"Yeah! Today is my big day,"

is what Laurel said, as she ran into my bedroom this morning. Yes, Laurel started her first day of K-4. I know, she just turned 5 and could have legally gone to kindergarten, but her birthday was so close to the cut off date that we decided to hold her back a year. I just wasn't ready to send her off all day long. My younger sister seems to still be traumatized from being the youngest in her class, so according to her, Laurel is going to be very thankful to us. Savannah had a little trouble adjusting without Laurel. She kept saying, "Let's go get Laurel." As soon as Laurel got in the car, Savannah grabbed her hand and kissed it. They are so sweet with each other. She seems very excited and has been playing school with Savannah all afternoon.

I was shorter than them when they were 12

.... and I still am! About 6 months after Seth and I were married, I was called to serve in Young Womens. I loved this calling! These young women were great at 12 and 14 and are still doing great things with their life at 18 and 21. Um, How old does that make me? I had a great time getting together with them the other night.
Thanks Victoria, Rebecca, Rachel, Meredith, and Christy, it was a blast!

Future dirt bike riders?

Seth's brother brought this little 4-wheeler up to our house last weekend. Laurel and Savannah are having so much fun riding it. Last Monday night, Seth and I took turns riding it through the woods on this trail that Seth has cut for his dirtbike. I was too afraid to let them ride with me because I kept getting out of control when it was just me, so Seth would take turns letting them ride.
On Friday, Laurel came running into the house asking me if I would take her and Savannah for a ride on the 4-wheeler. My first thought was, I just washed my hair and really do not want to smell like 4-wheeler fumes! But, I decided to be a cool mom and try riding it with them. We had so much fun! It was so cute watching one get off and run to the front porch while the other one got on. It brought back so many memories from childhood of me and all my cousins riding 4-wheelers. Laurel kept saying, "Mommy, daddy goes through these ruts faster!" I guess those are the words your children learn when they have a daddy who dirtbikes. Anyway, here is a picture of them after we were done riding.

This picture is for those of you who wanted to see how the aprons turned out from Laurel's birthday party. It was so crazy, I forgot to take a group picture of all the children in their aprons. I took this one of Laurel, Savannah, and their cousin Spencer after the party. I wish you could have seen all of them. I had so much fun sewing them and am loving my new found hobby of sewing. Well, you can't really tell much about them, plus it doesn't help that they are side ways. I didn't know you had to rotate before you posted. Anyway, Laurel's has little clowns wearing birthday hats. I had so much fun picking out the boys fabric. Spencer's has cowboys all over. My favorite boy's apron was one with John Deere tractors that said, "nothing runs like a deere"

Laurel's Birthday

I can't believe Laurel is 5! It seems just like yesterday I was crying and praying for a baby. She is growing up way too fast. We celebrated her birthday with a cooking party. Her and her friends painted place mats, decorated cookies, and made their own pizza.
Her granny and papa dressed up like Pirates and danced with the children. They were so entertaining and Laurel's friends are still talking about the pirates. Thanks granny and papa!
It was such a fun day and we wish that all of our cousins, who live far away, could have been here. Happy Birthday Laurel! We love you!

Family Reunion

We just got back from spending the week in St. George, Utah with 3 of my siblings and mom and dad. There were 9 adults and 12 children. My brother-in-law organized the whole week, with the help of "Dan in Real Life!" He found a great house with a pool, which allowed us to successfully wear the children out everyday. We had morning runs and walks. The guys went four wheeling and hiking one day. The girls got a girls night out, where we ate some delicious Japanese. The highlight of the week was the family talent night. I was so proud of Laurel and Savannah. Savannah showed off her crab walk and Laurel sang a song. The winners were mom and dad. We all wish that we could have been there when dad told mom that he wanted her to yodel while he sang! They did great and we all got a good laugh. Mom, you are a good sport and dad, you are definitely where you need to be, the Wild, Wild, West! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we can't wait until next year. Thanks Linn for putting it all together. Scott and Kim, we missed you and your family.

Okay, here we go!

I have had so much fun reading friends and families blogs. So with the help of my dear sister-in-law, we are starting a blog! I think that this will be a very enjoyable way to keep a journal for my families own records and to also stay in touch with friends and family.