School Spirit

Since the day he started school, Luke has been in love with everything about it.  He loves his teacher, Mrs. Arney; he loves recess and playing with friends; he loves learning new information and skills; and most of all, he loves being a Lakeview Lion.  He tells us every day how many days they have been in school, and he always wants to make sure he is a part of any school activities or celebrations.  As a mom, it makes me so, so happy to watch him have such an amazing experience in kindergarten.  Hopefully this is just the start to a long love of school and learning. 

It's fun to see his "boy" hanging in the hall.

Luke was chosen to be the "Star Student" the second week and he spent the entire week planning his big moment on Friday when he would be the center of attention.   He was given a bag to fill with four of his favorite items and he spent a lot of time deciding what he wanted to show his class the very most.  Ruby and I were lucky and able to go to his class for the last half hour and watch him share his treasures with his friends.  It was so cute because he had clues for each item and wanted everyone to guess before he showed off what he had brought.  After a lot of discussions, he ended up bringing the football he had caught at the parade, his Pokemon cards, and his stuffed iguana.

After showing his treasures, I was able to read "Soap, Soap, Don't Forget the Soap" to the class which was so much fun.  The kids were so well behaved and excited to listen and answer questions and I was reminded how much I love being in a classroom.  The best part is that Luke and Ruby still can recite so many of the words, and can re-tell most of the story of poor Plug Honeycutt.

For Safety Week, the school had a theme each day.  We had to scramble to find "crazy socks" for the first day, but after that things went a little more smoothly.  Luke had so much fun with it all that he routinely asks me now, "what day is it tomorrow...."and explains that he means is it crazy sock day, etc.  I love that it made him feel like part of the community of the school.

Crazy Hair Day.

Crazy Hat Day

Totally unplanned matching with his good friend Ethan.

Lakeview Lions Day

Thank goodness we got their T-Shirts in time.

Luke is a really conscientious student and has worked to pass of his letters, numbers, sounds, and several sight words.  He has passed off enough that he is now able to bring home books to read.  He brings the book home in a large ZipLoc bag and takes it back to trade for a new one once he has mastered the story.  He is developing such a love for reading which of course makes my heart so happy.  The books have brought back so many school memories for me.  The kids love to hear stories of when we were little and they think it is so funny when I tell them that we would use an old bread bag to carry our books back and forth.  They keep asking about this and laugh when they see bread in our kitchen.  I tell them about my first grade teacher Mrs. Parry and how mean she was and how we were all scared of her.  Both Luke and Ruby can't quite understand the idea of a mean teacher - thankfully they have not had anything other than amazing teachers.

The other day Luke got a coloring page at the gym and was so excited to color it to give to Mrs. Arney.  He worked really hard and said he wanted it to be so beautiful because he knew she would love it.  When he finished, I suggested that he write his name on the back, but he decided it would be even better to draw a picture of him and Mrs. Arney at the school.  I love how the picture turned out.  He knows how to write his name well, but wanted help spelling "from".  I was surprised though when he had figured out the first and last numbers by sounding out the letters.  He was so proud at his new literacy skills and I could not have been more impressed and pleased.  

Where the Streets Have No Name

Tim and I had the best mid-week getaway ever and went to Arizona to see U2 on their final US show of this tour. I'm pretty sure that most streets in Arizona actually do have names, but this song is one of my very favorites and seemed most appropriate for a title.  I surprised Tim with the concert tickets for his birthday in August and I think he has been counting down the days ever since.  We have seen U2 in concert before, but they generally play a lot of new stuff.  The whole focus of this tour was their album The Joshua Tree which really has most of their greatest hits, so it was perfect for us. 

Because the concert was on a Tuesday, we decided to just make a really quick trip and were actually gone less than 24 hours total.  Luckily, even with such a short window, we were able to spend a little bit of time with Craig and his family.  He offered to be our driver and picked us up from the airport and drove us to our hotel.  Thanks to Phoenix traffic we got to spend over an hour together in the car.  I was sandwiched in the back between two of my very favorites and could not have been happier to hear all of Roman and Sadie's stories and adventures.  They kept me entertained the entire way.  Roman kept hanging onto my arm which pretty much melted my heart, and Sadie has the cutest little way of telling stories.  Every once in awhile they even let Craig talk so we got to catch up as well.  Concerts are great and all, but time with family really is the best!

 

We got to our hotel and had just enough time to change and grab some food before heading to the venue.  Tim took a picture to show how close we were to the arena.  It was actually still about a 20 minute walk, but it was so nice to not worry about driving or parking. 

We arrived with plenty of time to take pictures, watch the opening act, get drinks and treats, and be completely settled before U2 took the stage.  Once they finally did, the concert was every bit as amazing as we had expected.  The band sounded amazing and their stage show would be worth seeing even if you didn't like the band.  We had the best time singing and dancing and partying with the band and a few thousand of our closest mates.  Sometimes life can be serious, and stressful, and a lot of work, so for a few hours it was perfect for Tim and I to just hang out together and enjoy the music of a favorite band. 

 One last shot before heading back to real life.

Labor Day Weekend

While everyone else went camping and out of town for Labor Day weekend, we decided it was the perfect time to head to Lagoon.  The crowds weren't bad and we had a fantastic time.  Nearly every time we go to Lagoon the kids beg to get the faces painted, but they usually see the kiosk at the end of the day and I'm not willing to pay money to basically go home and wash it all away.  This trip we headed straight for the face painting kiosk and the kids were super surprised when I told them they could get their faces done.  It was fun to watch the painting process, but it was especially great to see their wonder and joy when they looked in the mirror at the finished product.  Totally worth every over priced dollar we spent.

Once the faces were painted, the kids had definite plans about where to go next.  While Tim and Taylor went on the "big kid" rides, the little ones and I went on all of our favorites.

 

It was super hot so ice cream was a necessity!

By the end of the day the faces were looking a little tired and smudged, but it didn't diminish their joy one bit.  So many people stopped them to comment how cute they looked, they absolutely loved all of the reactions and attention.  Batman and Kitty forever!

Labor Day is kind of my favorite and we were all excited to go to the parade on Monday morning. Luke and Ruby loved it -  cousins, candy, room to run and play - sounds like perfection to me.

Luke was so excited to catch a football.

Pineapple twins

Newest member of the family.

After the parade we usually head to the park where there are plenty of people and activities.  This year though we just found a shady spot on the parade route and ordered Fat Jacks pizza for lunch. After eating we headed to the movie which ended up being the perfect ending to the weekend.

August 2017

The month of August was kind of a whirl wind.  We did our best to take advantage of every last day of summer, while at the same time getting ready for plenty of firsts and new beginnings.  When the cold weather comes I think I will really mourn this summer - it has been an especially great one.

We started off the month by going to the BYU Museum of Art for the kids' art class.  I was able to take the kids this time which made it especially fun.  I loved watching them observe and respond to the art, this time black and white photography.  The exhibit was fantastic and it was fun for me to spend a little time exploring as well.  When it came time to do their projects, they put so much thought and effort into making them just right.  It was a perfect way to spend the morning.

While I'm at work I get plenty of pictures of breakfasts and lunches.

Luke loves to be outside and is becoming a pro at the climbing dome

The climbing dome and riding his big kid bike.

August, 2001

One of my favorite vacation memories ever.

We were supposed to be shopping for school shoes...

These look totally appropriate.

One of our favorite summer activities is going to the Sundance Summer Theater.  Tim and I had big plans to go, but then both Luke and Ruby got super sick with the flu.  We weren't comfortable leaving them and and didn't want to risk anyone else getting sick, so Tim stayed home and I got to go with my mom and Aunt Marlene.  The play this year was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, one of my favorites.  They did a fun country twist which kept it fresh.  It was so fun to spend the evening with these two women, both the company and the play were fantastic.  

Luke and Ruby have been reliving my childhood thanks to a large bag of Barbies and other dolls that my mom discovered in her shed.  The Barbies are all pretty tattered, but the kids have had the best time dressing, posing and playing with the dolls.  I kind of love watching them enjoy these dolls that brought me so much joy and entertainment when I was a kid. 

Gracie, my dad's new puppy, had a sleepover and the kids were in heaven.  I took her for 8 miles of my run and it was so much fun that she almost convinced me that I was ready for a new dog.  Almost!

Having friends over to play is the best!

I think Luke and Ruby are destined to be farmers.  We have loved eating their zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and even canteloupe this summer. We have several pumpkins that they are watching carefully.  I think Halloween will be especially fun with their own home grown jack o lanterns.   

Sunday shenanigans with cousins are the absolute best.  

We will definitely miss these summer nights.

These boys finally had a sleepover

We spent a perfect afternoon at the Springville Reservoir.  We met Kristina and her crew there so she and I had plenty of time to chat while the kids and babies played.  Old friends make the best friends.

I don't even know what to say about this one,

Other than that she is adorable.

New haircuts for school

Seeing Depeche Mode in concert was a chance for Tim and I to re-live our pasts and create our own new memories of seeing the band in concert.   They played a lot of new songs which wasn't our favorite, but there were plenty of old songs to enjoy.  It was amazing how good the band sounded - pretty much exactly the same as they did 25 years ago.  It's been awhile since we have had a date night and this was an especially good one.

Soccer is back and Luke is so excited about this season. 

Exploring Ogden with Brycen

Just your average Sunday morning.

Instead of our normal Sunday routine, we went to Sara Nye's farewell in Logan.  She is headed to the Phillipines to serve a mission and is just the most excited to get going and start serving.  I was so glad that we were able to support her and share such an exciting time with her and her family. 

Ruby and Kallee are pretty much BFFs

And so it begin.....I'm a little concerned about school projects - homework doesn't scare me - but anything that requires creativity can get a little overwhelming.  Luckily, Luke had very specific ideas about how he wanted his boy to look and worked really hard to make sure he was perfect.  Tim and I just provided a little assistance with the details.  The project, the boy, my Luke, all adorable.