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Julia has moved on past her crib. I wasn't really thinking she'd be too excited to sleep in and actually stay in bed but so far, she loves it! It's fun to say prayers beside her bed and then she climbs in ready to go to sleep. It's really got me thinking it's time to fill the crib with something {or someone} else. . .

Payton's First Day of 1st Grade!

Payton's first day of school 2010

Another school year has begun and Payton has been anxiously awaiting this moment! I can't remember how many times during the summer when we would put him in bed he would wine about not being in school. His kindergarten teacher did her job because Payton sure loves school.
His 1st grade teacher this year is Mrs. Williams. I was so sad because I had to work the day school started but I have a great boss that let me come an hour late so I could see him off for his first day. He's a little more independent that I was at his age. He kept telling me he'd just ride his bike down and he'd be fine. I really wanted to make sure he found his classroom so I insisted on taking him to school. He was so excited to eat lunch at school this year. I gave him the choice of taking a lunch or eating at school and it was not even a contest which one he wanted. He was going for the chocolate milk!! He was supposed to meet at the flag pole after school and walk home with a group of kids from our neighborhood. {I love that there are so many kids to walk home with!!}
I was still at work when Payton got home from school but I had left him a snack in the fridge to eat until his dad got there. When I called to check on him and see how his day went he said, "I didn't even get in trouble!" Well, if that doesn't say what kind of a school year we're going to have, I don't know what does!
We had a good back to school night and I'm really excited for this school year! I love his teacher and can't wait to see what big steps Payt will be taking this year!
....Now I just need to figure out how to make staying home and learning something fun for Porter. He tells everyone he's doing homeschool and cried the night before school because he was supposed to be starting school too but was being taken to Grandma's and she wouldn't know about home school. I let him know his school didn't start until next week. Any good lesson plans out there I should be using or sharing with my four year old? Let the fun begin!

Sunday Drive

The Redwood Tree

Playing on the rocks

the boys crossing logs

Porter and Julia

We took our family on a Sunday drive up through Browse. Todd had to get out of the house and it's too hot to go for a walk {at least for us Calico's} so of course we took the new truck out and off the pavement. Todd took us somewhere I had never been and the kids are ready to go back. He took us down to the ranger station they have out there and the kids loved hiking around and playing by the little stream that flows there. We took a family picture by the big red wood someone planted down there. It makes me want to go see the real redwood forest...someday.

July 24th Celebration

Catching Night Crawlers w/ Kory

Julia after her race

Payton shooting a bow at one of the booths

Porter racing!

We spent the 24th up in Hatch or if you ask my kids, "The Hatch House". It was fun to spend Pioneer Day in a small community. We went up Friday and spent the night there with Tiff's family. They loved catching night crawlers so we could fish with them the next day. Next time we will make sure there are more flash lights for everyone. The next morning we got up, had a great breakfast and caught the parade! Then there were races and games to be played at the park. My kids loved playing the games and winning prizes. After the parade and park we went fishing at Tropic Reservoir. We caught lots of fish but nothing worth bragging about. If you ask Todd, I went along so I could read. I had to finish the second book of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire {those of you who have read them understand}. We fished until we got rained/poured out of the place.

Tanner, Luke and Payton--oh, and that little fish

After fishing, we came home, cleaned up the house and hit the road for home. It was a quick trip but I think everyone had fun.

Feeling Productive

Last night Todd came home from one of his priesthood meetings and talked to me about how technology is not all that great for kids to have. They learned that missionaries (100's of them) are being sent home from their missions because they can't be "unplugged" from the internet and technology. Texting, emails, internet, facebook, iphones...you get the idea. We have a son with the same problem--although I tend to refuse to see it as a problem. Payton loves the internet and loves playing games. We don't have a nintendo, wii, playstation....NOTHING! so I thought the computer was a fine way for him to get into the gaming scene. I don't even allow them to play games where they are killing other people (aliens? fine! People? NOPE!) We don't have cable so we are only able to watch movies. I thought we were doing pretty good as a family. Apparently, I'm not doing good enough.

I know plenty of kids that have cell phones {of their own} and are constantly texting {yes, it drives me nuts but I thought maybe it's because they're faster than me so I was jealous?}. Todd and I have decided that our kids will not have their own phones until they are able to buy one for themselves. I talked Todd into getting a "family phone" for when they are old enough to go out with friends and might need a ride somewhere, but he helped me see the wisdom in not allowing it to have texts because of the picture texts that kids are sending now a days. It got me to thinking about my family and all the ways I should be planning to protect my family from all the crap that is out there...{yes mom, I said CRAP! because that's what it is}

Todd also told me we should be not just be reading the scriptures but studying them every day. He asked me how many books I have read in the last month {I have been on a reading spree lately}. After counting them up I figured I had read 9 in the last 2 months. Then he asked how many times I had picked up my scriptures. Talk about putting me in my place.

So what does this have to with "feeling productive"? This morning, while the kids were still sleeping, I opened my scriptures and read...Which in turn made me want to go to the temple this week. Then I got laundry started, beds stripped, journal written in (it had only been since MARCH! AAAHHH!! I used to try writing once a month) garden harvested and sprayed from those nasty squash bugs, kitchen cleaned and one load of laundry folded and put away {that's usually the worst part of laundry for me...folding and putting away}. Not every day is like this but it's good to know if I put first things first, there can be time to get everything done that needs to be.

4:30 am

Here's a riddle. What does this ladder,

and these earplugs

and this 9 volt batteryall have to do with 4:30 in the morning?
It's what I was playing with at that time this morning. Our smoke alarm went off at 4:30 making me jump out of bed. Todd's gone on a fire so I was totally freaked out. I had Porter on the floor of my room and Payton was laying in my bed with me. My nephew Luke was staying with us and he was on the floor of the boys bedroom and of course Julia was in her crib. I seriously thought there was a fire. It was good to know I can hear when I'm sleeping and even better to know that even though I'm old my reflexes still work! There was no fire...just the need of a new battery.
I spent the next 30 minutes bringing the ladder in from the garage, learning how to take the battery out and then learned that even with the battery gone our smoke alarms still can "chirp" at me. I finally ended up going into the boys room to sleep because my pillow over my ears and the lack of being able to find earplugs made me go to the farthest room possible. Let's just say I've had better mornings.
Lesson learned: Have a spare 9 volt battery on hand!

Family Fun in Pheonix

The past week the kids and I spent time with our dad down in Pheonix, Arizona. Todd had to work at the BLM down there for a couple weeks and invited us to spend some time with him. I think we are considering this our family vacation this year even though Todd did not get much of a vacation. It was a paid vacation. Todd worked, we played. What more could I ask for?

We really didn't do too much. Ate, swam, slept, watched TV, ate some more, swam some more....Eat, drink, swim and be merry, right? It was nice for Todd even though he was working 12 hour days. At least there was something to come home to. The drive wasn't as bad as I was expecting, thanks to Kandice lending her portable DVD screens. It took us about 6 1/2 hours to get there but we made it and were so excited to be out of the car. The hotel rooms were great. Todd and I {and Julia} slept on the king size bed in one room and the boys slept on the pull out bed in the other room. There was a kitchen with a full size fridge/freezer, a microwave, a sink w/a garbage disposal, a dishwasher and a mini stove. The room was fully stocked with dishes, silverware, pots, pans...every thing we needed to have a home away from home.

We got there late but went and had dinner together at Bajio and then called it a night. The next day we enjoyed a hot breakfast (compliments of the hotel) and then got our suits on to swim. We were in the pool by 9:30 am. We stayed for a couple hours and then decided it was time to fill our tummies. That's how things went the whole week. Breakfast {yes, at the hotel. Hot breakfast EVERY morning!}. Then, wait for Jul's to fill her diaper and then off to the pool. Came home to have lunch, had naps and then off the pool again. Came home again and waited for our dad to get off work so we could all go to dinner.
It was a total vacation for me because I didn't have to cook or clean the whole time. I'm seriously considering hiring a maid. Todd won't be home until Saturday so I'm still asking myself why we came home. The neighbors did an awesome job of keeping our garden growing and the kids were content to stay in the hotel room and watch TV or ride the elevators. It was a nice break from the norm. It's true what they say. Some good things just don't last.