First Day of School and THE FASHION SHOW FEAST

Happy First Day of School! Can't believe I have a 6th grader, 5th grader, and a 3rd grader!
It was pretty tricky to get an air shot of the kids on the trampoline...but we had fun trying.



The kids did a runway fashion show with all their new school clothes...Apparently Spencer was going to wear a flowered sheet? Of course he changed his mind on the first day of school.


We had to cajole Spence into participating, but he got the hang of it after a while.

This is his "nerd" look (?) That's what he said...

It doesn't look that much different from his "cool guy" look. Personally, I like the flowered sheet.

And during school shopping Sophie gravitated towards anything SPARKLY...she was dazzling.

And really our feast was delicious...but the cake was the show stopper. I promise it was really good. This picture says otherwise...but if I had given it enough time to cool before I put the chocolate ganache frosting on it, it would have been prettier. But I was running out of "cooling time", and it still tasted divine. Maybe it was even better because it was warm. YUM! You can find the recipe here.



And this years theme? Try New Things. Each child got a letter with the theme and then a special note about what they're great at and what they can improve upon this year. Even Lucy got a letter which said, "We love you Lucy. You're the best baby ever." The next day she brought me her letter and said, "This says: Daddy loves me!" Aww. So sweet.

Remember how great it was to get rid of the binkie?

Well. Maybe it's not so great.
First: Because Lucy no longer has binkie to sooth her into dreamland, she has decided to do other things with her lack of sleeping. Like climbing out of crib and causing havoc.
Second: This has caused me to sit outside her bedroom and spy on her sleeping habits. Which has reduced me to saying things like, "Lucy, lay down." About, oh, 85 times. Or maybe things like, "If you go to sleep I'll buy you a brand new car."
Third: Because of "Lucy Watch" I have now read every magazine/catolog/brochure in the house, an entire book, and eaten a WHOLE bag of pretzel M7M's in one sitting. Oh and I looked at the caloric intake--you don't even want to know.
Fourth: I have ordered a crib tent...and it just can't get here fast enough. I almost broke down and revealed a binkie that I found in her toy box the other day, but alas, I held firm.
Fifth: Now she thinks I'm her "naptime" assistant. She's pretty smart and she knows I'm sitting outside her door so she says things like, "I need more water." Or "I need a bandaid". Or "Read ABC's." What's a mom do to?

Help me.

We both need naptime desperately!

Bye Bye Binkie!

So, we did it. Lucy bid a fond farewell to her beloved binkies. Whew. I am so relieved! We should have done it sooner, but amid road trips and sickness, we decided to prolong the inevitable---the big goodbye. Last night she did it! We tied her binkies to some helium balloons and let her say goodbye. Then we gave her a big girl present...a radio flyer scooter. Last night we hardly heard a whimper about the missing binkies. Lucy keeps saying, "My binkie went in the sky. I'm a big girl." Yes she is!

Remember Lazy River Days?

I remember the days soaking in the sun at what my family called "The River". AKA Lake Havasu. When I was a kid we went at least 4 times a year. But it's been a long time since we've done "the river" as a family, and I miss it. So--

Last week we took our little family to Utah Lake, and I had the same feelings creep up from when I was a kid. Here are some of the great things about boating:
1. You have to do something as a family...and you can't get away from one another. The only way to get away, is to get out on the wake board. :)
2. You resign yourself to a bad hair day, and that's not always a bad thing.
3. You figure out how brave you are. (Or who the daredevil children are...which can be extremely good to know for the teenage years. Sometimes parents need to know what they're getting into.)
4. No DS's, DSi's, cell phones allowed.
5. You get to laugh, talk people into doing things they don't want to (like wake boarding for the first time(bring along a lot of Twix bars, they work wonders for incentive)).
6. You get to plan your next trip...So. When is our next trip?

A Little Jaunt to California

Our trip to CA was just what Adam and I needed...a little getaway in a fun place, with great friends, and some much needed "alone time". :) And Adam's 20 year high school reunion wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He had some really nice friends, and of course he has kept his boyish good looks and charm. :)




We also had a really fun date up Provo Canyon at Sundance. We went to the "Bluebird Cafe" (a place in Nashville well known for Country song writers to peform.) Sundance put on their version of the Bluebird and invited Country song writers to come and perform. We enjoyed great music and a lot of laughter.

Family Pictures

Fourth of July Frenzie...and Grace's 10th