Football season again!!!.....

I LOVE FOOTBALL!!! There is no other way to say it. I love everything about it.

I love that my boys love it.

I love the 2 hour practices on the field in the warm evenings.

I love picnic dinners while watching practice.

I love the time we spend together as a family because of it.

I love making new friends.

I love my boys in their uniforms.

I love new red 'pimped out' cleats.

I love watching Drew and Jensen rock someones world.

I love Ella in her cheerleading outfit.

I love game day Saturday.

I love winning (and sometimes losing).

I love watching Drew teach and take care of Jensen.

I love exhausted boys - tired boys are good boys.

I never thought it would be such a big part of our life, but it is and I wouldn't change it!!

I LOVE FOOTBALL!!!

Tired little girl....

Ella is tired.....that is the only way I can describe her. She has become a little sponge since she started school a few weeks ago. She is learning each day and comes home and reports everything that she now knows.

"Mom, do you know who lives in the White House?"
"I do, Ella....do you??"

"Yup, Aqua Bama."

Said it matter of factly and with a sense of 'big girl' in her voice. I loved it. She has also gone on to tell me all about the 'glove' (globe) and how it shows where there is blue it is water and where there is green it is where people live. She said the other day while practicing writing her numbers... "Mom, I know how to make 'cha-chings'..."

I said, "What??" - she then proceeded to draw a dollar sign for me, $$, you know 'cha-ching'

Duh.

She is like a light that has turned on. Not that she wasn't bright already, but she really digs this school thing. I am so glad, because it makes each day easier when it is time for her to get ready and go. She has homework each night and loves to do it. I realize it most likely won't last, the enthusiasm, for now is perfect.

At the end of one of our long and busy weeks this is as far as she could make it after she fell asleep on the couch watching T.V. - walking only 20 steps to the kitchen floor and laying back down. The girl was OUT!!

Don't you wish that you could only sleep so soundly???

Off to Kindergarten.....

Where do I start other than I truly don't know where the time goes....you have a baby, take an extra long blink and then she is off to big girl school. Yes, I am a crier. I had my meltdown late Sunday night once all the kids were in bed and I realized that the day I had been dreading was here. My baby, my best girlfriend, my lunch partner, my shopper, my snuggler was on her way out the door.

How did this happen??

Then I look at her in these pictures. She is a beautiful 5 year old who is ready for the world of school. She is ready for learning. She is ready for more than I have to give her. I have loved each and every day that I have spent with her this far and I am looking forward to this next step, although painful, exciting.

Ella was nervous about school once she got there, she didn't want to put on the name necklace that her teacher had made for her. Once she was settled in her chair, backpack hung, name tag on and her first assignment underway it was time for me to leave.....

The afternoon was quiet. Jiles asleep and me wandering my house. I am sure I will get used to the quiet, and on most days, quite enjoy it. I love you Ella....thank you for being my girl. I will miss you with my whole heart!

On a side note....

Ella has only been in school now since Monday and this morning she said to me..."Mom, I want to skip school today." I told her that was against the rules, and she followed up with "That's so dumb, I have already gone for 2 days!"

My cheerleader.....

Brenna has now cheered officially in 2 games for the boys of Alta. I think this is one of those things that she was meant to do. She seems to have such a natural ability to get up in front of a crowd and do her thing. She learned the cheers quickly and is having such a fun time with her new friends. She had to wake at 5:15a.m. for the last 4 weeks of summer to go to practice everyday...never complaining (she would just come home and crash at the end of the 3+ hour practices) All their hard work is paying off though, because they all looked awesome during the games.

It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that this is my daughter. This is only something I would have dreamed to do. Never being brave enough (or talented enough for that matter) to give it a try. I am in constant amazement with all of my children, they seem to live life to it's fullest. They are all blessed with talents that they are magnifying and this I am so thankful for.

My Ji.....

Let me start out by saying just how much I LOVE this boy.....however, he is exhausting. Jiles is now at the age where he loves to make trouble. He is so curious that I have had to put hair bands on all my cupboards, J.D. has installed locks on our pantry door because he gets into the garbage or climbs up on the shelves and brings me all sorts of canned goods. We keep all the bedroom doors shut because he can destroy a bedroom in a matter of minutes. He knows how to turn on the bathtub water and turn the faucet around, he has nearly flooded my bathroom more than once. He quite likes sitting on my folded or not folded laundry piles, getting in the baskets is one of his favorite things to do. He can get out the back door, so it must stay locked always.....he drags our poor dog around by his leash and loves to empty his water and food dishes. Yikes is about all I can say.

Playing in the dirt and making mud at football practice the other day was one of his 'boy things' that we caught on film. He will try to sit on any strangers lap while at football, he backs in slowly, kind of like a truck, and then just gives them a grin.

What?? Why can't I sit in the toy cupboard?? He is such a joy, but I find myself looking for ways to slow him down. Buckling him in his high chair, stroller, or wagon for instance....also giving him a bath tames the beast for short periods of time. I will also lock him in my bedroom with me during the day and I will try to get as much as I can done from one room....pay bills, fold laundry etc.

In so many ways Jiles is our very best baby. He sleeps for hours....and is so dang nice. He has a dreamy temperament and is will lay on the kisses. We are grateful for his craziness, but we are also grateful for bedtime.

We love you, little man.....

Firsts.....

Here we are again, with another summer that has quickly gone by. Lots of Lagoon days, lots of swimming pools and water slides, a quick trip to St. George in the hottest time of the year, lawns to be mowed and countless trips to the gas station for diet Pepsi's and icees. My children are growing up before my eyes and I wish at certain times to just be able to freeze these moments.

Morgan started her senior year at Alta and Brenna began her high school days.....I am hopeful that they will have a fabulous year together. They are amazing friends and I am so glad that Morgan has decided to transfer back to spend a year with her sister in high school. I think that these will be some of the memories that they will carry with them throughout their lives.

Drew and Jensen.....another year at Summit Academy. Drew is in the 8th grade and Jensen has started 4th. It wasn't until I took these pictures that I realized how tall Drew is getting. Granted, he has just passed up both me and his sisters, but when you see him in a picture next to Jensen that tells the whole story. They are good boys and I am hopeful that they will have a great year also. Oh and did I mention how much I love uniforms!! No stress in the morning...

Jensen is 9!!.....

It is hard for me to believe that my Jensen is 9. We were in the car last night and Jensen started to ask me about the day he was born. It started with "what time exactly will I be 9?" and "how much did I weigh?" - and then I was brought back to that day. I was induced with Jensen, just the same as I had been with all of my children. He was born at around noon and weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 11 ounces.....holy smokes he was a large child! His size has not kept up with the way he began this life, but his personality has absolutely kept up with his 'bigness'!! He is spilling over with personality on most days with his big laugh and big smile. He always has a story to tell and a crazy face to pull.

Sleepy faces early in the morning. We like to start birthdays with presents and breakfast. This birthday was no different....we were missing Drew who has been at scout camp for the week. Jiles was also not apart of the celebration, because that little dude can sleep like a crazy man (that is all for another post). J.D. had to get up and go to work, and I was on my way out the door for my morning run (this too, all for another post. My new-found love for running.)

No, we don't have another child.....this is our cute foreign exchange student. She is from Japan and her name is Eriko. She has spent the last 3 weeks with our family and it has been a great experience....

Woo hoo!! Jensen got another new pair of shoes!! That is one of the things he will ask for for every holiday and birthday....gotta appreciate a boy who cares about the way he looks.

Chocolate chip pancakes was the request from the 'Birthday Boy' .

I love this little guy. He loves life and embraces the moments he spends with his family. He is always wanting to have family nights....watching movies, or sleeping on mom and dads floor. It never has to be anything major. Just spending time together is perfect for him. He is grateful for everything he gets and is quick to say 'thank you'. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday this last week, he thought for a minute and then told me that he really didn't need anything, and that he has everything he wants.

What a good boy.