August flew by!

September is only 2 days away, this year is flying by! The last two weeks have been long & tiring as we adjust to the school routine: getting up early & trying to squeeze in everything we need to do after school. The kids are less than thrilled to have homework, but other than that, they seem to enjoy school.
Since school started, I have only took 3 pictures! I have been working on scrapbook pages since I didn't scrap all summer & I think all the pictures have subconciously led me to take less pictures! But here are the three I did take:

I made pencils for after school snack on the first day of school. So simple, Cheese Sticks, ham, & bugles. Mine weren't as pretty as the one on TV, but got a good reaction from the kids.



Jonathan had a court of honor & recieved the 8 merit badges he earned over the summer.




Hannah had a friend over after school & they played princesses. They were Ariel & Belle.... they needed a Cinderella & Daisy was very happy to play along!

A Thought To Ponder

I started a new blog because I read somewhere that we ought to be keeping a spiritual book of remenberence. Since I have had many spiritual experiences in the 20 years I've been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and even a few the previous years before joining, I have a lot to write about. The thought of writing in a journal, where no one can see is boring to me. I'd rather write my thoughts down to where others can see, & hopefully be inspired and feel the peace & joy that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought me through all seasons of my life. I hope you enjoy reading

Read A Thought To Ponder

Roomie Scrapbooking Tutorial #1

Remember how we talked about digital scrapbooking at Lisa Joy's baby shower last weekend? Well, now that the kids are in school, I am going to teach you all how via this blog! Are you ready?
First you need a scrapbooking/ graphics program such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, or GIMP.
If you don't already have a program on your computer, Adobe.com offers 30 day free downloads on their site. GIMP is free and can be downloaded here. I am not at all familiar with Paint Shop Pro.
A free tutorial for using GIMP is here.
I will be teaching you all to scrapbook using Photoshop. So, your first assignment is to find a program you like & install it on your computer! I will be back with Tutorial #2 tomorrow!

A New Year Begins!

Summer is over, really? It's been fun, busy, crazy & exhausting all at once! We never had a summer where we had to schedule in relaxing days before this one, & I am kind of glad the school year is upon us so we can "slow down."
I put slow down in quotations because Steve & I have decided to redo our yard before winter sets in. We are going to pull out the front fence & redo a side yard, paint the doors, & replant a few flower beds, plus all the fall gardening. Every other week, Steve has Wednesday-Sunday off & we needed a good project to keep busy. I am excited & looking forward to getting started!
The kids like school so far! I took pictures of the girls, but Jonathan was totally against me following him to high school to snap a picture!









A new year in gymnastics! Emily loved being back in the gym after taking a 3 week break. But she pulled a muscle, which makes me wonder & worry, is this the start of injuries gymnist are prone to get? Luckily Nurse Dad told her to drink lots of gatorade & rest, & she took his advice to heart!

Lisa Joy's Baby Shower

It was so much fun! Thanks to all who came!

Family Night at Maple Dell!

Well, the day I have been waiting for finally came yesterday.... Jonathan's last day of camp! He had such a great summer, made a lot of good friends, worked HARD, and secured himself a job for next summer. He seems so much more mature than when he left... his attitude is better and he is independent. This summer has turned a good boy into an amazing young man! It was worth all the long weeks of missing him. But, I have to say.... I AM GLAD HE'S HOME TO STAY.... at leasy, until next summer!

On Friday, we went to Family Night at Maple Dell. It was fun to meet all the guys I've only heard about all summer! It is beautifully serene up there & I could see why Jonathan loved being there. But it was really funny, as we walked into camp, Kaitlyn said, "ewwwwww!!! Mom, do you smell that? It's smells like a stinky boy here!"

Well, about 200-300 stinky boys I think!


He worked in aquatics last week, taught the canoeing merit badge.


Flag Ceremony


At the Campfire


Telling Dad about his week. What a long summer it's been for Steve without his boy!


Huge Flag!




Camp Maple Dell is nestled in these mountains. Very peaceful!



Other pictures I took:

Company Party- Seven Peaks

The hospital Stephen works for held it's annual company party last Thursday night! It is one of our favorite events of the summer! Kait's best friend, Megan went with us!

Vacation Pictures

The girls loved riding around on scooters!



This is a pretty shot of Emily,



Cousins


Chloe


Naylor


Jonathan dunking his second cousin!