National Waffle Day

A few years ago, I made chocolate waffles on National Waffle Day.  Now, my kids won't let me skip a year.
I'm sure it wouldn't be so popular if we just had normal waffles, but we have chocolate waffles.  With chocolate syrup, whipped cream, berries, ice cream, etc.  Yeah, we go all out.

Everyone is happy. And that is what we like.

Kate's First Day of Kindergarten

Kate was so excited to start school.  She had to wait a full week after her brothers started and that was torture!  She had already been to back-to-school night, met her teacher, Mrs. Tipton, got her school shirt - she was ready to go - and then she had to wait.

 

 When the big day was finally here, she was ready to go first thing in the morning.  She picked out her favorite dress, we painted her toe nails to match, did her hair extra special, and then we waited some more for 9am to come.  She put her backpack on, then took it off, then put it on, then took it off.  Waiting is so hard!

Finally!  It's time to go.  Mom was able to go with Kate for the first hour of school.  Not that Kate needed her, she walked right in and sat down and listened to the instructions.  She found her best friend, Taylor, and they were good to go.

Such an excited day for an excited girl!
When Kate came home, she was tired, hungry and ready to go back!


My sweet Kate,
I still want to call you my baby.  I know that you are growing up, but you will always be my little girl.  You are amazing to me!  It is so fun to see you grow, learn and find your personality.  You have such a big heart with a quiet spirit to go along with it.  You are very sensitive to others and to feeling the spirit.  I am amazed at the things you intuitively know. 
Heavenly Father has packed quite a lot of qualities into your little body.  You are kind, smart, patient, funny, strong, determined, insightful, quiet, helpful, loving, creative and beautiful.  I could go on and on!  What a wonderful girl you are!   Our family is so blessed because you are in it.  You are such an important part of our family and we need you.
You have so many talents as well.  You love gymnastics and are so good at it.  You are a wonderful artist and love to be creative.  You try hard to be a good friend and you have a lot of friends.  You mind is full of incredible ideas.  I can't wait to see what you do with them.
I know that great things are ahead of you in life!  You try so hard to be good and follow Jesus.  You are a daughter of God and I want you to always know that and live up to it.  You can do it!  You are so loved by so many.  Always remember how special you are!
Love,
Mom

First Day of School

Our first day of school started out like every first day of school.  As long as I didn't let myself think about the fact that my firstborn was going to high school!  I always have butterflies in my stomach at the beginning of school, but today I had a swarm of butterflies!
We had our traditional breakfast of French toast and bacon.  Gavin ate well, but Enoch was nervous and didn't eat a lot.

 

 Of course, we got first-day-of-school pictures.  But, no picture bush this year - it got torn out.

Such handsome boys!  Although I don't know what is going on with Enoch's smile?

Gavin was so excited to be off.  Enoch was so nervous.  But, he likes his teacher, Mrs. Bailey, and knew it would be a good year.

Good luck, boys!  It will be an awesome year!

Whenever my kids start a new school, I write them a letter.  This year I'm a bit overwhelmed and emotional about Gavin being old enough to be in high school!  I don't think I can get through a letter.  Whimpy, I know, but I am really taking this hard.  I wrote this letter to Gavin while he was at Jamboree.  I think it fits today.

Fifteen Things I Like About Gavin

by: Mom

1. You know when to help.

Heavenly Father has given you a wonderful blessing to be inspired to serve. Never ignore those promptings. Those promptings to serve will bless you and those around you. Knowing what needs to be done is a character trait that few people have. You instinctively know what needs to happen. You are a doer. Keep it up!

2. You are so much fun.

You make us laugh. You make us smile. You make us have fun. Keep making us have fun – mom and dad sometimes forget!

3. You are a good friend.

You make friends so easily. More importantly, you keep friends. Most important of all, you choose good friends. You surround yourself with people who have the same values as you and help you make good choices. Work hard to keep those friends – you will never regret having great friends.

4. You are a good brother.

Heavenly Father chose you to be the big brother – the biggest brother. Because you can do it. Not everyone can handle being the oldest. It is a lot of responsibility to protect your younger siblings and be an example. You are the best big brother!

5. You are a good person.

This is so basic and so profound. Not everyone is fundamentally good – and you are. You want to be good, you work at being good and you make it happen. It is part of who you are and you don't ignore it for temporary pleasures.

6. You are so good at making brownies.

This may sound funny, but I love your brownies! You have so many different talents and making yummy brownies is only one of them. You are great at music, school, leadership, building, creating, sports, putting people at ease, being funny, etc.

7. You rarely slow down.

You always have been in motion. As a baby, you would never stop. As a teenager, you are so involved. Stay involved, stay active, stay engaged. You have so much to offer the world. Don't hide your talents.

8. You can speak to anyone.

I so admire this talent of yours. You can talk to children and adults. You can talk to friends and strangers. You can talk about easy things and hard things. You are going to be the most amazingly incredible missionary.

9. You are so cute.

Gavin, you really are a handsome young man. Those eyes of yours are stunning. Your valiant spirit shines through your eyes and lights you up. Just remember to keep the girls at bay until after your mission!

10. You are dedicated to the Gospel.

You know your scriptures. You know the doctrine. You have the Spirit. You grow your testimony. You respect your Priesthood. You are willing to accept callings and serve. You are chosen.

11. You go the extra mile.

I've always loved this about you. You are not afraid to do more. You are not afraid of work and effort. You do your best, even when it is hard.

12. You try new things.

(maybe except for books!) You are a perfectionist and I know this is hard for you. But, I've seen you overcome your fears of being perfect to try new things. You have so many interests and hobbies. You are so varied and that will bring you happiness in your life.

13. You are honest.

I've seen and heard you be honest. Sometimes this is so difficult – and you do it. Being honest is one of the best traits you can have. Always be honest – to yourself and your Heavenly Father.

14. You are my son.

I can't even think of the words to write so you know how much I love you. Right now, I'm teary because I know when you read this you will be away from me for a long time. I love you so much! When you were little I remember thinking that there could not be a parent in the world who loved their child more than I loved you. I still think that. I love you!

15. You are a son of God.

Never ever forget this. You are a Son of God. Always remember how amazing that is. Always remember how much He wants to help you come back to Him. Always remember how much he loves you.

A Busy Summer

I'm not going to lie.
This summer has kicked my butt from here to Tuesday.  Hard.
There are some nights I go to bed so exhausted and wonder if this is really my life.
A baby.  A busy teenager who can't drive yet.  Two more kids in between.  We are busy.
I hope this summer doesn't repeat itself.

AF Canyon Camping

It always seems crazy to me that we have such great campgrounds so close to us and we rarely use them - probably because they are so busy and hard to find a spot.
We got lucky this year when Grandma and Grandpa Randall took the kids camping for us.  Better yet, they also took Carson and Brynnley too.  Cousin camping!
Enoch and Kate were able to stay overnight with their grandparents and cousins and had the most amazing time.  It again, made me wonder why we don't do it more.
Greg, me and Guard went up in the evening and had a hot dog roast with the family.  After a traumatic fall for Guard, everyone had a great time.  I think Guard's goal for the night was to see how hurt and dirty he could get!

Lake Powell

We had a great time at Lake Powell this year.  Lots of swimming, kayaking, relaxing, water skiing and having fun.  We took it easy on the gas and parked up Bullfrog Bay close to the marina, but away from the traffic.  We found this spot with an awesome sand castle built and a perfect hole for Guard to play in.  Enoch earned his fishing belt loop.  We did take the speed boat a few times, but the water was so low - one time we hit a sand bar which jolted all of us in the boat. But the boys all skied (even Enoch, and got up!) and loved it.  By the end of the week, the houseboat was marooned on the beach and we had to push it off.  Maybe August isn't the best time to go?  The weather was also a bit chilly - who knew?  It was the first time the kids wore their sweatshirts at Lake Powell.
Gavin loved to ski, Enoch loved to kayak, Kate loved to swim and Guard loved to be pulled around in his floaty.
It was a bit hard with Guard this year.  He was walking and curious and into everything, including the water.  Before we left, I made up a 'Guard Duty' schedule.  All of the adults (including Gavin) took two hour shifts watching Guard - and when I mean watching him, I mean at least one hand on him at all times.  It was rather exhausting.  I'm not sure how willing I'm going to be to take him next year.
We had an awesome time!

I think Lake Powell is best summed up in pictures.