Daddy/daughter neighbor campout

For a couple of years some of the men in our ward would take their daughters on the fathers and sons campout. There were so many dads with no sons and a million girls. But then one year someone put a stop to it all, someone who didn't like changing tradition. So for the last couple years TJ and our neighbors have wanted to take the girls camping and start their own tradition. Well finally this year it happened! The kids all had so much fun and so did all the dads! They shot bb guns, ate a ton of crap, the girls all slept in one tent, Kenny cooked a big breakfast, they watched a movie on a projector, they explored and danced in the dark with glow sticks. They all said it was the best campout EVER! I think it was so good for the guys as well to get together and enjoy friendships (just like us moms do). Chloe said her favorite part was spending time with her dad. It made me so happy. I just wish I was there too! Kasen was so so sad he couldn't go. We stayed home and played cars, mowed the lawn and shot the nerf guns all night. I even got to catch up on this blog (which took me over 2 hours to write about all the stuff we did all summer). It was so good for just the girls to go and for the dads to put it all together. I literally did nothing to prepare for their trip. Next year they want to make it 2 nights and for the second night have the moms and other kids come up. It would be a lot of fun to hang out with everyone. Its funny because we have been neighbors with the Laura and Kenny Sperry for 9 years and it hasn't been until this year (in the last 6 months) that we have become friends and hang out. Laura still isn't around much because she works but Kenny is great and with him, Scott and TJ it gets pretty fun. And I'm so glad to see TJ hanging out with these guys. Anyways I am so glad they finally went. Now here is to hoping we don't have to move for a job....

Back to school

My kids are growing up and there is nothing I can do about it. I am so sad. My little Lexi started Kindergarten this year. She had been counting down the days and was so excited and beyond ready. She is also in the dual-immersion program where half her day is spent in Spanish. I don't think she is a big fan of it but she is enjoying school and has no problem leaving me and going. She is a funny girl where sometimes at the end of the day she will hug me and cry saying she didn't see me all day. And it was a day we were both home all day and she was happy and playing with friends all day. She does need her one on one time with her mom to make her day complete and good and I love that about her. We are so happy and lucky that she is in the same class as her cousin Brightyn. She did cry the night before school so worried that she might need to go to the bathroom while the teacher was teaching and she wouldn't know how to say bathroom in Spanish. Chloe for the first time ever did not shed one tear about going to school, ok I take that back, she was pretty upset school started only a few days after her birthday. But she wasn't nervous or scared which I was worried she would be since Haeli Wilkins her side kick is now going to a new school. Tallie on the other hand for the first time bawled and bawled the night before. Her best friend Maili Wilkins would not be with her this year. I just laid in her bed and cried with her. It was so sad. She woke up happier and didn't cry that morning. She has had to do some adjusting but I think she is starting to fall into her groove and finding friends she is happy with. I have to constantly ask her how her day was and really probe for anything about how school and friends are really going because she is such a closed book who really doesn't share her emotions. I already miss them all around the house and I can't lie and say that homeschooling hasn't crossed my mind. The only reason why I stay away from it is for the social aspect of it. Kids need kids and need to be in social settings and you just can't get that from staying home. I heard someone say something today that really hit me. She said when her kids went to public school she fell into this "manage" my kids mode. With the routine of it all and kids always being gone that once they came home it was just "I have to manage the kids" but since she started homeschooling she is enjoying her kids and they are her life and she no longer just "manages" them. For me I totally get that and sometimes feel that way. My kids are gone the whole day and then I see them and we have to do dinner and homework and bath and sports and then bed. The quality time with my kids is so shortened. Over the summer we do so much we accomplish a lot and we become friends and I see them grow and change and I get to be there for it all. I enjoy our time together and it never feels like I am just "managing" them. We are living life together. I don't know if any of that makes any sense but in short I just want my kids back!

12 YEARS!

I love this man more than anything. He is my rock, my best friend, my companion, my partner, my strength, my happy place, my safe place and everything else. I am so glad that he choose me and I choose him to go thru this life with and to be with forever in the eternities. It seems so crazy to have been married 12 years already yet when I think about when we were first married that seems like an eternity ago. To celebrate, TJ had planned on going and floating Provo river. He knew I had always wanted to do that and that it is so crazy we have lived here for 14 years and have never done it. However the weather wasn't super warm and the water is freezing so we went with plan B which was to hike Timp which was also something I have never done before and really wanted to. And I need to say that Tj is awesome to plan activities like this on our anniversaries. He knows I don't want to do anything ordinary on special days so we can look back and say remember that time....no one ever says "hey remember that time we celebrated 12 years at that one resturante and we ate that one thing??" So props to him. Anyways it was great this day fell on a  Saturday. TJs parents took the kids for the day so we could hike. The weather wasn't too great for that either. We got rained on, the winds blew and we were wet and freezing! An hour from the top we decided to turn around since my hands were going to fall off and since it was below freezing at the top with no view anyways. It was a bummer but this just means we have to do it again! We went home and showered and went to dinner at Tucanos (thanks to my mom for the gift card). It was a great day that is full of memories. 

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Chloe turns 8!!!

This little girl is such a ball of fun rolled up into a tiny package. I love her so much and love having her in our family and I love being her mom! She is so sweet and sassy with attitude and tons of personality. She is always making silly faces, dancing and hopping around. She is always quoting movie lines and wearing her own little cute outfits. She is also so tender hearted and is so loving and sweet to Lexi and Kasen when they need help or just playing with them. She is sensitive and aware of others feelings and she "feels" others pains and always wants to take others pains away. She is super protective of our kitty Cleo and hates it when anyone is mean to her (like me "gently" nudging her off the couch she is clawing). She is bubbly and social and life would be dull without her. She is my Chlo-bug and my "Rae" of sunshine. All she wanted for her birthday was new shoes and Legos and something soft to cuddle with. I knew she wanted new stuffed animals super bad when she was able to part with 3 to make room for more (that was my rule, to get more you have to get rid of some, and she LOVES them all). We took friends to Nickel Mania and she asked for a beach cake. So easy to please. Love you Chloe! ( I had to throw in some pics of Cleo in her cone of shame).

Salt Lake

One night we drove to Salt Lake to take some pictures of Chloe in her baptism dress in front of the temple. BUT once we got there the wind was blowing like 60mph! The kids were crying cause they all thought they would blow away! I also had plans to check out the church history museum(since its free and all) but that ironically was closed for remodeling. So we went to the visitors center and walked around. And then hit up a bell concert at the tabernacle. If anythings I'm glad I got these pictures.

Last Summer Hoorah!

The Monday night before school started we teamed up with Tessa and her girls and had dinner, swimming and a campfire at the lake. It was a perfect way to end the summer. RIGHT up until MILLIONS AND BILLIONS flying bugs came and swarmed us!! We all started grabbing things and diving into cars. It was so disgusting! But ya other than that...a perfect night.