First Day of School

first grade!!!

fifth grade!!!

Kensie had a rough morning....

Back To School Celebration

We had our annual Back To School Celebration the night before school started. We read jokes, dined on Thai food (it's tradition now. The kids expect "Waterfall" {or Nam Tok} every year!), and unveiled the family theme for the year.

 and the theme for the year is......

our theme came from this scripture

to help us as we try to be an example we will:  pray, read our scriptures 5 minutes, and SMILE every day!

The kids opened their goodie bags, Matt gave the kids blessings, and then it was time to celebrate!!

We took the silly string outside......good idea, Matt!

Here's to a great year!!!

Open House

The day before school started we attended the school open house where the kids got to meet their teachers.

Jackson is super excited for preschool! Can you tell?! Get ready, Mrs. Chris!!

Lincoln has Mrs. Burnside. She loves all things Disney.

Kensie has her first male teacher. He is new at the school and she was so worried that he was going to be a grumpy, ugly old man. She lucked out- he is young and funny! I love the difference between the male teachers window decorations and the female teachers. You know he made his wife write all the names....

Last Days

We packed the last two weeks of summer vacation with as much fun as we could! We made multiple trips to:

The farm, gardens, and dinosaur museum (as well as the ice cream shop afterwards)

the zoo

and the swimming pool {no pictures. Taking 4 kids to the pool by myself and actually documenting it with photos is beyond me}.

15 Month Stats

Weight: 22 pounds

Height: 30 inches

{both 25th percentile}

Just in time for school....

 

He's hoping he loses the other one in time for school pictures so he can put an orange peel in his mouth {you've all seen that commercial, right?!}.

Tour of Utah

The Tour Of Utah passed by our house the other day during the SunCrest climb. It was fun to walk over and get a taste of what it would feel like to be cheering on riders in the Tour De France! The kids thought it was so great. They especially loved the helicopter that hovered so low we could feel the wind. One of the riders threw his water bottle and the kids got it. They felt famous and all had to have their picture taken with it!

End Of Summer Blues

*a re-post from last year...but I feel exactly the same right now.

August is always a bittersweet month for me. Back-To-School excitement is in the air, and I love getting the kids ready for a new school year, meeting new teachers, and planning our annual Back to School Celebration.

But inside I'm mourning the end of summer..... the mornings of sleeping in and lying in bed with a snuggly baby until one by one I have a bed full of kids who want to snuggle, too.......the days spent playing outside......the trips to the cabin{s}.....the days of not having anywhere to be and staying in our pajamas all the day long.....the smell of freshly cut grass, and the feel of it between my toes.....the days of my kids playing and imagining together.

Sure, there are days {many of them} when the kids are fighting or not doing what I ask them to. In those moments I think that school will be a welcome change, but for the most part I love having them home with me. Soon I will once again become the chauffer, the homework checker, the cheerleader. The lazy days of summer will be replaced by the hustle and bustle of days filled with school, dance, soccer, piano......

I don't know if I'm ready yet. Luckily we have a few weeks left and I'll be milking it for all it's worth!

Cabin Fun

We spent a few days at the cabin last week with my parents and packed in a lot of fun things!

My dad brought up some water guns and had the kids make a bunch of targets. Then he set up an obstacle course for them to run through and shoot all the targets! They had fun trying to get the fastest time.

The kids perfected their hula hoop skills:

On the first day the kids went exploring and found a cool "house" that had rooms for everyone and even a "flower room". They sat up there for hours drawing and playing. This is the doorway:

They also found this log that led to their secret tree house. I think it must have been something hunters used...

We went out on the lake a few times. The first time it started raining and cut our time short!

Landon enjoyed getting as dirty as he possibly could!

We went on a few hikes. The first was Cascade Springs, which was more like a walk, but really beautiful. The ranger had a scavenger hunt for us to do and the kids got Smokey the Bear whistles for completing it!

We also hiked to Silver Lake Reservoir on the horse trail. It was a longer hike (4 miles) but the kids were champs! They especially loved hiking through the stream!

Our second time at the lake was more successful!