first day of school

Today was the big day, the first day of school.  Kyle started middle school this year.  Middle school here is grades 5 and 6, he is in 5th grade this year.  He has to catch the bus at 6:59am, so he is really having to get up early and get ready fast, we got him an alarm clock and he is in charge of getting up on his own, so far he has done great (he practiced a few days last week).  School is a little different for him now, he doesn't just have one teacher but goes to a different class every hour.  He also will get home an hour before the girls now, it was fun having just him home this afternoon so that I could hear all about his day.  It sounds like it went well, he has several good friends in each class, and he seemed excited about several teachers and some of things that they told the class they would be doing through out the year.  I am excited for him I think that he will have a great time this year.

 

The girls dont have to leave the house until about 8:25, but I have them get up for breakfast at 6:30, so they were all up early to.  The twins have the same teacher as last year, it is the same room and there are a lot of the same kids, they will do great, and I know they will have a wonderful year.  Hailey has a teacher that we don't know, but she seemed very nice when I dropped Hailey off, and I have heard very good things about her.  Hailey has several of her good friends in her class as well , and I know she to will have a great year.  It was sure fun when these three got home, they were so excited and had so much to tell me.

 

 

 

Lydia and I had a great day, we got lots done.  Lydia was a little worried when we dropped everyone off, she asked me several times where they were, but she played really well by herself when I was busy and it was so nice snuggling on the couch with her and reading stories.  She was very excited to have them home, she was giving out lots of hugs.  It is going to be a great year full of all sorts of fun and adventures.

summer vacation week #10

It was our last week of summer, and it was a good one.  We spent Monday morning at the park, the kids thought we needed go to the park at least one more time. 

 

 

 

Kyle got to spend Tuesday morning at the middle school for orientation, he came home really excited about starting school.  Tuesday night we had birthday cake.  In the Friend magazine there was a recipe for President Monsons birthday cake that his mom made for him as a kid, and Tuesday was his birthday so we made the cake and everyone really liked it.

Thursday my Mom and her friend Sue made a trip over to Yakima to get fruit so they stopped by to visit for a little bit, it was really fun to see them. 

 

The kids did a 1000 piece puzzle.

Friday we went camping when marc got home from work.  We went to Ensign Ranch, it is church property about an hour away.  We got there around 7:00 and set up the tents and got the fire going, then we roasted marshmallows and sat around the fire talking and telling stories.  It was pretty late by the time we went to bed.  Kyle and Hailey slept in the 2 man tent and the rest of us slept in the bigger tent, everyone slept pretty good once they fell asleep. 

We got up in the moring and made breakfast and got our campsite cleaned up.  We explored the property a bit.  We took the kids for a ride in the handcarts they thought that was pretty fun.

 

 Then we went canoeing, all the kids really liked that.

While we were in the canoes Rachel and her family got there, they had been staying at another ranch  nearby, so we were able to meet up for a couple of hours. 

Kyle really wanted to go fishing so he found an old fish hook and tied it to a stick, he tried really hard, but no luck.

The kids had a great time hiking around together, and playing in the river.  We had lunch together and then we all needed to head home.  It was a great way to end our summer. 

 

I always have mixed feelings at the end of summer.  I love summer, I love the weather, I love being able to spend more time together, I love that we dont have so much of a schedule, it is much more relaxed.  This summer was wonderful, we had so much fun together, I especially love watching the kids play together and come up with creative things to do.  Even though it has been wonderful and we have made so many memories I am also really looking forward to the new school year.  Even though I like the relaxed summers I love routine, I look forward to the chance to start working on some of my personal goals again.  I love that my kids love school, I love hearing about their day and how excited they are about it all, I love fall and the changing weather.  So I have loved our summer vacation but I am excited for Tuesday, just like the kids.

 

 

summer vacation week #9

Kyle, Nicole, Hailey, Katie, and Lydia

I didn't take any pictures this week, other than this one that I took before church today.  We had a good week, it was a little less eventful then previous weeks.  We enjoyed the neighbors pool a couple of more times, we made a visit to our brand new library (it is really nice), we made a trip over to the temple, watched several football practices (the girls rode their bikes while Marc and I watched), ate more homemade ice cream cones, and mostly just enjoyed our second to last week of summer vacation together.

Summer Vacation week #8

Katie

We had another great week.  Here are some of the highlights.  We went to the water park in Moses Lake on Thursday, we had a great time.  They have slides for all ages, a lazy river, and this body boarding ride.  This was the twins first time doing body boarding, they loved it and did really well.

Nicole

These are the slides that Kyle and Hailey played on, it was nice that they are old enough to go by themselves.

Lydia on the way there

Also this week we swam in the neighbors pool a lot.  It makes us want a pool, the kids love it so much and it is so nice on a hot day to have the pool to play in.

Marc made sure that there was a picture of me so we had proof that I do get in and swim

Lydia learned how to ride a bike this week.  Sometimes when we go and watch Kyles football practices the girls bring their bikes and ride around, Lydia usually just sits on hers but this week she figured it out and she cruises around with the other girls.

We were going to spend the weekend with Joe and Leahs family and help them get their house ready to move into, but things didnt work out as planned so we decided not to go, but they ended up coming  to our house for the weekend, and we had such a great time.  They got here late Friday night and we sat up talking all night.  Saturday morning we went over to the church parking lot and rode bikes. Marc brought his scooter and I tried it, I am not ready to ride it out on the road or anything but it wasnt to bad.  Joe tried it to and took all the kids for rides. 

We came home and played in the back yard for awhile and then put the kids down for a nap.  We spent the afternoon playing in the water, we started out at the pool, and then came back to our yard and played on the slip and slide.  I didnt take many pictures but it was all very fun.

I did take one of Leah jumping into the pool

Of course we stayed up late talking again.  And then we went to church on Sunday, came home and ate a yummy dinner and then Marc made his homemade ice cream cones for a treat. 

It was great having them here, it is fun watching the kids together and getting to visit and spend time together.  After they left and I was getting the kids to bed they all said they wished this weekend could be everyday. 

Summer Vacation week #7

week #7 was another good one.  Tuesday Hailey got more braces put on, she wasn't to excited about that she was really hoping to get them off this summer.  Wednesday Kyle had football again so Marc and I got a babysitter and dropped Kyle off then we went miniature golfing and out to frozen yogurt.  Thursday Marc had the day off so we went over to Vantage and spent the day there.  We stopped first at the petrified forest state park, we all thought that was pretty neat, we also walked down and saw the Indian petroglyphs.

Then we went down to the beach and played in the water and the sand for a couple of hours.  It is a fun beach to play on the water isnt very deep so they can swim and play in it and it is really safe.

Also this week our neighbors went on vacation, they have hired Kyle to take care of their lawn and their pool, and they also said that we could use the pool whenever we wanted so we did a lot of swimming, the kids love the pool, I think they could swim all day.

this little girl is becoming quite the little fish, she has really gotten comfortable in the water.

This is what happens during dinner on a Sunday evening when someone doesn't get their nap.