First day of school

It is always a hectic morning on the first day of school. Not knowing exactly when the bus will come or how long it will take to get everyone ready. Usually the bus is really late on the first day so the kids are just standing around. I did get a good picture of Jacob smiling (which is rare for him on the first day of school).
Joshua was really excited to start preschool at the elementary school.
Alison was stressed as always about missing the bus because kids go out to the stop 30 minutes before it will come. Every year she is crying because she thinks she is late.

I took another picture of her on her second day when she wasn't so stressed.

Rylie went a few weeks to summer school so she was more prepared to start her preschool at the elementary school.

Rylie's bus picks her up at our house. I was very tentative about sending her on a bus at her age. On the first day of summer school she threw a huge fit when everyone else was getting on the bus and she wasn't. She loves riding the bus.
There is an assistant that rides and seat belts her in.

Doesn't she look so small in that big bus?

Emily wants to go to school also. She gets her backpack on too. She insisted I take her picture also. She thinks she can do anything Rylie can do (which she usually can).

Swim lessons

Ali has wanted to take swim lessons for a long time. We finally made the time for her to take them through community ed. She loves it. She really likes the water.

Summer chores

This summer I implemented a new chore schedule. The kids knew what needed to be done and as long as they did was was expected they had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. It worked great! We rarely had the t.v. on this summer which was also wonderful. We worked hard as a family.

We landscaped our front yard. The kids had fun with the dirt. Emily didn't like climbing on it as much as the others.

They all helped moving the dirt. Jacob was lucky enough to be gone the week we had the dirt delivered.

The kids always enjoy washing the van.

Maybe because they usually get to play water games afterwards.
They worked really hard this summer. It was sure hard for me to see them go back to school. My load was lifted, more than I realized, while they were home.

Emily's glasses

Emily is wearing Mr. Potato Head glasses. I think Emily saw one of the kids try to do this and thought it was funny. She wears these frequently. It is funny, but I do get tired of putting them back on her when they come off.

Winter Quarters

On the drive home, we stopped at Winter Quarters. We had never been there before. We thought we would be there for about 30 minutes and ended up staying there around 2 hours. We watched a short movie about Winter Quarters (which was still too long for the kids). Then, they let the kids dress up in pioneer clothes. That made the whole stay worth it for the kids (and I'm including Darren along with the kids).

Jacob was going to pretend to push the handcart and didn't expect it to actually move.

The kids were actually pretty good going through the museum part. They seemed to be interested. It made our trip home a little longer than expected, but we were glad we stopped. We had such a fun month long vacation. It was hard to come back to regular life. Darren had a hard time going back to work after being off so long.

Roadtrip home

We stopped at some interesting rest stops on the way home from Utah. This one in Wyoming between Laramie and Cheyenne was fun. They had a little museum and a big Lincoln head to run around.

This was another one of the rest stops in Wyoming. Jacob decided to climb this tall mountain. This is the farthest my camera would let me do a close up. He was quite a ways up there.

Jacob says he never sleeps in a vehicle. Here is proof, Jacob!

I learned my kids eat crackers and cheese better than sandwiches and it was a lot easier.

Copperton Park

Our last day in Utah we ate lunch at Copperton Park. It is a special park to both Darren and me. My parents used to take us there for special trips to the park, usually on a holiday. Darren's grandma lived down the street from the park. It has such a different playground. What kid wouldn't have a good time at a park?

4th of July

My kids were so excited to spend the Fourth of July with the Jensen family. They remembered all the traditions and were so happy when the dates worked out that we could be there. We went to the Murray parade. The kids favorite thing is getting the thrown candy.

After the parade we picked up Wendy's for the kids and Cafe Rio for the adults. The park we eat it at has a stream with fish in it and also water fountains that spray for the kids to play in. My kids spent most of the time in the stream. I had to look the other way because it grosses me out but the kids love it. Here Alison is hanging out with her cousin, Chloe Toyn. She is the closest girl cousin in age to Ali. Ali always enjoys spending time with her.

After the park we go back to the house and rest while the kids play. In the evening we have a barbecue for dinner then a talent show. Joshua surprised us this year by jumping up at the beginning and MC'd the show. He welcomed and thanked everyone for coming and announced each act. I was so glad he felt comfortable to be himself. Ali and Josh did a disappearing act, Rylie got up and danced, and I showed my wonderful talent of picking up things with my toes. (I consider it a great talent I have perfected while having my hands full holding someone.) After the show we get ready for the fireworks. We sit in the front yard, Darren's parents live really close to Murray park, and watch. I ended up inside with Emily. Next year she might be ready for all the loud noise. It was a long day, but so much fun.