The Animal Farm at Thanksgiving Point

Jensen LOVES the animal farm. So I decided to take him a couple of days ago. He was such a good boy!! We took the stroller, but he decided he wanted to walk so he could get to the animals to feed them. It was so much fun to have some one on one time with him at a place that he enjoys!

First day of school pictures

Collin and Maya had a great first day of school!! They both like their teachers and are adjusting to going to school again. Isn't Maya's haircut DIVINE?!?

Check!!!

List of things to do when the kids go back to school:

1. CRY!! CHECK
2. Dance around the house laughing hysterically about my new found freedom... CHECK!!
3. Update blog... Hmmmmm

The kids went back to school on Thursday!! Maya started first grade, and Collin started third grade. We went on Monday evening to the new school and met their teachers. I think they are going to have a great year!!
I can't believe how fast the summer flew by!! We had a great couple of months swimming, playing with friends, having picnics, going to the park, going up to Erin's cabin, fishing, all kinds of fun stuff!!

We did have one trip to the hospital this summer. Collin decided that it would be a brilliant idea to go down the stairs INSIDE a round rubbermaid bin. As he climbed in, he told Maya that she couldn't get in with him because it would be too dangerous. He launched himself off the top step, rolled down the stairs, and landed head first on the wood floor at the bottom of the stairs. Now, I was in the shower when all of this was happening, so this is Maya's account of what happened!! Apparently he hit his head so hard that he blacked out for a little bit. Maya came running upstairs screaming that Collin had hit his head, and me being the mother of the year, I wasn't too concerned!! So I finished up what I was doing and went to check on Collin. When I went into his room, he was lying on his bed as white as a sheet!! He was dizzy and seeing stars. I called the nurse and she told us to come in right away. The Doctor gave him the once over and told us that he had a mild concussion and sent us on our way with instructions to call if he got a really bad headache or started throwing up like crazy. I took him home and in about an hour he was doing both these things!! I made another call to the pediatrician, and it was off to the hospital to get a CT scan!! Long story short, his hard head protected his brains. BOYS!!!

These next couple of weeks will find us getting back to “normal” life. A lot of one-on- one time with Jensen. He will defiantly enjoy that!! And reclaiming my house after months of sand, popsicles, and other summer festivities!!

Update blog…CHECK!!

Dance!!!

Maya did such a great job in her dance recital this year!! They danced to The Jungle Book "Bare Necessities" and it was so much fun!! She had so much fun, and knew the whole dance!! I had a proud mommy moment, and I'm not gonna lie, I almost cried! We moved her to a new studio this year, and she has really improved. She is turning into quite the little dancer! Her favorite part of recitals is getting flowers and going out for ice cream when it is over!

Rain....

It is pretty rainy here today. As I was getting lunch on the table, I said "Look at the rain". Collin goes "I want to see how fast it is". So he opens up the back door and sticks his hand out for a minute. He comes back in and says "Yeah, that's about 20 miles an hour".

Our house backs a field, and the farmer just moved the cows back into the field. As long as we have lived here, whenever it rains, all of the cows line up in a row...
I LOVE the cows, and I am happy to see them back!!

Happy Happy Birthday to Maya!!!

My sweet girl turned SIX yesterday!! Where did the time go?!? Before I know it she will be sixteen! We had such a fun day yesterday. She woke up at 6:30 BEGGING us to open her presents. We held her off until about 8:30-- she was SO excited about all of her loot!!


Her favorite birthday present was her American Girl doll. Can I just say that it is seriously the CUTEST doll I have ever seen? I would have done anything for a doll like that when I was little!! She kept bugging me to get her one, which is very surprising, because Maya isn't really a doll kinda girl!! So we ordered a Just Like You doll. You can get the same hair color, eye color, freckles, earrings, and so on and so forth!! She has been carrying it around since she opened it yesterday. It makes my heart happy! After breakfast, Dan took Maya and Collin to Bounce and Skate. Jensen was sick the night before, so I had to stay home with him. SAD!! They had a lot of fun and were definitely tired when they got home!!

Here are some of my favorite things about Miss Maya

She is such a sweet little girl. She wants everyone to be happy!

She loves to dance.

She loves to have a clean room, but HATES getting it that way!!

She loves treats and always has to have one when we go to the store.

She loves her brothers.

She loves to clean with Windex.

She gets excited about the same things that Collin does-- I don't know if she is really excited, but she pretends to be!!

We love you Maya!! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

Disneyland, Yard Work, and Another Goodbye

These past three weeks have been filled with joy, sorrow, and everything in between!!

First off, Dan and I decided that it was time for us to take a vacation BY OURSELVES!! So, where do two adults with three children decide to go? Disneyland of course!! We took the kids last year, so we decided this year it was our turn. We had such a great time going on all of the rides!! I adore Disneyland. It is a place where you can go and be a kid again!!

Yep, we had fun. Notice the Italian Greyhound in the background. We took that picture for my parents!!

Because of the position Dan is in at work, they require him to take two weeks off in a row. So the week we got back was "working in the yard week"!! We built two garden boxes, a lovely pad for our garbage cans, and pulled a million and one weeds. It looks much better!!

Then on Saturday, as we were heading to WalMart to get some more garden stuff, Dan got the call... His sister had passed away. She was 38. So last week was filled with funeral arrangements and family time.

Can I just say that I am officially done with funerals and people dying? It has been an interesting week to look back and reflect on my own life and see where I am at. Dan and I have had many talks this week about where we go and what happens after this life. His dad passed away three years ago, and he had a baby sister die right after she was born. We are greatful for eternal families, and pray for Shannon's kids that they may find peace in this time of sadness.