Brock's First day of First Grade

Okay, I thought Kindergarten was hard. I was wrong, that was nothing compared to first grade. Brock wanted me to just pull up to the school and drop him off and leave. I told him that I wanted to stay and watch and of course take some pictures. Actually, all was fine and dandy until I got home. Last year when I would take the kids to school I would come home and think "okay, I have 2 Hours and 45 Minutes, what can I get done?" Not today, I came home and realized that Brock won't be home from school until 3:30. That is soooo long. He was so excited and definitely ready. He didn't sleep very well because he was so excited. He absolutely refused to put his lunch box in his backpack. Grandma Jen took him to buy it and I think he thinks everybody at school will notice how cool it is. Parker is home all week, all alone, without his big brother. As soon as we got home he asked if we could go to Lagoon today. When I told him that I had to get some work done today, he said "then, what friend should I invite over?" He doesn't start school until next week and this just might be the longest week of his life.
No matter how hard it is for me to watch him grow up so fast, we are so proud of Brock and we are truly are glad that he loves school and is so excited about starting this new chapter of his life. -I can't even imagine what kind of emotional basket case I will be next Tuesday when I have take my baby to kindergarten.

We're having a cousin!!

Just a quick note. We are having a baby. Okay, Alyssa and Randy are having a baby! Congratulations guys, we are so excited for you! You are going to be great parents. What a lucky little kid you are carrying. We can't wait for March/April.

A Weekend of Boating

Well, ever since I was a little girl, I always thought that it would be so much fun to go up to the cabin and boating all in the same weekend. Last weekend, my dreams came true. I had to work in Colorado and flew home Sat. morning, so Cory and Justun took all the kids up on Friday and got all the fishing out of the way before Bree and I arrived on Sat. morning. We spent two days on the water. It was great. For the first time ever, I wakeboarded before I skied. (I was waiting for really great water to ski, which I got the next day) I think it is safe to say that all 4 of us can jump on the wakeboard now. Abby is so cute she loves to ride the tube but hated getting in the water for a swim. Haddie just loved being on the boat. She was so good and just chilled the whole time. With much coaxing and a offer for an RC car, Brock and Paker both wakeboarded with me. It was fun. (more so for me than them though) I think it will be better next time. Parker even tried to ski again, but he's not really interested so I figure the longer we wait for them to learn the more water time I will get - I KNOW! Very selfish, but I figure as soon as they realize how much fun it really is, they will want all of the time behind the boat. So for now I am enjoying my freedom. I love boating, I love the time that I get to spend with my family there and I cant wait for next time. Thanks Bree and Justun, we had a great weekend.

Parker, Brock and Abby

Cory and Justun were trying to kill Jeri and Bree. "Bring it on, Boys!"

Bree's getting really good on the Slalom

Parker's first time wakeboarding - Way to go Buddy!

Cory's Big Jump

Brock - Pure Joy

Jeri's Big Jump

The Edwards Family

Haddie loves the boat!

"Why do you want to drown us dad?"

Memories (from Annette)

...here are the instructions if you would like to play.
1. Leave a memory that you and I had together as a comment on my blog . It doesn't matter if you know me well or not so well, anything you remember.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and people will leave a memory about you. It's a fun way to get to know each other better. If you leave a memory about me I'll assume you are playing and I'll go to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog I'll leave my memory of you in my comments on my blog.

Oh, how we love July. I would have to say that the 4th of July just might be my favorite holiday. I love all of the festivities. I love that Riverton is like a small town for the 4th (with a way bigger parade route) We pretty much stick to tradition for America’s Birthday. On the night of the 3rd at 6:30 we head to the Phisters to watch the parade. They are great. They let everybody feel like family. Cory always begins the softball tournament that evening and has to miss most of the parade. I think they just like walking down the street in their softball clothes like they are part of the parade to come back and meet all of their wives and kids. Then we headed to Wingers with CJ and Jennilyn for dinner. We always love hanging out with them. The next morning, the kids and I went to our ward parade and breakfast. It was so fun. Brock pulled Parker in our wagon while he threw candy at the crowd. They loved it. Cory had to miss this parade as well, for game two of the tournament. But we left breakfast to go watch. We got there just as our Striker boys were headed off the field from a loss in game three. The Softball tournament is always a fun tradition. So, thanks Mark for always putting that together. We ran some errands and then had Cory'S family over for dinner. Then off to the fireworks we went. I think this year was better than ever. The finale was awesome. Fireworks lit up the whole sky. (again, just like a small town) On Saturday afternoon we went with Bree and Justun wakeboard shopping. Cory and Justun are ready to go all Pro. After that, we cam back to our house and made some amazing shish kabobs. It was quite fun and very healthy. We ended the evening with some sparklers. Every year on the 4th, I believe that there is something great to said about fun and simple family traditions. Happy Birthday America!!

A fun week in June

Wow, What a crazy couple of weeks. Now I have been a crazy blogger today. Cory's sister Alyssa and our brother-in-law Randy were in town and we had a chance to spend lots of time with them. Last Sunday (the 22nd) Alayna and Jason blessed our new baby Ike. It was awesome. They did it in their back yard with just their family there. The spirit of the blessing was amazing. Monday was CJ birthday and we spent the evening in the park. We played mean game of wiffle ball. Happy birthday little brother. We love you!
On Thursday we went to Yuba boating for the day Its such a weird lake because it is either totally windy or totally calm. This time was totally windy. We wake boarded and skied just a little. But I did knee board for the first time in many years. Its just like riding a bike. I did a 360 and everything. But, despite the wind, we had a fun day on the beach. Then on Friday we took the kids to see Kungfu Panda. They thought it was hillarious. We had dinner with Cory's family and then did some grocery shopping for our new healthy life (I will blog about that later).
On Saturday, my good friend Heidi Mathie was married in the SL Temple. She was as beautiful as ever. Then while we went to the reception, Brock and Parker went to the Riverton Rodeo with Grandma and Grandpa and all of their aunts and uncles on Cory's side. They had a blast. Thanks for taking them everybody!
Then to wrap up the weekend Annette and Mel had us over for breakfast on Sunday morning. Annette even made me my very own special WHEAT pancakes (again for my healthy new life) We've been having a great summer and can't wait for more. Bring it on!!

Brock's on his way to First Grade

Brock finished kindergarten quite some time ago. (like over a month) But, I am just not getting around to blogging about it. He had so much fun in Kindergarten. He made lots of friends and is the king of the monkey bars now. Brock has always been such a smart little guy. His teacher told me that he was on the highest reading level she has ever taught a kindergartener. We have always known that Brock would need a little something extra when it comes to education. He has so much common sense and is very logical. He learns very easily. So, we applied for the ALPS program. (acceelerated learning program for students) He did awesome. He had to have a composite score of 50 to qualify for the program and he had a 92. Luckily our school is an ALPS school. Not all schools in the district house the program. So, when Brock starts first grade, he will be able to learn more on his own level. I think the good part is that he still gets to have lunch and recess and field trips with all of the other first grade classes. We are so excited to watch him grow and learn this year. We love Brock and are so very proud of him.

Moab - With Dave & Ashely - Without Kids

Just the HighlightsCory attempting Potato Salad Hill. He almost made it, but the Jeep flooded out right at the top. Coming back down was pretty scary without power-steering and backward.

Dave drove on slickrock for his first time. He did well and I believe that I heard him tell Ashley that they need to buy a Jeep now.

We played in the music park. It might just be my favorite part of the trip. It's such a cool park. Can you just picture Cory and I doing the "Spider" on the swingset. I definitly want to be on top next time.

We hiked to the arch again. It was way faster this time without kids. It's very cool up there.This is the drunkest man I have ever seen. We watched him walk with his bike and then try to ride it. We saw him crash 3 times riding down a sidewalk. It was so funny that we decided to follow him. This is where he ended up. We really don't think its his house. In fact, we're pretty sure that he wasn't even riding "his" bike