Summer time

Needless to say I was pretty excited for this summer to get here. I would have to say it's the best part of being a teacher - that I get to spend the whole summer just being a mom and spending all the time in the world with my kiddos!! 

    I think my expectations always get away with me in the "summer bucket list" area. But the summer has still been relaxing, fun, and also full of hard work! 

Fun activities with Lanee's school Clear Horizons!

Softball kept us busy in the evenings with 3 girls!!

Lanee coached Cambree's first year of kid pitch - this is when softball gets exciting!!

We went to the Manti Miracle Pageant with cousins from Arkansas. Which was so awesome but so super long (especially for a 2 year old and 5 year old - and even my 7 year old). Lanee was smart though and moved chairs around so we had our own section of blankets to lay on - which saved us!! By the end I had Ella on my legs, Hadley, on top of her, and my foot so dead I could not feel an ounce of feeling. Still worth every second. 

 

Train rides on the front runner for temple square with our Arkansas cousins. 

My favorite spot in Temple Square. Ever loving, ever accepting, ever forgiving!!

The whole crew on top of the conference center. 

We can't forget the fireworks!! If you know me, you know that I love me some fireworks. Seriously one of my most favorite things - include watermelon and a popsicle and you've made my life perfect! Can't wait for the 24th in Utah now!!

We've also been swimming quite a bit this summer but I always forget to take pictures!! When you are one adult with 4 kids by water - it's hard to snap a picture. 

I can't forget to post where we have spent most of our time - where I will be teaching next year - kindergarten at Reagan Academy. This is a before picture of what is still yet to come. But it has came A LONG way. My kids have been such troopers to "hang out" with me here and help me organize, clean, and get ready for the school year. Ok, let's be honest - CAMBREE has been the biggest help, I honestly don't know what I would do without her. It's crazy to think that I will have a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and now a kindergartener!! All of us together at the same school - pretty exciting!!

My Na-Na eater

She loves bananas. It's the second word she knows! Her first was da-da. I'm not exactly sure if she says them to mean what she thinks they mean, but she says these words none the less. My sweet na-na girl!

My kids are so Boring

It was wacky Wednesday hair day at school for my girls today. I wanted to be totally extravagant and make them totally crazy, but of course they said, "I'll be embarrassed mom!" I don't know why they thought this since the whole school was involved?! So we compromised or should I say, I compromised. They are pretty cute, aren't they!

 

Tyler settled for something that looked like an octopus.....

Cambree settled for something like a spiderweb....not too wacky for me, but to have her be patient through the whole, well, didn't really happen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another note, can you see my cute baby Hadley's first tooth. That thing has given us much pain, and yes, I mean US! It sure is cute though!

My Babies

My Ella and my Hadley.  I get to spend my mornings with just them while their two older sisters are at school. Tyler is in Kindergarten this year and is done with school at 11:30.  So it's me and my two babies for part of the day. I just love the time I get to spend with them. Hadley looks like a rag-a-muffin in this picture. But to be honest, that's how many of our days go around here. Ella is such a good older sister and loves being a big sister now. She is constantly trying to entertain little H with success about half the time. The other half ends in Hadley trying to do a scream type tattle-tell  because someone is invading her space.
And if you're wondering about the boxes in the background......yes, I'm still in the process of unpacking. Mostly because I have no where to put half my stuff with an unfinished basement, and a 1600 square foot area to put everything else. I do have most of my boxes in a nice organized stack downstairs. Give me a break, I've only been living in this house 4 months now..... I know, I know- zip it and don't judge me!!

I've forgotten how to blog.....

It's been almost 3 years since I've last blogged. This makes me sad. Looking through my past posts and my kids makes me want to get going again. So here I am.
It's so crazy how fast life changes and how fast my kids grow. This is the best way for me to keep up with them, so I'm going to.
Lanee has finished his masters and got a Principal job at Discovery Academy in Provo. 
We sold our house in Nibley and have moved to a cute little town called Elk Ridge.
We had another baby which now makes 4 girls (better update things on here). We named her Hadley Faye. She is now 7 months old.
My life has done a complete 360 degree turn since March of this year and I'm still adjusting to everything new in and about my life. The few things that stay constant are my Heavenly Father, my husband and my 4 beautiful girls. I really couldn't ask for anything more.
Here's to life!!

"Freeze Your Buns" 5K

I ran in my first 5K of the year this past Saturday.....the "Freeze Your Buns" run. Shelley and I ran it together - she's so great! It was so nice to get out and run in a race even when there is snow everywhere! The race ended up being so great because Shelley and I both placed...me for the first time EVER!! I got 2nd place in my age group and Shelley got 3rd place in her age group. Now I realize it was IN MY AGE GROUP, but seriously does it REALLY matter - hee hee. Despite the fact I'm not really even sure how many 31 year olds were there. I was still so excited to have gotten my first running ribbon for placing - hurray!! I have to say, it's very motivating....so BRING ON THE RACES!!

Valentine catastrophe!

Cambree woke up this morning REALLY wanting to make a valentine craft. I told her that as soon as we were all dressed and ready and cleaned up for preschool we could make one. Well, this didn't fly for her and she threw a tantrum and came out a few minutes later with this note she wrote all by herself and also taped it on the front door all by herself!

If you are not use to reading phonetic spelling I will sound it out for you .....

PRESKOL IIX KASOLD

it says, preschool is cancelled.

This just cracked me up because she decided to take the initative to cancel preschool so her world would work how she wanted. Pretty good solving problem capabilities I would say! Not to mention that in her world this note would totally let everyone know there was no preschool! I'm still laughing!!

I love my little sweetheart!

Grateful

I don't usually post about my personal feelings much, I decided to today.

Anyway, as many of you know we are a one car family. We sold my husbands truck and our car so we could afford our van a couple of years ago. This has helped us out greatly economically, but it can be very "trying" at times. We had decided that on preschool days Lanee would just take the van because it was so much work to get kids dressed, fed, school ready, and husband driven to work all before 9:00. This was working out fine, but it also meant I had NO car for the entire day......which if any of you know me, can be hard.

So on non-preschool days we would drive Lanee to work and pick him up and in the evenings drive him to school (masters degree) so I can could have the van. This might sound simple, but picture it with 3 kids now. Not so much. Waking kids up before they're awake to drive daddy to work, waking kids up in the middle of naptime to pick him up, not to mention half the time late picking him up because of potty accidents, poopy diapers and just plain tantrums. Then in the late afternoons or evenings, making sure dinner is done before daddy has to go back to school so we can drop him off run whatever errands we might need done, getting kids bathed and in bed, only to drag the sleeping babes out of bed around 9 or 10 to go pick daddy back up again. Can I just say my kids are TROOPERS!!

I didn't think this was all taking such a toll on me, I mean seriously I was so greatful to just have a car AND be good financially. It was just part of our daily routine that had to be done and we were all doing it. Not to mention my awesome husband who has to be the one shauffered around and not have the freedom you get with your own car (thank you honey).

Anyway, (thanks for still reading by the way)....a couple weeks ago, Lanee came home from work and simply said, "This guy from work is going to start picking me up in the mornings on his way to work. He saw me always being dropped off and thought it might help."

All I can say is tears just started flowing....WOW, I had no idea!! First of all to not have to worry about one drive during the day (I didn't know it was even that hard), 2nd to know this friend was so generous to help us out, and 3rd and probably what hit me the most was that God is mindful of me. I mean, really I know He is, but He REALLY is! I didn't even know I needed help in this part of my life until I got help. God knew this, He knew what I needed. And, what a great friend to listen and feel that need to help.

I am so blessed - beyond words!!