PreSchool for Lexi

It was finally Lexi's turn to start school and she was so excited! She is so different from the other girls in the fact that she is not scared or shy to start or try new things. She barely wanted a hug before she went inside. Her teacher this year is Kristi Furner and I love her and am so glad I really know who is teaching my baby girl.

I miss you while at school!

Lexi on two wheels!

The other day we are out in the front yard and Lexi was messing around on her friends bike that had no training wheels...next thing I know she is riding down the side walk on two wheels! She just tried it and off she went! She is the only child so far that I have not had to help and run beside. WOW! I am still so shocked. We tried a few months ago and after that experience I figured training wheels were going to be her friend for a very long time...I was so wrong!

Way to go Lexi!

LAST SATURDAY OF SUMMER

For our last Saturday of summer we decided to hike the Y. TJ and I had already done it this year but we wanted to take the kids. Lexi as always was a trooper and she was ahead of us all and never wanted to stop and take a break. She just kept trucking along. The other girls however kept asking for breaks and water. Kasen fell asleep on the way down which kinda worked out because once we got home he was awake and so we grabbed lunch and took the kids to the Provo Rec center. It is so nice to have Tj with us. The kids love showing off to him and I love actually being able to swim and go on the slides with the kids. Tallie and I even jumped off the rock wall this time. It was a great family day to end the summer.

First day of school

I have mixed emotions about school starting. For one thing it means that summer is done and winter is coming. It means that my two oldest will be gone all day and our lives get a little bit more chaotic. It means that Lexi's buddies are away all day and she is left alone with Kasen. It does mean that we can get back to a schedule where the house can get cleaned and maybe stay clean (a little longer anyways) and it means that nights are now for TJ and I again since the kids now go to bed early. It also means that I have to wake up earlier to get my runs in and that my Walmart helpers are no longer there to help. Most of all it means that I miss these girls.

I'm hoping and praying they have a good fun day. For our back to school FHE we talked about all of the reasons why we go to school: to learn, make friends, be a friend, to have fun, be good examples and learn to make good choices. We talked about the tools we need to be able to learn at school. Most of all I wanted them to know about the most important tool we have at school that can help us with anything. From finding friends, not feeling lonely, doing well on a test, not being scared...I wanted them to remember that they can always pray to Heavenly Father and He will always be there for them. Because school is really tough. We put together a bead jar and ANYTIME they pray whether it be before bed, for dinner, at church in class at school, we all can put in a bead for each time. We are trying to physically see the amount of times we talk to Heavenly Father and to increase it and to really have a relationship with God. I have been amazed at how many times Chloe puts in beads. I also made them a necklace to wear to school that has a bead on it. These are their prayer necklaces to help them remember they can always pray. 

I can't always be where they are away or help them when they need it. It is so comforting to know that my Father in Heaven watches over them always and can comfort them with the Holy Ghost when I cannot. 

I am so glad that these two buddies are still at home with me during the school year. 

Chloe turns 7!

I LOVE this little Chlo-bug of mine! She literally is a ray of sunshine in our home! She is cute and quirky, funny and sweet, smart and bouncy. She is such a big help to me (when she decides to be) and is such a sweet sister. She wakes up with some crazy bed head and she never seems to stop bouncing when she talks, she loves to flip on the trampoline and run around. She is so shy but when she is around people she is comfortable with she does not hold back! She is so smart and growing everyday but she will ALWAYS fit on my lap! 

She loves to quote me any commercial she sees on tv and lately tells me I need to get the newest acne product X-OUT. She says Sparkle paper towels work the best and Tide gets you your whitest whites. She wants anything soft and cuddly that ever appears on TV and this year we made all her dreams come true. She got one Stretchykin which comes with a sweet exercise and dance video, PJ Animals that you wear as Pjs and then roll into an animal when not in use, a Snacky which is a cup that holds your drink and snacks in the same cup, a light up pillow pet and Juggles Bubbles which are bubbles you can hold with special gloves that won't pop. Grandmas and friends helped to buy all that good stuff and now she is a walking "As Seen On TV" billboard. Jade and Brightyn got her a magic set and it was so funny to watch her put on a magic show for all her friends all while wearing her dog Pjs. 

I also got her a nail art kit that lets you paint your nails and do designs. I wanted to play with that all day. I did everyones toes and fingers. We took the party to Chucke Cheese and let the kids go crazy.

 (Callie and Elena Wakefield, Haeli Wilkins, Jade and Brightyn Langholf)

11 years for us!

1. 

I love TJ more than anything! I love how he loves me more than anything as well and that makes for a pretty great marriage that is pretty darn smooth sailing. I know too many people who have to work daily on having a happy marriage who constantly have to remind themselves to love their choice. I feel so lucky its not that way for us. I'm excited for all of our years ahead of us and for how much more I will learn about this guy. He really is the best.

He surprised me when he got home from work and had arranged for his mom to watch the kids while we went and stayed at The Chateau in Deer Valley. We swam in the pool and hung out in the hot tub (dinner at Tucanos, curtisey of my mom) and then on Saturday we went out for breakfast and again he surprised me by going to Jordanele to rent Kayaks. That was so fun just being out on the water and talking. We ended our little getaway with shakes from Granny's in Heber. 

I also had said no gifts this year and to just put that money into a cool date. Well he did the cool date part but also got me a new Ipod (my other one finally gave up the ghost) along with some very cool wireless earphones. But because I guess I have the world's smallest and lamest ears, they don't stay in so those will have to go back.

He always out does himself.

Happy 11 years to us!

Wrapping up summer

I think we went to Seven Peaks for the last time this year this morning. I hate when it comes to an end. I have loved watching Lexi with Kasen. They are such cute towel buddies.

Chloe has been mustering up the courage to get her ears pierced before school starts and one day she finally told me she was ready. I was sure once we got there she would back out and we'd go home with no earrings. Well she sure surprised me when she went right in and hoped up on that chair and took it like a boss! For a split second I thought she might loose it but then it was over and she was all smiles.

Hopefully third times a charm and these ones last.

We also have all of the hammocks (plus the Wakefields) hung up in the yard. We even tried a double decker set up so we could all hang out and be buddies! (Lego movie line). We didn't leave it up long because it was pretty dangerous.

Thoughts

You know when you feel like your life need a change? Not moving or anything like that but more like a change in your life to head you in the right direction again.

The last few testimony meetings at church have got my mind going. I don't feel like I am progressing and moving forward. I feel like I am just another person living in this world living life. I feel like I am such a negative person these days with nothing good to say or report about my day. Sometimes I only feel like I can add to a conversation with gossip.

It is so easy to find the negative in everything and everyone. For the past couple days I have been really trying to think before I speak and think really does that need to be said? Does that info need to be passed along and what is its purpose, so I can have something negative to talk about. Its pretty hard to bite your tongue and leave things unsaid and instead replace it with something positive. For example the other day running a girl started talking bad about a girl I had a calling with. Really she is amazing and she is great at magnifying her calling and doing all that she can. But others view her as controlling and crazy. I tried to put some good words in for her because really I think she is amazing and I would hope that people don't bash me behind my back about how I do my own calling.

We are all learning to do things we never took classes for. I've noticed much of what I say is not positive and leads to no where and it's so sad how much I am starting to notice that.

I want to be positive and try and look for one good thing in all situations and people. There is something good in everything if we look for it.

Positive attracts positive.

I am trying to make changes at home to have the Spirit in our home more and hopefully in return help me from yelling and being so mean to the people I love the most.

As a family we made a sticker chart and every night we read our scriptures the kids put up their stickers. Once school starts and we will all be awake before TJ leaves for work I hope we can go back to having family prayer in the mornings.

For myself I have started reading the scriptures again everyday and it just so happens the YW were challenged to read the Book of Mormon in one month. I jumped on that band wagon and hope to finish it with them.

I'm trying to not look at my phone every 2 sec and a quote from someone in the Ensign this month is helping me:

"Where ever you are, be there".

Meaning if you are driving, just drive (no txing), if you're on a date, be there (no phone), if you're talking to someone, be there, if you're at church, be there.

My mom also sent me a book called "Praying circles around your children". The author is not LDS but it is seriously the best book ever.

Camping at Payson Lakes

We got a rained on a little, Kasen may have been awake roaming the tent from 2-4am, our raft had holes in it and 2 out of the three fishing poles broken straight from packaging, but we still had a fun time camping! The big hit this time was the hammocks and the girls learning how to cast a fishing line. We may have skipped out on our foil dinners and drove to town to eat in a restaurant and we did bring back a little chipmunk friend but I wouldn't change this trip. But I will say I am done camping with a baby under 3!