My mom and dad came to visit this weekend! They arrived Thursday evening for dinner and stayed through Sunday morning. I always love visiting with them and having them in my home!  We got to do some special things while they were here, too! On Friday night, the YSA stake had reservations at the Faith Walk at the Heber Valley youth camp. It was so powerful! It's a 1.3 mile walk through the trees on a dimly lit path. You listen to a recorded track on headphones the whole way. Along the way there are pictures of Christ and displays and you hear music and quotes and inspirational quided meditations as you go. It was a reminder to me of the healing power of Christ's love to heal the magnitude of personal suffering all around us. I loved it and I was so glad my dad could go with us, too!

On Saturday, another special event was that my mom and I got to go to the temple together! We didn't have an appointment but we got right in and we were side by side the whole time. I love the beauty and connecting power of God's plan for us. That evening, Sarah, Mariah, Kolby, and their kiddos came over. We had hamburgers outside and then a big group watched the football game. It's been a super fun weekend!

Bethany went to Homecoming this week! For the day date, they went up to Sundance, rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain and had a picnic. Then home for a break and to get ready. Lyla and Avery both wanted to help, but Sarah and Cali were the real helpers! She got picked up for the dance around 5:30, then they met with their group for pictures, dinner, and the dance. She had a really fun time and looked beautiful!

Benjamin ran in the Border Wars cross country meet yesterday and got his best time yet! He has been training hard all week. He even came home from the meet yesterday and ran six more miles to get his mileage in for the week! Wow! Go Ben! He is really sticking to his goal to stay off the computer. He's behind in some classes but he's working hard to get caught up and we see him at the kitchen table working on homework more often than we see him on screens. He's also running alot, too, of course. What a guy!

Chey had a rough week. She's a UVU student and was on campus when Charlie Kirk was shot at an outdoor event there this week. She had been at the event just five minutes before but left to meet some friends in the building next door. She was unharmed and mostly removed from the panic. It's still been hard, though. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the week and part of next. Chey and her UVU friends have spent time together in support and that's been good for all of them. Otherwise, Chey has a million things going on so she doesn't have much time to dwell on it! She worked two all night shifts at the hospital last week. She also worked her 4:30am shift at the temple and coached her girls' tennis meet. She went on four dates this week--two of them in the same night.

Cali has also been busy. She has lots of homework to do now that classes have started. She also has her job as a peer mentor so she is on-campus early in the morning to late afternoon most days. She is also working a temple shift and trying to see her sweet fiance now and then, too! On Saturday, she and her sisters went on a 14 mile run. Afterwards, Cali went and played some tennis. So much to do!

Savannah had a great week. She took Sarah's kids to the park on Monday, cooked dinner for us on Tuesday, babysat Micah on Wednesday, went to institute on Thursday, and on Saturday she took care of her bees and got work done on Mariah and Kolby's t-shirt quilt. Go Savannah!

Kevin hosted the YSA ward at our house on Monday. He personally cooked over 100 hamburgers! We had a great turnout and it was a lot of fun. He also, on Saturday, traded in his leased vehicle for his favorite electric vehicle--a Kia EV6. It's bright red and really stands out against the five white cars in our driveway, but otherwise it's pretty exciting. Plus, it goes 270 miles on a charge. Cool!

Monday was Labor Day and also Lyla's birthday! She turned two years old! She is such a cutie and we love her to pieces! Sarah combined Lyla's birthday celebration with the Hatch's Labor Day party in Brent's backyard. The Skinners were all invited and we had a great time! We ate burgers, visited, and watched Avery and Lyla run with the Hatch cousins and play in the sprinklers. Then we watched Lyla open presents and blow out the candles on her Megan-made cake! It was a happy, happy day.

For lunch on Labor Day, we went up the canyon for a picnic with Grandma Gazdik. The boys played some Bocce ball but the most fun we had was trying to take engagement pictures for Cali and Richmond. They ended up getting "real" pictures taken later this week but we did get some that I thought turned out pretty good!

Ben had a full week of school although he did miss Friday because of a cross country meet. He has spent some time at home working on homework so that is a good sign that he is getting his work done and that it is important to him. Cross country is going well! He ran a 19:09 on Friday and was super pleased with it. He gets invited to get-togethers on Fridays and Saturdays and seems to be making a good group of friends. There's a lot of good things happening in his life!

Bethany and I went back to Primary Children's Hospital on Thursday to meet with Dr. Chan who is a specialist in HO (Hypothalamic Obesity). We are lucky to get to meet with her. After meeting with her, we met with her on-staff dietician, behavioral therapist, and medication nurse. We have a plan for moving forward. I feel hopeful. Beth is trying to feel hopeful. She did have a big moment of joy this week when she got asked to go to Homecoming next weekend. She is so excited to be able to go!

Chey had school all week and worked all night at the hospital one of the days. She also worked three days for her tennis-coaching job and worked her 4:30am temple shift one morning. Oh, and don't forget the marathon training. They ran 18 miles Saturday morning and that took four hours. She is a busy girl! She still manages to keep up with her social life which this week included four dates--three were first dates and one was a second date. I am so happy when I get to see her and am so glad she is living at home!

Cali is also busy! She started school this week on Wednesday! So she is back to classes and homework. In addition, the hours for her peer mentoring job have ramped up and she is now in full-swing with those responsibilities. She attends two "Univ" classes which help Freshmen get a good start on their college career in addtion to her own classes. Oh, and don't forget the marathon training! Yep, 18 miles on Saturday--not to mention all the runs throughout the week. They have really taken on a big project with that! Cali and I also managed to do some wedding planning on Saturday. She is such a hard worker and accomplishing so much. I am also so glad that she is living at home and I get to see her!

Savannah worked this week. She also did babysitting for each of her sisters who are mothers. She is always willing to help and they are so grateful for her!

Cali and Cheyenne turned 21 this week! We were so happy to have them home for their birthday! All the fam came to celebrate and Grandma G, too! We decided to do Chinese food for their dinner and when asked their favorite foods in Taiwan, they got super excited to do Poke bowls. The rest of us have never had this but we dived in! It turns out that you start with a lettuce and rice base and add all sorts of things on top. Sarah, Megan, Mariah, and I all provided five toppings. It turned out so yummy and was a ton of fun! We had brownies and ice cream for dessert, sang Happy Birthday, and opened presents. We love those girls. They are so amazing and I am so filled with gratitude to have them in my life.

Also, on Saturday, Kevin and I took the 4 wheeler up Camel's Back. It was beautiful!