Support Our Troops

Last week my BIL left for Iraq for his 3rd tour of duty. His wife is pregnant with their 3rd child, a little girl, and they have 2 adorable boys. These men and women who go and fight for our freedoms and for our country really do sacrifice a lot. Seeing what my sweet SIL goes through makes me all the more appreciative. I hope Kyle knows how much we love him, how proud we are of him, and how much we'll miss him. Let's try to remember to keep him and all the soldiers out their fighting for us in our prayers.

Saying good-bye to his boys.

Ari and her soldier, Sgt. Love

1st Grade Program

The first grade put on a cute little program. They were supposed to walk down to the park and sing for us and then we were supposed to have a picnic there. Afterwards, the kids were going to be able to play at the park. But, once again the weather has been crazy.

Instead they had their program in the cafeteria and it turned out to be so cute. They sang some cute songs. My favorite one was one about jelly beans. S loves to sing. He gets a cute little smile on his face when he sees me watching him. And then that makes him sing even louder. I love it. After they sang, we ate together in the cafeteria. After a little while, S ended up eating with 2 of his friends who didn't have parents there.

I wanted a picture of the two of us together. This was the pose that he wanted to do. I think it turned out pretty darn cute. Boy, do I love that kid!

My Little Graduate

My little J graduated from Kindergarten last Thursday. I can hardly believe it. How did that happen? It was a bittersweet day for me. I'm excited for her, for her future. She is growing up so fast and is truly enjoying her life right now. She's excited to be a big first grader and to get to eat lunch at school like her brothers and sister. She takes on each new thing with wonder and excitement. She has a love for learning. She is a little sweetheart, but can get a bit moody. I'm afraid I'm in for it. I love watching as my kids grow and love watching each stage they go through.

But, at the same time, I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe my youngest will be gone all day at school next year. For the last 10 years I've been SO busy with little ones running circles around me all day long. I'll still be busy, but in a different way. There won't be as much cuddle time, or as many hugs and kisses. I won't be the most important person in their lives any more. I know this is part of them growing up and it's not bad, it'll just be an adjustment. I love being a mom. It's the best thing I've every done. EVER. I love watching my kids grow. I hope the best for them and hope they remember a happy childhood.

J's program was darling. They sang some cute songs, which of course made me cry. I don't know what it is about watching the kids sing, but when they do I always get teary. She did a great job and had a huge smile on her face the whole time. After the program they had a little BBQ, which ended up being inside since our weather has been so crazy. But with all that, it turned out to be a wonderful day!

Congrats, graduate!

Golfing

(Yeah, that's me golfing! Don't I look like a pro?!?)

Last weekend, DH and I went to go visit my wonderful brother Alec and his family in Boise. We had a blast! DH and Alec really wanted to go golfing, so we did. I'm not a golfer. To tell you the truth I was kind of dreading it because I have no idea what I'm doing. But, it turned out to be a lot of fun. I wish we could've taken our time so that I could actually learn what I was doing, but I did enjoy it. I didn't do great, but I had a blast, and that's what really matters. Right?



I love going to visit my brother. He always makes me laugh and is so much fun to be around. Whenever we go there, DH and I talk about how fun it would be to live by them. I actually wish I could live by all my siblings. We get along so well, and I know we would always be doing things together. But, unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world, and we don't get to live by each other. So, I'm grateful for the times we do spend together.



After we went golfing, they took us out to dinner to a yummy tepanyaki type/sushi restaurant. It was WONDERFUL! Our cook was very entertaining. They gave us SO much food, I couldn't finish everything. We had a great weekend. Thanks Alec, Kelly, & Katie!!

Book #1

I finished my first book for the Southern Reading Challenge. "Gap Creek" by Robert Morgan was a different type of book for me. At first I thought it was SO slow, but it got better towards the end. The book was set in South Carolina and follows the marriage of a young couple struggling to make ends meet while adjusting to married life. It was kind of a depressing book, but I like how it showed that even though life isn't always easy, you can make it through most things. I didn't hate it, but didn't love it. Hopefully #2 will be better.

Dani

My cute neice Dani came over to visit me yesterday. She is SO cute, and I love that she lives close to us. While she was here I put her to work making peanut butter cookies. They turned out YUMMY!! I'm so glad that I'm able to have such a good relationship with her. I love that girl!

Knock Your Socks Off

We played a fun game called "Knock Your Socks Off" after our FHE one night. Here's how you play:

~Move all the furniture, so that you have plenty of floor space.

~Everyone has to take off their shoes, but leave on their socks.

~You get on all fours and chase each other around the room trying to pull their socks off, while trying to keep your own socks on.

~The last person left with a sock on, WINS!

It was actually a very fun game. DH ended up winning, but T gave him a run for his money:)

Go Jaguars!

S had his last soccer game of the season last Saturday. This was the first time the city had a spring soccer league, so it was just a "trial" season and was for a shorter period. But, the kids still loved it. I think S is still trying to figure out what sport he likes. He always wants to play everything, but then sometimes doesn't want to go to all the games. So, it'll be interesting to see what he ends up liking. He did a little better this season than last, so he's slowly improving.

I think he gets a little confused because he sees everyone kick the ball with their right foot, but he's a lefty. Sometimes he'll try to kick with his right foot and then at the last second realizes that his foot won't work and then switches to his left. So, he misses the ball and then gets frustrated. But if we remind him to kick with his left foot, he kicks much better and is much happier.

With all that said, I think he enjoyed the season. Now, it's on to baseball!

Field Day for T

This week was T's turn for the Hershey Track meet. He had mentioned previously that he wanted me to sign him up to be on the track club. But, I didn't becase I didn't know how much he really liked to run until I saw him at the meet.

He had to race against all the fourth graders in his school and they picked the top 4 to run in the 400m relay. He ran the first leg. He also ran in the 400m, which he took 2nd in his heat, and the 100m which he took 1st in his heat. He went on to the semi-finals, and finals in the 100m. He ended up 6th overall in the district. It was awesome! He is quite the little runner and I can tell he really loves it. As soon as the meet was over we headed over to the Parks and Rec. office to sign him up for the track club. I love when the kids find something they love and that they do well.

I Love to Read!

I love to read! I don't always get as much time to read as I'd like, but I try to as much as possible. MSL is doing this challenge, and I decided to give a go at it. It will give me a chance to read something different. I'm excited to do it. If you'd like, you can join Maggie's challenge too!

I haven't decided which books I'll read yet, but I'm having fun investigating some!

Discovery Gateway

Yesterday I went on a field trip with S's class. We went to the Discovery Gateway. I've never been to the museum since they moved, and I really enjoyed myself. There is a ton of stuff for the kids to do. First we went to the food court for lunch, then we made our way to the museum.

S loved the rock wall and could climb all the way to the top without any help. He also liked pretending he was a construction worker, and playing outside on the helicopter. I think it's a great place for the kids to go and explore and use their imagination. I'd really like for us to all go there as a family. It was a fun time!

3rd Grade Hershey Track Day

M had her track meet on Tuesday. The weather was warm which I was grateful for, since it was an all day event. M has never been a strong runner, but she really enjoyed herself. This was a district wide track meet, so all the third graders were there. She got 2nd place in her heat for the 50m dash. She was pretty excited about that. I don't think she realized that there were like 20 heats. As long as she's happy and feels good about what she accomplished then, I'm good with that! It was fun to see her competing and I'm glad I got to be there. Plus, I got a little sun on my oh-so-white skin!

Scouting Expo

On Saturday one of our stops was the Scouting Expo. T sold a bunch of tickets and got to pick up his winnings. He got a ton of stuff. Some of the things were:

~a huge duffel bag

~first aid kit

~kangaroo mess kit

~tackle box filled w/fishing stuff

~fishing pole

~fishing vest & matching hat

~Expo hat

~2 pocket knives

~Scouting Expo patch & Salesman patch

~compass

~flashlight/compass

~flashlight keychain

~mini lantern

~one of those head lamp, flashlight things

~2 Owlz game tickets

~a free meal to Chuckarama

~scorpion stove

~a bommerang type thing

~a camel pack (backpack water container)

It was like Christmas for him. Now next year he is going for a higher prize level so he can win a wii!

Golden Corral

Every year on the kids' birthday, they get to choose where they want to go eat. At first S said Chuck-a-Rama, and then talked to his dad and decided on Golden Corral, since they have more desserts there. He opened his gifts while we were there. He wanted the Liahona, and "wrestling dudes". He got both and was very pleased with his gifts. I think he really enjoyed his birthay. Love you bubba!

Happy Birthday S!

My little bubba turned 7 today! Holy Cow, I can hardly believe it. I love this kid SO much, I can't even put it into words. For his birth story, go here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Saturday = Crazy Day

Today was a crazy, busy Saturday.

9:00 - Pick T up from sleep over
9:45 - Coach S's soccer game
10:45 -Run home get everyone changed for next event
11:15 - Drive to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi
11:50-1:15 - Scouting Expo ~ He got to pick up his prizes, earned 3 belt loops, walked through a haunted house, ate some treats, did a craft, had some good fun!
1:15 - Drive Home
1:45 - Get M ready for competition
2:00 - Take M to high school for competition
4:00-5:00 - Run home for a snack break
5:00 - Back to competition
7:30 - Awards ~ They got two firsts again!!!
8:00 - Home! DH home from work!
8:30 - Dinner, Clean up house
9:30 - Quick trip to grocery store
10:00 - Laundry
Now - Relaxing, blogging, watching T.V.

It's been a crazy day! I'm exhausted.

How Come?

How come sometimes, they are SO nice and comforting to each other? But, most of the time they fight? One of the times we went out to eat when we were in St. George we had like an hour and half wait and then had to wait to get our food. The kids were tired from travelling, swimming, and waiting. By the time we finally got our food, it was already like 8:45. The kids barely ate anything before they were laying on the seats and draping themselves all over each other. T was so nice and held J for a long time. Then, S wanted in on some love, so he rested his head on T's shoulder. It was so sweet. So, I wonder why they can't just love each other and be nice like this more often? It was so nice.

Matchy Matchy

This is M's best friend Morgan. She lives just down the street from us, which they love. They LOVE to match their clothes. They will call several times each morning to plan their outfits. Sometimes, they even have to style their hair the same. I think one morning they must have talked at least 4 or 5 times. Morgan is a sweet girl and I'm so glad M has such a good friend! They are cuties.

Two Firsts!

They finally took first in both their dances at this last competition!