100th post. Wow

So I've been blogging long enough to get to 100 posts. That's cool. Man, I feel like I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to blog. So I think I'll use some bullets to help me round out our summer.

July

• Ran Riverdale's 4th of July 5k-did great 33:16
• S.i.l. got married
• Had a couple of reunions to attend
• Went to Bear Lake for 3 nights
• On our way up to Bear Lake, a.c. compressor in durango went out. Cost: too darn much, but paid it anyway.
• Celebrated Pioneer Day with my family. Sent kids to stay with cousins in Tooele for a few days. Yipee!!!
• Celebrated 13 years of Marriage. Love my man!!
• A s.i.l. delivered her 3rd baby. A girl. Finally, Yay!!!
• Stephen was asked to, and did, baptize our neighbors son. I feel grateful that Stephen holds the priesthood honorably.

August

• Girls camp for girl #1
• taking the kids to a movie
• talking the kids school clothes shopping
• Primary activities, birthday parties, and activity days
• Soccer. It has started. Tuesday evenings through Saturday mornings our lives will be Soccer. Plus schooll and church callings and activities.
• Back to School night. For the Elementary kids, this was easy. Walk in. Find out who the teacher is. Meet the teacher, see the classroom. Walk out. For girl #1 though, we had to get her schedule, find her locker, try out her locker (about 30 times total while we were there), find the classrooms, meet the teachers, help her find the best ways to her classes from her locker and the other classes. It was about an hour and a half of us going through all this. Not bad though, it made her first day a breeze.
• School started and got new vinyl flooring for kitchen. I already posted that.

Well that's a good summary of our life in the last two months, but now September has started. I don't see my life slowing down one bit. I am happy for my kids and my hubby. I love them all.

We have been blessed with a new little baby. My other s.i.l. had her little girl-finally-last week. She is super cute. I just love her. She has such pretty hair. My brother already has 2 boys and they wanted a girl so bad. In my family it seems boys out number the girls, well this newest little girl almost evened out the score, we are only down by 1. Someone else needs to take care of that though!

We had my 3 brothers celebrating a birthday, my m.i.l., and a nephew on Stephen's side. All within a week of each other. It seems like Christmas.

Hope everyone else is having an enjoyable September thus far, and that you all had a great summer.

So many blessings. So many exciting things happening. Wow, and I get to be part of it all. Love it! really I do.

1st day of school!!! ..........was last week.

My kids started school last week, same day we got the new flooring, and my hubby was home for both! So excited he was there.

Our oldest, girl #1, went off to Jr. high!!!! boo hoo. I was kinda sad because my child is growing up too fast. I was very excited for her and I know she was completely nervous, but I told her: you are a great person, you know who you are! that is probably the most important thing you'll know today; you know your schedule, you know where your locker is, you've met most of your teachers, and you know that we love you. You will have a great day. She came home and said she did, in fact, have a great day. So proud of her. Girl #2 and Boy #1 also went to school that day. Oh my goodness, what happened to all my babies??? Girl #2 is a 3rd grader and Boy #1 is a 1st grader. Girl #2 is worried she won't have any friends in her class, but I reminded her how we should be friends with everyone, even the boys. Which she has 2 in her class that she knows pretty good so I'm not so worried about her.Boy #1 has my 1st grade teacher. So did Girls #1 & 2, almost a family tradition except I want to move. He's very excited, but he's quiet and a shy boy at school. Mostly. I think he'll warm up to school again and be a normal, funny boy like he was last year. I hope he behaves as well as my girls and I have, don't want to give our teacher anything to worry about ;)

I'm glad they have the teachers they do. I'm glad we are parents that can be and will be active with their schooling and anything else they choose to do.

Love my kids. They are wonderful!

(Oh and boy #2 and I are going to try pre-school stuff here at home. He can go to pre-school next year!)

My Good lookin' hubby with our youngest. Boy #2 thought he needed his backpack when we walked the kids to school...funny boy.

New Kitchen-ish

So we've been working on our kitchen for about four months. Last week, we finally got the new flooring put in. I was so excited. It looks really nice. We went from this...

to this...

Looks so nice!

And the front entryway?................

Looks pretty good I think. I'm so excited, this stuff is finally getting done. Realistically speaking, the new carpet won't be in for about four months. We have to save up again for it. We used to have a savings, but a big $$$$ part went out on the Durango while we were vacationing in Bear Lake in July. We decided to use the savings on it, so the rest of the major stuff is going to have to wait. In the meantime, I'll be hopefully getting the moulding up in the kitchen; wash, fill holes in the wall and then paint the front room and then up the stairs and the rest of the house. When we are done with the painting, we'll then get new carpet. Yes, we should have done this 4 years ago, but, I'm okay with fixing it up to sell it. Then we can fix up a new place and stay there for a long time.

This is what we did last night...

pic. by Fred Bruenjes

After a quick run to the grocery store for some ice cream sundae cones, you know the ones I mean right?, we headed up the canyon to the dam. All six of us watched out the back of the SUV to watch for the Perseid's meteor shower. I know the best night to watch was the night before, but we didn't have the kids with us then. So we ate our cones, watched for the meteors, ignored all the cars' headlights passing us, and just talked. About whatever the kids had on their minds. Stephen even got to show the kids the Big dipper (Ursa major) and showed how it pointed to the North Star (Polaris) and explained how that was the tip of the Little dippers handle (Ursa minor). He gave little lessons on the stars when a question was asked. It was cool. It was fun. The kids enjoyed themselves and boy #2 ate his entire cone, he usually doesn't. We cleaned up the kids after a while and headed home.

On the way down the canyon we had to stop because a semi-truck that was hauling smashed cars had tipped its load. So we had to wait a few minutes for them do some cleaning up. We didn't have to wait long because the workers were taking turns with waiting cars and trying to move some things.


Then when we got out of the canyon, there was a ton of traffic.?What? We looked to the right and saw the mountain was on fire. It looked as though they had it all contained and had gotten to it fast, but whoa, what if they hadn't? We might have had to take the long way home. Everything turned out fine in the end and we did get to see some meteors flashing through the atmosphere.

School begins soon

So school will begin very soon for my children. I'm frazzled and torn, not because I don't want them to go to school, it's where they will be going. We unfortunately haven't moved anywhere-or even close to it but that's another post- and my oldest will be going to a jr. high that I do.not.like! I've been pleading with the Lord to let her attend elsewhere but so far, I've not noticed an answer. I would love for all three to attend a charter school close to home, but, no one has called me back and I've been calling almost every.stinkin'.day. I feel trapped. I don't know how else to help my children's education be better other than what we do at home already. At the jr. high G#1 will be attending, it's not so much the education as it's the attitude of the students attending there.

The attitude is...why should we learn English if we don't speak it at home? why should we care about your history if it's not ours? math will take us no where but to the welfare system just like our parents.

Do you see why I want better for my daughter? You do understand don't you? The teachers kind of give up and seem to act as if they don't care because the student's don't. We have had several conversations with our daughter telling her she'll have to work harder than ever so she can do better in school. not that she's had too much trouble with school but that she'll have to involve herself with the teachers to make sure she gets all the knowledge she can in the subjects they teach. She is a hard worker and she can be and is a great student, but I worry if, with the wrong kinds of friends, the attitudes of others, and teachers giving up, she'll get "left behind."

I know it's kind of silly, but my children's education is their key to having a better lifestyle than what they are growing up with. I'm not saying they have it bad now, but if they learn now to budget their money, learn that there is always 2 sides and sometimes a 3rd, have an open mind but know who they are, learn an occupation that will help with their own families (for the girls if needed,) I believe that they will be able to have a great life and not worry about if they'll make the next house payment without using line of credit or having to go into debt to fix a car. We are really trying. They don't go without the necessities.

This didn't end the way I thought it would. I'm just rambling.Sorry.

13 Years!!!!

Yesterday we celebrated 13 years of marriage. It hasn't always been easy, but I don't believe we had more or harder problems than others, but we have always worked it out. Always. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing about this. Stephen and I met in high school, he was a grade older. We were just friends and didn't start dating until after I had graduated from high school. Our first date ever was a hike up waterfall canyon, it was also our second hike thankfully. (I didn't finish the first time due to work, lack of sleep and food. I did redeem myself with the second date.) Many more hikes and dates followed. I kinda wiped all the other girls from his memory, or at least blew them all out of the water.

We married two years later on the day of our first date. The ceremony was under his parents cherry tree. We were sealed on our one year anniversary, having Girl #1 sealed to us. Being sealed in the temple was the.best.decision.ever! Because of our sealing, we have made it through many things and I know that we will make it through all things. We have been given strength because of this decision.

He is my life. Because of him, I have been blessed with 4 wonderful children; I'm learning patience; to have an open mind and to consider things when I don't know the answer; to budget better; to be more compassionate to others because I don't know their circumstances; to love easier and better.

I have truly been blessed by the Lord. He has given me an incredible gift in my husband. I am truly grateful for all that we can do and accomplish. I love my husband. What more can I say?

Can't help it

I can't help but love this face.

Isn't he all sorts of cute?

My good friends Amanda and Jared were able to adopt this little cutie. I got to see him on his one week birthday last week. His older brother is so cute helping out, I love it. He will totally be the bestest big brother to this little guy. Jared and Amanda will continue to be the best parents for these little guys.

Congrats you two! So happy many, many prayers were heard and answered! You deserve to be happy!