Reading time

Josh takes after his mom in a lot of ways.  One of them is the quality time he spends with the kids.  He loves to have them gather around so he can read just like his mom does.  Love these two pictures of mother and son teaching kids the same way.

Canning

Canning season is upon us!  I love this time of year and getting my storage room stocked up again.

I was completely out of raspberry jam and my pickles were running low.  I decided to make spaghetti sauce this year and it turned out delicious!  And Rease and I finished off the season picking grapes and making grape juice.  Our favorite!

Into everything

This stage when babies crawl into and on top of everything may be one of my least favorites.  Desh will outgrow this soon but for now, toilet water is everywhere and cups and towels are out of the drawers constantly.  Good thing he's so darn cute!

Principal's Pride - Liev

Liev was chosen for the Principal's Pride this time around.  Such an honor to see my kids doing so well in school!

School Pictures

Costco

There's something about the Costco food court that you can't pass up.  The hot dogs are yummy and the pizza is just delicious.  We often stop for lunch if we're heading there at the right time of day!

Articles of Faith

Rease and Rhen have both been working really hard to memorize their Articles of Faith and were able to get them passed off.  On the same day even!

Anniversary

We celebrated our anniversary of 13 years this week!  We spent the weekend up at the cabin and Josh had gone up early and warmed it up for us and stocked the fridge with snacks.  Before we went in he lit the candles and left 2 dozen roses for me.  Such a romantic.  I love this man more every day!  He is good to me and he makes me laugh every day.  Thanks for spending 13 years with me!

Keen school work

Keen has come home with some pretty cute (and colorful) pictures from school from these first few weeks!

Rease school work

I love seeing the things that each kid learns the first few weeks of school.  Rease has always been a good student and she is learning some fun things!

Pliers

I'm not sure why the pliers? But they make a good handle to eat a sucker.

Washing Dishes

Our dishwasher has been broken for a month or so now.  These are the days I really want our dishwasher to be fixed... 

Rhen school work

Rhen has become a good little writer.  She has been working hard and has done some cute things since school has started.

Principal's Pride - Rhen

Butterfield Canyon Elementary has started something new this year called Principal's Pride.  Each teacher picks one student a month to be honored in a special assembly for something they've done in the classroom.  Rhen was chosen this first month and it was so fun to hear what her teacher had to say about her.

Grown up Rease

Sometimes I look at our oldest and can't believe she is so grown up.  Rease has passed up both Grammie and Aunt Hayley and is gaining on me.  A couple inches to go and she'll be taller than I am.  Rease is so beautiful and sweet and I don't know that I want her to change at all.  I love her just like she is right now!

Desh and Kinley

Desh and Kinley have grown up side by side.  They are always the youngest ones just left to do their own thing.  They seem to manage pretty well and love having a buddy in each other.

Desh starts walking!

Desh has been lazy when it comes to walking.  These pictures are capturing some of the very first steps he's taken.  15 1/2 months it's about time buddy!

Chalk Face

Liev rubbed sidewalk chalk all over his face.  Then flexed to show us his muscles and that he's a man!  So handsome even with a green face.

5 am

Something happened this summer that made me change my ways.  I'm not sure if it was that I started running one morning a week with a friend of mine, or that the mornings get light earlier, or that I finally felt like our kids are old enough to be left on their own but I made a switch in my workout schedule and started going with Josh to the gym at 5:00 am.  I know - shocker!  For 13 years Josh has gotten up at 4:30 to get to the gym by 5.  I never thought I'd join him.  But something made me change and now I love my 5 am workouts.  I still run with Shelley on Tuesday mornings and I'm lifting with 2 friends on Mondays and Fridays but Wednesdays and Thursdays are reserved for Josh and I.  I always tell Josh they are my favorite days of the week cause I get to work out with him.  And that's the truth.  I love being with this man for a couple hours in the morning and having the drive to and from the gym to chat, laugh and be us!

Walking to School

We've been walking to school with Keen these days because it's still so nice outside.  His little friend Ava walks with him and they are so cute!  I love how they hold hands when they cross the street!

Pickleball 2017

We held our annual Pickleball Tournament on Labor Day.  We have always had a great turnout and our neighborhood is awesome!  This year was the same.  Lots of good people came and spent the morning with us.  Erin and Brandon Andersen won the pickle platter this year!

Wiggle bikes

The girls have been taking Desh out on the wiggle bike and he can't get enough of it!  So happy to be doing what the big kids are doing!

Beck's head - again

I'm telling you, Beck's head does not get a break from being bumped, bonked and dinged up.  And it always seems to be in the same place - right side of the forehead.  Poor noggin.

Vacuuming Skills

Beck has become quite the vacuumer at our house.  That's his job of choice and he has gained some good skill over the summer.  

Hailstorm

We had a huge hailstorm come through today.  All of a sudden it was raining then hailing really loudly!  The kids couldn't figure out what was banging against the garage door.  I went out and gathered up a few of the hail stones to show the size of them.  They were covering our lawn!  It was pretty crazy.