McAlister Matters

  The end of Summer came and school started on Thursday last week. We have Penny starting 1st, Paul starting 3rd, Juniper starting 5th and Kahlan starting 8th grade!  We went to back to school night at Tolman Elementary and met their new teachers. The girls all got new haircuts for the new year. Although I believe this Summer was really enjoyable for them all, they are very happy to be back at school with their friends.  Sarah and I were able to go on a backpacking adventure this year. The kids stayed at Sarah's parents house for a few nights. We went up to the High Uintas to hike up to Red Castle Lake. It was quite a long way to hike in, about 11 miles.  The first day was tough but the trail was pretty and took us thru forests and meadows. We saw 1 moose on the way up, some horses and lots of cows. It took us about 9 hours to finally get to a campsite at the lower lake. We got rained on pretty hard a few times in the afternoon and had to get out our trusty ponchos. ...

  Kahlan turned 13! We had a small party with the cousins over and she made some cute ears for everyone to wear. She wanted cinnamon rolls and ice cream sandwiches. Kahlan is awesome! She's clever, funny, creative, a great big sister and a hard worker. She's had a daily babysitting job this summer taking care of two kids each morning. She was so excited to turn 13 so she could ride in the front seat in the car and watch PG-13 movies.   It's been a very hot Summer. Sarah and I are planning to do a backpacking adventure this month. We've done a few tough hikes and bike rides to get in shape. Last weekend we did a 12-mile mountain bike trail. It was rough. I'm also starting to train to do a half-marathon in October. The kids have been enjoying their Summer and have been busy playing with friends, reading, swimming and growing mustaches. Click for pics!