Crazy Kids

It was red ribbon week at the kids school a few weeks ago. They wear a red wrist band and do some different activities each day of the week. One day was crazy hair day, and the kids had a lot of fun with it.

Jade hair is half curly and half straight.

Lets just say that Gavin would not be a very good girl. He was almost in tears before I finished his hair.

Lilli wanted her hair the same as Jades. At the end of the week they pledge to be drug free.

Jade entered her piano piece that she composed in the Reflection contest this year. Jade was chosen as one of the finalist to move onto the next level. Jade named her song The Sunset.

Gavin did the same thing and was also a finalist. His song is named The Rainstorm.

Halloween and Pumpkin fun!

This was our 2nd year doing the pumpkin patch. As I watched them grow this year I didn't think that the patch look to great, but much to my surprise we had over 360,000 lbs of pumpkins. We were able to sell them all to the Red Barn. I love picking the pumpkins because they are all so unique. This year we found the butt pumpkin and Gavin couldn't resist putting on some underwear and taking a picture.

Halloween Fun!

Just few things I wanted to get written down, before I forgot them.

Jade finally lost her top tooth last month (about one week before school pictures).

She was so excited to find that the tooth fairy brought her two dollars. It was only a week later when her other top tooth was pulled out by her Dad. Jade thought it was a little weird when the tooth fairy only brought one dollar for that tooth. We told her that the tooth fairy must of been on a tighter budget that week. This reminds me of a story I would like to share about my sweet Jade. Matt, McKinley and Gavin sell peaches at the Murry Farmers Markets each fall, every Saturday. I noticed that Lehi was starting a Farmers Market so I decided that instead of the girls and I staying home we would go try our luck at this new market. It was a slow start but that was good for us as we were just learning. After our day of selling is over we head back to the farm to count our money and get paid. Robert asked the girls if they worked hard, and Jade said yes and they only fought a few times. So Robert gave them each two dollars. Well the next week when Robert asked if they worked hard, of course the answer was yes and this time he gave them each one dollar. Jade thought about it for about 1 minute and then decided that she would remind Grandpa that he gave them two dollars last time. It made me laugh just a little, and yes Grandpa pulled out his wallet and gave them each another dollar.

I am always telling McKinley that she is so lucky to have Gavin for a brother. She is always getting him into one thing or another. In these photos she has him helping her put curlers in her hair. I also think that he is pretty lucky to have her as a big sister.

So this summer I had a mental lapse and decided to let McKinley drive the van to get some cucumbers from the farm. It was a little scary but more trying on my patience. I used to think potty training and learning to read were the hardest things to teach your kids, but driving has to be added to that list.

First Day of School! Couldn't come fast enough!

I sound like a horrible Mother, but summer was so crazy this year, and I was ready to get the kids back in school and on a schedule. I also think that the kids were ready for a break from their Mom.

McKinley is in her 2nd year at Payson Junior High as the big 8th grader. McKinley HATES to ride the bus to school and gets lucky sometimes when she can catch a ride with her cousin Austin. She is still focused on getting straight A's. A few of her classes are math, English, social studies, Spanish, and choir.

Jade is a in 2nd grade this year. Jade has two teachers, Mrs Monroe and Mrs Garrett. In the past she has struggled with holding her pencil correct and writing neatly, but is doing so much better this year. Jade is one of the youngest in her class and probably the only one who hasn't lost her top two teeth yet. Her top tooth is loose and I keep telling her to wait to pull it out till after school pictures on the 18th, but she is trying her hardest to get it out.

Gavin is in the 5th grade this year, and his teacher is Mrs Francom. I hate to brag (not really) but Gavin is one of the best 5th grader with his multiplication facts. I always refer to him when I need numbers added. Gavin still loves to play sports at recess and eats school lunch almost everyday.

YES my baby is in Kindergarten. Lilli goes to afternoon kindergarten and her teacher is Ms Rowley. I decided to take her to school on her first day, instead of sending her on the bus. Lilli was so excited for her first day at school until she got a little nervous. She wanted to go to Kindergarten but didn't want me to leave. After a few tears and explaining that I was to old for Kindergarten she bravely went in and had a great day, and hasn't look back since (and neither have I).

Happy Birthday (a little late)

Jade turned 7 years old on the 11th of August, she is such a tender heart in our family. Jade is at the age where she wants to be considered big and do everything for herself. She likes to fix her own breakfast, lunch, and dinner if she can. She also loves to drag her little sister around and teach her everything she knows. Jade had one of those moments when she was reminded that she is still only 7. Jade really wanted a Nintendo DS for her birthday, so her brother and sister gave her some money to put with hers and Grandma's so she would have enough for a DS. Fast forward 5 days and Jade brings me her DS and says that it wasn't working. I asked her what happen and she proceeded to tell me that she had put some water (only a little) in the slot where you put the game. I calmly explained to her that there is still a few things that she should ask for help with and you NEVER put water in anything that you plug in. The story has a happy ending because Target exchanged the DS with no questions.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY and WE LOVE YOU!

Matt also got another year older this August 24th. As usual, he took the day off of work, and tried to relax. We enjoyed lunch together and a movie with the kids. I made Matt his favorite yellow cake (from the box) with chocolate frosting.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I LOVE YOU!

Camping Fun!

The weekend before Memorial Day we went to Capital Reef for an overnight camping trip. My kids told me that they were so excited for there first ever camping trip, but I quickly reminded them that we camp every year when we go to Lake Powell. In there minds it is just not the same. We only stayed one night, but we had such a great time.

Katie taught us how to roast Star Burst. They were a little messy but a actually pretty good.

I love this picture of Lilli and her Dad sitting around the camp fire.

I am not sure what Matt and Bonnie are doing here, but they have Jade's interest.

After a light and easy breakfast we headed out for what some of us thought was going to be a short easy hike. I love to hike and my family did pretty well, but it was a little much for Jack and Miles.

The rocks were beautiful, and so are the kids.

This was about half way. The arch you see in the background was are final destination. Lilli forgot to bring her hiking shoes, so we took a small detour to K-Mart in Richfield on our way their. I felt so bad when I saw her limping and took off her shoes to find some pretty big blisters.

Cassidy Arch was definitely worth the hike, it was amazing! This is a picture of Matt standing on the arch. Jade and McKinley were feeling a little anxious that someone was going to fall, but we all survived.

What a beautiful world we live in, and we hope to see a lot more.

End of School Fun!

Once again I have found myself a little behind on my blog, so even though we are into week 3 of summer I need to go back to the end of the school year. I was lucky enough to help out in Jade's class this last year. It was a lot of fun to be in her classroom and see her interact with her school friends. Matt even found himself in Jade's classroom every Friday during his lunch break. The first graders field trip was going to the Hogle Zoo, and we had a great time.

Jade with a few of her friends from her class.

Lilli loved going to preschool, but she is so excited to be going to the big school with the rest of the kids. My sister-in-law does such an awesome job throughout the entire year but graduation is always the cherry on top. The kids got a yearbook, cd full of fun pictures (which Lilli had watched at least 20 times), magnet board, reading blankets, and their ABC Rock guitars and sunglasses. Yesterday we were walking through the pumpkin patch and Lilli told me that she wanted to go back to preschool so she could go to the pumpkin patch on a field trip. I know that Lilli not only had so much fun but learned a ton from preschool, and we are so proud of her.

Lilli loved going to preschool with her cousin Isacc. They are the cutest graduates ever.

McKinley loved her first year of Junior High. She worked really hard and finished with a 4.0 GPA. I am willing to bet that she checked her grades at least 50 times throughout the year. Her Dad would give her a hard time, telling her that it was fine to get a B, but she was determined to get all A's. We are so proud of everything she accomplished this last year.

McKinley was so excited to hear that her school was holding the first annual Payson Junior High triathlon. I didn't realize that most of the kids that participated were doing it in teams of three, and each doing one event. McKinley had participated in a Tri before so she felt good about doing it solo, but I was a little nervous because of her broken foot. There were only two other girls that signed up to do the Tri solo.

McKinley had a so much fun and finished it in 32 minutes, which was first place for the girls doing it solo.

Gavin had his field trip at the first of the year but he also had a great school year. The fourth grader had a talent show that Gavin played the piano, and I may be biased but I thought his was the best (everyone did a great job). It takes a lot to get up in front of the entire fourth grader and perform, and I was so impressed. I was also able to play the Family Feud with his class, and that is always a great time. One of the questions that was asked was, what is your favorite fast food restaurant? Gavin's was Cafe Rio, he skipped right over Wendy's or McDonald, smart boy.

I can't believe another school year has come and gone so quickly, but I am so proud of each of my kids, and I hope we survive summer.

Hershy Track and Field

Gavin participated in the Hershey Track and Field last week. It is a little surprising to see such a shorty move a fast as he does. With all the treats that he had eaten from the snack shack, I was surprised that he could even run. Great job Gavin!

Softball throw

200 meter

50 meter

15 Point Gold Cups

McKinley and Gavin earned both their solo and duet 15 point Gold Cups. It takes at least 3 years of being judged and receiving superiors on those performances to receive your 15 point Gold Cups. I am so proud of them, and love to hear the piano being played in our home. There goal now is to get there 30 point cups.

Matt couldn't resist taking a picture of Gavin's turkey tail.

WICKED

This last Thursday McKinley and I headed up o SLC to go see Wicked. McKinley was so excited to go that she only groaned for a second when I told her she needed to wear nice clothes. One of McKinley's favorite places to eat is the Olive Garden so I made arrangements to meet my in-laws at the play and we were off. We had heard that they hold a lottery drawing before every performance and the Olive Garden is right across the street so we thought that we may as well try. We had arrived at the Capital Theater around 5:20 and there were about 50 people in 2 different lines, so we joined one. Around 5:30 a man came out an informed all the people in our line that we needed to join the other line. What we hadn't notice was in the 10 minutes that we were standing in the wrong line the other line had increased by at least 100 people. We were told that we needed to have cash and ID with us, so I was thinking that McKinley wouldn't be able to put her name in. McKinley seems to have luck on her side a lot more than I so when we found out that she could enter we were excited. As the line moved forward I told McKinley that she should crinkle her paper a little just as I was. She wasn't so sure if she should so with only a small bend we both put our names in the witches cauldron. They took names until 6:00 and it started to look like at least 300 people had come out for the drawing. We decided that we would stand on the outside edge so we could get across the street and to the Olive Garden quickly after the drawing. They have 20 tickets to give away each night. If you are lucky enough to win you can have 1 or 2 front row tickets at the cost of 25.00 dollars a piece. As they started the drawing, and we could hardly even see the man doing the drawing over all the people my hope started to fail. Five names had been drawn and 2 of them were standing right close to us and then we heard it.... Candi McMullin. I couldn't believe it, I was actually showing my ID and being let into the ticket office to get 2 more tickets. After I paid for the tickets we ran across the street for dinner and to call Matt and let him know the exciting news. Matt decided to stay home with the girls and send Gavin with my Mom. They only had an hour to get to SLC, but they made it. It turned out to be a crazy night but the play was amazing.

the BIG thirteen

It is official, we are living with a teenager. I am a little late, but McKinley turned 13 on April 10th. I remember how excited Matt and I were when we learned that we were expecting our first baby. With my other pregnancies I remember feeling a little nervous that everything would go fine, but for some reason, I'm not sure why, I didn't feel that way with McKinley. Matt and I decided not to tell anyone until I was 12 weeks along, and for those of you who know me (I am not that great at keeping secrets) that was really hard. Matt and I went on a cruise when I was 11 weeks and Matt wasn't very happy when I told the people who sat with us at dinner that we were expecting our first. I just had to tell someone and I figured that I would never see those people again. My pregnancy went really well. Everything looked really great at the ultrasound and we had decided not to find out what we were having. Like all of my pregnancy, my biggest complaint was the heartburn. Everyone would tell me that they had heard that if you have heartburn during your pregnancy it meant that your baby will have lots of hair. I don't know if that is true, but McKinley was born with a ton of hair. I was actually due on the 5th of April. I went in for a non stress test after my due date because the babies movement started to decline. As a result of that test we found out that the fluid in my uterus was below normal and we should probably have the baby soon. We were scheduled to be induced the morning of the 10th. I remember going in early in the morning to be induced. Matt was really tired because he was in the middle of finals. It seems like the contractions got really hard all at once. Matt was sleeping soundly in the chair until I started to yell a little (he would say a lot). I was expecting them to come and go, but they didn't seem to ease at all, so we called for the anesthesiologist to come and give me an epidural. After that was administered I felt 100% better, but Matt never got to back to sleep. My doctor stop by around 10:00 and broke my water, which made everything move much faster. My doctor checked back on his lunch break and McKinley was ready to be born. With very few pushes our beautiful baby girl was born at 12:27 P.M. weighing 7lbs 14oz. Now it has been 13 years and I can hardly believe it. I am so proud of what a beautiful young lady that McKinley has become. I am also grateful for what a wonderful sister and daughter that she is. We Love You McKinley!

This is a picture of the original picture so it looks a little blurry. McKinley is 6 months old.

McKinley wanted to go to the play Wicked and Matt spent an entire day trying to get her a ticket. As you can see he was able to get her one. We sent her on a scavenger hunt to find her ticket. For one of her tasks, she had to let her little sisters and brother paint her face green. I think that she had figured out that it was a ticket to Wicked, but it was a lot of fun. We can hardly wait to go.

This is McKinley, friends and cousins getting together for her birthday.

Happy Birthday!!

McKinley's first broken bone

Ok, so this is old news, but I wasn't doing much blogging when she broke her foot, so I am back tracking. McKinley has such an adventurous personality, she is not afraid to try anything at least once. Because of this personality she tends to find herself with pulled muscles, deep bruises, cuts, and scratches. All of the times that she thought that she had broke something it would turn out not being broken, until now. We were sledding with the Young Women the end of January and her and another girl decided to go down one last time before having hot chocolate and doughnuts. The sled headed the wrong way, and they ran into a metal sign. I was at the top of the hill with some of the other girls when they hit, and we laughed for about 3 seconds until I heard the scream. I knew it was McKinley and ran down to see what was wrong. Her foot was hurting her REALLY bad, but I reminded her that she doesn't break bones. I decided that we had better take her to the ER just in case. It ended up being the end of her no broken bone streak. With the help of my brother Cole we were able to get her into Dr. Foxx who said that she broke a small piece of her heel bone completely off. To avoid future problems, she needed to have it screwed back into place. Her Grandpa told her that he had a couple of grabber screws down at the shed and he would do it for her, but she opted to let the pros do it. Everything went as planed and the only signs of the accident is her small limb and insurance papers.

Talking to her Dad right before surgery.

Don't want to do surgery on the wrong foot.

McKinley did really well waking up from the surgery. Notice the Dr. Pepper in the back, that always help.