1st day of school 2014-15 ...

 I am not very happy with how fast time is flying by, but these kids sure are!  They were so excited to be starting a new school year and one year older!  Especially little Lydia who got to start Kindergarten this year.  So, so crazy.  I still (after a month) have a little bit of a hard time sending her out the door to catch the bus.  It just doesn't seem possible that they are growing up so much.  Anthony is in 4th grade and has Mrs. Arnell.  JennaMarie is in 2nd grade and has Mrs. Ball.  Lydia is in Kindergarten and has Mrs. Gabrel.  We couldn't be more happy with the teachers the kids have this year and I know they will learn lots!

Sun Valley Wagon Days ...

 For the last few years we have been going over with the Williams to Sun Valley to celebrate the Wagon Days Festival.  It is a fun filled weekend with a huge non-motorized parade to cap off the fun.  Ralphie, Dude and Humphrey are the hit of the party all weekend long.  There is just something about seeing 3 camels walking down a parade route.  There are constantly people by camp coming to see the camels.  It is quite the weekend.  We always have a good time riding our bikes all over Sun Valley and enjoying the beautiful world we live in. This year Anthony and Jenna decided to be in the parade too and each of them walked a dog while Jake walked along Ralphie while someone rode him.  They were all quite the site walking 3 camels, 1 buffalo and too many dogs to count!  Fun, fun memories!

Happy Birthday Jenna #7 ...

Jenna wanted to have a birthday at the park with her friends with rainbow cupcakes and purple frosting, how could I say no to a request like that?  Fun!  It dawned a beautiful day, which we were grateful for because the days ahead of her day were not so beautiful.  They all had fun playing, opening presents and eating snacks.  

Jenna also chose to go to Leo's place for her birthday so that was a fun treat for her too. I cannot believe she is already 7 years old.  I can still remember the first time I held her in my arms, my silent, little Eskimo baby.  Love you Jenna!

Things we LOVE about Jenna:

*She loves to smile!

*She loves to do crafts with me, or without me!

*She is a great reader and really likes to hold a book in her hands.

*She is a great swimmer and especially loves to do the back kick.

*She is almost always willing to help me when I need something, she especially loves to help me cook.

*Shes loves to be outside and be active, especially riding her bike and running.

*She has learned to put her own hair in a pony tail and really likes to have her hair done like that or down. 

We love you Jenna!  Happy Birthday!

Grid Kid Football ...

 Anthony decided he wanted to give tackle football a try this year.  He has had an interesting year, being hit hard in almost every game he has played in, but he still enjoys playing.  He has learned a lot this year and improved a great deal too.  He plays corner on defense and is back up quarter-back on offense.  It is quite fun to watch him get out there and play, but it scares me too much to see him get hit.  He suffered a pretty huge hit in two games in a row and the one in the second game got him sent to the doctors office to check for neck issues.  He ended up having a cervical neck strain, something I wasn't willing to take a risk with, so he ended up being done for the season.  He has still gone to the games to watch and cheer on his team, but no contact, so no practices or anything.  It was quick season, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.

 Picture overload :) ... but my kids are just too cute!  This year all 4 of them participated in the Kids Tri Harder.  Made my day busier, but it was worth it to see them smiling!  Owen decided at the last minute that he wanted to do it.  He was the only 3 year old boy to do it and he really did a great job!  He took it quite seriously.  Lydia and Owen both did the 25 yard swim, one bike ride around the block and one run around the parking lot.  They both started at the same time, but Lydia was much quicker than Owen so we missed a few of her transitions and by the time she was out on the run Jenna had started, same with Anthony, so Jake and I were running around like crazy trying to get them all to their spots and to get pictures of each of them.  It sure was fun to watch them though.  Jenna did the 50 yard swim, two times around the block and two times around the parking lot.  Anthony wanted to do the 100 yard swim (he did awesome!), 4 times around the block and 4 times around the parking lot.

I am so proud of these kids and that they are so excited to be doing triathlons already at such a young age.  It teaches them so much about doing hard things and putting your mind to something and getting it done! 

 So fun!

Cady 5K ...

Go Anthony, Go!  He ran more 5Ks than I did this year and of course he ran them faster than me!  This was Anthony's first 5K last year so we decided to do it again this year.  It is a great race, supporting a great cause.  Anthony ran it by himself this year as Jake ran it a little faster than Anthony could go.  He did a great job and ended up getting 2nd in his age division.  Good job Anthony! 

Happy Birthday Anthony #9 ...

 Oh how I love this 'little' Anthony of mine!  He is such a joy to have in our family, even on the hard days :).  I love birthday's to be able to celebrate each of my children and how special they are!  Anthony wanted to go to Rigby Lake for his birthday so we had a bunch of friends up to the Lake and they had a great time!  Then he went to football practice and then it was finally time to open presents!  He was so patient to wait all day long.  He had been working hard during the summer to earn enough money to buy a new bike, he was so excited when he finally earned $100!  He was able to get it soon enough for his birthday and the upcoming triathlon.  He rides it almost every day still!

Things we Love about Anthony:

* He is super helpful when he wants to be.  He notices things that need to be done and gets them done!

* He is always active.  He loves to ride his bike, play football, run, just about anything that involves moving.

*He loves his brother and sisters.  He is really a good big brother and keeps them happy.

* He has a big desire to be good.  He wants people to be pleased with him and he tries every day to be a good person. 

* He loves to go to church and wear his suit and new black cowboy boots.

We love you Anthony and are so glad you made us parents 9 years ago!  I cannot believe I am lucky enough to be your mother, but I'm so glad that I am!