Happy Birthday to my Best Friend!

Today is Mike's 40th birthday. No fanfare, no cake, no birthday banner, no gifts. Just another passing day. He is currently on a ship in the middle east somewhere. He is my eternal companion, my best friend, father to my beautiful children. With each passing year I am more thankful and blessed to have him than the year before. Words cannot express how much I love and adore him. Happy Birthday Mike, wherever you may be! This is just a fun photo of him being an amazing dad, pulling a handcart with Eliza at the Pioneer Celebration :)

And another of him and Tommy

Injury

Shelby sprained her ankle, severely sprained her ankle. After her perseverance to try out for the volleyball team, we are only 3 weeks into the season and she is injured. She was jumping at the net to block and came down with all her weight on the outside of her foot, on her ankle. A trip to urgent care and an x-ray later, we were relieved it was not broken, but severely sprained. Crutches for at least a week and an ankle brace for at least three weeks. She did not cry when the actual injury happened, but the news of no more volleyball unleashed the flow of tears. She worked so hard to be a part of this team and it was devastating to have it come to an end. Of course she will still attend and support and be a part of the team as much as possible, but it will not be the same. It is so hard to watch as life's disappointments dig to the core of your children. There is absolutely nothing I can do to reverse, or make this go away for her. Being the wonderful Shelby that she is, she is upbeat and happy despite hobbling around the house all weekend. No complaints or tears. Being treated like a princess and waited on hand and foot may help with her mood :).

First Day

Today was the day, it finally arrived...................SCHOOL!! For some in the family it was bitter, for others it was very sweet (myself included in the later). Shelby does NOT enjoy early mornings, either does George. You would think they were teenage kids! Tommy slept longer than I thought he would and Dylan was up well before the sun. Eliza woke up singing "It is my first day of kindergarten WAA HOO!" She came downstairs and declared she had slept "perfectly". Big kids head out around 7:40, Tommy at 8:30 riding bikes with his buddy. For Eliza it was an excruciating wait for the clock to hit 12:40, but we made it. It pulled at my heart strings a little more than anticipated watching her walk into the school with her fellow classmates, but I am glad I wasn't the mother who couldn't let go and follow her inside. Dylan is the office assistant for his first period of the day and LOVES it. He is also in Honors Science and is shooting for all A's this year. George signed up to do Freshman link crew and I think he hated every minute of it. In more than half of Shelby's classes she does not know a soul. She is the only Sophomore in a sea of Juniors and Seniors in her Chemistry class. Tommy had a great day reconnecting with last years buddies. Eliza's day, in her words, was "Fantastic! But it went by really fast." Right after school we headed to Shel's volleyball game and Dylan had cross country practice. George had a shift at the DQ at five. After a big first day of school, and an afternoon of running all over, we (okay maybe just me) are all exhausted and ready for bed. Even George humored me and sat for a first day of school picture, not the best lighting indoors at 7:30 am.

PS Totally off topic what is it with me and phones!! This one is less than 2 months old, and yes it was in a case. If I were my own child I would NOT replace another phone for me........goodness!

Reflections

Shelby had her first volleyball game this past week. They did not win, but Shelby played great! The first game is always filled with nerves and anxiety. It is so hard for me to watch my children participate in sports. I am filled with nerves and anxiety! Dylan joined the cross country team and I think those meets will be a little more relaxed for me :). School officially starts on Tuesday and I am enjoying my last few days of calm before the storm. Freshly sharpened pencils and new reams of paper are waiting to be used. New shoes are ready for breaking in and there are new clothes to wear. Excitement is running at a high around here for the year to begin. George is a senior and that is so hard for me to accept. Shelby is a Sophomore and I still can't figure out why that seems SO much older than a Freshman. Dylan is the big man on campus in 8th grade, he has feet larger than mine and a growth track that shows no signs of slowing. Tommy is in third grade and excited to do math. Eliza is in the afternoon session of Kindergarten. It will be interesting to see how she handles waiting all morning before it is time for school. Every one of my children will be off at school this year and I am looking forward to some quiet time during the day. I begin school again September 10th and I know those quiet times will be used wisely......for the most part. Reflecting on all the blessings we have overwhelms me with love and appreciation. I know my family is taken care of and watched over daily and that is such an enormous comfort to me.

CELEBRATE!!

Last year Shelby went to BYU volleyball camp in July and worked her butt off trying out for the volleyball team at Murrieta Mesa High School in California. She was devastated when she did not make the team, she was sure she had done so well. It deflated her entire Freshman year of High School. Fast forward one year and a new school later. She made the decision to try out for volleyball again and leave the hurt behind her. I am so proud of her for putting herself out there again. It was a nerve racking two days but SHE MADE THE SOPHOMORE TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so relieved and happy that this turned out for her. Moving has not been the easiest thing for my baby girl and this has given her hope and happiness to succeed and fit in somewhere here. GO WARRIORS!

Lake Owyhee Oregon

Eliza has been asking to go camping for quite some time. We finally made the plans and picked out a state park in Oregon. It is only about an hour and half from home and they had a tee-pee we could rent to sleep in. George had just gotten home from a scout camp and opted to stay home this time. We were excited for the adventure and the original plan was to stay a couple of days. The road to get there was a little knuckle clenching at times. It is a very remote location with a one lane road most of the way in. There is a beautiful lake surrounded by rocky mountains and plenty of water and exploring to do. We were the only family without a boat, but Thomas being the socialite he is, got to go boating with the campers across the way. We played Frisbee and did a little geocaching, and swam a lot. It was super hot, 103, the day we arrived. The tee-pee turned out to be a hot box so there wasn't a lot of relief from the heat at night. We had a great time but decided to cut the trip short and not endure the heat of the devil another night. Eliza was sad to go but swam up until the very minute it was time to leave. The day I have a boat and an RV with air conditioning I will definitely go back!

The tee-pee was pretty cool

Jimmy's "picture bomb"

Dylan setting up a shot

Even Shelby had fun!

Gorgeous scenery

Eliza was so happy to be there.

Me and my sweet hubby

Playing in the water (ignore my finger!)

I'm back!

My sister put it well in saying that Facebook has killed the blog, I wholeheartedly agree! I have been Facebook free for about a year now and I LOVE it. I have made a vow to get back to my blog. It has been over a year since I posted and quite a bit has happened but I will spare details. Here are the key events :) August 17, 2011 - Michael hit the MTC to serve a mission in the Kennewick, Washington mission. It has almost been a full year! Time sure flies when you are in the service of the Lord.

September 11, 2011 - Martha becomes an adult and turns 18! September 21, 2011 - Michael is officially no longer a teenager and turns 20. December 19, 2011 - My little George hit 17 years old.

January 12, 2012 - Dylan becomes a teenager and Tommy hit the age of accountability. These kids are growing up so fast! February 4, 2012 - Tommy was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

March 27, 2012 - Made the big move from sunny So Cal to Meridian Idaho. April 2, 2012 - Beautiful Shelby is one year away from dating......can't even think about it!

May 2, 2012 - Mike and I hit our 9th anniversary. June 1, 2012 - Martha leaves the nest to find her way in this big wild world. June 28, 2012 - Mike finally joins us in Idaho after a long time out to sea. June 29, 2012 - Shelby is officially a permitted driver in the great state of Idaho. July 2, 2012 - Eliza is finally 5 and she anxiously waited for this birthday for months. She was born to swim and we hit the water park for the day.

July 16, 2012 - Jimmy is now 11 years old and as skinny as ever.

That brings us to today. We are happy and blessed and we feel the hand of God every day. We love Idaho and our lives are drastically different, in the best possible way :)