Read-a-Thon

The school has a Read-a-Thon every year....the goal is to get the kids to read 2000 pages and if you complete 8 sheets of 250 pages, you get an award with an assembly and all. Both Bailey and Carson participated and completed the goal....we're so proud of them and I'm so glad that they love to read. I love to just sit down with a good book and I'm hoping that we can all do that a little more often....wouldn't that be nice. It was also fun because Jeniel and kids were there....what a fun way to celebrate reading!

Bermuda Dunes Ward 5K

We had such a fun event in our ward this Spring....the activity's committee organized a ward 5K and it was a great time!! We had a lot of people who participated and everyone who came, had a really wonderful time. There were those who ran and those who walked, the kids could ride scooters and there were many families with strollers and it was a great way to start the morning. They had t-shirts for everyone, a snack and drinks for the finishers and even medals for those who had the best times. I've said it before, but I really do love our ward. We have so many wonderful people who are a part of our lives and I love it!! I don't know if we could've made it this far without them and I love that we'll have these fun memories to look back on. One of the best things was that Jeniel and her family were here with us. They came down for Spring Break and we loved having them here. It's really fun because our ward has so many visitors but the family members that come through regularly are known and it's fun to have our family here and have them get to know our families even better. This was a great event and we're already looking forward to next year!

Roadshows

Our ward had such a fun Roadshow this year....Brittany had one of the lead parts and she was hilarious. I can definitely tell she has the drama bug and she had such a great time. Bailey and Danielle even got to be in it this year, which was really fun for them. It was such a cute play and one of our Young Women, Ronni wrote the whole thing. She did a fantastic job and I think all of the kids had a wonderful time. I know Roadshows are stressful and it's a lot of work, but we really did enjoy watching them. I'm not sure I'll say that this year with me being in YW now, but Roadshows last year were great. :) It's fun to make such cute memories with such good kids. We really do have a great ward!

Carson's T-ball

Carson played T-ball this year, which was sooo much fun! We loved every minute of watching him play. He had the cutest little team and they actually had the team with the most girls on it. They all did really well and there were very few kids who needed the T at the end of the season. Carson was a really great little hitter and he really loved his team and his coach. I loved when he played catcher because he would put his mitt up in front of his face and he would rarely move it. It sometimes would just bounce off of him and his mitt would still be right up by his face. He got to where he was a little bit better about catching the balls and then he would fling them backwards...the back-up coach who tossed the balls back to the pitcher had to be on their toes because he just tossed them back without looking. It was hilarious and there were a few times he caught them unaware. We loved the whole season....there's nothing like T-ball because everyone plays, everyone hits, everyone runs the bases and everyone wins! There is no animosity, they all love each other, they all run after the same ball and they all love the refreshments the best! What could be better!!! We're looking forward to next year!

Valentine's Day

This was such a great Valentine's Day! Just excuse the mess behind us on the desk....I love when pictures get blown up and all of that is showing, but I guess that's our life so we might as well not try to hide it. :) Brittany wanted to do something special for us on Valentine's Day. She got Cody to help her and she cooked us dinner and set everything up so we had a candle light dinner and she set the kids up in the office so Cody and I could have the night alone. What a sweet girl....I don't know where she came from but she amazes me all the time. She tried to make everything red....we had Filet Mignon, red potatoes mashed and in the shape of a heart, salad with beets in it and red wine vinaigeratte and sparkling grape cider to drink. She put a bed sheet on the table because she couldn't find a table cloth :) and gave us a night of romance. We had the kids come in and share dessert with us which was Angel Food Cake with strawberry cool whip, Danish Dessert and raspberries. It was such a wonderful dinner and it meant a lot that she made it so special for us. I could have no part in it....all of it was a surprise for me and it was such a wonderful day!! What a sweet girl....I love my little Valentines!

Track & Field Day

Bailey had Track & Field Day at her school in March. She ran the 200 meter, 400 meter relay and did the long jump. It was such a fun day and she did great! The weather was perfect and the events were very well-organized and a lot of fun. All of the kids did so well...we had a lot of kids from our ward who competed and just stood out among the competition. We have such great families that live around us and it's fun to share days like this with them. Danielle and Bailey are such sweet friends and their relay was awesome. They took 1st place and then Bailey took 2nd place in the 200 and did great in the long jump. I love days like this and I love that our kids are trying new things and wanting to do their best in all that they do. I love being a part of everything they do and I'm so happy that we're still cool enough to be there and cheer like crazy for them....I'm sure there will be a time when it's not quite so acceptable. This really is a great stage of life....I'm loving it!

Students-of-the-Month

Carson was student of the month in September....the pictures we took are of course on my phone, so once I figure out how to get them off, I'll try to get them on here. It was so fun because he was one of the first in his class to get the honor of the Principal's Reception. He was so excited! What a great year he had!

Bailey was student of the month in January. She absolutely loved her teacher, Mrs. Jonathon, this year. She had a great year and I can't believe she'll be going to middle school next year!!! AAHHH!! She has the cutest friends and I love that she knows what she wants and is such a good kid. She had some really amazing opportunities this year and she really rose to the occasion and made the most of all of them. She was a really busy kid but she definitely knows her potential and we're so proud of everything she was able to accomplish this year. What a sweet, beautiful little girl! We're so proud of all of our kids and we love you, Bai!

Avery's Birthday

Right after Carson turned 6, Avery turned 3. What a fun week we had. I don't know what we'd do if we didn't have these kids. We really didn't know if we'd ever have any others beside Brit & Bailey so I feel like they're an absolute bonus. Avery is such a fun girl to have around. She LOVES Dora and of course, had a Dora cake. I love having Avery around....she's a little mischief and I love her eyes. When I was little, my mom used to say that I looked like "the cat that ate the canary." I totally know what she's talking about now. Avery always looks like there's something up her sleeve and I love that little mischievous smile and her darling personality. She's so friendly and talks to just about anyone. She has been my little buddy since she was born but I feel like she's had 2 other mom's with Brit & Bailey around and then with Carson as her protector, she's the luckiest little girl around. She loves being such a big girl and she actually started pre-school right around her birthday so she's growing up way too fast. She loved going to school and she constantly talked about Teacher Robyn and how much she loves her. She, obviously, spends a lot of time with me in the office as you can tell from her playing on her computer with her phone on her shoulder. :) She loves life and she's a happy, fun kid and we love that she's part of our family. She always has the funniest things to say and she adds a lot of love and happiness to our family. Happy Birthday, Avery! We sure love you!

Carson's 6th Birthday

Carson turned 6 in January. He wanted a Batman cake and he loved it! It was such a fun day and we sure love this kid!! He is such a joy to be around and even in this house of girls, he is all boy! We love having him in our family and can't imagine life without him. He is such a good kid and so easy going. He loved Kindergarten this year and his teacher said he's very social and is well-liked by the other kids. He is just easy to be around and he has a great sense of humor. He has a quick wit and can come up with some really fun stuff. I love when we have a little one-on-one time because he brings up the best subjects to talk about. He is fascinated by everything and he loves his sisters. He has always been very protective of Avery and I love the cute relationship they have. I also love when the girls play house with him, he's the dad and I love that he goes upstairs and gets his suit on and every once in a while, there is a wedding in our house. He knows how to push the girls' buttons, but he knows exactly how to melt my heart. He'll just say, "mom, I love you...you're the best mom in the whole world" right out of the blue. He is very loving and everyday when I'd drop them off at school, I would get out of the car and watch them walk into the school. He would keep turning around and waving and blowing me kisses until I couldn't see him anymore. Talk about moments you just want to hang onto.... I would've stood there all day long watching him do that. I love being a mom and I'm so blessed to have such sweet kids! I love you, Cars!

Spelling Bee 2010

Bailey was chosen to be in the school Spelling Bee again this year. She really is a great speller and we were so proud of her. We felt so bad because she couldn't hear the word that was being given to her; they repeated the word twice and then she asked them to say it again and then she repeated it and when she repeated it, she said the wrong word twice, but they didn't catch it...the sound system was really bad, and she spelled the word she thought she heard so she got out in one of the last rounds. She was so disappointed but she did her best! She does so well in school and it was just great that she was chosen to participate. We're so proud of our kids....

Baby Allie

We miss so many things by living so far away, but one thing we didn't miss while we were in Utah for Christmas was the birth of our niece and cousin, Baby Allie. Justin & Mandy really helped us out by having her before we left....it was so nice of them. There's nothing like a brand new baby and we got to see her when she was just a few hours old. What a little doll!! I can't believe how much we've already missed of her life. We'll have to get re-acquainted with her this next week and I can't believe she's almost 8 months old. That is one of the disadvantages and we miss being a part of all of these moments. I'm so glad we got to meet her, even if it was briefly, and we're so glad she's part of our family. What a cutie....look at that dimple. Congratulations Justin & Mandy!! We love you!

Winter Fun!!

The kids (and Cody) had such a great time at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Grandpa got out the 4-wheeler and they tied a sleigh to the back and pulled each other around all day long. Brittany & Bailey learned to drive it and LOVED it....a little too much probably, but it was a great time. I love snow pictures! There's nothing like getting all bundled up, playing in the snow, getting soaking wet and coming in for hot chocolate. :) The kids were in heaven the whole time we were there.

Grandma Powell

We had some sad news right before Christmas this year. Cody's Grandma Powell, who had Alzheimer's Disease for quite a few years, passed away. She was one of the classiest and sweetest women I've ever known. When Cody and I started dating, she welcomed me into the family with open arms. She was always there for her family and we spent a lot of time at her house when Cody and I were dating and when we first got married. She was the nurse that helped to deliver me at the Tooele Hospital and she knew and loved my mom so that was pretty special to have that connection with her. She was such a special lady and I know Cody was extremely close to her and it was hard for everyone to watch as Alzheimer's took her farther and farther away from us.

We went to see her last year at the facility where she was staying and it was very difficult for all of us, but especially for Cody. He grew up at her house and with her taking care of their family. She was the glue that held them all together and it was so hard to see her like that. We got to see many of his cousins that we hadn't seen for a while at the funeral and it was nice to have the family all together, especially over Christmas. Christmas was Grandma Powell's favorite holiday and she would've loved that we were all together. It's hard to see those we love getting older and we're all going to miss her terribly. She was a huge part of this family and her sunny disposition will be remembered and missed. She was the very happiest when she was taking care of someone and she continued to take care of the people who lived in the Alzheimer's Unit with her. I'm sure she's happy to be reunited with Cody's grandpa but we'll sure miss her!

Christmas in July

So....lots to catch up on, as usual, but I'm determined to catch up so we can include EVERYTHING into our journal. We had a wonderful time in Utah for Christmas. We started the holidays early with a family party in California too. Cody's Dad & Leslie had come into town for the Skydiving Event so we had Christmas with them and Bryce & Lisa & Polly while they were here. The kids loved it and it was fun to celebrate Christmas with them in short sleeves and flip-flops before we left for the snow. Of course we love having a white Christmas but it's getting harder and harder to come up with winter clothes as the kids keep growing and we don't have a reason to buy turtlenecks and warm winter coats. It's totally worth it though and we love every minute of the kids playing in the snow! Everyone takes good care of us with the warm clothes while we're there.


One of the best and cutest traditions is when the pajamas are opened from Grandma Debbie & Grandpa Phil. The kids love it and the pictures are so fun. The kids love their cousins and these pictures say it all.



Christmas morning was really fun. The kids had a great time and Avery loved her Dora bike. It's fun to spend Christmas morning with Grandma's and Grandpa's and it was a fun year for them because Grandpa Phil got a brand new snowmobile helmet and Grandma Debbie got a new snowmobile. Great minds think alike. It's so much work to get everything together for a white Christmas, but so worth it in the end. We had a wonderful time!!

Cody's Birthday!

So, for Cody's birthday, his family decided to take him skydiving! It all started with Bryce and then Cody's dad was invited down to go with him and then it snowballed from there. It ended up being a family affair and they had such a great time! It was so much fun that he came home and told me I had to do it and he was going to take me for my birthday (more to come on that one). They all loved it and wanted to go right back up and do it again.

I love that Cody is always willing to try new things and that he definitely has a spirit of adventure in him. We've had such a fun marriage and have done things I never thought we'd do (living in California comes to mind). :) He brings out my fun side, especially when I forget it's there. He is a wonderful dad and I couldn't ask for a better husband and best friend. We've been through a lot together and he is everything to me. I asked him the other day if he ever gets tired of bailing me out....it's a lot of work to be married to me. :) He takes such good care of all of us and he always does it with a joke and a smile. I couldn't top this gift if I tried, and I failed miserably, by the way, but I know that he had an extremely Happy Birthday this year because of this fun day with his family! I'll do better next year...I promise!! I love you!

Turkey Trot!

Yeah!! I finally have big pictures, but I still can't fix my top picture so any suggestions would be helpful! Anyway, I'm now to Thanksgiving so I'm definitely on a roll. :) This is our annual run before the big dinner every year! We added quite a few to our group this year! It was a lot of fun, especially to run on a beautiful morning with such good friends. One of the best things is that Brit & Bai ran the race together this year. They stuck together and did really well! I was so proud of them and it was really cute to watch them run in together. I hope this continues to be our tradition and we can keep recruiting because it makes it all the more fun to do it together with the people that we're so thankful for!

And Then There Was One....

Okay, so Brittany has the acting bug. She was in the school play back in November and it was such a darling play. As you can tell, she had one of the leads....just kidding. She's the one under the lampshade in the corner of the room for most of the play, as you can see in the bottom left picture, but when she woke up and had some lines, they were hilarious. She did such a great job and was the comic relief. That bruise on her head is not real, by the way. It was so much fun watching her do something that she really enjoys and you can tell that she's finding her way and really coming into her own. She has some really cute friends from this experience and really had a great time....she had enough fun that she tried out for the "Spring Musicaaal" (as we called it in our house) so those pictures will be forthcoming. We're so proud of her and we loved the play....we hope she makes it big one day! We're her biggest fans!

My Avery....

I have so much to catch up on, but I have to write this down before I forget it. As you can tell, I've been having blogging issues and haven't been able to fix it or haven't had a minute so I've left the crazy picture of Avery & 1/2 of Brittany on our blog. One of these days, I'll add the rest of the family. I posted a big catch-up post last Sunday and I went to publish post and there was an error message and it erased everything!! I gave up and you can see how well I'm doing at catching up again. :)

Avery is such a fun girl to be around and is always saying the cutest things. Her new thing is "My bad..." If she does anything and it's wrong or she does something she shouldn't, she says, "My bad". That cracks me up. You can definitely tell she has older siblings.

So, we're at Stater Bros. on Saturday and we're in the produce section and there's a huge flag on the back wall. She's standing in the cart and she turns to look at the flag and says..."I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America...." and repeats the whole Pledge of Allegiance. She has said it before but never right in front of the flag and I just stood next to her and let her finish because I love the words that she throws in there and mispronounces. :) After she finishes, I ask her, "What do you do when you see a flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance?" She immediately put her hand over her heart....I was so impressed. I'm so thankful for wonderful people in our kids' lives that teach them important things like this. I asked her where she learned that and she said, "Teacher Robyn." Thanks Robyn! This is the same Teacher Robyn that she prays for in her prayers, as well as Baby Millie, Robyn's little baby girl. Robyn is amazing with our kids and Avery is loving pre-school and now will love nursery even more because Robyn is now the nursery leader. Thanks, Robyn, for that cute moment in the grocery store.

Update

Ha, I found the post that I thought my blog had deleted....had to do some rearranging, but here it is. Yeah!! I guess I won't give up after all.... :)

Well, I guess it's time to catch up.....at some point in time, I'd really like to print this off and make a fun family journal and if I don't want large gaps of time that aren't documented, I'd better kick it in. :) Here's an update on our family, with more on the way.....

We had Bailey's 10th Birthday in September. It's hard to believe she's now almost 11. :) We had a fun day and all she requested was Grandma Debbie's chocolate cake. She called and got the recipe and she was thrilled! We love that she's that easy to please....most of the time. She's had such a fun year and 10 has definitely been a great age for her. She loves school, is completely responsible with her homework and takes really good care of Avery and Carson. Her and Brittany have these great sister moments that I love and I can see them becoming the best of friends as they get older. She requested a "Mommy & Me" date just like Brittany and we had a great time. We went out and got pedicures which was fun. We had the massage chairs and I just sat and laughed as they moved her from side to side and up and down. We went to the mall and hung out there and then went to the movie and had a late dinner. It was so much fun to just spend time with her....she has such a fun personality and she's such a "girl" and it was fun to talk about everything that's going on with her and know that she's making good choices and is such a good girl. I sure love her and hope that we can go out and catch up every so often so we can stay as close as we are now. She is such a fun, outgoing, feisty girl and I love that! Happy Birthday Bai! You really were a special gift to us and we can't imagine life without you!

Halloween was so much fun! We were invited to a fun party for all of the little kids who aren't in school yet. Ann Mabeus planned a cute, fun party for the kids and Avery had such a great time. They all felt so big to have their own party and had a great time! Thanks Ann! We had a fun visit from our family from Utah. They were down at Disneyland and wanted to come visit while they were here. We told them to come and stay with us and so they did and made our Halloween even more fun. Joe & Jessica have 4 kids and we all got dressed up and went to the ward's Trunk or Treat and then came home and walked around the neighborhood a little bit before we just hunt out at home. It was so fun to have them. We love having visitors and it was such a treat to have them here. The kids loved it and we almost didn't let them leave. :) It was a fun year and especially because everyone is old enough to enjoy it! I love Halloween!!

Bailey's school has a yearly trip for the 5th graders called Pathfinders. It's a science & adventure camp up in Idyllwild and Bailey asked me to go with her this year. It was so much fun! I loved that she really wanted me there and even though I turned out to be the mean mom because I told everyone in our cabin to be quiet after an exhausting day, she still wanted to hang out with me. We were in a cabin with 20 other girls and a few moms and I've never heard so much noise in all of my life. It was fun and I was assigned to a really cute, fun group and the kids were great. Dayna & Rachelle also went up with their kids so that's always fun to have a buddy. :) They kept the kids going the entire time and they got to do such fun activities. They rock climbed, they caught fish & other gross things out of the ponds, they went canoeing (sp), went on scavenger hunts, played night games, had a science night and even held snakes, lizards, and other creepy crawly things. I even went completely out of my comfort zone, seeing as I can't stand the sight of snakes, and held a rosy boa snake & ball python snake. I figured if Bailey could do it, I could do it. AAHH!! It makes me squirm a little even thinking about it, but it was a fun thing to do together, right? It was such a fun week and it was really nice to get out of town for a few days and just concentrate on my daughter! I think we all need that at one time or another and I really enjoyed watching her interact with her friends and get to know them a little better. She has such a great group of friends and a wonderful teacher and I'm so glad I was able to spend that time with her. Thanks for letting me tag along, Bailey!

Bailey played flag football again this year! So fun to watch....I love that as small as they are, they are quick on their feet and have a ball playing with the boys. I have flashbacks to how I was in grade school and I can see a lot of me in Bailey (I know what my family is thinking and it scares me too) :) Her and Danielle are like two peas in a pod and I'm so glad they have each other. They do everything together and I couldn't ask for a better friend for Bailey. This was it for flag football because they don't play it in middle school so it was fun that they could play one more year together. What a great group of kids and even though they didn't win a game, they had a great time and were always good sports. That says a lot about them and I'm so happy that Bailey could be a part of the team again this year. We really are so proud of her!

Mom & Me

Brittany asked for a really sweet thing for her birthday this year.....she wanted to spend a day with me. She called it our "Mommy & Me Day!" We made plans, with Brittany planning everything, and spent a whole afternoon together. It was so fun. We started out at Costco so we could walk around and eat the samples. That is one of Brittany's favorite things to do. She's very easy to entertain so we walked around the entire store and she was definitely in a happy place when we were finished. After Costco, it was off to the mall. She wanted me to try on swimming suits because I need a new one so we did that for a while, not as fun as it used to be, but she was so patient and she was my runner. We found one that we both liked and they didn't have my size so it was a bust, but so nice to just take some time and not have to rush anywhere or take anyone potty. :) That's usually our mall experience. We then went school shopping for her because she had some money she had saved up and I chipped in and we got some really cute things for her.

We hung out at the mall until it closed and then hit The Cheesecake Factory. She bought me dinner, which was so sweet and I didn't expect that but she insisted. We got to sit right by the water and we just talked......such a nice evening and it was nice to catch up and find out what's going on in that pretty little head of her's. She wanted to go to the movie and the last Harry Potter showing was at 10:30 so we went. I was pretty tired but we got a Coke and headed in. I think we got home at 1:45 am but it was definitely time well spent. I love that she wanted that day with me and what a sweet, special daughter I have. She has always been very thoughtful and sweet to those around her and I'm so glad that includes her mom. It was such a fun day and I hope this is now a tradition. Bailey has asked for her "Mommy & Me Day" for her birthday and we haven't made it out yet, but she's next. I'm so grateful to have such sweet kids and that Heavenly Father trusted me enough to be their mom. I sometimes don't feel worthy of them but I'm so glad they're mine. They make me want to be a better mother and a better person. I don't know what I'd do without them and I'm quite fond of their dad too. What a fun, special day to remind me of all of my blessings! Thanks, Brittany! I'm so proud of you and I love you very much! I enjoyed every minute of my day with you and can't wait for next year!

San Diego

We had the opportunity to go to San Diego at the end of the summer. The Broadheads were going to be there for a week and invited us to come down and hang out with them. It's pretty sad how close we are to the beach and how very few times we've actually taken the kids and gone. It seems like life takes over so often but as HOT as it gets here in the summer, we need to take advantage how close we are and how beautiful it is at the beach. The weather wasn't what I was hoping for, but we definitely made the best of it. The kids didn't care at all.....they had a wonderful time and we had so much fun with the Broadheads. What a great family and Avery loved hanging out with all the kids, but especially Ty. The kids collected all sorts of shells, Avery dug around in the sand, the kids and Cody went out on the boogie board and we just hung out!! It was wonderful. The Broadheads fixed us a wonderful dinner and we had smores out in their firepit. It was a much-needed break for us and we're definitely going to do some planning for next summer.

We stayed in a really cool hotel in downtown San Diego. It was a Marriott (thanks Dean & Dayna) and it was converted from an old bank. One of the guys who worked there, took us on a tour and showed us the vault in the basement, told us about the shooting gallery because it was open in the 1930's when all of the bank robberies were happening around the country so the tellers had to be prepared to defend themselves and the bank. The kids had a great time and we opted for a late checkout and had room service so we could enjoy our mini-vacation. We spent another day at the beach and then went over to watch a surfing competition on the simulators and went on a few rides and had a great time. Thanks for taking such good care of us, Broadheads. It was so fun hanging out with you.....hope we can do it again next year! :)

First Day of School

Well, here I am again trying to catch up. I was sitting in Sunday School today and they were talking about the importance of journals. Right now, this is my journal and I'm not doing very good about keeping up with our life. There have been so many fun and exciting things going on and I'm letting them slip by without writing them down. I'm going to do better....I say that a lot but I guess with baby steps, I'll keep trying and hopefully be able to keep up so I have a journal to pass on to my family.

The first day of school came so quickly. I wasn't ready for them to go back to school this year. I love to have the kids home and they're so much help that I was thinking of home schooling....just kidding, but I can see why people do it. This picture is actually of Brit's 2nd day of school because her mother didn't get the camera out in time as she was running out the door on the first day. They were all very excited and it's been such a good year so far.....my favorite picture is of Avery. She really misses the kids, especially because her buddy Carson went to kindergarten this year. That picture kind of summed up how I felt too.

Brittany
I guess I should really start by filling in the blanks from last year. I meant to blog about it but never did....sorry, Brit. She had an awards assembly at the end of the year and she had some really remarkable awards. She got a perfect attendance award, she was given a couple of character awards during the year and was given an overall character award that has comments from 3 of her teachers on the back which really means a lot. She had some really great teachers and they were behind her all the way last year. That makes a huge difference and I'm so grateful that she had so many good people around her. She had a perfect 4.0 for the year and was the given one of the awards for Student of the Year. She had such a wonderful year and it was so fun to see how much she's grown and to see all of her accomplishments. We're so proud. This year she's doing just as well. She's part of the Yearbook staff and she's in the school play that will put on the production next week. We're looking forward to another great year!

Bailey
She had a great year last year but is doing really well this year. She's a busy girl....right now she is playing flag football, she is part of the Robotics team and just made the Odyssey of the Mind Team. She is on the student council and absolutely loves her teacher. She pushes the students pretty hard and Bailey comes home every day and sits down and does her homework....so much better than last year when I had to remind her several times to get back to work. She loves school and has some really cute friends. I just went to Pathfinder with her last week for a 3 day overnight Outdoor Science & Education Camp up by Idyllwild and had so much fun. That will be another post, but so fun to spend time with her and what a sweet, fun girl. We know there's more to come.

Carson
Carson started Kindergarten.....I had a little bit of withdrawal because I do miss him. He's been my buddy for a long time and Avery really misses him. It's taken a little adjustment, but he absolutely LOVES it!! He looks forward to school every day and wants to eat school lunch, which the girls never liked, and he wants to ride the bus, which sounds better and better every day but he has adapted so well. He loves his teacher and they love him. It has been a fun year so far and he is always asking me to come in and help. I helped for the Halloween Carnival and had a great time. These kids are so cute and I have absolutely loved watching Carson get into his groove. He'd doing so well and he is constantly sounding out words and telling us what letters things start with. I'm loving it!

Avery
She is my buddy and she anxiously waits until everyone gets home!! I think she is wishing I did home-school. :)


I love these kids!! Time seems to be speeding up and I feel like we're going to blink and they're going to be gone....college, missions, married; I know my parents said the same thing and I can see how it can happen. Life is moving too fast and there's nothing I can do to slow it down. I have our screen saver set to scroll through all of our pictures on the computer. I just sit and watch them and wonder where the years have gone....I love looking at pictures when they were younger with their chubby cheeks and sweet smiles and how they used to let me put bows in their hair and dress them the same....all great memories and I know that if I keep up this "journal" that I can remember all of these special moments and appreciate this family that I have in the years to come! Thanks for the wonderful school year so far.....great things to come!!