Bush Gardens

Monday, August 19, 2013

We have a Four Year Old!

On Saturday, Reuben woke up and said, "It's Saturday! I'm 4 now!" We had a great day together. Looney Tunes cartoons in the morning, Krispy Kreme for breakfast, the movie "Planes" on our kid date together, a friend's baptism, cake and ice cream, presents... Nice day for a great kid!

Reuben is so sweet. He can always make us laugh, but also has a sweet and sensitive side as he snuggles and gives the cutest kisses imaginable. I know these cute moments don't last long, (pre-teens and teenagers show love in such different ways...) so I am loving the love he gives! This morning I was helping out in Primary with the music, and he just adoringly stared at me the entire time and tried so hard to sing the right words. I cried... in front of everyone! He is so cute! And he would probably want me to add "Cool" and "Strong" too.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Evelyn is Funtastic!

We took Evelyn to Funtastico (a Chuck E. Cheese-like experience). They have some fun activities for little kids, like climbing walls, a velcro wall, trampolines, and bumper scooters. She had a blast! I had fun climbing and trying to fit through the toddler treehouse as we played together. Bob enjoyed throwing her as high as he could on the velcro wall...

We've been doing our "kid dates" this month to get us back in the habit, but I didn't take any pictures or blog about them. Hopefully the kids know we love them despite the lack of documentation on the family blog!

Driving!

Jonas got his driver's permit! He drove on base, drove home on the freeway, and has driven every day to seminary (in the dark) and home. He is a good driver (so far, thank goodness!)

It was kind of funny, because both Bob and I felt it was very natural to have him sitting in the drivers' seat. He has six months before he can get a license, maybe more if he doesn't get his Eagle award in Boy Scouts! (Hint, hint, Jonas!)

School Projects and Fun

I think my favorite part of school (when we actually do it) is art. I love to see my kids' creativity. It also inspires me to try new things, since I'm not adventurous and creative. I was in a "not-so-great" mood on Thursday last week, and we did self-portraits. I couldn't help but smile at Reuben's! I felt much better after taking some time to enjoy a project!

We also made our own paint, Giotto-style, out of crushed chalk and egg yolk. That was fun too!

Monday, August 5, 2013

First Day of School 2013

The mug shots...

Reuben (PreK) Evelyn (1st grade)

Micah (3rd grade) Troy (6th grade)

Owen (6th grade) Leslie (9th grade)

Jonas (11th grade)

Let's not forget the wacky teacher...

(I had a point to make, okay?)

The kids were scared that I was rabid.

I had to assure them multiple times that it was just Dad's shaving cream...

Point?

President Monsons' Choose Ye This Day conference talk, October 2004

"Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as is Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”

The cat answers: “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”⁶

Unlike Alice, we all know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life surely leads to the path we will follow in the next."

Our school theme this year is "Choose Your Own Adventure!"

We plan on having a lot of fun with it!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Last leg of our journey!

On Sunday we left Utah and drove as much as we could towards Texas. We were on a tight timeline since we were due to close on our new home on Monday at 2 pm! We made it for a final walkthrough at 1 and signed papers at 2! Phew! We are thankful to be here!

Some of the fun things we did as we drove our last 16 hours...