for so long!!