The Transformation

Things are changing here at the Scott House

We had a tiny 1 car garage before

That my van couldn't fit into

But dreams are coming true

The 2 car garage is going up

And the coveted------

Best thing to happen to a mom-------

Hides the messes-----

The dirt-------

The SHOES!!!!...

It's my MUDROOM

I can't wait until it's finished!!!!!

Enjoy the Pics Pops!

Booty Scootin'

A little late in posting this but still cute!:)

For months now I have tried to deliberate over why it has taken Emma so long to start crawling.

I considered Utah being the cause: Being held by Grandma and Aunts all day she didn't have the chance to figure out her limbs.

Or maybe it was her limbs, in fact, maybe her body mass couldn't support such an effort as crawling!

Or maybe it was the wood floors in our home: who wants to crawl on some hard surface anyway?

Nonetheless, she has figured it out. At 9 1/2 months the shuttle has lifted and the booty is scootin'. She has found so much freedom and contentment with crawling. There is no need to cry after mom leaves the room; she can now follow right on after her. But as she entertains her newfound freedom, mom has now lost her freedom. Constantly having to check to see what's in Emma's mouth. Barring staircases and bathrooms. Removing choking hazards along the way and harmful substances. Life is now more about Emma then it ever has been before. But seriously, it is all worth it when I see the size of her booty as she crawls on all fours. TOO CUTE!

When she is crawling on the wood floors it is especially cute as she does the booty scoot. It is way uncomfortable to be crawling on the knees. So she sticks that bum to the floor and uses those arms to pull her wherever she needs to go. None of my other children have done this so I am really enjoying this!

Savannah Banana

"You don't have enough fingers!" Madison yells in the morning, as she's just realized Savannah's 11 years of life can no longer be counted on her fingers. I often have these moments when I can't believe how old my children are getting. I have this constant determination to slow down the process but they keep growing anyway.

Savannah is different though. As she gets older I find that I am excited for the years to come. I am in no way wishing away her childhood but I do look to the future years with a grin on my face. I am not ignorant of the trials teenagers bring but I am also beginning the years when I get to watch my little girl grow into a woman. I look forward to the discussions we can have and to become friends with the child I have watched grow from infancy to child; from child to young adult. She has a fun personality, a perpetual need for crushing on boys, and a deep wise understanding of what is right and what is wrong; from these qualities I gather we will have fun times ahead as well as trying times, but through it all I believe my love for this child will deepen beyond what I thought possible.

I am ready. I am ready for the challenges, the growth , the fights and the proud mommy moments as I watch her grow into an awesome young woman. A woman I hope with virtue, faith and a strong determination to be the best she can be. I love you Savannah. I love you for so many reasons but I love you for your heart, your compassion for others and your strong testimony in what you believe. Happy Birthday my dear sweet daughter!

P.S. She got a rat for her birthday. And believe it or not, it is a cute little thing!

One of the highlights of the day for me was the witness that came that my daughters do truly care for one another. Lately as Savannah grows up and matures they have temporarily drifted apart and the result being lots of fights and feelings being hurt. But Madison unselfishly took money from her own money jar (unbeknowngst to me) and went to the school library scholastic fair and bought Savannah a book that she knew Savannah at one time had requested. Later she came home and wrapped it up and completely surprised not only Savannah with it but her parents as well.

Here is Savannah receiving the gift

And the hug that accompanied it!

The cake that some little 3 year old girl scrapped the frosting off of while the rest of the family members were watching Savannah's birthday movie.

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet Savannah!

Halloween Stuff

So now that Thanksgiving is approaching I decided to post Halloween stuff before it became awkwardly late. Halloween this year was quite different, aside from the fact it was on a Sunday and we decided that in order to observe the Sabbath Day we weren't going to trick or treat on that day; it also came and went before I had time to plan. On friday we had our church's trunk or treat and unfortunately I had the flu. It was solely up to Harvey to put costumes together and come up with something creative for himself, which consisted of a wig. Saturday I was feeling better so we jetted over to our friends house where they annually have a hayride around the neighborhood and do some trick or treating. Harvey painfully watched the kids gain more candy and tried to endure 2 hours of the cold and monotonous doorbell ringing, while I hung out with my friend in her wonderfully warm house and used Emma as the excuse to do so. Awesome! Thanks Emmy!

Although I was unable to get pictures of the kids in their costumes we did get some of the pumpkin carving festivities.

We've got Sav's attempts and concentration

We've got Madison patient look or is that a bit if impatience I detect? As she waits for a knife.

We've captured Harvey's intensity when it comes to pumpkin carvin'.

The fun goopy gloppy mess.

Our dear friends the Wolf's came over to participate in the goopy fun

And Carson did more mess making than actually carving or gutting, but at least he participated boy style!

Where's Rylie? She's too much of a diva to subject herself to the mess that pumpkin carving entails and she opted to sit in the next room and continue her dancing and singing and make believing.

Just some pics...

I was having fun with the camera tonight and thought I would share my beauties! Although I do have a disclaimer; Harvey took the one of Madison...talented man he is!

My Beautiful Savannah is turning 11 this month. I can't believe how mature she is starting to look. If I could slow things down I would, although the prospects of having a full time babysitter in the house are quite appealing!

My Sweet Bear, does she ever take a bad picture? Always camera ready. I love this little ball of personality.

My Beautiful Maddie. Every time I see a picture of her my heart flutters. She's my tender but driven little girl.

Oh my boy! This little man is spoiled and loved by every female in our house. I could have put a few pictures of him smiling his precious little smile but I chose the goofy one, why?...Because I can't get over those beautiful eyes!

My Turn!

I was really getting into all the kids running these races I thought I would run one myself. I took nearly the whole summer off and got a bit lazy so I had to put in some miles the last two weeks before the race in order to do well. I love the competition of the races, (not that I will ever win a medal) but I love doing my very best and trying to beat my P.R. So I ran a simple 5k on a beautiful trail in a park. It was a women's only race, which really put Harvey on a soap box a few times...(they could never hold a men's only race, all the women would be in an uproar!) I told him to show up wearing a bra and maybe they would let him in.

I was so happy to not only have my own children cheering me on but our dear friends the Mannings showed up to lend their voices and cheer for me as well. I did well for my first race back in over a year with a time of 24:33, but one day I will beat my P.R!

And Another Mile...

I love the fall for many reasons. But one being it is the best time to run a race. It's cool but not cold so the weather is inviting and it recharges the body. Last year I entered Savannah and Madison in this youth race and they enjoyed it so much I was determined this year to not only do it again but to enter Carson and Rylie in it too! They do the races based on age and gender.

So first up it was the 3 and under girls race, and Rylie slaughtered the competition without even breaking a sweat. She not only enjoyed the run but she loved all the cheers that she believed were sent in her direction.

Carson ran his 1/4 mile in great time. He completed it in 2:06 which makes an awesome 8:24 mile time.

Maddie rocked her mile run by killing her last mile time by shaving off nearly a minute and a half and finishing at a 9:04 pace.

Savannah surprised me greatly as she speedily rounded the corner she was in the top 10 and nearly passing out from a bad side cramp. I ran alongside her and urged her to fight through and focus on the girl in front of her. I encouraged her to try to slide ahead of that girl on the final downhill sweep. As the downhill came her legs shot out and she flew past the fixed competition and ended with an amazing 8:22 pace.

I am so proud of my kids. There is nothing more thrilling then to see them achieve their goals and to genuinely be proud of themselves.

Maybe next year our Emma can join in the fun. But I must say she is setting records everyday by her ever increasing consumption of food. We are proud of those round dimply thighs and her rotund belly and double chin (currently working on her third). You go girl!

The amazing mile is amazing

I am a coach. Never in a million years thought I could be. I don't know sports very well, I don't play sports very well. Which is why I chose the one sport that doesn't require rules, theory, quick thinking or much talent. Running. I can run. It doesn't require much coordination, right foot, left foot. It doesn't require any sports theory or rules, the faster I run the better my time. Simple enough. So I chose to coach my girls after school running club. It is called Girls On the Run. It is a great program that incorporates self-esteem into running and at the end of the season they run a 5k. It is inspiring, uplifting, and I love it.

Lately in order to prepare for the final 5k, I have been entering them into shorter distance races. The first one was the famous Lynchburg, Amazing Mile. It was chaotic and frustrating but the main reason we did it was because my girls were going to get to meet Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. They exclusively met with the Girls On the Run, answered questions and sign shirts. It was so incredible to meet two people who are not only talented but driven. The girls asked questions like, "How long have you been playing tennis?" "Who was your favorite person to play?" "Who wins when you and your wife play each other?" "Do you play any other sports?" "How old are you?" "Do you live in a mansion?" Some were hilarious...and some were good real questions.

His answers were honest and but well rehearsed, he's been playing since before he could walk. He loves to play his wife. His wife always wins because he's too busy looking at her and not the ball. He used to play soccer as well and Steffi played basketball. He is 20 years older than he was 20 years ago. No he doesn't live in a mansion but his house does have a pool and a tennis court.

Later Savannah and Madison both got their t-shirts signed and after much stress laid upon her I was able to force Savannah to also get him to sign a tennis ball for my dad. Who now claims he is going to sell it on ebay. He'll die if he does!

Afterwards they ran their miles. Savannah got a PR of 9:12 and Madison being her first mile and the fact her shoe fell off during the race got a 10:27. It was hot and awful but they had a good time.

Budding Personality

Emma has had a hold upon my heart since the day she was born, but as her little personality develops I have begun to adore the little person that she is. She has come alive in personality.

I have always deemed her as my serious child. But she is determined to shake that stigma. Not that being serious is a bad thing but being serious in the Scott family is a difficult thing. And who wants to make life difficult? So Emma is determined to become noticed in this family of 7. Here are some examples of her attempts:

-She mimics everything we do, mostly the sounds that we make. The other day I was trying to change her poopy diapers and as she started to squirm for a nearby object I could only see the poo she was about to rub into my comforter. So I said, "Stop, stop, stop!" And she looked at me and repeated, "Dop, Dop, Dop!"

-She claps at any given moment wherein she thinks she has done something remarkable.

-She can move, we aren't sure how, but she does manage to end up in a different place than where we put her and she can always get to a toy that is out of reach. No one has caught her in action but we think she has mastered the booty scoot.

-She waves "hi", she wont do it when we say "goodbye". She obviously prefers the welcome.

-She has a slight temper, she expresses it by clenching her entire body while extending her limbs straight out and growling/grunting, quite the advanced pilates move.

-She is 90% a joy to be around, the other 10% I am wishing for her to have some Grandma time!

-The 10% is usually solved by food or sleep. She is never naughty just to be naughty. I love that her case of the grumps is solvable.

My sweet Emma you are loved more deeply than you know and we feel so blessed to have you in our family.

Always Remember, Never Forget

Yesterday I ironically finished a book about the holocaust. This particular event that took place during the holocaust has been nearly lost in history; pushed out of the human mind because of guilt, shame or unfortunately indifference. There are many events in our history that are so tragic, painful and catastrophic that some of us may choose to forget. If we did would history repeat itself? Would mankind ever jump the hurdle of its perpetual need to dominate? Or would we simply be doing an injustice to those who suffered? Forgetting what happened is like forgetting they ever existed.

I will never forget where I was September 11, 2001. At the time I couldn't have been more physically removed from New York City. We were living in a city equivalent in size, diversity and beauty but abiding on an entirely different shore. Vancouver, BC was our perch and there it was when we found out the tragedy that was taking place in our distance homeland. We were living with a Chinese family. I walked out of my bedroom and heard loud chatter, as I looked over towards the television set I saw they were pointing and conversing with boyish immaturity. Peaked by their state of lightmindedness I walked towards them. That is when I saw Harvey's face. With his eyes wide, his hand drawn over his mouth and his head shaking I knew instantly that what they were watching was not the entertainment I came to think. I sat down next to Harvey and asked what they were watching. Harvey was unable to answer and I began to watch with earnest. Listening to the words of the reporter I was able to piece together what was happening. Along with observing the ashen faces, the hysterics, bodies falling to their death out of sheer panic, the crying women and the heroes of servicemen; my heart began to sink. I couldn't believe what was happening.

America has always been protected. A land of freedom never to be interrupted. I sat their in disbelief. These were things you watched happen in foreign lands, not my home. Growing increasingly irritated by our Chinese associates; I came to quickly understand that they were lost in translation; thinking they had just walked in on a movie Harvey was watching. Not fully understanding what was happening, that it was indeed reality, their loud behavior became too much for me. And that's when I saw the children on the screen. Those poor sweet children. Faces full of fear, confusion and tears. I immediately broke down. It was then that all in the room understood. Translation became clear and the tragedy was obvious, all fell sullen and it was then that Harvey was able to translate the tragedy that had just occurred. I swept Savannah up in my arms and walked back into my bedroom. I couldn't watch anymore. It was devastating. I held Savannah in my arms and cried.

Over the course of days we came to learn of those who were directly affected, the families of the heroes lost, the heroes who saved and the poor souls that unknowingly woke up that morning only to die that day. September 11th will always remain in my head as a day to remember; never to forget, hopefully never to be repeated. As with all our worlds past shameful and unnecessary afflictions, we can't forget. We must pay tribute to the lives lost, and lives permanently changed forever. Without doing so our obliviousness will cause numbness, possible repetition and an allowance to those that seek to destroy. Our hearts need to remember as painful as it may be for those who experienced it deserve nothing less. September 11th a day of infamy; a day of when the desperate levels of hatred became sickeningly known but we also saw the hearts of the courageous and the power of a nation united. May the souls of September 11th always live on in our hearts forever.

Beautiful

There is never any doubt how my mom feels about her Grandkids. If they aren't being smothered in hugs and kisses then they are being told their are loved and snuggled with. Emma was not deficient of any of Grandma's loves. I love this picture of the two of them. They are both so beautiful.

One River and a Crazy Papa

During one of our weekends up at the cabin I coaxed my dad into building up an area in the river where the kids could play and not get swept away. Of course my dad is always on board with that sort of thing so we got out into the icy cold water and got to work and dragged my brother-in-law not so willingly out there with us.

Once was finished our feet were numb but throbbing in pain, not sure how that works, and we relaxed on the deck overlooking our handy work.

Suddenly the kids wanted to test out their new swimming hole and got in only to realize that it was indeed freezing cold. The temperature of this water is quite hard to explain. It is direct run off from the great Mount Timpanogos. This Siberian type water can glaciate every muscle, bone, and common sense you have in your body. For example, the kids were challenging one another to see who could put most of their body in when surprisingly enough their Papa came bounding into the frigid waters and immediately the common sense froze solid and before we knew it he had immersed his entire body.

Common sense benumbed, body solidified, and Grandkids impressed and challenged. Soon all were in the water not only immersing themselves completely but timing one another to see who could do it the longest. After all was said and done they ended up with blue lips, convulsing with chills and in search of the hot permeating sun.

One cold river, 7 frozen children and one of the coolest Papa's of all time! What good times!

Rylie's Utah Photo Shoot

One of the things I love most about Utah is the mountains. They are majestic in every way. I can't help but feel slightly emotional each time we drive into the valley. Although I grew up there I will never get over just how beautiful Northern Utah really is. So because the mountains are on my list of favorites we try to live in them as often as we can while we are visiting family. One of the days we had there we ventured up American Fork canyon and soaked ourselves in Tibblefork Reservoir.

I was snapping some pictures of the surrounding area and Rylie asked for me to take some pictures of her. Now taking a picture of Rylie is not a smile and shoot affair. It is a full body experience. How in the world does she know how to get into it like this is beyond me, but she really knows how to work her stuff. Here are the results from our photo shoot:

And what's a photo shoot without showing off a little cute buttocks!

Camera's home!

The camera made its way safe and sound back home and the very first picture I took had to be of Ems new thing. Spitting. The girl spits everywhere and if you are holding her it feels like you're standing in a drizzling rain. Every time we hear the spit we have to look at the face because it just emphasizes how fat her face is. I love it!


I also love this pic of her and Rylie. Good times to be had when the others are at school. I especially love the contrast of their head sizes. 3 years apart and Emma may catch up to Rylie in height and size before the year is through!

Another School Year

I am not sure what makes me feel more sad, the fact that my oldest child is now in 5th grade or that my baby boy is in kindergarten. Either way I feel as though time is slipping from my fingers and there is nothing I can do to tighten my grasp. I think my overall feeling today is that one day my life as a mother of young children will end. And that makes me sad. I am sure that life with teenagers who are independent, strong willed and striving to find their place in the world will have its own challenges and advantages but I still can't help but feel as though I am mourning. Mourning the loss of my babies that have now grown up.

As I dropped them off I thought that each of their responses fit perfectly with each of their personalities. Savannah was stalwart and brave, venturing into 5th grade with courage and ownership, as if she knew what to expect and this life challenge was going to be met head on. Madison was excited and positive. Nervousness was apparent but no negative emotion could squash the smile that reached from ear to ear. She felt confidence in her new skinny jeans and I have no doubts that excitement will pursue onward for weeks to come. Carson was hyper, happy and confident as he got up and dressed faster than anyone else. With his spider man backpack on there was no signs of hesitation or nervousness. He walked up ahead as we made our way into the school and was in the classroom before his daddy and I rounded the corner. But as soon as he caught a glimpse of the other students all excitement was lost and nervousness ensued, he quickly reached for my hand. But not about to be overrun by fear he let go of my hand and did what he knew he had to do. Without looking back he began what was to be his daily routine for the year and never once looked back up to find me after his hug goodbye.

Now its just Rylie and Emma. Together we will see the days out and I have learned as I have time and time again to enjoy and relish in every moment left with these two before they also are whisked away into their own academic adventures. I can only pray that they will be as brave, positive, and undaunted as their big siblings! Good luck kids in the year to come! I love you very much!

A summer's ending...

I swear I just wrote a post about all the wonderful things we were going to do this summer and now I am here to sum it all up. It isn't fair how quickly summer goes by and how slowly winter does. But it happens and I am now going to write an awesome synopsis on what we did to make this the greatest summer of all time, lucky you!...

Note, I will have no pictures because I left my camera in Bear Lake, UT...the thoughts of it sitting in some strangers office about to take a trip across the great expanse of America causes my heart to palpitate and my stomache churn. I just hope its arrival will be a safe as ours was back home. So if you are one of those blog readers that only looks at pictures and then moves on I regret to inform you, you must move on...

But, if you like to read, onward we go!...

June was an awesome month. We took in the sunshine by...
-Swimming at Smith Mountain Lake
-Swimming at Lake Douthat
-Hiking through the Peaks of Otter
-And indulging in a lot of laughter with Papa and Grandma Scott
-We took a boat ride around Smith Mountain Lake with the awesome Martin's, where afterwards we went to dinner overlooking the lake and ate the BEST food I've ever had!!!

July was started off just right by...
-Celebrating Papa Scott's birthday with a date night into a mountain resort and dinner for 4, with an attempt to sing him Happy Birthday sending us all into hysterics and saying goodbye as they ventured back home to AZ. We'll miss them!:(
-We had a 4th of July blast here at our house with our new friends the Wolf's and our old besties the Mannings. We did our own fireworks and roasted marshmallows. It was great fun!
-We soon left on our trip out to UT. We drove there in 46 hours. We weren't going to waste any time. We couldn't wait to have my family meet baby Emma for the first time. Which to note: she is now massive!!! Wish I could prove it with a pic!
-Once we arrived in Utah we were filled with good family times at the cabin, swimming at the local pools, visiting Granny shakes, Deer Creek, visiting local attractions and mountain sides, walking through Cascade Springs and riding the Harley through the Wasatch and of course always a hight spot of meeting up with old friends.
-One of the highlights of the trip was our journey to Bear Lake where we reunited with some Cornell Branch buddies. It was so good to see them all again and laugh until our faces hurt and our stomaches cramped. Every late night had was totally worth it. And the reminder of good unconditional friendships left me feeling blessed to have ever been able to go to upstate NY and be a part of such a group of people.

In August...
-I celebrated my 33rd birthday with my hubby and a trip to SLC. I haven't been there in years and it was amazing to see how diverse it has become. We were able to freshen up on our Chinese skills while we were there and hear that beautiful English accent again. Quite a motley crew downtown has become!
-My sister and I threw my little sissy a surprise baby shower at Kneaders, (oh my new love for kneaders.)
-We then waited for my little sissy to have her 4th baby. Once was accomplished I was able to go to the hospital and relish for a day holding that sweet brand new baby. My first ever niece or nephew I have been able to meet fresh from heaven. It was awesome and now I hope she'll never forget me because unfortunately the next time I see her we'll be celebrating her 1st birthday. So sad living so far away!:(

We have been home now for a week and have filled it with getting the house in order and preparing for school. I look back on our summer adventures feeling complete. We set out to accomplish all our summer goals, and we achieved it. We are exhausted but satisfied. I am sad to see it all go and do not welcome back the early mornings, driving in and out of town several times each day, the soccer games, piano lessons, and after school running club. And more than ever I am sad to see my baby boy start his adventures in school. My heart breaks to know he'll not be by my side for the day but I know he is ready and excited.

The next post you read will be full of sadness and weepings due to me dropping off more than half my crew at school in the mornings. C'est la vie! Such is life! But I think this summers adventures can be lived off of for a few months. And I am so grateful for my mom and dad putting up with me and the kids for 6 long weeks. I love them and love that they love my children. Nothing means more to me than the tears my children shed having to leave their Grandparents. I love that they love their Grandparents and they know they are loved in return. I cherish the times we get to spend with them. I will miss my mom something fierce, I love being around her. And I will miss my dad, he was awesome with the kids and the hubby. I don't think Harvey has ever been so spoiled with this much golf in one summer! Love you Mom and Dad, thanks for everything!

Lake Douthat

I have water babies. Every single one of them were born for the water. They could happily be in the water all day, everyday.

Harvey's parents are here visiting so we went up a little bit north towards Covington Virginia where his sister lives. They took us to Douthat State Park. It was so beautiful! The kids loved being in the water. Even sweet Emma happily splashed and played away in the sun. She has already partook in our traditional baby dunk and passed with flying colors. We always dunk our babies at around 3 months old and we have yet to have one fear the water! There must be something to it! Here are some fun pictures! Thanks Uncle Shawn and Aunt Elaine!