Camden's first day of kindergarten

We have debated and debated whether or not to send Camden to kindergarten this year. He has a late birthday and we've just wanted to give every advantage we can to him, so we leaned toward holding him back. However- we are still a bit undecided with it. We decided to put him in a private kindergarten this year, so if we decide to send him to kindergarten again next year, he won't have the same curriculum.  However, if we decide to send him to 1st grade next year, this program is accredited, and he can just start at the elementary school in first grade. He is in a class this year with only 10 kids. He goes M-Th, and it's only for 2 hours and 15 minutes a day. I love how small the classes are- and his teacher is darling with the kids. I think he's going to love it!

Bear Lake

We have had a tradition the last few years of going up to Bear Lake- just for the day. It's always highly anticipated, and a favorite day of the summer. We went up with the Hendricks again this year- and of course all had a fun time. We were one of the last people to leave the beach. They had fun with the canoe, and paddle boat, playing in the sand, building sand castles, etc. I dragged Camden out of the water screaming and crying. We they went to the usual Le Beau's for dinner and shakes, and didn't get home until almost midnight. They all had a wonderful time- so a successful trip, other than the fact that right as we were getting ready to leave, a HUGE gust of wind ripped the umbrella out of the sand, and it hit me on the nose and eyes. And now I have two black eyes. I wonder how many people are gonna think I'm an abused woman. :)

Drivers Ed

Morgan was able to take summer drivers ed. You have to have your birthday by Dec. 31st in order to qualify for summer drivers ed., and lucky for her- that's her birthday! :) She really wanted to take it in the summer because she has too many other classes she wants to take in school, and couldn't find the time to fit this in. She loves theater and realized that would have to be the class that goes, and she would have none of that. She was at the school by 7:00 am every day for two weeks. She did all of her driving and simulator hours during that time. She was there until 2:00 on some days- but she finished! She passed her drivers test, the highest in her class. Now she just has to wait until she is 16- so she can actually get her license. Watch out people- a new teen driver will be on the road soon!

Youth conference

Youth conference was a huge hit this year! The kids were able to do a carnival for a large group of adults with disabilities. They had so much fun serving, and playing with the group. Morgan said that was by far the highlight of her entire youth conference. They also went camping and had a great time. They played all kinds of relay games and had a testimony meeting. The food was talked about, and talked about. The food committee is pretty well known for their cooking skills- and again- they did not disappoint.

Road racing

I decided to make a road for racing cars, out of tape on the carpet. Camden LOVED it! He couldn't wait to get started. His friend Chase liked it as much as Camden did, so they played for hours with it. Then Logan decided to expand the road and make it much better. I should have called in my little architect from the beginning, because he made it look a thousand times better. Even Dillon and Logan played cars with Camden. I may need to keep this idea in the back of my mind for a rainy day, because they sure had a great time!

Girls camp

Morgan was able to go to girls camp again. This year right on Bear Lake, at a scout camp. The scout camp was gone for the week of July 4th, so they were able to go early on the 5th, and have the camp almost to themselves. They had so much fun, even though it was pretty cold, and wet. Girls camp never disappoints! Matt was able to go with them. He made several comments about how different scout camp and girls camp is. He said, "the boys just don't get excited about making crafty little things, and then hug and scream with excitement." Having been in cub scouts, and young women's, I think that is a pretty accurate description about the differences!

Fourth of July

This year for the fourth of July, we went to the Kaysville parade. Some of our nieces were dancing right after, so we went there. You would not believe the amount of whining and complaining we got for breaking our tradition two years in a row. The Kaysville parade really is better- but is too long, and it's not "tradition." We also usually go to the fireman's barbecue afterwards, and went to Ben and Natalie's for a barbecue instead. (More whining and complaining.) Then we always go to the ampitheater and listen to the symphony and watch the fireworks. We always sit in the same place even. (Tradition!) Well, Lyndia's foot wasn't doing too well, and she asked if we could just buy a bunch of fireworks and do them at Ben and Natalie's instead. We did, and holy cow- more tears, whining and complaining! We ended up taking them all home early and putting them to bed by 10. Seriously- I don't know if we will ever break tradition again. It's just not worth hearing about it. I know we will continue to hear about the injustice for the whole next year- and probably longer than that. So all in all- not the best 4th of July we've ever had. :)

EFY

Morgan and her friend Hailee went to EFY at BYU again this year. It was the highlight of her summer. She loves EFY and comes home with a renewed interest in reading scriptures, etc. She stays busy the whole week, and usually would only have a few minutes at night to talk. Morgan loves to tell me about her days, even after school. I love it- an it cracks me up, because she will usually start out, "So 1st period...." and then go on from period to period, and tell me about everything that happened in the day. She will talk for a good 1/2 hour, until one of the boys comes home, and she doesn't have my undivided attention anymore. However, at night she would have like 4-5 minutes to talk before her group devotional, and she would talk as fast as she could, without me even saying a word, so she could fit in everything she can. It is so funny! Basically we have a two hour gab session after EFY so she can fill me in on everything that she didn't get to tell me on the phone. I love it- and will definitely miss her when she goes off to college. :(

New Floors

Before

During

After (with cell phone, horrible lighting at night.)

We have hated our tile every since we moved in. It is slate, and looks nice, but man it is hard to clean! In order to get it clean, I have to get down on hands and knees and scrub each tile with a brush, and even then, it's not totally clean. There are so many grooves, and it is so uneven, it is nearly impossible to clean it. Besides that- I can't tell you how many times I have stubbed my toes, because it is so uneven. Anyway- we decided to rip it out this summer, and install the same hardwood we have in the other areas in our house. The project took longer than we expected, of course, and it was a complete disaster and a pain to do. However- I LOVE IT! We also painted our cabinets white, too. (By we- I mean we hired someone else to do it.) :)  The cabinets were almost the exact same color as the floor, and looked like a log cabin. We don't get a lot of natural light in our kitchen, so it has lightened things up so much as well. Another plus! I love it, and hope the floors and cabinets hold up to the wear and tear.

Overnighter and Day Camp

Matt came home early from scout camp, so he could go with Logan to his overnighter. Logan was super excited about it, since he hasn't been able to have an overnighter, until this year. They had their day camp at camp Kiesel, and had a great time. Of course the highlight is always the weapons- weather it be bows, or BB guns, it's a favorite. The weather was good for them, and we had no pocket knife injuries either. :)

Scout camp

The pictures are pretty terrible. Matt took them with his cell phone- but Dillon really wanted proof on how well he did with  his shooting skills! 

Dillon got to go to his first scout camp. He was thrilled. Camping is right up his alley. I was really glad that Matt was up there with him, because I always hear all kinds of scout camp stories, and he being my first boy- I really wasn't sure what to expect. Their troop did awesome! They one the relay race for the camp. (TONS of other troops were there, that they competed with.) Dillon got singled out by his leader. He said that they were behind in their first couple of handoffs, but when it was Dillon's turn, he took off like he'd never seen him run before. He made up their lost time, plus some, and the whole team went on to win it. Dillon was pretty proud! Their troop also won troop of the week and got an award for that. They won all the awards that they had at the camp. Dillon and Matt both came home with stories, and I'm sure it's not something they will forget for a long time!

Sound of Music

Morgan and I were able to go to the Sound of Music at the Hale Center Theater. I love that musical! We both had a hard time not breaking into song. :) We went to dinner at Biaggi's first, shopped a little, and had a wonderful mommy/daughter date. She sure enjoys going to musicals with me a lot more than her dad does. :) Love that girl! Too busy having fun- and forgot to take pictures though!

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish Matt a happy Father's day! He is the best dad! He is so good to the kids, to me, and everyone around him. He is the definition of selflessness. We love him so much! Just one of his presents. We knew he'd appreciate a little bobble head figure of himself to decorate his office with. :)

Patriachal Blessing

Morgan received her Patriarchal blessing today. It was beautiful. She is such an amazing young woman- and I love her with all my heart. The Patriarch was so sweet afterwards he teared up and paused for several seconds and then said, "Thank you for making my day so much better, than it was before you came here." I was a blubbering mess. :) So grateful that she can receive guidance to help her throughout her life.

First week of Summer vacation

Not a good first week! Matt had surgery on his deviated septum the first day of summer vacation. That was not a fun surgery- not that they ever are, right? His septum was really messed up and required quite a bit of work. Then, the next day, one by one, we all started to drop like flies. The stomach flu had hit. And lucky for Camden and I, we got it twice! 5 days apart from the first time. Ugggh. Summer is supposed to be fun and germ free, right? Here's hoping that the rest of the summer will be awesome!

Lacrosse 2012

Wow- I was terrible documenting this season. Dillon was the goalie the entire season, except for 1/2 a game, when somebody else wanted to try. He loves lacrosse, and he loves being goalie, because he doesn't have to run as much. :) He did a great job, and I cannot remember how many games they won or lost. However, I know they won more than they lost, so that's pretty good in my book. He is looking forward to some lacrosse camps this summer, and then playing again in the fall. It makes for a crazy busy time, but is so good for him, so we love it.

End of school 2012

Sign that Camden and I made, celebrating the end of a great school year.

Dillon, Logan, and a friend breaking through the banner. 

Well, the end of the year was a crazy as it always is. There were programs, field day, awards ceremonies, officer banquets, along with lacrosse games, etc. So busy! 3 of the 4 kids will be at new schools next year, so this really is the end of an era for them.  But we are excited for summer. A time and a season for everything, because I am sure in a couple of months we will be ready for school to start back up.  They don't even start school until Sept. 4th this year so they have 95 days of vacation. But who's counting. :)

Ducks

We had a duck that laid eggs in a bush right by our front porch. It was a perfect, secluded little spot. The kids checked on the eggs, and the momma duck multiple times a day, for about a month. Finally, the last day of school, those cute baby ducklings decided to hatch. The neighborhood kids and my kids loved it. We could not stop the flow of traffic to see the ducklings. I think the constant flow of kids, and especially the girl who came with her dog, made the momma duck decide to take up residence else where. We are really close to a stream, and I'm sure they made their way down to the water. It was fun having pet ducks, while it lasted.

9th grade awards night

This was the most organized awards night I have ever been to. They had it down to a science, despite it being the first year this school even existed. Morgan received several awards for excellence for this year. She got awards for academics, for some of the harder classes she took, for 9th grade vice president, peer tutor awards, and for cte certification. Great job Morgan!

Memorial weekend

Memorial weekend, we decided to go to City Creek, ride the train down, play around, go to Cheesecake factory, and hang out down there. Once we got down there to Cheesecake Factory, my sister needed me to watch Dominic for the weekend, so we hurried and ate, and hopped back on a train, so we could go get him. He slept in Camden's room, and they had a great time together. On Sat. we went to the aquatic center, and then to Christa and Guy's, since they have a great view of the air show. Afterwards, we went home, and prepared for the BBQ we had at our house. We had several of Matt's friends over, with their families. Dominic ended up getting sick over the weekend- but none of the other  kids did, so hopefully it will stay that way. Camden thought the weekend was pretty cool, because he had a friend to play with all weekend. He loves to socialize!  All in all- not a bad weekend, but one that I didn't even get a single picture of!

Last Day of Preschool

 Camden's first day of preschool. Sept. 2011

My baby had his last day of preschool today. It's hard to believe that he is done now. Seriously- where does the time go? We are most likely putting him in kindergarten fro two years in a row, since his birthday is so late. He has loved preschool this year and going with  his little buddy Julianna. The last few days of preschool have been extra fun for him.  Movie in a tent  day, with treats and friends, and then a reptile party the last day of school. He loved Mrs. Evelyn and keeps asking if he can go there again next year.

Camden's last day of preschool 2012

Camden's 5th birthday

Wow- for some reason- 5 is such a big birthday in my mind. He's not a toddler- preschooler anymore. :(  Dang- I had know idea I wouldn't be excited for my kids to grow up, before I had them. I love the people they are becoming, but want them to stay little, for a while longer! Camden even has a loose tooth. He said, "I promised I wouldn't growed up and I did it anyway!" Haha so cute!

 

Anyway- back to the birthday boy. He opened presents from us in the morning.

He got a remote control shark balloon. Unfortunately, his beloved shark balloon came to an early demise, when his friend, Chase came over for his party, and took it outside and let it go. Camden came up with all kinds of plans to retrieve it, to no avail. He was at the point of desperation, when he asked if I have any magic bean stalks that he could climb up to the sky, so he could get it.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos (which he had been asking for for a LONG time), a leap pad, and a couple other small items.

We celebrated his birthday with his friends today. He begged for Chuck E. Cheese. He only wanted 3 friends, which made it easy for us.

We went there during lunch, played, ate, and had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. It was so slow, so the workers pretty much treated him like a king! He even knew exactly what kind of a cake he wanted. He had seen a picture of a cake, and asked over and over again, for this particular cake. It was so easy to do- so I am not complaining!

Camden is my little buddy. He makes us laugh every day. Multiple times a day. He is so funny and quirky. He is so smart, and adorable- I can't help but hug and kiss him. A. LOT. He still loves his cats. A little too much. :) He carries them with him and talks about them all the time. We are hoping he will outgrow this phase at some point, before he graduates from high school. :) We cannot imagine our life without him. Happy 5th birthday Camden!!!