First half of September

Elisabeth taught herself how to french braid. For years I've been french braiding her hair after she showers so that it's nice and crimpy, and last year I believe, I suggested she learn how to french braid it herself because I won't always be with her after she showers :). She would get frustrated in the beginning because it didn't look very good, but I reminded her that since she was doing it at night and wearing it to bed, it didn't really matter how it looked, and to just keep on practicing and notice how it looked after and decide on some changes she wanted to make for next time. She kept at it and I'm happy to say that she's been french braiding her hair well for the past couple of months! And now she's learning to do other fun hairstyles like dutch braids and different hairtsyles on her sisters etc. Practice makes permanent! 

We still get together with our old neighbors and good friends the Wilcox's and Hansen's about once a month. We switch off hosting and this past month we went to the Hansen's and got to try out their new court which we played pickle ball on, and tested out their new fire pit.

August was Annabelle's date night month but we didn't get to her until September 4th. We had Cafe Rio for dinner then went over to play some pickleball at the new Bluffdale park and then we grabbed dessert at Kneaders (they do half price on their baked goods after 8pm on Saturday night). Normally we don't do all of that on one date night but since we had a free meal at Cafe Rio and the treats were half price we decided it was okay for this time :).

And September is Jane's date night month. She decided to have breakfast at Cubbys. We had never eaten breakfast at Cubby's before so we looked up the menu before hand and found something that each of us would like and it was very yummy. Jane had french toast, Scott got biscuits and gravy and I had a quinoa and avocado plate.

During the last couple of weeks that our pool was still open, Nora finally learned to swim across the width of the swimming pool! Good work Nora!

About once a month, Nora and I will eat lunch at Cafe Rio. We choose to go on dates when I either get something for free through their app, or when it's double points day (also through the app; points add up til you get $10 off). I'm sure going to miss this next year when she's in school all day.

BYU football has started up again! Scott and I came home from a temple date night one Saturday night and found this! The whole group in BYU blue ready and waiting to watch the game that night. I wish they could start a little earlier than 8pm because we are an 'early to bed, early to rise' family so it's brutal staying up so late.

Elisabeth had some sort of spirit week at school, maybe blue ribbon? Can't remember exactly. But she had to dress up every day and I loved her choice of look on this 'crazy' day. I love how confident and positive this girl is all the time.

In Annabelle's fourth grade class they highlight one student a week in something called, "virtue week". I am to make a poster for Annbelle highlighting her virtues and then one day during the week I come in and share it with the class. I loved this, especially since this is our first year at this school; I felt like it was a great way to get to know Annabelle.

I am getting ready to run my first marathon next weekend in St George! Last year I ran my first half marathon and two years before that was the first time I ran my first 10k, or 6 miles. Growing up, I hated running and would try to get my dad to let me stay out of school the days we had to run the mile, so it seems funny that I do this as a regular thing now and actually kind of like it. In preparing for my marathon and running for sometimes 3 hours at a time, I started eating pickles more regularly as I read that the salt and vinegar help with endurance athletes because of all the salt you're losing through sweat, and the vinegar acts as a muscle relaxer. I've also tried a little mustard plain, but that's just gross so I haven't done that much, and it helps with the same sort of things. Nutrition is important always, and it shows up even more so when you're taxing your body like this.

"If you feed them, they will come." We had some neighbors over again for another movie night a couple weekends ago. And we always make food because I know they love it, it's fun to eat at other people's homes and it makes you feel more welcome and comfortable...or at least it did for me; it's like the parent is staying, 'stay, eat, hang around for awhile, we like you.' :)

Charles continues to love football and his 3 night a week, 2 hour practices, along with his Saturday games. Football will continue through November.

I'm so proud of Scott for completing his first sprint triathlon! I was sad I couldn't be there as it was an hour away in Syracuse and he didn't sign up til last minute and we had 2 sports games that morning, but we celebrated that night by having dinner at The Knotts on Main. He did great and got the time he was hoping/expecting to get. He said he got dizzy during the swim, which could be from not wearing ear plugs...we're not really sure. He liked using the wet suit and said it felt like he was cheating because it helps you float, but everyone wears them. I'm guessing he'll want to do another one in the future and I'm hoping he does so I can watch and cheer him on! 

Last two weeks of August

One of the kids snapped this while I was working at the computer. Nice. 

 Elisabeth was not home for a lot of the summer, mostly the second half as she had a week long piano camp at USU, then girls camp, then we were off to Washington for our family reunion, and once we were back she had another girls camp called Oakcrest which is a week long for only the girls going into the 8th grade. After it was all said and done she said that next year she doesn't want to do so many camps. I don't blame her, we sure missed her!

 We have a sign up in our kitchen that says, "If you feed them, they will come." True statement. I try to always have food out for their friends when they come over because I want them to feel welcome and loved and comfortable in our home, and I know how much food means to the youth as I was once one myself...I always liked being at my friends houses where parents were loving and fridges/pantries were open! :) In this picture below I think we had 5 friends/neighbors over and so we made up multiple batches of popcorn, and peanut butter popcorn, and they visited and watched a movie.

 Charles is loving football, and he continues to love his 2 hour, 3 times a week football practices! Nice! Glad he's getting in some good strength training and conditioning so regularly.

 My girls begged Stacey to let them come over and wash her dogs and they had a blast! They asked her to please call them next time the dogs need a wash. Glad we have friends with dogs so my kids can play with them. Thanks Stac!

 They expanded the Provo MTC and we took the family on a tour of the facilities. It was gorgeous. The kids were interested in the cafeteria...I was too :).

 I loved all the large and beautiful paintings that were everywhere! They bring in such a sweet spirit.

 Here are my girls outside the new, expansion.

 The lighting in this painting was magnificent! I don't know how they did it.

 The elementary kids started back to school on Monday August 21 at their new school, American Preparatory Academy. And  yes, they are in uniforms which we are actually loving! We really haven't had any complaints thus far and we're over a month in now. It's nice not to have to make a decision about what to wear each day as it's already decided :). Elisabeth went back to school Wednesday the 23.

 And since we had a couple of days to ourselves we went hiking at Rocky Mouth trailhead in Sandy, had lunch at Cafe Rio,

 and when we picked up Nora from kindergarten, she let us use her special glasses she got in school so that Elisabeth and I could see the solar eclipse!

 That week was also BYU education week and I was able to go out there for a couple of evenings and get several classes in. I love BYU education week because it motivates and lifts me to become a better version of myself. So even though it was a challenge trying to fit in a few classes into our already busy schedule, especially with it being the kids first week back in school, I made it a priority. All the classes I attended were great! Mostly I took classes on marriage, parenting and the scriptures/Jesus since that's my main focus in life these days, and I learned and 'remembered' a lot, and in the end I decided on one goal for me right now and that would be in my family relationships. As the mother, I know I have a huge influence on the feelings and atmosphere in our home and though it's mostly positive and good, I know it could be better so I'm going to work on being more present, more patient and more positive at home with the poeple I love most. I liked these quotes: "Compliance shouldn't be our main goal. It needs to be much broader than that. Build trust and self esteem. Your attitude (as mother/father) is so important. Always make positive assumptions (about your children."

I always enjoy hearing Hank Smith speak. We have several of his cd's and we all enjoy listening to him because he's funny and at the same time, he can get a powerful message across.

 This was a picture of the 'principle journal' Hank Smith's family keeps with their scriptures that the family reads from each night. I had heard him mention this before so last year I put a journal in our basket that we keep in the living room with a copy of the Book of Mormon for each individual, and we made a couple of entries last year, writing down messages and principles we pulled from the scriptures, but then we stopped (though I keep doing it on my own each day during my individual study time). So this was a good reminder for us to start up again. Hopefully we can make this a daily habit this time around.

 I love President Gordon B. Hinckley, former Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was always so positive, optimistic and courageous.

 This girl Nora loves to practice her head stands and she has them down really well; so well that she can hold all sorts of fun poses now while in her head stand. Here she is with our neighbor Cortnie.

 I love raw key lime pie, it is my favorite dessert and it's nutritious which, in my eyes, makes it even better! So I decided this last time I made it, to make it in a square pan instead of a circle, and then cut it up into bite sized little squares so that I can easily enjoy just a bite or two each day. Turns out this was perfect for me because most days after lunch, I just want a little something, and this is the perfect serving size. And because it's a frozen treat, I can just keep this in my freezer for however long it takes me to finish it, and I get to have this delicious treat each day :).

 We had a ward campout in little cotton wood canyon and I wasn't sure when I would get my long run in that Saturday morning and Scott suggested I run home. I decided that was a good idea so I packed my running clothes, and my water back pack with snacks, and I woke up around 530 and was on the road running down the canyon by around 6am. I didn't sleep well while camping so that made running a little more challenging, and I couldn't see my watch for the first several miles as it was dark, so I wasn't pacing myself well and went way too fast on those first several miles coming down the canyon.

I paid for my poor pacing later in the run when I slowed down dramatically ('hit the wall') and had a hard time finishing. Luckily the last couple of miles, when I wasn't sure if I was going to finish or not, the Lord sent me an angel, a friend who lives about 3/4 mile away from my house, and she helped me finish the mileage I needed. I am continually amazed at the Lord's goodness and His love for each individual. He cares about us and things that are important to us, are important to him. 

 This is a picture I snapped of Jane and Nora's bedroom after they'd left for school. They like to make their beds their own way. As long as it's done!

First Half of August, tender mercies

Charles scout leaders put together a 3 day scout camp for them since they didn't have anything planned for this year. The boys had a day of cooking, sports and building a tower. This tower was pretty impressive. We're so grateful for all the good scout leaders Charles has had over the years. 

 Annabelle has been taking a sewing class from a sweet lady in our ward/neighborhood who is amazing with the kids and with sewing! She has a couple of rooms in her house dedicated to sewing with 5 sewing machines for the girls to use, and lots and lots of different material and patterns and ribbons adn buttons etc. Each week she allows the girls to go through a notebook with all sorts of fun sewing projects and choose what they would like to make that day, then they get to go through all her materials and pick which material to use and they make it! Annabelle has LOVED this, it's probably been one of her favorite extracurricular activities so far...she also enjoys dance. Here are a couple of the things she's made: purse and an owl night cap (which she uses almost daily as she shares a room with her older sister Elisabeth who likes to stay up a bit later than Annie and read.)

And here is Annabelle at the class with our cute friend Elizabeth Geilman. She also took the class with Annika Ludwig so they were bound to have a good time. 

I took this screen shot shortly after I started increasing my distance, hoping to one day do a marathon. Here I ran 17 miles with a friend who I recently met who lives about 3/4 of a mile away. And that is an interesting story of divine guidance which allowed me to feel again, the love and tender mercy of the Lord for me. I had been trying to find someone to run with for awhile but with no luck as there are not many crazies out there like me who want to train to run 26.2 miles for a marathon. I had gotten up to 17 miles and running that long, alone, was hard (I don't mind running alone for shorter runs as having an hour to myself to work things out in my head about the upcoming day/week is actually quite nice). On Wednesday, I set out for my 4 mile walk(this is a rest day in my training) and I have a particular route where I always go, but that morning I decided to turn a different way and stay in the neighborhood. After about a half mile of walking, these two women passed by running and wearing water backpacks. I had several quick thoughts as they passed: 1) I wonder how they like their water packs, as I need something that holds more water for my long runs 2) they must've just run a lot of miles since they're carrying water 3)I wonder if they live close so I could run with them and 4)I should go talk to them. But I didn't and they passed me by and I could no longer see them. But I wished I would've talked to them and I started mentally scolding myself for not taking advantage of that opportunity that was given to me. Then, a couple of minutes passed and I spotted them again, stopped in front of a house in the neighborhood, stretching! I quickly walked over to them and asked how they liked their water packs. We talked about water, then distance runs (they had just run 12 miles adn both had done marathons). When they said they lived nearby, I asked for their names, Staci and Kim. Then I was on my way again. As I walked, their names kept running through my mind; I wanted to remember them. Later that day, I thought I should have gotten their numbers, then I thought maybe their LDS and I can find them in the directory. And I did! I messaged them that day about the possibility of running together for long runs and both gave a positive response in the affiritive. The following week Kim and I ran 18 miles together and we've done several long runs since. It has been so nice to have someone running with me who can not only run the long miles, but who has trained for and done mulitiple marathons prior to this time. She knows the good, quiet roads, she has mapped out lots of different long runs before, she knows how I'm feeling after a long run, knows how important it is to properly fuel and hydrate and it's just been such a blessing. As always in my life, I'm reminded of gospel parellels. How grateful I am for our Savior Jesus Christ who has gone before us, who knows the way back home, who has felt what we have felt and knows what we're going through and knows how to help us and has even provided scriptures and prophets for us today so that we can have His word with us to guide us. I am so grateful to the Lord for his love and watchful care over the one.

Before school began I took the kids bowling along with Maren and Amanda and their kiddos.

We always have a nice time together.

Our dryer stopped drying! We rarely buy the warranties, actually, pretty much never, so I almost didn't call Home Depot to check in on it (it was only 2 years old), and then when I had to wait on hold for awhile to talk to someone in the extended warranty business I wondered if I was wasting my time. But I felt like I should. So I waited. And waited, and I am so glad I did because we found out our dryer is covered until 2020! Wahoo! We were able to get it fixed up within a couple of days, free of charge! Another tender mercy.

Scott has been making this fabulous Challah bread on Fast Sundays, which we've been turning into French Toast. It is SO yummy! After week one, we decided to double the batch because one loaf was definitely not enough! And look how pretty he braided it!? A man of many talents!

I had to snap this picture when Nora came in with a t-shirt, exercise capri's, a baseball hat, pink lipstick and high heels! I never wear high heels, so I'm not sure where they get their fashion sense.

Charles has not been a big fan of reading. The only thing I feel like I could get him to read without any encouragement was Calvin and Hobbes or other comic books. So when we stayed with the Garnica's (my brother's house) and I read Shaun's poster (he's Charles cousin and they are one month apart and good friends) about how he loved the Michael Vey book, Prisoner of Cell 25, I came home from that trip and put it on hold at the library. It arrived the following week, one week before school started and I told Charles about it and asked him to read it. He looked at it, I could tell he was registering how thick it looked and then said, "Do I have to?" "Yes, yes you do." "You're going to make me?" "Yep! At least the first 50 pages. After that, if you decide to move onto another book then that's fine."  Well, he got started on it that day and within minutes he was captured! He could not put the thing down. Over the next couple of days we had to ask him to come to the dinner table, without his book! And we had to make him put it down at night as we were getting ready to turn in ourselves. He finished it quickly and then moved onto the next book in the series, and the next and now he's almost done with book number 4. Thank you Richard Paul Evans for writing the Michael Vey series! You have helped my 11 year old son to see that reading can be a joy and that he can read big books and have fun doing it!

Geilmans came over for an afternoon before school began and we swam and played at home. The boys did some Wii games including the dance Wii. Love it!

In May this year, we allowed Charles to give up the piano and start a new instrument. We decided to give the guitar a try because 1) we have a guitar and 2) a guy on our street teaches guitar which would be so convenient for me who is constantly chauffering kids around everywhere! It has been great! He likes having something that's his own and he's already learned to play enough cords that he can play several songs in our church primary song book (and sometimes he'll sing while he'll play!). And the picture just below this is when he went to Boondocks with his friend Michael.

On that same day, Jane treated the girls to the Despicable Me 3 movie as she won a drawing at the library and got a Megaplex gift card. Thanks Jane! (It was a $15 card and so we went on $5 Tuesday). I didn't love the movie and so was glad I didn't pay for everyone...I wouldn't have anyway. We're not big movie watchers and definitely not theater goers. I'd much rather pay $1-$5 and have the whole family watch it in the comfort of our own home, with my jammies on, and my blanket and with a remote in my hand so I can fast foward anything that's not up to my standards of clean. But it was a fun adventure and we were excited that both Jane and Annbelle won a prize from the summer reading program! (annabelle won a $15 itunes gift card which she has used to rent a couple of movies).