To school!

Farewell to summer... I love having my kids home with me in the summer time. This summer has been especially neat because Lily and Carter have reached a new peak in their sibling friendship. This summer they clicked and reached the point where they have so much fun playing together. They'd run off and imagine, collaborate and create, be clever and silly together, and have a great time. That's new for them. I loved seeing that this summer. And so it's with a little sadness on my part that I hugged them goodbye on their first days of school this year. Back to the rushed schedules and not as much family time...bummer.



Carter started preschool last week. We had planned to go in early so Carter could meet his teacher, see his classroom, and the preschool dog. (He's very scared of dogs, but has been working to overcome his fear.) The morning after we got back from vacation I called his teacher to set up a time to come visit. To my surprise, she said it started that day!! Fortunately we had all his supplies ready, so we got to start preschool earlier than we thought! (Yes, he brushed his teeth right before we left, so there's a big wet spot on his shirt!)

When we got to school he was so excited! I can't get over how he put his little fists up to his chin in excitement! The reason he's not looking at the camera is because this is his first glimpse of his classroom and he can't peel his eyes away from all the exciting things around him!

He hung up his backpack...Toy Story, not Princess! His teacher has a really fun set up. I wish I could be in his preschool class! I'm so excited for Carter. He is loving preschool already: the friends, the playing, the coloring, and writing, and even the dog! He actually pets Sandy, the dog! If you've ever seen Carter in the presence of a dog, you know that's significant.
I'm impressed with Carter's worksheets. We haven't done very much coloring and drawing with Carter because it hasn't interested him (hello, trucks and trains or a pencil?). So I was a little worried that Carter would have a hard time with crayon work. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see his great coloring and line tracing skills!

I am such a goober and I forgot to get a picture of Lily before her first day of school yesterday!! I was so disappointed. So I resolved to get a picture of her after school. It seems she had a great first day of second grade...but she was tired.

I took her picture outside her classroom, and between "smiling" shots, I snapped this one of her. I think it accurately captures how she felt.

She has a lot of friends from previous years in her class, and is excited about meeting new ones. Lily is growing so much. This first day of school is still exciting, yet in some ways it seemed like "old hat" to her, as if she's been doing this for years and she's a pro. Well, I guess she is.

We're very excited about Lily's teacher. She is an excellent teacher, with high regards from Lily's first grade teacher. I think Lily's going to love her second grade year.

My kids are growing up. It is wonderful to see them become more independent and helpful, yet I know it means my apron strings are getting even longer and longer. Sometimes that's a little sad for me. In spite of my mommy heart missing them while they're away, I'm completely excited about the adventures they'll have and the growth that awaits them.

Swim!

Lily's on swim team this summer. She's loving it. I'm so proud of this girl! On the first day of practice they said, "Jump in and swim across the pool." She swam 25 meters right there, and has been doing it since then.

She looks so little out there in that long lane!

Lily swims freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke, and butterfly. I'm proud of her gumption and determination.

I love this photo! It captures a glimpse of the friendship between Lily and Carter. I love watching them play and get creative together this summer. I love summer!!!!!!

I'm also very proud of my Carter boy. As of yet, swimming is more scary than fun for Carter. But he was so brave in his swim lessons this summer!

Carter was so scared to jump. His teacher, my good friend Nancy, had to count down for him a few times to get him to jump. Look at his face...so scared, but brave!

Another brave jump!

Nancy taught him to roll over to his back for a breath...

...then roll back to his stomach and swim.
Carter's getting more and more comfortable, the more time with spend in the pool.

What do the other kids and I do while one kid is swimming?...play in the heat.

Hazel's first ventures on a ladder occurred during Carter's swim lessons. She was pretty excited about that.

Multiple choice

How did Aaron dislocate his pinky?

a. flipping oatmeal pancakes
b. karate chopping a cinder block
c. taking a spill while mountain biking

Aaron and Jordan returned from their early morning ride a little earlier than I expected. Aaron held up his hand and said, "I need to go." My stomach churned and my adrenaline started pumping when I saw his discombobulated finger. Jordan was so kind to accompany him to the ER, which allowed me to take care of the kiddos. Thanks, Jordy.

Aaron's owies are fixed up, he's a little sore, and he's back to work.

I'm hosting an Arbonne catalog party! I used their products as a teenager and recently discovered it again because my friend is an Arbonne consultant.

A catalog party works like this: instead of meeting up at my house for a party, you can browse the products on line and make a purchase by contacting me. If you aren't familiar with Arbonne products, I can connect you to Dawne, my friend, and she'll introduce you to them.

I've loved the Arbonne products I've used because they're made of botanical ingredients, which are great for our skin, they look and feel fantastic, and they last a long time.

The perk to the catalog party is that there is no tax and a flat rate shipping fee. So, if you're interested, give me a call or email and I'll send your order over to Dawne!

Mother's day

Mother's day was very sweet. Aaron and the kids took good care of me. I love my kiddos immensely. Sometimes it feels like my heart will burst.

I also enjoyed thinking about my sweet mom. My gratitude for her grows more as the years move on. She is wonderful!

I call it an eskimo kiss. He re-dubbed it the ladybug kiss.

Another great treat: my brother and his family are staying with us for a couple of months this summer! We got to have Mother's day together.

This is Kelly's first Mother's day. Her little boy is so cute. We love having him here. He's so easy-going and laid back. He just fits right in with all the kids here.

Warrior Dash!

Aaron and I ran a crazy fun race last weekend. It's a 5k peppered with obstacles that have you climbing over cargo net structures, leaping over fire, and sloshing through a mud pit under barbed wire. We intended to run it together, but didn't have anyone to watch the kiddos. So we staggered our runs and went separately.

Before the mud pit...

...and after.

Wahoo!

The Warrior Dash has a viking theme...hence the viking horns.

The mud pit leaves you utterly covered in mud. To clean off you get sprayed down!

Over the fire.

In the mud.

Dir.ty.

Wahoo!! It was so much fun!

A few things

1. I just signed up for the St. George marathon!! I've been thinking of running a marathon for a while. Now is the time for me to do it! Only 7,400 of those who register will be selected, by lottery, to participate. Cross your fingers for me that I'll be chosen! The race is October 1st. If you want to run with me or come cheer me on, I'd love it!

2. I'm completely excited about something. It's my vacuum and mop! Long story, short: I've had tile woes since I moved here 4 1/2 years ago. Nothing to properly vacuum/sweep and mop my hard floors. Our new house has a lot of tile, and it's textured. So I need something good.

Well, my genius husband found the perfect solution: our shop vac! It's been sitting in our garage all these years and I haven't thought to use it on the tile. He tried it and it works like a dream! It picks everything up! I love that my problem is solved, and didn't have to spend money on it.

As for the mop, I got an industrial mop and bucket. I love them. They make mopping so much easier and pleasant. The mop was inexpensive and the bucket was a bit more, but so worth it!

3. I'm going to make my blog private. I'd love for you to keep looking at my blog, so pretty please leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send you an invite.