Alice's first day of Pre-K

Alice had her very first day of school last week. She will be going to Mrs. Kelly 's preschool with her two best friends: Emerson Croshow and Spencer Flake. She was so, so excited when she woke up that she got dressed, ate breakfast, and did her own hair (I had to do it again). Alice is a super social little girl and always remembers all her friends' names. She got home and told me every ones name and what they picked out of the treasure box. I love Alice's natural confidence and willingness to go/do anything! This girl is excited to go anywhere and has a smile on her face 99.9% of the day. I am so excited to spend afternoons with her while Scarlett is at school and Jack naps. I am sure she will make me do puzzles, play spot-it, and watch shows with her. Its going to be a great year!

Alice's favorites (as told by her)

Food: mac n cheese and pepperoni

Book: Fancy Nancy

Song: I am a child of God

TV show: Princess Bride (likes to watch it everyday)

Activity: playing with friends

And yes, she really does want to be a mom when she grows up. She tells me everyday how much she loves me and wants to be like me when she grows up. 

Alice you are such an amazing little girl with a big personality. You are loud and in charge and you never do anything you don't want to do. You have a mischievous air about you and you can talk me in to really anything. I love that you are confident, charming, bubbly, and extremely friendly to all little kids. You are a great big sister to Jack and well, a tease to Scarlett (but you both love each other). We all love you!

Caitys Wedding

A perfect day!! Caity and Ryan were so happy and had a great peaceful aura about them. I loved that the day had a different "vibe" than Clarahs and felt so, so relaxed. I am going to miss weddings and the party they are. I love, love all the family that comes into town and the day of celebration with those you love. Here are some of my favorite moments

1. All the sisters and sister in laws got to help Caity get in her wedding gown after the ceremony. It was my favorite moment of the day! To be in the temple with all my sisters may never happen again and if not then it wont happen for a long time. We gathered around her and looked in the mirror and I felt to united with them. There is a strong family bond and I know they will be with me through the eternities! 

2. All the grandkids, on their own, sat on a step and watched Caity and Ryan dance. My girls' eyes were just fixed on them and I am sure they were day dreaming of their wedding. My girls looked forward to this day for a long time. Scarlett kept on coming up to me and saying "Mom this is happening next." She new exactly what was coming and how much fun it was. Yay for weddings!

3. Flowers!!My mom went all out for the final wedding. The flowers were gorgeous and they smell in the house was amazing! They are still decorating my house and I love looking at them.

4. The cake was super yummy and i love the middle layer. It was almond coconut and I ate a huge piece. It made me sick but it was worth it!

5. At the end of the night Nick asked me to jump in the pool with him. Of course I had too. I was about to jump in by myself but he picked me up and we jumped off the diving board together. 

6. I love helping during wedding lighting candles and bussing tables. It gave me a chance to talk to everyone and mix/mingle. It also enjoyable to walk around and see all the beautiful decorations and flowers. 

I loved every second and can't wait to see all the pictures!

Scarlett 1st Grade!

And just like that she is off to first grade. She is so excited to eat lunch at school and see all her friends. For the time being she is going to her old school Pinecrest until we figure things out. So she may have a couple "first" days of school. But she is a trooper and will do awesome! I loved that she laid out her outfit and even put her socks in her shoes last night. That's Scarlett, always prepared. I could tell she was nervous about the first day because she would touch her breakfast (which never happens). Scarlett is such a curious little girl and I love that she see beauty wherever she goes. This girl is SO observant and is always looking for treasures. If its small, shiny, and colorful Scarlett will find it and hold it close! She loves eggs, cereal, looking at picture books, playing with her cousins, crafting/art, and exploring our crazy backyard. I just love that she is mine!

UPDATE: Let's start about a month ago. When Scarlett did not get into Smalley we

started to think of other plans. Where do we put her until she can get in? We decided to try and get her into the Pinecrest by our house. It was still a drive but was the best option. Since she already goes to a Pinecrest location (by our old house) she was put on the top of the list for a transfer. They promised she would be in by the time school started. Well, she wasn't and I was so frustrated. They said that the first week kids move around a lot and they were sure a spot would open up. I would get email when she was in and then to call their office. Those
first couple days of school were horrible. We loved her teacher at the old Pinecrest but the drive was killing us. We left at 7:10 (I took her and had to wake up all the kids) and got home around 8:30 because of construction and traffic. It took another hour and half to pick her up and I had to wake Jack again from his nap. Ugh!!

I was checking my email franticly all week seeing if she made it into the closer Pinecrest! I just couldn't wait to have it closer! Then on Thursday I am down stairs and it's quiet!! What?! That never happens. Jack and Alice were playing with Legos upstairs. I get a very strong prompting to call Smalley. I push it aside and then it comes again. I call and they answer quick and I don't even know what to say. It takes a second and I finally ask if they have any openings for first grade. She goes to talk to the principle and comes back with a great answer!! They have a spot!! I just start bawling and shove my kids in the car to register her. Of course I left my phone at home so when I get back I have a notice saying I have an email. It's from Pinecrest saying she got in. It came just minutes after I made the phone call. I know (because I know myself) that I would have never called Smalley that day if I had read that email first!! I would have been so over joyed with her going to school closer that I would have put off calling smalley for a month or so. By then the spot would have been filled and I may not have gotten in. She started on Friday and bikes to school with her cousins. It's a dream come true! I was praying and praying that something would work out! A simple but very meaningful miracle that I know the Lord blessed us with.

Summer of Swimming

Here I am the night before school starts all teary because summer is over. It always goes by so fast and it breaks my heart. But still there is a part of me excited to get back to a schedule and have a small break from 24/7 kids. Also, Scarlett is so excited to start 1st grade and eat int eh big kid lunch room. She will be so missed while at school!

This summer has been an adventure for sure! We only had two short weekend vacations, one to Park City in June and the cabin July. So we spent a lot, A LOT of time at home. We love playing in back yard, visiting Emily down the street, and putting our new house together. When we need a break we go swimming of course. And we went swimming almost everyday, either at Life Time Fitness or at grandmas. We all LOVE swimming and sunning in the afternoon. Alice and Scarlett have become amazing little swimmers and learned new strokes. Alice even passed her swimming test at the gym (she swam 25 meters without stopping or holding on the edge). That means that both she and Scarlett can go down the slide by themselves and swim in the pool without me. Which means I can put Jack in the daycare, send the girls swimming, and I can sit on the side on the pool reading my magazine...heaven! Besides swimming we have been going to the library every week for story/art time. Jack runs wild but the girls loved it. Both girls did the library reading challenge and finished it with flying colors. One of the most memorable part of summer was listening to Charlottes Web while we drove around doing our errands. It took a couple weeks but we listened to the book and loved it. It was so enjoyable to hear Scarlett and Alice talk about the book and characters. Overall, we have had a great summer filled with memories and tons of fun!! Summer is and always will be my favorite time of year. I love the warm summer nights, freedom, spontaneous adventures, and spending tons of time with cousins. Already looking forward to summer again!!