September in a Flash

4 miles in
2 nights
4 miles out.
6 miles in between.
7 lakes (at least)
Too much trail food
Little Weight
No compass needed.
4 friends
1 awesome backpacking trip

Lots of junk
Giggly girls
Silly moms
Always a craft
Uplifting thoughts
Time away from boys
And presents! (Hey! That was mine!!)
Forever a good time
Marchant Girls Weekend in Park City

Butterflies
Fairies
Makeup
Music
Dancing
Food
Impromptu Fairy party/Costume Picnic

First.
Ever.
Principal Pride Award.
Happiness.

Reasons to NOT bring your iPad to church

Jeff is loving taking his ipad to church and having all his reference materials, scriptures, etc right at his fingertips. But last night we discovered a few good reasons not to take it to church. :)

The willing little sister:

 The unsuspecting parents:

These photos brought to you by a boy who was too quiet during church to be up to any good:

Sophie Turned 5

I love family birthdays.  It's low key, low stress for me.  Sophie really wanted a party, though.  I opted for a family party where we played games/did crafts like a regular party.  (Isn't compromise great?)  I made simple little invites and taped them to all the bedroom doors. 

This year it was all about the princesses.  We played fairy tale sculptorades which all the kids loved and made our own lip gloss.  Sophie wanted a pink princess cake, so (thank you Tiff!) she got one. 

Sophie and her magic pumpkin



The cake



Sophie got some new clothes (including a couple of shirts that had matching shirts for both her favorite dolls), a new Blythe doll, some books, the Play-doh ice cream maker, a Belle princess dress-up, and a cardboard castle she can color herself.  She was thrilled!

Top of Utah

This has been an exhausting summer.  I have done nothing it seems but run.  Literally.  Up at 5:30, out the door by 6, running 4, 6, 9, 13 miles, 3-4 times per week.  I didn't think it would be so tiring, but it was.  I also wasn't sure it would be worth it.  The thought of not meeting the goal (and flushing a $50 registration fee down the toilet) kept me going.  No one wants to not meet their goals, right?

Sat. August 27, I woke up at 4:30, loaded a bus sometime after 5, crossed the start line about 7.  I ran for 13.1 miles and finished in 2 hours 11 minutes and 38 seconds. 

Were all the hours and sore muscles worth it?  Absolutely.

Walt Disney

While helping Lynsdi with a project, we came upon these two quotes.  I really liked them, so I thought I'd share.

"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."


"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."

First Day of School

The smell of pink erasers,  freshly sharpened pencils, glue, crayons, paper...I love back to school time.  That's before we even get to the fact I send children away for several hours at a time. My house stays clean and quiet.  Errands get done quickly or slowly, as I determine. :)

Ms. 4th Grade

Doesn't like being back in school.
Has her first man-teacher.
Brought home her first text book homework already. 

Mr. 2nd Grade

Loves his teacher.
Thinks his teacher is the best.
Wants to please his teacher.

Little Miss Kindergarten

Has the best teacher ever.
Loves that Mom got homework on the first day and she got cake.
Wasn't scared because "Mom, all my friends will be there." Insert dramatic eye-roll.  (Hers, not mine.)

Miss Mobile

Not just yet.
But she's trying.
Hard.

Random Babblings

Such a lame title.  Oh well.

Just hanging out in my room with Jeff's laptop, once again avoiding the work that needs to be done in the little girls room. I think I have managed to ignore it for two weeks now.  I go in there as little as possible.  The baby sleeps in the library in her pack and play for nap time, and there's a small cache of diapers on the main floor.  Today, though, I can avoid it no longer. Ugh.

Training for the Top of Utah half marathon is on-going and exhausting.  I'm up to 9 miles now and can run anywhere between a 9:45 mile/min and around 10:20.  Depends on who I'm running with.  I'm tired all day long, but a good hard-work kind of tired.  I am noticing benefits though and do enjoy the torture of running.  I'm getting stronger, faster, and leaner.  It's been fun.

The kids are on year-round school and will be starting next Tues.  I think end of July is a fabulous time for them to start.  Then again, they're only on-track for 3 weeks, so we'll get a extra bit of summer break later. 

Sophie starts Kindergarten this year.  I question this decision nearly daily, wondering if she really is old enough and prepared enough to take on being a kindergartner, most likely the youngest one in her class.  The only thing that keeps me sane about it is knowing it was a prompting.  Heavenly Father would not lead me or Sophie astray, so it's off to school she goes!

McKay just informed me there are only 117 days or 20 weeks and 40 days til Christmas.  Just in case you're wondering. 

Me?  I'm still enjoying summer.  I'm not thawed out enough to be anticipating Christmas just yet. Hasn't this been a beautiful, mild summer?  Loving it.

Ok.  Can't put it off much longer.  If I'm not back in 30 minutes, send someone in after me.