Fire Truck

On the way to school this morning the kids pointed out the window and said, "Mom, look! There's a fire truck!"

Why yes...I guess you could call that a "fire truck".

Girl’s Night Out!

Last week I was able to go out with a bunch of girls from my ward. It was SO much fun!! I hadn’t gone on a girls’ night in a long time, and it was such a blast. First, we had dinner at Moe’s Southwest Grill, then we walked around Westgate. We decided to get some frozen yogurt at this awesome place called Ocean Blue, then we walked around some more. As we were walking we saw a place with a mechanical bull, and one of the girls said, “We should do it!”. I was a bit hesitant at first, because I have ‘not done anything that indecorous in quite some time’ (name that movie). While some of the girls were filling out their waivers Scott sent me a text message, asking me when I was going to be home. I said, “I don’t know. We’re still hanging out. Some of the girls are going to ride a bull! Should I do it?!” He said, “Get a video of it.”, then sent another text that said, “Go for it!” “You’re awesome!”, I texted back, then filled out my form.

It was SO fun! I felt kinda like a dork, but I stayed on until right near the very end. I think the guy running it went easy on me, though. And, you may not think so, but it’s quite the workout! My legs were shaking for a while afterwards! Maybe that’s just a sign of my old age, though. Ha ha ha! There were four of us total that did it, while the rest of our group cheered us on.

Oh, and if you’re hoping to see the video here on this little ‘ole blog, you will be sorely disappointed. Why?

#1- There are some weirdoes out there, whom I don’t want watching my bull riding video. I don’t even want to go there…

#2- The camera is *not* a flattering angle while I’m getting on the bull. I *seriously* hope the old adage that the camera adds 10 pounds is true, because Yikes! My thighs look like they are enclosed in denim sausage casings. Ick!

It was fun to just be kinda crazy and do something out of the ordinary. It was funny, because there were a bunch of girls who are new in our ward with us that night, so I hope they don’t think we are *too* crazy. Normally we do things much more “normal”, like just going out to dinner or something. But, it was definitely a fun evening!

Katelynn’s Family Quilt Square

In Katelynn’s class they were given a big piece of paper to make a family ‘quilt square’ on. Here is a picture of Katelynn’s. I got out some of my scrapbooking stickers and rub-ons for her to use to make it more interesting.  She may have a future in scrapbooking ahead of her!

Miss Daisy

On Labor Day we got a kitten! After going through many name suggestions (Ariel, Mia, Minnie Mouse, Sleeping Beauty, among others), we chose the name Daisy. She has been a great addition to the house. Sometimes she gets a little too much love and hides under the desk or bed, but other than that it’s been smooth sailing.

However, there *is* a part of me that is afraid I will become one of those crazy cat ladies when I get older. I was talking to Scott about how I am glad we got the kitty right before school started, because now I’m not all alone at home while the kids are at school. Guess we’ll have to see what happens 40 or 50 years from now.

Ice Cream Face

On Saturday we went to Sonic to get the kids their free ice cream cones from the summer reading program. It's so funny how kids can get ice cream ALL over their face. I thought their ice cream covered faces were so cute, so I, of course, had to take a picture. I know. You all think I'm a photo freak. Oh, well. Too bad. ;)

Drawrings

Here are a couple of drawings done recently.

Emma: A Self- Portrait. I love the long eyelashes! And the chin that looks hauntingly like a goatee.

Michael Flying Kites with Hunter & McRae, by Michael. Michael is the one in the middle. I’m not sure Hunter is that much taller than him in real life, though.

Painting

This is what happens when you leave the kids to their own devices while painting. At least they had fun, right? Thanks for the paints, Pam!

First Day of School

The kids had a great first day of school on Tuesday. The only tears came from Michael when I came to pick them up, because he wanted to stay at school for lunch! (they do half-day kindergarten in the morning) In the morning before school Michael was feeling a bit sad, and fussed that he would miss me and the girls, which was sweet.

Here they are showing off their backpacks. They love their Hello, Kitty and Superman packs!

Say cheese!

Emma waiting in line with her class before school.

Michael waiting with his class.

  

Katelynn waiting with her class.

It was so funny. While the parents were helping their kids find their lines, they were all introducing their kids to other kids in their class. When I came to take Katelynn’s picture, she said, “Mom, this is H. She’s in my class! Take a picture of me with H.” She is such a social butterfly!

Here are all three sitting at their desks.

Here is Michael listening to his teacher. It was so cute. In his class the teacher asked them if anyone wanted to share how they were feeling or something that happened to them. One girl in his class said that her Daddy gave her a blessing last night. Then Michael raised his hand and said, “Last night my Dad gave me a blessing.” His teacher said, “Oh, so that you’d have a good day today?” “No, it was about Jesus.” Ha ha! I thought it was so cute.

Katelynn raising her hand in class.

Emma standing in front of her desk. I think they are talking about the pledge of allegiance. That is one awesome thing about the school they are going to. They do the pledge everyday. They also have a moment for personal prayer or meditation everyday.

So far the first week of school is going great. We’ve even been early every day! I’ve discovered that they are much happier if I have a snack for them to eat on the way home, ‘cause they are so worn out & hungry when they get out of school. I think it’s shaping up to be a great year!

Meet the Teacher!

Monday night was the Open House at the kids’ school, where they were able to meet their teachers. The kids are all in different classes, so it was kinda crazy dropping off and picking up stuff with three different teachers.  Their school just got finished this last week, so everything is nice and new! I really like that they have a little bathroom in each of the kindergarten classrooms. That’s good thinkin’! ANYway, moving on…

The kids were excited to meet their teachers. All of them seem really nice.

Emma with her teacher

Katelynn with her teacher

Michael with his teacher

 

 

I think the kids are going to do great this year. I’ve just been having a roller-coaster of emotions about it. I think it may be harder for me than it is for them! For example—on Monday I was getting the kids supplies organized before we went to the Open House. Katelynn’s teacher wanted each kid to bring a change of clothes in a ziploc bag to keep at the school. All last week I had been meaning to get out the kids’ uniforms that we bought a while ago and make sure of what we had, what we still needed, etc. To my horror I found out that we had ONE pair of pants in the girls’ size!! ONE!! I immediately started hyper-ventilating. “I could have swore we had more pants that actually fit the girls than that! I can’t believe I am so stupid! I can’t handle this. They going to fail school and it’s all my fault! I am a horrible mother…”  These are just a few of the things that are going through my mind, and spewing out of my mouth in between gasps for air. Scott calmly tells me to breathe and suggests I run to Old Navy to see if they had any in the smaller size that we could exchange. I feel sick to my stomach and hop in the car, while I call my sister and start crying because my babies are going into kindergarten. Old Navy was out of them, but thankfully the PTO was selling donated used uniforms at the Open House and they had a huge stack of girls shirts for $1 and shorts for $2. Tender mercy, perhaps?  That is just one example of my psychosis over this last weekend.

After the Open House we came home, got the kiddos bathed & PJed, and their clothes (now that we had some) all laid out for the next morning, then Scott gave everyone a Father’s blessing to start the new school year off on the right foot, including Mommy! I feel so blessed to have a husband who holds the priesthood and is worthy to administer those special blessings in our home. I am much calmer now. I know the kids felt the spirit as they received their blessings. It was neat to hear the different things said in each of the kids’ blessings. They are great kids, and they love each other so much. I know that things will be fine and the kids are where they need to be. I am excited for them to start school, even if it is a new, big, somewhat scary chapter in our lives.

Just the Two of Us

Last week Scott & I were able to go on a trip to San Diego in celebration of our EIGTH wedding anniversary! We haven’t been on a fun trip just the two of us since the kids were one, so it was wonderful. It was awesome to be able to just go and do something without having to get the kids all ready, etc and to go do things we wouldn’t be able to do if we had the kids with us.
We drove out to San Diego on Tuesday and got settled into our hotel—the Sheraton Hotel & Marina right on the harbor! (Thank you, Priceline!) Here are some of the views from our balcony.



The next day we walked along the beach in Coronado for a while, then went boogie boarding. It was fun to be in the water at the same time, rather than taking turns to watch the kids on shore! After that we walked around Coronado, browsing through the little shops, walking around Hotel de Coronado (which I *love*) and looking at all the neat houses. 

The next day we drove out to La Jolla and explored Shell Beach and some little tide pools there.
 
After Shell Beach, Scott convinced me to try snorkeling at La Jolla Cove. I’m *so* glad he did! Here’s the thing…I am terrified of deep water. I love the ocean, but hate deep water. (figure that one out!) So, snorkeling is a huge deal for me. But, it was SO fun. I loved it. Now, Scott and I want to go to Hawaii or on a cruise so we can try snorkeling with some more colorful fish and clearer waters.


A lifeguard we were talking to at La Jolla Cove told us about this local fish shop with awesome food, so we went there for dinner. I love checking out places like that off the beaten path. The place was packed, which is always a good sign.

The next morning Scott went to visit a residency program in San Diego while I slept in, then after we checked out of the hotel we visited the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which was highly recommended by a friend from school. it was pretty neat. Scott loves learning about different animals and stuff like that. He wants to get a huge aquarium someday. After the aquarium we drove over to Mission Beach and walked around a little bit, got some 99cent fish tacos, then headed home.

It was so great to have fun together and de-stress a bit. The last few years have been kinda crazy, and the next couple will be, too. Who knows when we will have the opportunity to do something like this again. I’m glad we were able to go. It was just so awesome. And I love San Diego. There is a ton of stuff to see & do, and the weather is gorgeous. We didn’t even see half of what we wanted to. It’s a beautiful city. It’s nice that it is only a 5 1/2 hour drive from Arizona.

A *huge* thank you goes out to our awesome friends who watched the kids for us. The kids spent the night at a different friend’s house every night, and they had a blast while we were gone. When we got back I said to Michael, “I missed you!” and he said, ‘Why? I didn’t miss you…” Ouch! But, I’m glad they were in good hands. Every day I would text the friend who had them that day and ask how things were going, and every day I just got glowing reports of how well they were doing and how much fun they were having. It was a huge relief. I knew it would be fine, but, as a mother, you always worry, ya know.