Justice's Leg

Justice has earned his first battle scar. He was trying to ride his bike down our extremely steep driveway and lost control. He was trying to use his feet to drag to a stop instead of the brakes. So he wiped out at the bottom of the driveway and has this huge boo-boo to show for it. It's surrounded by lovely blue and purple and green bruises. He can't even touch it with out wincing.

Poor Dude!

First Day of School

Well the kids are back to school!! Yay!! Montana is in 2nd grade. She is doing great so far!! She is getting her work done, and homework as well. We are off to a great start. She has a couple of friends that she walks to and from school with. They are so cute together.
Sierra is getting the hang of 8th grade at her new school. She has lots of friends already and knows a bunch of people from her old elementary. So it wasn't such a hard transition after all. She has been super busy with cheer responsibilities- it is a lot more leadership behind the scenes kind of stuff than I would have ever imagined. They filed papers at registration, spent a whole day making posters and planning the pep rally, they practice practice practice. They really are a great squad and I am so happy with everything they are doing. She loves it and the girls are all best of friends. The text messaging on her phone is so out of control. It is nonstop, 24-7 unless her battery is dead. They never actually speak to each other- which seems weird, but those thumbs are constantly going. I remember when talking to your friends meant you were stuck to the wall phone and that springy cord that would stretch clear down the hall. Everyone would pick up the phone and you would have to say "I'm on the phone!!". Ah- those were the days.
Justice starts on Monday. He can't wait. He still packs his backpack everyday. The play time has been seriously cut down. Which he can't quite understand yet. I have to keep telling him that everyone is at school and won't be home until 4:00. So it will be nice to get him on a schedule also.
I Love School!!! The house is not quite so messy- not so many dishes- and I actually can have two moments of peace in the day. School Rocks!!

Montana's Baptism

Yesterday was such a special day for Montana. Uncle John came down from Wyoming to baptize and confirm her a member of the LDS church. She looked so beautiful and was so excited. Also Aunt Sherma, Cousin Holly, and Cousin Hannah came from Wyoming. We had them sing "I am a child of God." It was so good it gave me goosebumps. Sierra gave a very nice talk about baptism. She didn't want to do it, but I think she was quite proud of herself after- and she should be. She did a great job. Thank you everyone for coming all this way to be with us. Grama Dodie, Grama Laura, and Grampa Dave were there as well. Right after Tana came up out of the baptism water, Justice yelled "TANA, YOU'RE BAPTIZED!!" and clapped his hands. It was so cute. Everyone laughed. We had everyone over for dinner at our house afterward. What a spread. We ate ourselves silly. We had originally planned for Uncle John to baptize Tana in the Salt Creek up in Wyoming. We thought that would be so neat. But the water was getting sooo cold (about 40 degrees) and we couldn't get a final approval from the stake president. So we scrambled to make it still happen on the same day here in Salt Lake. It all worked out fine. Halley and Hillary stopped by the house later to Congratulate Montana. All the kids were running around the house squealing with delight. They brought little one month old Harrison- Sooooo cute- we all held him and played with him a little. But once he started crying, I remembered why I didn't have any more babies. Congratulations Tana. I will add some pics as soon as I get some back from dad, our official photographer. What a day!

Another Birthday

Written by Jenn


August is a month full of Birthdays in our family. August 18th is Montana, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Amy's birthday, all on one day. That is always fun. Then just a few days later it is my birthday. I don't know how but we always manage to make each birthday so special. Tana had a huge birthday blowout, and then they spoiled me too. Eric bought me this really nice table and chairs for the patio. SO CUTE. Here is a pic, and a pic of the nice chairs my parents got me. I just mentioned that it would be nice to get some more chairs a few weeks ago, and BAM- the house is now loaded with new places to sit. We all went out for dinner last night also to celebrate. The past few years I have really struggled with getting older, but this year I feel like I got a year younger. For the last 3 months or so I kept thinking that the year is 2008. So when I finally remembered its only 2007- I realized I also was not going to be as old as I thought. That 40 marker is fast approaching. So I am happy to know I have three more years to enjoy my 30's instead of only two. Dumb, I know, but it puts a smile on my face. Grama Dodie always calls with her birthday songs. The phone rings in the morning of your birthday and you just know it is her. She is amazing- all these birthdays to remember and she never forgets us. We love you Grama.Thank you family for always making me feel special on my day!

Back to the Grind

My preschool classes have started again (which I absolutely love) and we are trying to get into our school routine again. Sierra has had cheer practice every morning and so the kids have been coming to school with me until their school starts. So it is get up early and rush rush rush. Justice and Tana found out who their teachers are and are very excited. Sierra got her schedule and her locker/combo, so she is all set to go. We have gone through the kids clothes and had them try everything on to see what fits, what doesn't, and what is ready for the trash. Needless to say, we are in need of a shopping trip or two to be ready in the clothing area. But other than that we are set. This is always such a fun time of year. I still get butterflies - the excitement of what the year will bring, and having the days filled with activities is something we all look forward too. Especially after the "LONG BORING SUMMER WITH NOTHING TO DO" (even though we were running around everyday trying to entertain the kidlets). It will be nice. Plus mommy can sleep some while Justice is at school. Maybe I won't be so cranky. :-)

We celebrated my birthday yesterday at mom and dads. She made an awesome dinner, with cake and ice cream for dessert. Mom and Dad bought me some chairs that I have been wanting. They are so awesome. THANKS MA & PA. Then mom kept the kids for a sleepover. What a way to celebrate getting another year older.

Shaun and Steve's Baby Shower

Stacy, Nadine, and I threw a baby shower for Shaun and Steve last Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We went way overboard with decorations, food, and fun. They are so cute and excited. They had the surrogate mom and her 8 yr old flown in for the shower. That was really nice. She was such a nice lady and looked beautifully pregnant. They've decided to call the baby Skyler, it's a boy. So we are excited to have a new baby in the family. He should be here in time for Halloween. Auntie Jenn can't wait to babysit!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance

Oh Yeah!! Sierra, Me, Diane, Molly, and Niki are all going to the So You Think You Can Dance concert tour in Gilbert, AZ on Nov 18th. YES!! We tried like crazy to get tickets to last years tour and couldn't get tickets in any city. This will be so fun! It will be a big trip for us because it is so far away. We will travel down with Diane and Molly and then stay with Niki at her house in Arizona. We can't wait. It will be fun to hang with just the girls. Sierra sees them all the time but I haven't really seen them since Niki's baby shower eons ago. Can't wait!!