I can't read

The other day all the kids were sitting at the table doing homework. (Grace also wants to do homework when the boys are so she usually colors or plays with play-doh.) I was at the stove making dinner. Owen asked "can you help me read this math question?" Before I could respond Grace said, "I can't read." (since she was sitting next to Owen) After a moment the boys and I all started to laugh. Grace was so serious too, like she was wondering why Owen would ask her for help when she couldn't read yet. Then she ran around saying I can't read so we'd all laugh again. It's good for a laugh when trying to get homework done.

The other night I caught Jonathon reading a book in his closet when he was suppose to be  sleeping. Tonight Russ caught William in the closet doing long division! I don't know about these boys!

Meetings

Right now I am the Primary Secretary. A couple times a month we have a Presidency meetings. Last night as I was leaving for my meeting Grace said to me, "I want to be a mom so I can go to meetings." Don't know what she thinks happens at our meetings....

those guys....

I told Grace that she needs to make good choices, she told me, "I hate those guys."

"You made it"

A couple weeks ago our Relief Society passed around a temple trip sign up. We live 15-20 minutes away from the Oquirrh Mountain temple, so you'd think I'd get there more often. I have fallen into a rut and can't remember the last time I did an endowment session. I have been for initiatory, because they are shorter, it seems easier for me to do those. Since the Relief Society was going and I could get a babysitter for Grace I signed up last week for the 1:00 session. That would be the latest time I could go to make it back for the boys to get home from school.
Yesterday I got a call from someone in the R.S. presidency wondering if I could do initiatory instead since she had something come up. I thought about, but felt like I really needed to do the endowment session, so I told her that, she said she'd try and make it as well. This morning she text me saying she can't make it and everyone else that signed up also had something come up and they wouldn't make it. That was fine, I still needed to go. My neighbor, Denee, said she could watch Grace for me.
This morning Trina called me to see if I could watch her girls. I said I was planning on going to the temple so I couldn't. I dropped Grace off at Denee's and got in the van. Dead battery. I got the feeling Satan really didn't want me to get to the Temple today. I ran back across the street to Denee's house and told her I had a dead battery. She grabbed her van keys without any hesitation and told me to take her van. I said maybe we could try a jump, but realized I wouldn't make the session if we did that. So I said thanks and ran out the door.
I knew I'd make it on time, but definitely needed to hurry. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is up on a hill. As I got to bottom of the hill there was construction and I could see the temple, I kept thinking, "I just need to get inside the temple." As I handed my recommend to the man at the counter, he looked at me and said, "You made it." I started crying right there, because I did make it. Lots of little things tried to stop me from getting there, but I made it.
After I got changed I had 5 minutes to make my session. I needed to use the bathroom, but knew I didn't have time. When I got my paper for who I was going through for the worker needed to check something. I start to think, "I don't have time for this." She came back and I was on my way. The next worker told me they were taking my session in. I 'reverently' ran up the stairs and was the last one to make it in. I sat down and breathed a sigh, I made it.
As I sat in the Celestial room after I just sat there and let the peace and comfort you can only feel at the temple fill me up and thanked my Heavenly Father for helping me make it. When I walked out I noticed the man at the front counter welcome those coming to the temple. He didn't say 'you made it' to any of those coming. I felt his words again, "You made it," they felt personal, like he knew that I almost didn't make it today. I know that I am blessed, and I need to remember this day.

Crazy hair day

Crazy Hair Day at school is always fun, here is what we came up with this year.

 Jonathon 

 Owen

William

Peaches!

 We have peaches! The boys all went out with daddy to help pick the peaches from our tree. They had so much fun. I can't believe how many peaches we got.

 A couple days later everyone helped so we could can the peaches. I don't know why I haven't had everyone help before. It went so much faster with everyone. And it was lots of fun to do together.

Jeep ride

One day daddy had work off on a Thursday so we went up in the mountains for a picnic in the jeep. Will & Jon had school, so it was just the four of us. (good thing since that's all that fit in the jeep.) Fun adventure for the day.

Grace likes to sing...

Grace is defiantly a girl. She loves playing with the boys; legos, balls, jumping around, hitting and throwing stuff, but she loves playing in her kitchen asking if you want "more" while nodding her head, putting her baby's to sleep, and singing.
She has been singing and talking alot now. Today I heard her singing, "no more jumping bump your head, shhhhh , SNAP monkey." Has a couple songs mixed together there. She loves I Love to see the Temple and I am a Child of God. She sings "moo, moo, moo, moo" and "Gummy Bears" that Uncle Woody's family taught her, and "Trouble, trouble, ahhhh" from Taylor Swift, but redone with a goat screaming, she loves it.
None of the boys were singers, so it is fun to listen to her as she walks around or is sitting in the car, or lately, sitting on the potty, singing to herself. She has also learned to count, "one, two, free, four, nine, ten, fourteen." Pretty much that is how she counts everything.
Sure love having our girl around!

Happy Birthday Grace

 Happy Birthday Miss Grace! You are 2! We love all the fun you bring into our lives. Can't imagine our lives without our girl!

Sunflowers

 We've had fun watching how tall these sunflowers have grown. Look how tall!

more cousins

Millie & her family came down for Allie's baptism, then drove down to AZ with our parents. We were able to spend a couple days with them. One day we went to The Wheeler Farm, we took a picinic and had fun walking around looking at the animals.

This was Owen's first day of school, so we went as soon as he got out and the older boys were still in school. It was a fun quick visit.

School begins again

Still not sure how I feel about year round school. We got out of school on July 2nd and now we're starting back again July25th. I like the routine school gives us, but I also like a summer. We are on a different track this year so we will get out the beginning of June. That should be nice.
Here is William & Jonathon on their first day of Third grade! When we went to see who their teachers were they were in the same class. They have always been separate. The boys thought it would be 'fun', which is exactly why they needed to be separated. I when to the office a few days before school started worried that it would be a problem, but it wasn't. The office secretary was and twin and she had twins, she agreed they'd have 'fun' so it was better to separate them since that was what I wanted. It all worked out just fine. Switching tracks was hard since the boys didn't really know anyone in their classes. They are making friends, and get to meet up with old friends at recess.

Owen started Kindergarten a week later. Wow! Owen is in school. He loves it! He actually knows a few of the kids in his class from church and preschool. Owen can't wait to learn to read good.

He is always the first one walking to school, I have to tell him to slow down so we all can catch up. He really doesn't want to be late and can't wait to be at school again.

Super excited after his first day!

William, Jonathon, and Owen starting another year of school.
 

Cousins

In July we had Woody's family up two weekends in a row. Jerusha had softball tournaments up here so the other kids stayed and played at the house. (We did go to a couple games, it was fun watching Jerusha, shes good!) We had lots of dress up, wrestling, and jumping on the trampoline.

Esmey and Owen played so good. They were here for church one Sunday and all weekend Esmey would say, "I hope Owen likes my dress." Even in her prayers, it was so cute.

 

Miner's Avenger Challenge

This year was difficult to get all the cousins together for our annual TRI. The Utah Miners did one and then everyone else did one where they were. Except this year we didn't do a TRI, we did an obstacle course with the Avengers theme. I love the chorus to the Avengers theme song...

For the course we had the kids put it together with some adult input.
We had a balance beam, teamwork requires balance, Thor's hammer wooden stake pound, shooting Hawkeye's arrow, tire pull to be strong like Hulk, flying like Wasp on the Trampoline, throwing Captain America's shield, and using their minds like Iron Man with a shape puzzle. We also had a tunnel to crawl through, a log throw (cardboard tube), and finished up with a run. 

We split up into three teams. Each team had to wait till everyone finished each obstacle before they could move on to the next.

All the older kids did a great job helping the younger kids.

Kind of crazy that we're missing 12 more cousins!

MINERS ASSEMBLE!
Green-Hulk, Blue-Captin America, Red-Iron Man, Gray-Thor, Orange-Hawkeye, and Yellow-Wasp

Running to the finish line!

Lauren made everyone bandanas with Avenger's fabric.

After we had a water balloon fight.I had the older kids fill them up, but there are never enough water balloons. First we had each kid launch a water balloon so they each had a turn.

 

What a great day spent with family. Missed those who weren't there!

Karate

We decided to put Owen in Karate. He fights with his brothers all the time and gives it 100%. I wanted him to learn to control some of that. Plus he already thinks he's a ninja. He has been a natural at Karate! I wish it was something we could keep him in, but our family rule is one sport at a time and he also wanted to try out soccer/baseball/basketball, just like his brothers.

 

Growing garden

Look at this garden...

Jonathon is growing peas, William has the corn, and Owen the pumpkins.

We are growing Sunflowers this year and they just keeping getting bigger. You can't even see Grace, and they've almost caught up to Owen.

 

Also, there is this girl. Growing Grace!

 Look at what a ham we have!

Baseball

 I love watching my children play sports! This year William & Jonathon both pitched. Man, they're good. They also play second base and short stop. They keep getting better at batting also.

 They're team this year was ok at the beginning of the season. They kept getting better and better each game. By the end of the season they came out of no where and got 2nd place in their Tournament! First place for Herriman City. It's so fun watching each kid develop over a season.

 Way to go boys!