Monday, August 24, 2009

{Catching Up}

I've become the worst blogger? I have good intentions, but I just keep getting sidetracked. We've been busy making the most of the time we had before school started.
A few weeks ago we took the kids to the Ogio show that was in Delta. The kids, ok, all of us, really enjoy the freestyle motocross show and they had freestyle BMX also. The boys HAD to wear their new jerseys and if the boys were doing it, of course Carlie had to too!

They looked so cute all decked out we had to take a few pictures!

They asked for volunteers and of course my boys were right down to the fence, pronto! Brock was one of the first kids picked to lay down and one of the BMX riders did a bunny hop jump over them. They started with 4 and then added more, Kaleb ended up going out with the second group.
By the last jump, there were 12 kids and the announcer! At least my kids weren't on the end! Really those guys are amazing....they were doing back flips, and all kinds of super cool tricks. We had a blast!
A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law was going through all his guard stuff and organizing. The boys were playing and thought it would be a great idea to try it all out. Adorable! I can't even being to imagine a unit with those four in it....can we say chaos?!?! (don't you love the football PJ pants and swimsuit?)
Our friends and neighbors across the street's son flys a Black Hawk helicopter for the Army. Most of the time when they come down this way they circle over the house as they go by. The kids get so excited and run out yelling, "Ryan's coming". Well, a couple Saturday's ago they stopped and said he, and 5 others, were coming and landing at the airport in Fillmore. Lisa and I loaded up all the kids and went to watch. It's so amazing that those thing even fly and the way they maneuver is just crazy. Thanks for the show Ryan, it was great!
Of course no summer would be complete without swimming lessons. We usually try and do two sessions, but only got in one this year. Brock improved SO much this year, and passed level three....YIPPIE!
Kaleb did really well too. He only was missing three things to pass, and was a bit disappointed. But, the next two weeks he gets to go for school. I'm hoping he can pass off those last few things then.
This was Carlie's first year and she is a little fish. She had so much fun and every morning still asks if it's swimming lessons today?
Finally the first day of school! I think I was the only person at our house that was SUPER excited about school. Don't get me wrong, I love having my kids home, but we do so much better with a schedule! Brock is the king of the Elementary in Fourth grade.....how could this be his last year of Elementary? Kaleb is in Second grade and told me today he loves everything about second grade! I had to laugh at the picture of the boys together (I know Kaleb's eyes are closed), of course Carlie couldn't be left out! She is patiently waiting for preschool to start, her teacher on the other hand may be stressing a bit. I have exactly a week to have everything ready, and that includes painting chairs and tables, laminating and many, many other things....I'm sure it will all come together, right?


Sunday, August 9, 2009

{I'm Thankful For....}

It's been way to long since I did a gratitude post. It's not that I haven't had anything to be grateful for, I just haven't taken the time to sit down and make a little list. So here goes, in no particular order......

  • My Mom~ Yesterday was my mom's birthday, I won't say which one. I have been truly blessed, my mom is one of my very best friends. She is a great listener and gives good advice, but only if I ask for it. She's an example of the kind of wife and mother I want to be. She is an excellent teacher who puts her heart and soul into teaching. She is patient and kind... I could go on and on, but I want her to know how grateful I am for her!
  • Eternal Families~ I am so thankful to know that we can be with our families forever. I've had the chance over the last month to attend two funerals. One for Derrick's cousin Trent, who was disabled and passed away at 26, and one for a family friend and life-long neighbor of ours. At both funerals, of course there were tears, but there was such a strong spirit of hope, and also faith in the plan of salvation and the promise that we can be together again!
  • My little town~ I'm thankful for my little home town and the opportunity we had to come home! We've lived many places in the 14 years Derrick and I have been married, and 3 years ago we were able to move back to the little town I grew up in. When I say little, I mean little, according to the 2000 census, our population totaled 254! I was never un-happy anywhere else and we were content, but nothing compares to "home" in my book. There is such a comfort to me in raising my children here, knowing my neighbors, seeing my kids grow to love the people who have had such an impact on my life. There is truly for me, "No place like HOME".

May 24, 2003~ Manti LDS Temple

Renae Ainge, Jeremy Teeples, Lisa Teeples, Monica Dearden, Carlene Beckstrand, Robert Beckstrand, Shad Beckstrand & Julia Sigler

  • My Temple Recommend~ A few weeks ago I renewed my Temple Recommend and was reminded how thankful I am for that particular slip of paper. I am truly thankful for the blessings of the Temple in my life. I pray that I will always remember to be thankful for, and worthy of this blessing.
  • A lunch date with Kaleb~ On Friday Derrick spent the day at the fair in Delta at a booth for Dearden Equipment, and took Brock with him. Carlie went to play with her cousin Addie for the afternoon, which that left just Kaleb and I. When I asked him if he wanted to go on a date, he gave me a funny look and said ummm, NO! But he did agree to lunch at Subway. After lunch, we went to the library and picked out some books for him before we headed home. What fun I had visiting with my little man, he's growing up to fast and I really feel like I need to make it a priority to spend one on one time with each of my kids, before they'd rather not hang out with their mom.
  • Good Friends~ I am thankful for all my good friends....my church friends, old friends, bloggy friends, best friends....all of you! I'm thankful for your advice, support, wisdom, laughter, tears. You build me up and encourage me, you make me want to be a better person. I can't imagine where I would be without each of you!

Friday, August 7, 2009

{Busy, Busy}

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog, but we've been busy, busy! I've been busy with kids, getting ready for preschool and just life in general. So, I need your help, I'm not sure what I want my preschool kids to call me? I've added a poll on my sidebar and I really want all your opinions. Hopefully life will slow down a bit soon and I'll get back to the bloggy world!