First Day of School

As is tradition, I try to take the pictures as the kids are headed off to their first day of school. This is a momentous occasion as I have all three kids in the same school. Jack is starting 5th grade, Emma is entering 3rd, and Lily is doing afternoon Kindergarten. The school is starting 15 minutes earlier which is going to make mornings a little crazy, but I'm not complaining.

It's Great to Be Five

Lily is at the great age where she can use all her fingers on one hand to show how old she is. She is also of the age to attend Kindergarten. (YEAH!!!!) We celebrated her birthday at the crack of dawn, actually she was so excited because I told her that she could open her birthday cards first thing in the morning. She knocked on our door at 6:20 AM with all the enthusiasm of a new five year old.

She had some grandiose plans that didn't account for a Sunday birthday. I'm not sure who and how many people she invited, but we ended up having a few neighbor friends over to help her celebrate.

More Power

So, Michael came home from work today with a power washer. It seems he traded his line testers for a weekend with a power washer. I knew that our back patio was dirty, but I didn't realize how dirty it was. Using a power washer is a little addicting, I'm sure there are plenty of things that need to get hosed down. It's a little funny to have been in this house long enough to notice the "newness" wear off.

How many days until school?

Emma must have heard me chanting today. Six more days, six more days!

Steamboat Vacation

We just came back from a quick vacation to Steamboat. Our friends invited us to go with them and we had a great time together. The kids were a little crazy the first night which resulted in a little sleep deprivation the second day. The key to making it through the days were the endless activities. Alpine sledding, trips to the pool, hikes, canoeing, and hot springs made the days fly by.

The hot springs are right in town and were a lot of fun for the kids. We were there less then an hour and we had to leave due to a storm that blew in. Guess they don't want people in the pool if they see lightening. We were able to go back a few hours later once the storm passed. These are the kids in the hot springs;


The bummer of the trip was Emma breaking her front tooth on the edge of the pool. Luckily, it must of missed the nerve as she wasn't in pain.
I was able to get her into the dentist today and they fixed the tooth. I'll have to keep an eye on it, but so far so good.

No Pressure

A friend asked if I would help her take pictures at a reception last night. I had a lot of fun just blending in and taking pictures. The family is in our ward and the reception took place in the next town over. Apparently the church building has "picnic" facilities. Nice alternative to the typical gym reception.

I love that they used books on the tables and buffet.

Red shoes, love them!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Emma was having a day. You know what kind of day I'm talking about. By 5 o'clock I was desperate to get out of the house in hopes that I would be a better parent in public. Thankfully my neighbor knocked on my door and offered to go on a walk. We proceed to go on the walk and I have to reprimand said child for fighting with the four year olds. It's never good when you have to reason with an eight year old about the futility of arguing with younger children.

A little bit later, Michael gets home from work and rides his bike to where we have stopped to play. Emma is still being a pill and I have put her in time out. Michael asks if she's had a good day. Her reply; "I was until you came."

Oh SNAP. I saw my future right then. Emma the teenager, quips cutting remarks in the blink of an eye. I'm not sure that taking away her Nintendo DS is going to work when she's 15.