Happy Sunday....... I Love These Kids!

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 :)

Happy Birthday Marcy.....

Today is my cousin Marcy's birthday! I hope she has a fabulous day because I'm pretty sure she deserves it. Marcy and I were pretty close growing up along with Liza our other cousin. (Marcy is on the far right, Liza is in the middle)

The 3 of us are basically the same age so when my family made trips to Arizona it was always a great time for me and I have many fond memories of those times with my cousin. Marcy comes to Utah at least once a year it seems for Women's Conference and we usually get a nice visit in. I was able to see her last week when I traveled down to Arizona for our family reunion. It was nice to see her but I definitely needed more time to visit. (this is us taking pictures at the mall when we were in high school....)

Some things about Marcy are: She is so creative and fun. She is very talented at making crafts and cooking yummy food. I have always been envious of her ability to decorate and be that "crafty mom" that we all wish we were! She always seems so organized and has it all together. I am always impressed by how well she manages her time because she keeps herself pretty busy. She is a great mom and has a great sense of humor.... it is obvious when you see her family that their home is full of love and her boys are becoming such impressive young men. I know Richard has something to do with it too do but hey, I am biased and so I'm giving the credit to Marcy today!!

Love you Marcy.... I cant wait until we can visit again!

H a p P y B i r T h D a Y !!!

Where Have I Been......?

Well thats a loaded question! This past week or two has been crazy busy......It started out with my Mother in Law coming to town with her 3 sisters and ended with us driving to Arizona for 4 days.We enjoyed having Lynn, Bonnie, and Pam here although I feel like a horrible hostess! I seriously did NOTHING the entire week they were here. I didnt cook, clean or entertain! They pretty much did it all. They washed every stitch of laundry in the house....cooked every meal we ate and to top it all off, I got a free haircut from Bonnie and a pedicure from Pam. I learned lots of new things about these women, the best being that they do hair and nails! It was great! The best part is that after we went to Arizona, the 3 sisters stayed behind for another night at our home before they returned to Michigan and they cleaned my entire house from top to bottom so when we got home from our trip, it was to a sparkly clean house! I could get used to that..... Of course it wasnt expected of them and I still feel bad that I didnt do more but sure do appreciate everything they did for me while they were here!

Another fun thing I did was have lunch with my friend Kim and her new little baby girl.
She adopted her at birth and little Charlee is already 9 months old and I wanted to meet her! We met up at Sugarhouse park for some lunch and a little play time. It was so much fun and just look at the cheeks on this little girl. She was just as gorgeous in person as she is in all the pictures I have seen!
Finally, we went to Arizona for a couple of reasons. First, we had some business to take care of with the child support people....also, Carlotta wanted to see Alec since she missed his summer visit in June....and lastly, it was my 'Ries' family reunion. So, the trip was busy busy and it felt like we didnt have enough time to do it all. I did manage to get in a visit with my friend Julee too. She is such a great friend and I am so glad we have kept in touch over the years.... here we are with a silly self portrait in the car!!
I think we need to go back so we can spend more time visiting! I enjoyed seeing all my cousins and aunts and uncles and especially my Grandparents. I really wish we could have visited longer. Alec and Carlotta were troopers coming to my reunion....I appreciate their willingness to attend with us even though they didnt really know a lot of people. We took a lot of time on the trip down and stopped a lot to see the sights. It was fun to show my Mother in law things she has never seen before. We had a great trip.....now its back to reality! Here is a slide show of some of our trip pics.....enjoy!

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!

Updates......

So, this past week has been a busy one! I haven't had the time to post anything, obviously and now it is after midnight and although I should be going to bed, I'm going to quickly post an update on the past weeks events.

1st: Ian started football practice. This has been an interesting experience already. They have practiced 4 days in a row for 2 hours! That is more work than Ian has ever done for a sport and I am so proud of him for working hard and trying his best not to whine about the heat. It was hot... I don't know how he stood it in all that uniform. The first day was rough with a few little crying spats and some accusations of us "forcing" him into this (don't worry, there was no coercing, bribing, or forcing....he begged....literally). After the crying came the moping and the dragging of the arms. Barely running....acting like he was going to die at any moment. Fun stuff. The next day, however, he really worked his tail off! I was so amazed. He is not the fastest runner on the team...by far... but he didn't quit, he didn't cry, and he said that he actually enjoyed it! So, for now...he likes it. They started the tackling on Wednesday and at first he was a bit timid with it. Afraid to really hit the person very hard, but by the end he was coming around to it. I think as he gets more comfortable, he is going to do really well.

2nd: We have visitors! Denver's mom is in town to visit for a month. She brought a little entourage with her.....all 3 of her sisters! So we have 4 women in our home for a week. Next week the 3 sisters are flying back home and leaving Carlotta to stay for a few more weeks. So far we have taken them up the Alpine Loop and to Sundance for a little mountain sightseeing and to Temple Square downtown. I think tomorrow we are going to relax a bit and maybe do some more temple sights.

3rd: I attended my 20th High School reunion Friday night. I was on the fence about going up until the day of. I finally decided that I did want to go to this reunion. I have been talking to so many people on facebook recently that I just couldn't resist going to see them. 2 of my friends who were supposed to be going as well didn't show up so at first I was feeling like a bit of a loner (hubby didn't go with me) but then I saw Jon and all was well! It was so fun to see him again and talk about old times and new times! He kept me company and I really enjoyed it...quite a few people that saw us together assumed that we were married! That was pretty funny.... I sat at a table with him and 3 other girls that I didn't necessarily know well in high school but sure had fun talking and laughing with them that night. Makes me wish we had known each other better back then.....So, that's the quick update. Next week we are leaving for Arizona to take care of some business as well as attend my 'Ries' family reunion. It will be a great time....HOT....but lots of fun!