Welcome to our World

Watching high school volleyball is so much fun!  Sadly, two of the JV girls got injured.  We wouldn't wish that on anyone.  Kate has had to step up and play more.  Much more.  I think she is taking the responsibility really well and I am thrilled to see this team come together in such a short amount of time.   I can't say enough about how much Kate is enjoying high school and I think volleyball is a huge part of that.  I'm always glad when I can go support the team.  Hubby and I take turns going to the games while the other parent drives Danny (flag football or baseball), Michelle (theater or dance), and Natalie (softball) to and/or from their own activities.  It was his turn to attend when our high school's arch rival arrived at our gym.  He got there when the C team was playing and some of the girls on the other team shouted out that he was there.  So many of the girls from Kate's club team were on the opposing team it took h...

Michelle is loving her dance classes and had her first team bonding, this one at Water World. We got to take a couple other girls who had moms that were out of town and I brought Natalie along to have fun and keep me from bothering my 12 year old during the day. We had a blast and the weather was perfect.  Not too hot, not too cold and no rain storms.  But that happened later while Michelle & I were at the Stake Carnival.  She was seen running around in the downpour making people smile but eventually we decided to run for the car and head home.  For the record, Michelle's favorite ride was Voyage to the Center of the Center aka the dinosaur ride (that Natalie refused to go on because she heard there was a long line) and Natalie's was the Ragin' Colorado River (left side).  We later learned that the dinosaur ride made a girl Natalie's age cry while Michelle was on it so I was glad we had chosen not to go on that one. While Michelle and Natalie and I were at W...

Last year I was hired the same week school began so I missed out on all the pre student arrival meetings and helping get classrooms ready.  This year I got to head back to school on Monday & Tuesday morning while Hubby worked from home to be there for our kids (and my Mom came over on Monday to make sure he could actually get work done).  It was neat to see that side of things and be back with coworkers I loved from last year and meet the new coworkers that will also be paras in the special education department.  On Tuesday we got to enjoy back to school night at the elementary school and my whole heart smiled at the neighborhood girls all being together and letting me take their picture.  I was glad I got this gem because the next morning was full of first day excitement -- only enough time to grab a few rushed ones at the front door and standing in line to go into Natalie's new classroom.  It was so great to be there with her and see how excited she was fo...

Turns out when I'm with my Activity Days girls I'm so busy I don't take a lot of photos.  Here is one at the terrific Stake Activity Days event that I am so glad I stayed for.  I was the only ward leader there and I had a blast following Natalie's group around and driving four of our ward members home.  There was a literal collision during one of the games so I am no longer allowed to play Traffic Jam.  Just ask the smallest girl in my ward.  Luckily I could still get her to laugh through the tears but I was a tiny worried she would be scared of me the next time she saw me.  Luckily she showed up to our next ward activity and didn't need an ice pack.  Of course, we didn't play Traffic Jam either.  lol.  Brother P. and I planned on celebrating the Primary's birthday with both the boys and girls together again and it was so much fun.  This year our four stations for over 20 kids were horseshoes, potato sack races, a Primary trivia game I m...

I saw a meme that said June and July took about 4 seconds. I think that sums up how I feel like summer is coming to a close all too soon.  Only one full week left! Many of the items on our summer bucket list were only things the non-teenagers wanted to do.  It was so fun to visit the DMNS on a hot day with friends in tow. They have never been there before so it was great to see their reactions and watch my girls show them around. We found all the gnomes/elves again and enjoyed the new Brain Games exhibit. Oh, and we got in for free thanks to our library pass! I’m pretty sure Michelle and Natalie have been dreaming of going back to the Renaissance Festival ever since we left last year. Now that we’ve been there twice we feel like we got to do & see what we wanted even though there is even more we haven’t seen and done. Natalie was thrilled to get a wooden dagger like the sword Michelle bought last year, Michelle used her own money to buy a handmade leather mask, and Hubby b...