Off track

Isn't this a darling photo? I just wish Elise was looking up...

We are on year round school and started at the end of July. We are on a track that goes to school for three weeks, and then we are "off track" for three weeks. So we are having our second summer. It has been pretty fun, and it is a bit cooler, so not so hot to be outside, and places aren't as crowded.

We started off by saying goodbye to the cousins, and then headed off to the library. We have lots of time to do some good reading. One day, we went to Wheeler Farm and took a leisurely stroll, ate a lunch, fed the ducks, and enjoyed the weather. We stopped at the mall and tried to get some school clothes shopping. We took a trip to Borders and got a free book (because they read so many books this summer).

Soccer games have started for both Aidan and Weston. Weston is on a team with some good friends and Aidan is on the team he was on last year. Both practice weekly and have games weekly. It is a lot of driving and sitting around watching, but the boys really enjoy it and are getting really good at soccer.

We really wanted to go to the "beach" here in Herriman, but right as we got ready for it, a rainstorm started. The rain poured down, it hailed, and the retention ponds filled up to the top. Our neighbors live behind one of the ponds and it wasn't draining correctly and water gushed over the side and flooded their basement! Pretty much everything is gone. They had to gut the basement and they can't even stay in their house for a long time. I feel so terrible for them. A few days later, I turned on our water and there wasn't much pressure. I got worried and fortunately went down and checked our water heater--water was gushing from the bottom. It was flowing into the drain, but I was just about to leave for several hours and if I hadn't checked it, we would have had a flood in our basement. Of course, nothing like our neighbors, but it really made me feel grateful for what I have and feel empathy for my friend.

We went to a little outdoor concert of Whitney Layne, my neighbor's daughter. She is a great singer and the kids had a blast running around and dancing to the music. My uncle Matt and his two girls came. It was fun. Check out here website here.

We have harvested tomatoes from our garden and we ran them through our "victorian strainer" and now have 56 cups of tomato sauce! We are going to make spaghetti sauce and bottle it, but I am a bit afraid of canning. We'll see if we just end up freezing it. (This is our frozen sauce) We are also getting potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, and green peppers.

The boys went to a sports camp one full week. Every day for four hours--they played two different sports, swam for an hour, ate a sack lunch, and played some more. They really enjoyed it and I felt it was a good option. We weren't able to get them in swimming lessons because of certain time restrictions, so for them to be able to swim daily for a week kind of made up for it. I wish I would have gotten a photo of them there. They looked so cute and Aidan was so excited. The girl in charge of the camp was darling and really loved the boys.

While the boys were at camp, I tried to get caught up on the house, make the PTA newsletter, and watch my other children. (Here is a photo of my newsletter--pretty nifty, no?)

Which has been crazy with Elise getting her upper teeth! Drooling constantly and gnawing on everything, but mostly she just wants to be held. I cannot do things one handed. (But wow, she is CUTE!!!)I feel like I have been so busy lately. Is it having four kids, or that my kids are getting older, or the combination? I am constantly doing stuff. I can't keep up with laundry, grocery shopping is continuous, the house is constantly messy, and the boys are always wanting my attention somehow. I love it... but I'd like to breathe. But, I am to blame. I want to keep the boys busy with good things to do, so any of my down time is taken up by doing stuff with them.

We only have a few more days off track. We are planning on going to the zoo, Thanksgiving Point Gardens, swimming, and the beach. But, all of this is dependent on the weather... It is raining right now, so the kids are stuck inside building a fort and making a fine mess. This weekend we are going camping with the Daw family. Once last chance to enjoy summer before going back to school.

Elise-- 6 months

Well, really seven months. Elise had her six month appointment last week, even though in the next few days she'll be seven months. She is such a BIG baby--well, she is long at least. In the 90th percentile. Twenty-seven and a half inches long and fourteen and a half pounds. Tall and skinny.

She is such a joy. She is a happy baby. She got sick with an ear infection and was pretty miserable for awhile, but I would still get comments from people about how happy and sweet she was. She has her first two teeth and is still drooling constantly.

Just lately she is starting to do some really fun things. I caught her shaking her head for fun. She absolutely loves her blanket and when I put her down she grabs her blanket, grins, and shoves it in her mouth. That isn't all she shoves in her mouth. She loves food. Especially pancakes, mozzerella cheese, and yogurt. I almost skipped entirely over feeding her baby (gerber) food. She has just dived into eating everything. I stopped nursing, which was strangely emotionally hard for me to do. I felt like I was being selfish. But, it had to be done.

She also loves dolls. It is so interesting to go from three boys and their toys to having a little girl who just lights up when given a doll! I love it! I love her!

Cousins!

My brother and his wife visited us for a few weeks. We had so much fun. The kids loved playing together--they are not only good cousins, but great friends. We met up with my sister and her fam at Lagoon. I have such great memories of when I was a kids and went with Kim and the cousins to Lagoon. Riding the bumber cars over and over again, accidentally getting on the Wild Mouse (?) and being so scared. Ahh... the fun. Now my kids are getting those great memories. Taylor and Brennan had lots of fun together:

And Weston and Aidan were sure brave getting on some big rides! Poor Scott was really sick with a cold, so it wasn't any fun for him, but he toughed it out for the kids. I even went on a few rides.

Aidan and Spencer loved hanging out, singing together, and having fun. Weston and Ellie had so much fun together (playing with clay), but I think Ellie loved having a little girl to play with, too. And Elise loved the attention and love from her older cousin!

We went to a fun play place with go karts, arcade games, mini bowling, more fun, and pizza. The kids looooved it. Then we went to a Cowabunga bay and soaked up some sun. We had a fun get-together with Uncle Adam and Deanna and her kids. It was fun to catch up with them. A very enjoyable evening. Later we had another dinner with Uncle Adam and his wife Jan. Hilary came, too. Nice to have her living closer to me so she can come to dinners.

Kim and Val took us out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. It only took us 20 minutes to decide where to eat... It was delicious and a fun evening. I wish they lived closer so we could get together more often. I really enjoy their company and the kids just love each other. I realize how much I still look up to my older brother and want him to "approve" of me. I also love Val. She is so fun to be with and is such a great mom. Thanks for coming. Come again soon!

Aidan, 1st day of school

KINDERGARTEN!!! I am so excited for this boy because I KNOW he will love school. And so far he does. He has Mrs. Foster as a teacher--I hear she is amazing. He did well in his testing and is right on track to whizzing through Kinder. He got to wear a cowboy hat they gave him at Kinder orientation. He has worn it almost every day since he got it!

His first day, I got to go and hang out the first half and hour, showing him around, measuring his height, hand length, etc. He made a handprint, colored a self-portrait, etc. He was pretty much sick of me being there and ready to get going. I never cry, but I did feel emotional that my boy was starting school and onto a whole new adventure.

He knows a few people in his class, Chloe and Landon. But when I asked him who he plays with he said, "I play with blocks." Hmmm. Should I be worried? He loves to play, and he comes home with lots of fun crafts he has made from shapes.

His daddy picked him up from school and took him to iceberg to celebrate. And although I think he really loved his first day, I think that was his favorite part.

Weston, 1st day of school

Weston begins 2nd grade. His teacher is Mrs. Craven--a coveted teacher. She used to be a Kinder teacher but switched up. He has already told me that he likes 2nd grade better than first. He is especially excited that Aidan will be going to school with him. He is always concerned about meeting Aidan after school and making sure Aidan knows what to do, and who people are, etc. I love when I pick them up and he is holding hands with Aidan and Chloe (a girl we carpool with) taking them to the car. He is doing well in math and spelling, but as before, realllly needs to work on handwriting. He is making new friends and really enjoys playing soccer during recess.

His first day he was a bit worried cause I wasn't going to be hanging out with him or anything. But, he got along just fine and then his dad picked him up from school and took him to iceberg. Lucky boy!

My camera wasn't working well when I took the photos, so this is the best I have. But I am including a photo of a Jedi temple that Weston made---so creative!

Brennanisms

Brennan says some pretty funny things. Today as we pulled up to the pharmacy drive-up window he yelled out, "Hey, you got any suckers lady?"

Every month we memorize a scripture during FHE. The past month it was, "Jesus said, come follow me." So the other night, Brennan said his personal prayer and we listened in. He said, "Hev Fath, day, jes said, come follow me. Jes Christ Amen." A good prayer, no?

If he doesn't know someone's name, he asks, "What's that?" as he points to someone.

He definitely has the most active imagination of my kids. He was eating something the other day and was pretending it was Darth Vader. He said, "Mom, I eating Darth Vader, he is in my stomachache." (instead of just stomach...)

He love his brothers and now that Aidan is in Kindergarten, he is really missing him. The day I took Aidan to school, Brennan asked, "Where is Aidan?" I told him at school, to which he replied very sadly, "No Aidan at school!

A carpet cleaner was at our house the other day and Brennan walked up to him and said, "Me Brennan." I love that he was introducing himself! What a fun kid. I love this age and stage!

Sitting up

Elise is sitting up! She topples over quite frequently, but she is doing really well. She is also rolling around and be very active. She squawks quite a bit and love to giggle.

She is wearing a dress (correct me if I am wrong mom) that belonged to my sister Ali--she wore it as a baby! So cute!