And That's That

 Well, the kids have been back in school for a week now, so I suppose it is officially official. Summer is over. Wahhhhh!!!

Just kidding. Life goes on, right? We had a blast the last couple of weeks and we completed our bucket list, so that's good. 

About a week before school started, we went back to school shopping. I let the kids choose a first day of school outfit and new shoes, but that's all we buy in the way of clothing. It's still so hot that they just wear their summer clothes anyway. We do our real back to school shopping in October when everything for fall and winter is on clearance because summer clothes are back in the stores for next year. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, why do stores operate that way?! So weird. I learned the October shopping trick from my aunt when Laylah was about to start preschool 6 years ago. She's a smart cookie.

We still needed some supplies though, as well as a few new backpacks and underwear, and necessities like that. So we spent the day shopping and went out to Applebee's for dinner because we had the handy free kid's meals from the library reading program. It was a fun day and I loved that we got so much done in such a short time because of our time crunch (ie. I am a procrastinator and school started in a week).

 We went to several movies at the dollar theater in American Fork because our Pass of All Passes gets us in for free! I love those passes.

We also had to say goodbye to our Auntie Kaylie whom we love and cherish and will miss like crazy. She left to go up to school at USU. Go Aggies!

PS Kaylie is actually 2 inches taller than me. No wonder everyone thinks I'm 5'9''. I'm always wearing giant heels.

And here is documentation that we did actually go camping at least once this summer, as promised back in June. I despise camping because I hate to be dirty. I hate when my kids are dirty and I hate that it takes so much work for such a short little trip, and yeah. I'm just a Negative Nelly, so there.

Also, it rained. A lot.

And why not? Why not add a whole lot more mess to this ridiculously short camping trip?

But guess what? The kids had fun, and they loved it, and nature really is beautiful and smells nice, so it was fine. I just like to be negative (haha).

 We went with Andy's brother Ryan and his family. My kids adore their twins.

Here's Jonah playing soccer with a really tiny ball and three 2-year-old blurs chasing after him.

Ryan looks super duper happy to be here. I actually think he just didn't know I was taking a photo. He was the positive one the whole trip while I just sat and whined.

Snugly wuggly kids

Andy and I had Magnus between us. It was super comfortable. Oh wait.... no it wasn't.

The kids found this little clearing behind our campsite and were playing "Indians" for 2 hours. They're so funny.

Pretty pretty mountains. Utah is a lovely place.

Here's a view of the valley as we were driving back down the mountain.

Aaaaaaaand, the awesome clean-up. Everything was muddy. Yuck. I was thrilled to cross that activity off of our summer bucket list.

And here are the fruits of our shopping labor. These bags sat on my dryer for a week before we got it all out and organized it and put it away.

Kids get excited about everything. I love it.

After my last post, we ended up not going boating at all because the weather took a turn for the worse, so we did some indoor activities instead. We headed to Trafalga and climbed the rock wall, played laser tag, went mini-golfing, and played arcade games.

After that we went to another movie at the dollar theater. It was a great way to end the summer, even if it wasn't boating. I love my family.

The next day, we did some cleaning, chores, and general getting ready for school. We put backpacks together with school supplies, we painted nails, we relaxed, we read books, and we stayed dry while the rain raged outside (what is with Utah this summer? It has been so wet!) We also had a few soccer games and we just spent time together as a family before school had to go and start and mess up all of our good times.

But seriously, even though this summer flew by, it was sure a good one. Definitely one of the best.

Next up: Back To School Celebration!

Life's Lessons

We have had a bit of trouble trying to get through our summer bucket list this last week before school starts. We were supposed to spend the day at Seven Peaks yesterday. When we drove up with excited kids ready to go and the parking lot was empty, I knew something must be amiss. I was right. They were closed. We tried the Murray Pool instead. Closed. Cottonwood Heights? Closed. As a last resort, we headed over to my grandma's community pool which is still fun but not as exciting (since we go there about once a week) because the kids were ready to swim. It was closed due to a broken pump. I couldn't believe our bad luck! The other three were closed because apparently school has started for the majority of Utah. I guess Murray district is one of the last to start. 

I don't get it. Whatever happened to August being a part of summer instead of back to school time? 

We ended up heading to a splash pad/playground. It is weird to me how much fun my kids used to have at places like that and now they're bored after 30 minutes. They're growing up so much. Sad. Magnus was the only one who played non-stop and threw a fit when we were ready to leave. I guess my days of hanging out at the park for hours on end while my kids play are over.  It's weird.

Today we have plans to go boating. The weather is against us though and it's windy and stormy. We'll see how long we can last. The kids are bummed that their last few days of freedom haven't worked out as planned. I had to explain to them that that is life, so they may as well get used to it and get over it. Those words are more for me though. It's a hard lesson to learn sometimes.

Coming To An End

 Well, how fast has this summer gone by? Faster than any in my current recollection. I know that had a lot to do with school (I got my grades back... 4.0 baby!) and the fact that I only get a 2 week break, but it makes me a little sad. I am really glad that I took so many pictures this year. I have noticed that when I am feeling happy and content, I tend to take more photos. When I am not as happy and stressed with life, I tend to take less. I suppose it has something to do with wanting to remember and not wanting to remember.

Whatever the case may be, I took a lot of pictures this summer, everything from the daily mundane to exciting adventures, for which I am glad. Here is a sampling of each end of the spectrum and everything in between.

The Silent Assassin strikes again. Disaster and chaos seem to follow this child wherever he goes.

I found him like this one morning. I'm not sure why he was there, unless he has managed to inherit his father's unique sleep-walking abilities. If that is the case, I am a tad concerned.

 Oh, these boys' love of Pokemon sure does run deep. Here is Jonah's collection of cards.

Cookies and lemonade anyone?

We finally made it to Seven Peaks Waterpark with our passes.  Baron has turned out to be an amazing big brother who loves Magnus fiercely and it makes my heart so happy.

 It plum tuckered this boy out.

Jonah went fishing with his Papa and caught some beauties with his new fishing pole. They are the catch-and-release type, but unfortunately this one passed away before it was released. 

Fortunately, it didn't go to waste. It was delicious.

It is really hard to tell, but Jonah is right near the top of that giant tree.  He loves to climb anything.

Wow, it's the Jonah show I just realized. We had been growing his hair out all summer, and it was finally time for some haircuts before school started.

 We decided not to go with the mohawk.

We had a new bitty-baby born into the family. Little Garrett is my brother Nate's little guy. He is delicious.

 Do you see where this boy is? That's right, in my bed. Not only is he in my bed, he is on my side of the bed, in my spot. Do you see that tiny area of blue sheet? That is where I was all scrunched up because this youngest child of mine is a spoiled stinker and I am too tired to take him back to his own bed when he sneaks into mine at 5 in the morning, so he stays there and even though I am dead tired, I can't seem to wake up enough to put him back where he belongs. Ohhhh, how my mothering has changed. Never have any of my other children been allowed into my bed combined as many times as this one has. I am such a pushover.

 This sweet girl cleaned the entire kitchen while I was at the gym one morning, which was a disaster pre-cleaning, and she even made pancakes afterwards. She doesn't do this all the time, but when she does it is right when I needed it most. Bless her.

The same day, a dear friend of mine brought over this "Bag of Sunshine" and left it on my porch with the sweetest note. Bless her too. 

I absolutely adore weddings. My cousin Adam got married and I think the reason weddings are so much fun, especially family weddings, is because I get to see so many people I love all at the same time in the same place. This is my mom's side of the family who I am very close with, and I simply can't say how much I love all of these people. That's a lot of love folks.

And Adam definitely married up when he tricked Alli into marrying him ;)

 We had such a fun night celebrating, eating, talking and laughing. 

One day I was driving home and Andy called. He reminded me that the car needed gas and I told him I thought I'd be fine. I despise getting gas, and Andy almost always does it. Well, unfortunately for me, Andy was right and about a 1/2 mile from home the car stopped in the middle of the road. I was able to get it started and into a parking lot. As soon as I put it in park, it died again. Here is us, walking home, the boys lolligagging :)

 Later we went to get the car and I filled it up with gas. I guess the gas station had a $100 limit and it stopped pumping. The car wasn't even filled up all the way. I guess it really was empty, haha!

Daphne had her first soccer tournament and her team played awesome! They made it to the finals and ended up taking second place. 

Daphne's coach actually coaches 2 teams, so they have practice together and they are all great friends. The two squads are the ones that ended up being in the finals together, and like I mentioned, Daphne's team took second place. This was after the awards ceremony and all of these cute teammates/friends were so happy that they all won a medal.

 Daphne's coach is fabulous.

What is summer without swimming? We go swimming to my grandma's pool almost weekly.

And here's my little Sadie who doesn't get much blog time ever. I just have to say that I love this little dog so much. She bugs me sometimes, and I hate that she licks everyone to death, but she is such a good  and obedient little dog (most of the time.) As I type this she is sitting at my feet and she is my little buddy throughout the day. She follows me around and when I sit, if my hand is in reach, she'll bump it with her head to remind me to give her a little pat now and then. It is said that people with dogs are happier and live longer, and I have to believe that it's true. They are such loyal and happy companions. Thanks little dog, your family loves you.

Kaylie and I went on a last ride together a few days ago. She is heading up to Utah State next week for college and I will miss her so.  My kids will too, she is a fabulous auntie.

 

 

 At least they got to help her give Luna a bath before she leaves. They have been begging to do this all summer. I don't really know what they were expecting, but I hope it was everything they dreamed it would be, haha.

 

My mom told me that when I got done with this semester we would go out and do lunch and whatever else I wanted. I just like to be with her. We went to City Creek, ate at the Copper Onion (delish!) and moseyed around the mall. We got ice cream at Farr's, window shopped at really expensive stores and found some great deals at some not-as-expensive stores. I love my mom more than I can express and I love to be with her. She is the absolute greatest mom (to me :) ever.

 

Park days are fun days and I love this little guy. 

 

 The sunset was incredible last night. Of course my poopy phone camera doesn't do a fabulous job capturing it, but it was a sight to see. The sun was literally hot pink. It was breathtaking.

 

 I can barely believe school starts in a week. I have so many things I want to do before then and so many things I have to do before then, and isn't it a shame that there just never seems to be quite enough time for everything?

On the docket for the week is: A quick camping trip, a trip to the dollar movies, back to school shopping, hit up Seven Peaks at least one more time, swimming at Murray Pool (we have a free pass that expires soon!), a snow cone run, and one more day boating at the lake.

Ahhhh summer, as you come to an end, I reflect upon my love/hate relationship with you. I love your carefree days, your easy-going attitude. I love the fun in the sun, the no homework and no schedules. I love the summer treats, the water, the warmth on my skin. I'm sad you're ending, and at the same time relieved. I hate to be hot, I long for the crispness of fall. I get tired of badgering kids to clean up their messes and I am ready for a better time-table. But I will miss you. Until next year...

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 2

 If there is something I love to do in this world more than anything else, it is to be with my husband. I took the Love Languages quiz once and my love language is Quality Time. I love to be with him, just the two of us. We can have the most in-depth and stimulating conversations, or we can be saying nothing at all. We can be talking about day-to-day stuff, or we can talk about our future. Anything we do, anything we talk (or don't talk) about, it really doesn't matter. I just like to be with him. I guess I kind of like him just a little bit :)

Last night he told me he wanted to watch a movie so we went to go get a treat. I decided I was going to reward myself with my favorite ice cream ever because I had finished my math class (I know, I know, it is not a good idea to reward myself with food, but I do. And that is another post all together.) I hadn't had Ben and Jerry's Phish Food in I don't even know how long. Years, probably. So that's what I got. And do you know what? Just that simple little trip to the grocery store made my night. Because when I am with my husband, just him and me, I am the happiest lady in the world.

So we ate our ice cream and watched Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom. And I fell asleep, as per my usual. But after a night like last night, I couldn't help but think about that being one of the reasons why Andy and I fell in love so fast and so furiously...

After I left Andy's house on the night we met, I honestly didn't think much more about him. About a week later it was Thanksgiving Day and after all of the eating and family togetherness time, Hailey, Rachel, and I decided to go see a movie. Hailey suggested that we call Andy and those guys that we had met the week before because they were fun. I agreed, so I made the call to Andy. He told me he was actually with Blair and Tony right then and they were actually just talking about going to a movie so they would meet us at the theater. The three of us girls drove to the movie theater to meet up with those three boys.

When we walked into Jordan Commons and starting walking up the ramp, I saw them sitting at the shake bar out of the corner of my eye. I started walking over that way and Rachel grabbed my arm and said, "Oh no, we can't go over there! That is Tony Macey! And Andrew Collette! I hate that guy! C'mon, we need to go this way." And she grabbed my arm and tried to lead me over to the other side of the theater. I stopped and said, "Rachel, those are the guys we are meeting!" and right then I realized why Tony had seemed familiar. My sister Rachel and he had dated a few years ago. She, Tony, and Andrew had all worked together at Macey's grocery store when they were in high school, and apparently she and Andy hadn't gotten along too well. The look of dread on her face was priceless. She put on her big girl pants and we all walked over there where introductions were made and renewed. Rachel wasn't too happy to be there, and after we decided there was nothing really worth seeing at the theater we decided to go back to my parents house and play games.

I don't remember much else about the night (Rachel's shock and dread just make me laugh so hard still) but I remember we had a good time and there was a lot of laughing going on. When it started to get late and we decided it was time to go, I walked everyone to the door. Andy was the last to leave, and I remember him leaning down and giving me a big hug. I remember feeling so small in his arms and at the same time thinking it was a little weird that he was hugging me. I still just thought of him as a nice guy and a fun friend to hang out with. But a few weeks later, those friendship thoughts would be turning into full on twitterpation (Not a word? It is now.) and love would be just over the horizon...

I Can Breathe Easy

 Woo-Hoo!!!! I just got home a couple hours ago from my math class final exam. I cannot tell you how relieved I am, like a big weight has been taken off my shoulders and I can breathe easy now. It feels so good, even though I still have a couple more assignments in English due this weekend. I kind of don't even care what I got on the test (that's a lie, I totally care). I mean, I would love an A, but you know.... we don't always get everything we want in life. I have had to learn that one a few times over the years...

I can honestly say that I would like to burn this book. But I won't, I'll sell it instead :)

I drew this picture on the kid's drawing table at a family reunion last week. It kind of just came to me because this is how I feel lately. I feel like my life has been dark and cloudy the last couple of years. I mean, of course there were bright moments but overall it has been a hard few years for us.

Lately though, we have a lot of good things happening. Health, school, good kids, a happy family. There are still hard days, but I am happy. And it feels really good.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

 I want to tell you a little story....

This November (I'm not sure of the date off the top of my head, but if I looked at a calender from 2001, I could definitely tell you) it will be 12 years since I met the love of my life. My Andy Pandy (I have never called him that, ever.) It was a Saturday night (the Saturday before Thanksgiving), fairly late, and the roads were all but empty in downtown Salt Lake City. I was with one of my best friends (my cousin Hailey) and we were cruising around in my new car. We had eaten dinner earlier, wandered around a bit, and to top off the night had decided to get tiny tattoos on our lower backs (I was a little bit crazy back then but don't worry, I'm better now :)

After our fun and eventful evening, we were driving down State Street to hop on the freeway and head home. I pulled up to a stop light and a few seconds later, a little white Nissan Sentra pulled up next to me. I glanced over and it happened to be a car full of guys. We were the only two cars in sight. I turned away from the window and continued chatting with Hailey. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a motion, so I turned and looked again. They guy in the back seat was pointing at something. There was a little "For Sale" sign on the Sentra's window with a phone number underneath it. He pointed to the number and put his hand up to his ear in the imitation of a phone and mouthed, "Call us!" while flashing a big grin. I rolled my eyes, shook my head, and mouthed back to him, "no". Then the light turned green and I took off (in my speedy fast new Acura Integra. Oh yes, I thought I was some hot stuff.)

Much to my dismay, the next light was red, and a minute later, the little white Sentra pulled up next to us again! I glanced over, and couldn't help but giggle at the antics of all these cute guys in the car trying to get us to pullover. Now, remember people, I was just out of high school and as dumb as they come. I never thought anything bad would ever happen to me. Thankfully this group of guys were some good guys (so who knows why they were trying to pick up some random girls on State Street, but anyway...) but I sure didn't know that at the time. Without another thought, I pulled over at the next side street (with some cajoling from Hailey) and we got out of the car (in a totally deserted back alley parking lot! Oh my, I was so stupid...) and three big, good looking guys got out of the little white Sentra and swaggered on over to chat with us. Introductions were made. Andy totally lied and told me he was 17 years old and went to Taylorsville high school (his reasoning, he later told me, was because he was trying to help his two friends out and hook us up with them, so he lied about his age so that we wouldn't be interested in him.... um, okay. Cocky much?!)

We sat and chatted for a little while, but it was November as I previously mentioned. It was chilly, so we decided to head to a restaurant that would be open late and hang out for a little while. Somehow someone suggested The Belgian Waffle, so I hopped in my car and Andy immediately hopped in the front seat next to me (he claimed later that he did this to get an idea of what we thought of the other two guys, you know, so he could talk them up and make us think they were great.... or something...). Hailey got in the back. And the other two guys (Tony and Blair) got back into their car and followed us to the restaurant. On the way, Andy asked us what we thought of Blair and Tony. We told him we weren't interested, but that they all seemed like fun guys to hang out with. I noticed right away that Andy was really funny and so easy to talk to. I felt really comfortable around him right away. I'm sure the thought crossed my mind that, "It's too bad he's only 17...."

So we get to the restaurant and Andy manages to put himself between me and Hailey. Blair was on my other side, and Tony was on Hailey's other side (we were seated in a giant corner booth.) Right away Blair starts flirting with me and asking for my number, etc. etc. He was a nice guy, but totally not my type. We all ordered some food and the conversation flowed easily. They were all really fun and easy to talk to, and we also made some connections between some people we all knew. We stayed for a couple hours, and halfway into it, Andy kind of turned his attention my way and started totally flirting with me. I flirted back because at that time I was like, the biggest flirt ever, and he was fun. I think it was around this time that I found out Andy was really 21, and he had just gotten off his mission to Spain about 2 months before. I gave him a really hard time about lying to me and I remember him squeezing my leg all the while giving me one of his signature guilty grins. We ended up heading over to Andy's parent's house to watch a movie. We did turn a movie on, but instead of watching it we all just kept talking. Finally around 4 in the morning, I decided we better take off. Andy asked me for my number (it was the third time that night I had given my number out, by the way...) as well as Hailey's and I didn't think much of it because he was just a really fun guy and I knew it would be fun to hang out with him again.

Little did I know what was really in store for us.... someday I'll finish the rest of the story about how we fell in love and got engaged (which was just a short two months later... crazy kids.)

The real reason I'm telling all this is because about every 5 years we get a hankering to head back to The Belgian Waffle and reminisce. This is literally the third time I have been there in nearly 12 years. We had such a fun night, ate some yummy waffles that were probably really bad for us, and topped it off with a dollar movie (we finally saw Star Trek and loved it!)

Thanks for the fun memories Babe, old and new. I sure do love your face.

11 Days To Go

Driving home on a gorgeous evening after school

Well, it's official. I have 11 days left of my first semester of college life. It's been rough, I'll admit. The late nights,  the partying, the frat parties, bonding with my sorority sisters.... it's all been an epic (I despise that word. Truly, I do) adventure.

Oh wait. I forgot for a minute that I'm 30 years old, have been married for 11 years, and have 5 kids. That is most definitely not what college life is like for me. I am convinced that there is no way I would have been able to hack it in college (and I'm talking a legit university, not hair school, because let's face it, I barely hacked that ;) if I had tried to go after I graduated high school. I truly had no idea how to be responsible, how to study, and how to care about good grades and that someday all of it would matter.

As of right now, I have an A in both my English class and my math class. However, in the next 11 days, I have 6 more assignments due in English, including 2 huge projects and 1 huge paper. And in math, I still have a project, one more assignment, and 2 more big tests to take. It has been a tad bit overwhelming. I can do it, I can do it...

I have 2 classes next semester, as well as a lab. This is getting real. I already don't remember what my life was like before it was consumed with homework, projects, and assignments. How sad is that. I sit and think, "What did I used to do with all of this time I now spend studying?!" Weird.

I'm also attempting to get into a communications class online. I have to retake it because I took it in high school and never attended, so of course I failed the course. See what I men with the hacking it as a teenager? I was so irresponsible! My kids will never be like that, or I will beat them. I actually use all of my studying as a good lesson to them to never be like I was, or this will be their life in 20 years... haha. It terrifies Laylah. She's always telling me, "I have my life planned out perfectly, and it won't be like yours. I will be responsible, and go to college, and get good grades. And then I'll go on a mission." HA! Music to my ears...

Anyway, Teisha, if you read this, I noticed you are a professor at SLCC (and that was a trip, seeing your name listed as a professor!), and all of your classes are full. Help a girl out and let me sneak into your class for fall semester, okay?! 

Well, that's it. Over and out...