back to school etc.

Back to school, schedules, routine and running around like crazy.  Phil has been out of town (the country) so I have been putting miles on the van trying to get everyone where they need to be.  It has been exciting, but we pulled it off with a little help.  Jacob has literally been doing school, baseball and homework the last few weeks.  He's been a trooper.  Ben and Micah have finally started soccer and Micah is finishing up his first year of machine pitch baseball.  I started back to preschool and we are getting into the swing of things.  The cool breeze outside tells me fall is here and I think it's a good place to be.

 First Day of School

 Jacob 6th Grade, Benjamin (and friend Aaron) 4th Grade and Micah, gasp, 1st Grade!!

 Happy to see a familiar face!

I'm not going to lie, I think first grade has been a bigger adjustment for me than Micah.  I miss my kids.  We had a great summer and though I am keeping busy with PTA, preschool etc, I am lonely when I am home by myself.  I am happy with my decision to be done with piano for a while because I am HAPPY to see my kids when they walk through that door!!

Smile...

by Micah

I Love to see the Temple

 We had the opportunity to head to Brigham City a few weeks ago for the Temple Open House.  It was a beautiful morning and a wonderful experience to be with the boys in the temple.  This was the lot where my old elementary school used to be, so it was extra special to me!

 

It was also very special to be at the temple with my mom.  We are so happy to have her around and have loved our many visits with them this summer!

 

There were many peach blossoms everywhere in and around the temple.  They even had fruit trees in the landscaping.  Again, special to me because my family has a peach orchard and we love this time of year!

 I hope these boys continue to set their sights on the temple and being in there someday as a family. 

Our Summer - August

August started in the very best way possible - camping with our neighbors!!!  The boys look forward to this all year and have been heard saying they love it better than Christmas!!  Between Kool Aid, scooters, tubing and scones, this truly is one of our favorite places to be!! I even got up and ran by the river this year, it was gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boys worked hard this summer earning their scouting awards.  Benjamin earned his wolf...And Jacob earned his Webeloes award and his Arrow of Light.  We have the best cub master ever, who came up with some great games for after the awards ceremony!!

  

Benjamin also came up with "The Awesome Club" in which he and his brothers earned badges this summer.  I think this was "Calvin" inspired, but it was very cute.  He made badges out of bottle caps (which we had to buy sodas and drink - win/win situation.)  Fun Kids!

 

We ended the summer by celebrating Benjamin's 9th birthday.  We had a lot of fun at "Airborne" and cupcakes with cousin Shayla.  We celebrated all week and ended with the Farming Game and cupcakes with Brigham cousins and Grandpa and Grandma on Sunday!  He loved it and we love having Ben in our family!

 

 

 

Fishing Trip

Phil is a lucky guy.  He gets to work with some pretty amazing people.  One of the Physical Medicine residents at the University of Utah is a river guide specializing in Tenkara fly fishing.  It's a technique that requires only one hand to do.  So he approached Phil about the possibility of taking a group of amputees out for an evening of fishing.  Most of these folks haven't fished since the accidents/infections that lead to their limb loss, so to get them back out on the water was a pretty big deal.  It was a beautiful evening and they even managed to catch a fish or two. 

He had such a good time, that Phil didn't even mind the clean up

Though some of the neighbors did ask questions the next morning...

Our Summer - July

Well, the kids start school on Tuesday and I feel like the summer has gotten away from me!!  I have some catching up to do, so here goes!!

My little (big) Jacob turned 11 in July.  11!!!  Unbelievable.  We had a great day on his birthday.  He got some Texas Rangers paraphernalia and a new backstop to practice his pitching.  He still thinks I am a better catcher and that is fine by me. We went to Boondocks where he had unlimited batting cages - his dream come true!!

He and I have had a lot of fun with baseball this summer.  We have worked almost everyday on pitching, grounders and fly balls.  I only sprained my ankle once and I told him I was going to have to bring our mitts over to recess so I can get my daily fix!!  Jacob has grown up a lot this year.  His baseball has meant a lot to him and he has learned a lot about life on and off the field.  He is also thrilled to be an eleven year old scout and headed out for his first campout last weekend.  Ugh!!  I wasn't ready for that, but he LOVED it!!  Love this kid.

Benjamin got a shot at baseball this summer as well.  Unable to fit it all in in the spring, he played rec center ball.  He was a bit disappointed to be the oldest on his team (and quite often the only one who went after the ball - no matter where it was on the field!), he did a good job and this picture shows him once again explaining to everyone about the game.

 

 

 

Good Job Benji!

We celebrated my grandpa's would be 100 year birthday at Bear Lake during our family reunion this year.  We got out 100 glow sticks and sang happy birthday and did the Hokey Pokey for him.  The kids love our annual trip to Bear Lake.  This year they had a little island that they kayaked back and forth to.  Micah and Ben were in heaven. 

 

 

 

 We listened to My Side of the Mountain this summer and they enjoyed pretending they were foraging for themselves - even caught a grasshopper as a pet.  Creative boys!

 

 

 We loved hanging out with cousins and kids of cousins!