And Last But Not Least......

Here is Evan, bringing up the rear in our back to school extravaganza. He was the last one of the bunch of us to start school this year and I am quite relieved to have him there so that I can get into the swing of things without worrying about who is going to watch the kids. Evan is a big 3rd grader this year and was pretty excited to go to school today. As you can see Evan has a great fashion sense and loves bright colors. He is pretty proud of his fancy new shoes. I went inside with him today to meet his teacher....first impressions were great but honestly, Evan has not had a bad teacher yet. He is such a mellow, go with the flow, kind of kid and adapts well to each teacher that he gets. He has surprised me more than once with his easy going self confidence. Im sure he will have a great year!!

My Little School Girl....

Today is Addison's first day of Pre-School. She has been soooo excited for this day to finally get here. Proof of that was the fact that she was wide awake at 4:30 this morning ready to take her bath and go to school! I managed to hold her off for another hour and half while I tried to get some more sleep but pretty soon it was evident that I was going to have to get up and get her ready. Technically I wasnt going to take her until 8:30 but considering her overly excited demeanor this morning, I took her at 7:00 when it opened. Its a great little facility located right on my student housing property....very convenient. I pay a flat rate every month and can leave her there from 7 am to 6 pm everyday if I need to. I love the flexibility of being able to take her in whenever I want and pick her up whenever I want and it doesnt change the price. I wonder how long her excitement will last when she figures out that she is going to be away from Mommy for a lot longer than she was last year!! I hope she has fun....I cant believe she is already 4. I can remember taking Evan to his Pre-K class when he was 4 and that sure didnt seem that long ago....

End of Summer Fun....

You can always tell Summer is nearing its end when you wake up and its below 60 degrees in Salt Lake City. It seems like we hardly had a Summer this year with only a few weeks of decently hot weather....I sure do love the Summer storms though. They make great Rainbows!

Sadly, we didnt do much swimming this year but the boys' Taekwondo studio has a yearly BBQ at one of the instructors homes so I took the kids up there for the event.

They had such a great time and I enjoyed getting to know their instructor a little better as well as a few other parents. Can I just say what a GORGEOUS home this was....Ive decided that if I ever become fortunate to own a nice home, I want a view like this! Her house was literally right underneath the big "U" on the mountain above the University of Utah. Her back yard/pool overlooks the entire Salt Lake Valley.

I really could have sat there and soaked it in all night long. Breathtaking. We got our fill of swimming for sure....I thought the kids' skin was going to fall off due to all the wrinkling.

Now it is the week of school for the rest of us (Ian has already been in for 3 weeks). Me and Addison start today and Evan starts on Wednesday. With the chill in the air in the morning already, Halloween is sure to be here tomorrow....time really flies.

Falling Behind....

Last week was such an intense week for me that I pretty much ignored this blog completely. Between the funeral for my Grandmother and my school Final's, I was just exhausted. So here is a quick re-cap:

Ian started the 4th grade! Hard to believe my first born is already almost to the double digit age of 10.... He has really started acting differently as of late. Guess he is anxious to be a teenager. I completely understand, but really wish he would just chill out for a couple of more years :) Here he is on his first day of school. I wonder how long he will keep letting me take his picture before school each year? Ha ha....



Also last week on the same day that Ian started school the boys had their very first 'test' for Taekwondo. They (the TKD people) take this stuff seriously let me tell you! It was very formal and organized....the boys did fabulous and passed! They are now officially orange belts instead of the "boring white belt" as Evan called it. They were so excited to be presented with their new belts in class the following Monday:

I finished my finals and papers for my Summer semester classes, thank heavens. That was a rough 3 months. Im going to have to be more careful about which classes I select to take online. But, its done now and so I am waiting to find out what my grades are. Im pretty sure I got an 'A' in one but the other is hovering between an 'A-' and a 'B+'..... Evan, Addison, and myself all start school on the 23rd. Its been a fun summer but I am ready for all the kids to be back in school! These past 3 weeks have been hectic, frustrating, tiring, sad, and overwhelming. I am welcoming the break of being back in school!! I am taking a full 12 credit hour load this Fall but Addison will be in a full day pre-school which will make it easy for me to get all my school work done before the kids get home from school each day. I think its going to be GREAT!!

At the end of the month the boys start soccer and Addison will be in dance again. I have started singing with my choir again this year and am excited that we will be performing at the Marriott Center at BYU this year! It really is so thoroughly uplifting for me to be in this choir even though the practices are hard to make every week. Ive got a babysitter for Sunday evenings through to the end though...a great young woman from our church that the kids adore! So, things are moving along.... Hope you are all well and enjoying the winding down of Summer.

Together Again.....

Tonight, my Grandma passed away after a short bout with pneumonia. She was 94 years old. We are sure going to miss her but I know she is so happy to be with Grandpa again....they sure loved each other. She didnt look her age a bit and was proud to have made it this long with all of her own teeth and hair! She also just recently passed her driving test and just a week before she fell ill, drove herself to get her hair done. She was a beautiful, strong, and graceful woman and I am proud to be her Granddaughter. I am so thankful for the past 4 years that I have been able to live in her neighborhood and see her every week at church. Love you so much Grandma!