School Days....

Last week school started for the boys. Finally. I hate to be one of those mom's who seems so anxious to get her kids out of the house but....the truth hurts. It was one long summer and because I was in school, there wasn't much time to do anything fun. We did a few things of course...it wasn't a total bust... but I do feel badly for not being able to do a lot more. One more year though and I will finally be done so I can go back to being a normal mom. In my defense it also didn't help that Denver wasn't here...probably wouldn't have been quite as stressful. AND there was that little thing called a hysterectomy I am still recovering from. Add it all together and maybe you can understand why I was a tiny bit giddy the day they went back to school. I sure do love them though. Addison starts Wednesday and can hardly wait. She was devastated to find out she didn't start the same day as her brothers. Denver will be in town this week too which makes it extra special for her.

Here is Ian, my big 5th grader! Hard to believe I have one that is almost done with Elementary school. This year he gets to do the whole 'maturation program'.... wont that be a good time? I think I need to schedule Denver's trip that week so he can go with him instead of me, haha!

And, here is the 4th grader...right on Ian's tail. He is just as tall as Ian now....but unlike his older brother, Evan was actually excited to go back to school.

School on a Budget...

Going to school these days can be quite expensive. Sure, there are student loans to help you through, but then you are left with a pretty big debt to pay when you finish. One of the aspects of college that has always boggled my mind is the cost of books. Most textbooks average around $100 per book which can really add up when you are taking 3 or 4 classes! I've found a great option for students who don't want to drop all that money on a book that they may never use again. It's a company called CampusBookRentals.com.

They offer the option to rent the textbook you need for the duration of the semester and then return it when you are through for typically less than half of what you might pay for the book outright. They even have a textbook buy back service which I might try and utilize since I missed the buy back period last semester at my school. I was a bit worried about shipping for all those books but found on their site that they offer FREE shipping both ways! It's hard to see how you would lose by using them rather than buying your books. I know this coming semester I will definitely be using their site to rent my books.

When I visited the site to see what they offered, I was also really impressed to see that they support the Operation Smile program which provides cleft lip surgeries for children whose families cannot afford the expensive procedures.

For every book rented, a portion of the proceeds goes to this program. CampusBookRentals.com has set a goal to provide 1000 life changing surgeries for these kids. Awesome. So if you are a student and want to save some money as well as contribute to something as cool as Operation Smile, I would suggest checking out CampusBookRentals.com.

Our American Idol...

Over the Christmas break I received a visit from Evan's school teacher. She had brought some music by that she needed Evan to memorize by the end of their break. Then she informed me that they had a "secret" audition of sorts for their school musical program and Evan had been chosen to sing a small solo part in one of the songs. I was shocked and excited of course! If you know Evan then you know how painfully shy he has been in the past, although when faced with doing something in front of others he has always stepped up and done it. Today was the performance and let me tell you, I was pretty much sobbing through the whole thing. I am such an emotional mess when it comes to my kids. I suppose I come by that honestly since my mother is the same way. Anyway, here he is! Enjoy the video. (make sure to turn off the music player at the bottom of the blog first so you can hear the video)

My 4th Grader....

I'm still in denial that I have a 10 year old. Even with his new school picture that makes him look 13, I refuse to believe that he is 10. I will probably remain in denial until he leaves for college....and even then I may shut my eyes to the whole business. Love you Ian!

He Is Growing Up....

Well, Evan has passed out of the little boy stage and this picture really shows it! Look at those 3rd grade chompers. Isn't he handsome....?

Catching Up....I Think?

Here it is 2:00 in the morning....I should be in bed but just finished writing a paper that is due in the morning and then decided I better get this stuff posted before another 2 weeks goes by and I am even more behind. 3 posts follow this one that should catch up all my pictures and activities over the month of September anyway. We are quite busy and some days, I'm pretty sure I bit off more than I could chew this Fall. One more month of soccer though and that will relieve some of the stress! Wednesdays are the worse days with school, then dance for Addison at 3pm and then scouts for the boys at 4pm then soccer practice for Evan at 5pm. Needless to say, Wednesday's dinners usually consist of pizza. Monday and Thursdays are Taekwondo. Here is Evan waiting for his test....does he look nervous?!

Friday's are Ian's soccer practice and of course Saturdays are the soccer games. Tonight we had to go have the boys tested for the Taekwondo Belt Ranks. They got their orange belts a couple of months ago and this was for an added stripe to the orange belt. I think they did pretty good and will probably pass...but then what do I know about Taekwondo!



Starting tomorrow morning Evan begins Chinese lessons twice a week before school. I couldnt pass up the opportunity for him to be exposed to learning a foreign language. It think it is so good for the brain to open up that type of learning. Ian is starting Spanish lessons twice a week next week. So, between the family we will have French, Russian, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese speakers....not too shabby!

Addison continues to test my patience as apparently all 4 years old do. Her tantrums leaving me tearing my hair out. She cries a lot and is very defiant. Of course I love her just the same but am anxiously looking forward to this phase going away :) She enjoys school once she gets there...same with dance. Its the initial leaving her there that causes the most tears.


Next week is my fall break from school and I am soooo looking forward to it. I'm not sure what I will do with myself for a whole week by myself during the day. Sleep. obviously I need more of it!! Denver is working hard in South Carolina. I know he is tired too and missing us. He is coming to visit toward the end of October to celebrate Ian's birthday and visit with everyone. Then it's back to the grind!

Here are some videos....one of the boys taking their Taekwondo test and the other of Ian getting my nephew Jude to laugh at him. Sweet little thing.....

Catching Up.....

I know it hasn't been that long since I last posted so there is'nt necessarily a lot of catch up but I have a couple of slideshows with pictures I forgot to post. The first is from the 4th of July Weekend... we went early Saturday morning to our old ward for the annual 4th of July pancake breakfast. Thats always a good time to visit and eat a good breakfast...then we ventured over to the Gateway to see the movie "The Last Airbender". The kids had been dying to see it. While waiting for the movie to start the kids had a run around the fountains area and tried really hard not to get wet. Everyone managed to stay dry but Ian....here are the pic's from that day.

Then of course the next day was the actual 4th of July and we decided to take the kids to a Bee'z Baseball game because afterward they put on a fabulous firework show! Denver really wanted to take the kids to a baseball game before he left. So here are the pics from the game....

So, last night we celebrated the 24th of July which in Utah is bigger than the 4th of July in terms of holiday's. For those that dont know what it is, we call it Pioneer Day and we are celebrating the pioneers that traveled West and settled what is now the Salt Lake Valley. A lot of sacrifices were made to venture out here into the unknown and their trials were massive. There definitely is a reason to celebrate those strong and faithful people.... We went to my friend Karolyns house last night. They live in a great house with an even greater yard that consists of ponds, a trampoline and a campground style fire pit complete with split log benches. The kids had so much fun roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, making smores and just goofing around with Karolyns two daughters. Addison was in heaven with those "big" girls... Logan (she called her Loden) and Brynn. Also Karolyns boyfriends' daughter Sydney was there and Addie acted like she had known her forever. It was cute. After all the eating and playing we had a fun "wyoming style" firework show! Here are some pics from the night....I wasnt a very good picture taker last night but got a few.

So the other news is that Denver has taken a job with his company (Boeing) in their South Carolina plant. He moved there on Thursday. It is basically the same job but with better opportunity. He has been going to school for business management but in this small little Salt Lake plant there was not much hope of him ever getting into management. Not to mention most of the work on Boeing's new big plane is being moved to the Charleston plant. With the economy the way it is, it seemed a good choice to go there where the job is guaranteed for the foreseeable future. Me and the kids have stayed behind for now. I really dont want to have to start the whole process of school over and since I only have about a year left, it made sense to stick it out here for a while. We have discovered SKYPE and the kids get to video chat with him each night so that will be fun for them. We are just going to keep busy to keep our minds off the fact that he isnt here. For example this Fall I have registered for a full schedule at the U. I found a full day preschool for Addison which will allow me the time to finish my homework during the day before the kids get home from school in the afternoon. That way we can spend those afternoon/evenings with their homework, Taekwondo, Soccer, Dance, Scouts, and whatever else comes our way. I have also signed up for the Womens Choir that I sing with each year. Im pretty sure every day of the week will be filled with something!! So if I seem frazzled or my blog posts are short, you will understand why! Hope you are all having a great Summer....school is almost back in session!

Ian Jams Out.....Cha Cha style.....

Check out the video of Ian singing with Steve James. This man composed all of the songs for the "Parents Empowered" organization for helping prevent kids from harmful behavior such as alcohol and drugs...the songs are catchy and fun. He chose Ian's school to perform his songs for the Mayor's office tonight. It was a lot of fun and I was pretty impressed with his music! The kids clearly loved him. Ian complained a few times that the hand movements for his song were "cheezy" and that he was too embarrassed to do them. I told him before we went tonight that he would look more cheezy if he stood up there and didnt do them and everyone else was doing them.... I believe he actually listened to me for once! Check him out....

Song Title: Honesty (la verdad, yo dire)

Ian's Recital....

I cant go on enough about the music program at Ian's school. Maybe it is normal for schools in other places to have a piano program in their curriculum but I've never heard of it. In our school district, Ian's school is the only one to have this program. Starting in 2nd grade they get piano lessons once a week and each student gets to work at his/her own skill level. Not only do they have a big Grand Piano but they also have several electric pianos with headphones so the kids can all practice their pieces. At the end of each semester they give a recital. They have to introduce themselves before hand and announce the name of the piece they have chosen...one of the kids in the class got up and announced that autographs would be available after the performance if we were interested! I thought that was pretty clever.



I wish that Ian would want to take lessons again outside of this program but as much as he enjoys what he is learning, he doesn't want to take anymore.

I would also love to put him in some type of voice class....a children's choir perhaps. He has a wonderful voice and I would like to see it develop more. But, I don't want to push him into something and then have him hate it. His interest right now lies in Tae Kwon Do...wonder how long that will last! ha ha. Without further ado...here is a video of Ian's song. Its kinda long....and slow....but watch him count with precision. So cute.


Ian Playing the theme to Jurassic Park by John Williams:

My Favorite 2nd Grader.....

Here's Evans new picture.... he is so sweet and this picture really shows it. He told me a kid at his school said he had "bunny eyes". I asked him what that meant and he said it meant that he looked "Kind"..... I totally agree!

Mr. Ian.....

I just love this face.....and the little person that accompanies it.

My Big 2nd Grader.....and some other stuff :)

Today was Evan's day! He started the 2nd grade....finally. Right now he really cant appreciate the 3 extra weeks of summer that he receives that his brother Ian does not. By the time Ian starts school (first of August), Evan is ready to start too. But, Ian gets to school shop first.....Ian gets a new haircut first.....Ian gets to go to school first. It's tough for Evan because he feels like he is always last for everything. One day though, when school isn't as much fun, he will learn that he has it better than Ian because he gets 3 extra weeks of Summer! Until then, today was his blessed day! Here he is....ready to go.

The first day of school is becoming more difficult for me emotionally. Dont worry....it's not like Im crying in the car as they run off to school. However, it is the day of the year when their age really hits home. When they have their birthday's each year it really doesnt feel like they are older. They are still in school....in the same grade they have been in all year and so it doesnt feel like an age progression at that point. The first day of school is when I really become aware of their ever growing statures and the fact that they really are a year older. So, a little more melancholy creeps in each year as I send them off to school....I'll be a mess by the time Addison starts Kindergarten. The boys are so close together in age that I dont have a chance to really get sad about Evan as he is right behind Ian and I am already used to the whole thing. Addie will be different story because she is my baby and when she starts school.....well, Im just not going to think about it right now.

In other news, I also started school last night. It was my first class of the semester at the University of Utah. I was quite nervous when I realized at 3pm that not only did I forget to find the class ahead of time, I hadnt picked up my ID card or figured out my transportation and parking situation. You cant just drive up to class and park. Give me a break....its been 18 years since I was in college! Anyway, some things never change....especially my procrastination. But, all was well. I picked up my ID card, found the building and a great parking space, and still had 20 minutes to spare. The class was great! I LOVE school....you could say Im a bit of a nerd about it. I could go to school forever. Too bad I didnt feel that way when I was 18 and going to BYU! I was watching some of the "younger" students in the class. They were obviously bored out of their minds.....barely awake.....attitude written all over their faces. I wish they could understand what I do now. I wish I had understood it at their age...... that life goes on. Take advantage of your youth! You may get a second chance later, if youre lucky, but it is so much more difficult than just appreciating it and doing it now. I have so much more respect for the professor and for the opportunity to actually attend college. It's too bad that these "younger" students cant see and understand what I do...... Anyway, next class is Thursday night. Cant wait!


My Mother-in-law is leaving us today. She has been here for a month and it has been a lot of fun having her with us. I hope she enjoyed it as much as we did. The kids are really sad that she is leaving. Hopefully she will come back and visit us again soon! Mandy (Denvers cousin) also came out a few days ago for a visit and so she could fly back with Carlotta. Addison has been in heaven with Mandy..... she has been spoiled rotten for the past few days. I know she is going to really miss her too! It has been a hectic August ever since we returned from Arizona, I have not really taken many pictures nor have I done much updating on this blog! But, hopefully things are settling down now and I can get back into my routines! Happy first day of school.....or just happy Tuesday for some of you :)

My Big 3rd Grader.....

Today is Ian's first day of school. He is beginning the 3rd grade....this was my favorite year in school. I sure hope Ian enjoys this year too. He is growing up so fast.... Isnt he handsome? I love you buddy!

Exciting News for Vanessa...

Two things that I am so very excited about....

1. I have enrolled to sing with We Also Sing again...this is the choir that I sang with in the Tabernacle last year. We get to sing this year on the night that they light Temple Square with all the Christmas lights, which also means we get to sing Christmas music this year!! I can hardly wait until September to start singing again.

2. I have been officially admitted to the University of Utah for school this Fall. This is scary and exciting at the same time....I have to have an orientation first and then I can register for my classes!

Just wanted to share my news with everyone....have a GREAT day!

Summertime Blues....

Its only the 3rd day with the kids being home for the Summer and Im already feeling the "crazies" coming on. I went from having 2 kids in the house all day (Soren and Addie) to having 5 kids in the house. And thanks to the constant rain that we have had for the past 5 days, we are all going stir crazy because the boys cant go outside! Help!

Ive been meaning to post this little note that Evan received from his friend at school. I thought it was so cute and it reminded me of a time when Friends were such an important part of my world too. Friends are so important to Evan....something like this will make his whole year and on the other hand, a "not-so-nice" comment from a supposed friend will crush him. He craves positive attention from his friends.....but then who doesnt?

Evan brought home his report card on Tuesday. At this age, grades seem to be pretty general. There isnt much to focus on unless your child is just wild and doesnt do anything. However, the tests that they administer on a national level are a good indicator of how your child is doing in comparison to other children in the same grade around the country. Its always comforting to know that your child is right on track. Evan's Dibels test scores were awesome! This tests their reading abilities. By the end of his 1st grade year the score necessary to be "on track" with his first grade peers should be a 40...Evan scored a 74!~ His teacher marked him as an advanced reader in his class. Im so happy to know that my love of reading has possibly rubbed off onto my 2 boys. They may change their minds later and decide that reading is no fun, but for now they both seem to enjoy it and are quite good at it.

Here are a couple of cute pictures that Evans teacher took during the year. Im so proud of Evan....he is a good student and a good friend and he enjoys school. For now anyway.....

Not Quite The End....and an Update....

Well, embarassingly I found out that today was not Evan's last day of school. I called his school to find out why no report cards were not sent home and was told that they would be sent home on the last day of school......Tuesday. Oops. Good thing I called the school I guess.....Evan doesnt agree with me on that. Ian is done though. He brought home his report card today and did fantastic, of course. I was thrilled to see his most recent national reading test. He is reading at a level 5.8 which translates to a fifth grader in his eighth month of school....basically he reads at a 6th grade level. Pretty good for a 2nd grader! The test also states that compared to the rest of the country, he scored higher than 98% of all 2nd graders tested. Way to go Ian! Im very very proud of him. I took this picture this morning on our way off to school thinking it would make a great "last day of school" picture... Oh well, close enough

So, what have we done this week? Well, poor Alec hasn't done much. With the boys at school all day and me home with Addison and Soren, he got a glimpse into our boring day to day life. He did finally venture out and walked down to a strip mall for lunch and to look around some stores. We took the kids out for dinner a couple of nights ago...nothing special, just BK and I took this pic of the boys.

Afterward we hung out in the backyard and watched them play basketball.... The nights have been so nice at 77 degrees.....too bad it cant stay that way!

Tonight we went to the movies again. This time though we split up....Denver and Alec went to see "Star Trek" in one theater and me and the little kids saw the movie "Up". A good time was had by all....both movies received great reviews. Although, I have to say that our movie was quite heavy and sad. I was surprised at the subject matter in the movie. The kids really didnt pick up on it as it was dealing with issues that are far off in the future for them. Aging with regret felt like the central theme throughout the entire movie with a splash of absentee parenting, death, and keeping promises. It did end on a happy note though thankfully. I did think it was a good movie....I was just a little surprised at its serious subject matter.

I am happy to report that our little garden is growing nicely. Our beans are doing fabulously as are our Roma Tomatoes.... the Bell Peppers and Yellow Tomatoes are coming up slowly but are definitely growing. The only plant we have yet to see any of are the Green Onions....time will tell I guess!

Addison went in to the doctor today for a follow-up appointment. Her surgeon/doctor was happy to report that the pathology report came back normal, so no cancerous cells.... her eye looks almost 100% better and he gave me some good instructions and some additional ointment that will help keep these chalazions from returning. Now, it's officially the weekend....hope you all enjoy yours as much as we are going to enjoy ours!

Vacations and Visitors....

Nathan and Alisa left town on Saturday for a vacation. They were actually supposed to leave on Thursday for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico but considering the current status with the Swine Flu, switched their tickets at the last minute for the Bahamas!! A much better choice in my opinion anyway...and not as much concern about catching H1N1 or whatever they are calling it today. Mom and Dad flew in from Reno to help out on Soren duty....they are staying at Nates house with Soren and then bringing him here during the day to try and keep him on his regular schedule. So far he has been a little trooper without his mommy and daddy....I think everyone was a little nervous with how it might affect him but he is doing great! He has really taken to Grandpa who is able to comfort him back to sleep at night by whistling to him. So cute. I will post some pictures and more updates later in the week. It has been fun having mom and dad around for more than just the weekend. The kids are loving it and did not want to go to school this morning......

Today I am one step closer to being enrolled at BYU for the fall. So excited..... will update as it happens. We bought Alec's ticket to come visit this summer. He will be here from the end of May to the end of June. The kids are excited of course. I hope it is a good visit for everyone. I think thats about it for now.... I will try to post some pictures later. Have a great Monday!

Another Fun Performance....

So today was Evan's turn! His class put on a literacy fair today. They have been working on this for a while and for at least 2 months Evan has come home every day saying "Mom are you coming to my literacy fair tomorrow?!".....and then I would find out that it wasnt even scheduled yet. So finally....after months of anticipation, I got to attend it! Evan was so cute, when he walked into the auditorium and saw me and Addison and Soren....he was BEAMING. There is no other way to describe it. He loves to have his parents' adoration and attention and I just get all choked up seeing his smiling face and knowing how happy inside he is.

Anyway, whats a literacy fair you are asking? The kids have been really ramping up their reading over the past few months and they had prepared skits to go along with their favorite books. They sang Songs that they made up and helped compose. And then, all around the auditorium were displays of the artwork and different projects they had done with regard to reading. For example...they made books in a box which was really clever and too difficult to explain here. They also made self portraits of themselves reading a book which was a story that they made up. They designed their own T-shirts based on their favorite book....And my favorite project was their actual book that they wrote. Evan's was titled "My Trip to Kentucky" and he wrote about our trip to Kentucky last summer for a family reunion. It was pretty focused on his cousins and all the love that they have for each other. It was so sweet. The last page was the author description page and it had an actual picture of him on it with facts about him..... "Evan is thoughtful" "Evan is 6" "Evan is Kind"......oh and his favorite snack.... "A Doughnut".

Thanks for inviting me Evan...it was awesome and I love you so much! Here is a little clip of one of their songs.....

Handsome 1st Grader....

Evans new pictures have arrived. Here is the handsome little man......he looks so grown up in this picture!

Whittier Idol.....

Ian's school put on their version of American Idol today. They do this every year and this is the first time I have ever been to one. Ian has been working hard on the song that his class performed. It was a song called "Be Nice to Your Brother" (meaning mankind). The song was done with an African music background and I have to say it was really cute. I took pictures but ended up being too far away to really get any good shots....I should have video recorded it, duh. I guess I will remember to do that for the next one. I cried like a baby too....good thing Ian couldnt see me! The mom next to me patted my leg, she probably thought I was pretty pathetic.. Oh well, I cant help it! I love my kids so much and watching them put their hearts into something so sweet is just too much for this mom. Ive been an emotional wreck all week anyway....maybe its because Ian is about to turn 8 and he has had a rough week at school himself. He inherited his mothers tendency to talk a lot and has gotten into trouble a bit this week. His teacher has had to isolate him from the rest of the class at his own table to help him focus. I can remember many report cards coming home from my teachers with comments about how I talk to my friends too much. "she is too social", "she doesnt focus on school because friends are more important"... etc etc. Anyway, Ian is a lot like me in this regard so I am trying to help him the best I can. Seeing him up there today singing his heart out with his class, well, I just love him so much.....Okay enough.