Hello Sunrays!

So the day before school started I decided to let Aubrie try a new gym.  I don't know why I waited till such a crazy time, but honestly that's when it felt right.  Aubrie really liked her experience at BYU and the style of coaching there, and when she got back I could tell she wasn't as excited about gym as she used to be.  I  heard of a good gym from a friend, but it is 30 minutes from our house.  I decided I would at least let her try a work out there.  During the work out she was smiling and looked excited to be there.  On the car ride home she said she liked it and wanted to switch. She loved the coaches!  They were kind, patient, and very knowledgeable in knowing how to help her improve.  I knew it was a good fit for her, but it was hard knowing I would have to say goodbye to Spinettes.
I had Aubrie go in and give her old coaches thank you cards, and say goodbye.  I also had a conversation with the owner explaining why we were leaving, which was really hard.  She has always been so great to work with us and our religious needs, and she has always been so respectful of them.  It was very emotional, an over the weekend I started to doubt the decision.  Sometimes when I'm there for hours, because driving back would be nonsense, I sometimes wonder what I'm doing, but I know that it is a much better experience for both of the girls.  I have been so spoiled having all the kids activities within 10 minutes driving distance, so moving up to 30 is definitely an adjustment.  Today Aubrie had her mock meet at her gym.  She scored well, and feels confident going into the meet season next month.   I don't know how long she plans on being a gymnast, but while she is this is a good choice.  Being a parent is all about sacrifice anyway.  The time with our kids is short, and when it's over I'll have  empty days to fill with all the things I'm putting of for now.

And so it Begins...Another Year at Basis!

Its hard to believe another school year has started.  Harder to believe, is that I have a 7th grader.  My 7th grade year is so fresh in my mind.  It's hard to believe that is where Aubrie is now.  Aubrie, while dreading school, was happy to be back with friends, and even happier to have one of her best friends, Kaelyn, is in her element this year.  Aubrie likes all the kids who are in her element.  She said, "Mom they are all the nice and smart kids!"  This is looking better for a Drama free year, thanks to staff who knew my concerns, and love Aubrie.  Aubrie is a lot more on top of things this year.  She has to go to school earlier, because Boston has an early start of 7:20.  Aubrie sets her alarm for 6:00 and gets Boston up, and they get ready before scripture study at 6:30 (while we are still sleeping!)    She has been complaining that Boston has been moving slow in the mornings!  I have to laugh since she typically is the one that moves slow.  Now she has a taste of what I have been feeling all these years!

Boston has seemed to enjoy school so far.  This year the kids went a day before school to get their lockers.  They gave him a high one, so I got his switched.  He kept going over and over the combination to make sure he had it down!   His first day went well, but he was sad that his friend Jayden wasn't in his element.  He was happy to find that two other kids from west wing were.  He gets to spend time with Jayden at lunch and after school while he waits for Aubrie to get out.  Boston is ready to learn.  This will be a good change for him.  He had his first homework assignment in Math, and only came home with 8 problems that took him 10 minutes.  I'm hoping this will be the trend all year!:)
Overall the kids love all their teachers.  I had a chance to meet the new hires, and they all seemed very nice and relatable!  Aubrie seems to think this will be an easier year for her.  I think 5th grade will be a much better transition than  6th grade.  I think those who did their "time" are going to be reaping the rewards this year.

Sophia's First Day!

So I had a lot of things going on the night before school that distracted me from the fact that Sophia was starting Kinder.  I think that was divine intervention.  I would have been a basket case if I had time to sit and think about it.  Sophia has been looking forward to starting school.   She is doing PM half day at Candeo.  It is a really good Elementary Charter down the street from Basis.  Sophia missed her "meet the teacher" because we were camping.  I took pictures of her classroom, when I was there volunteering the week before.  There are several kids in her class that she already knows. That made me feel so much better.
The first day the parents got to take the kids into the classroom.  I sat her at her desk, took a few pictures, and the parents all said the pledge of allegience with the kids. After the pledge, the teacher told the kids to say goodbye to their parents.  That's when the tears came, and I quickly bolted for the door.  Ethan was with me, bc he doesn't start school until Monday.   He said, "Wait Mom I want to take pictures of her!"  ( He had his ipod with him)  That meant I had to stay a second and couldn't hide my tears.  I gave Sophia a hug, and left.    I missed her so much, and couldn't wait to pick her up and hear all about her day.  She didn't have much to talk about, but throughout the week she has told me things she does in class, which include rules, and songs they sings, and projects they work on.  She is loving it, and I love that she loves it.  It makes it easier to drop your Kindergardener off when they don't even shed a tear and love that they are there.

It was nice to have a few hours every day with just Ethan, but it wasn't the same taking him shopping.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  It made me realize how blessed I was to have Sophia last.  She loved shopping with me, going to lunch with me, etc.  Some people don't get why I was sad to send her to Kinder, but I basically lost the best buddy a person can have!

A Teaching Moment

Im sure right now I don't have to go over the Chick-fila conflict, because it is fresh in every one's mind right now.  However, it may not be in years to come.  And since this is our family journal, let me go over it.  The owners of Chick-fila are Christian.  It's no secret.  They are closed on Sunday's, and choose to remain closed, and lose Millions of dollars each Sunday, so their employee's  can be with their families on Sundays.  When asked in an interview, by a religious entity, about their beliefs in family, the owner said he believed in the traditional family.  The Gay activist groups caught wind of this interview, and made a huge stink about it.  And tried to say that Chick-fila was anti-gay and tried to get people against them.  Even some city officials of some areas said they would not support a restaurant in their town, or would try to cut off their suppliers.   As a whole, Americans were outraged that such action would be taken against a private business owner stating his own personal beliefs, and that that was an attack on the first amendment.  So people put out on Facebook, and other forums to go and show your support for Chick-filet on August 1st.   We put it on our calendars, and in a last minute rush to get ready for our camping trip the next day, I sent Ben to pick up dinner.  He called and said the line was an hour, either in the drive thru or outside.  Of course it was in the hundreds that day.   Ben came home without dinner, and when we tried to decided what to do instead.  After some time we realized this was a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn what it means to sacrifice for something you believe in.  At first the kids were complaining when they saw the line, but once they were in it, time seemed to go much faster.  The feelings that were felt there were ones of peace and love, and a desire of good people from everywhere, and every walk of life wanting to show their support for the first amendment, and being able to do it in a peaceful way. There were people outside handing out waters to those in line, and people and kids (all strangers) talking and having a great time.    The kids came out of that feeling good and proud that they were able to participate in something good, and something they believed in.  It brought me back to the time of my Childhood, when things were more simple, and people had time for one another, rather than being hurried by the everyday distractions that take us every which way.  Thank You Dan Cathy for teaching my children to be brave and stand  up for what you believe in, despite the repercussions!

Summer 2012 Recap

August
We'll after 9 years, I finally got nabbed for talk.  I think it was a miracle they got me on a week we weren't out of town.  The talk was on Sacrifice, and I knew within an hour what the Lord wanted me to talk about.  I started writing them down in Releif Society that day.  I wasn't that nervous, which surprised me.  I thought I would be.  I ended up speaking for 25 minutes..YIKES!  I was afraid I had bored everyone going that long, but it made me feel better when people told me they loved it.
The kids are wrapping up their summer with  nights watching the Olymipics.  The kids are really into them (especially Boston....he likes watching everything).  It was so great watching the girls gymnastic  team win the gold, especially since Aubrie is all about gymnastics!   We just LOVE watching the Olymipics!

Go USA for Most Medals and Most Golds!  Micheal Phelps for breaking the record of most Golds!  And girls Gymnasitcs for brining home the gold in team and individual all around!

 This weekend  was our last trip of the summer.  We decided at the spur of the moment to go camping with Matt and Nicole.  We went up to White Horse Lake.  We had never been before, but Oak Creek was full, and we didn't want to risk not getting a site.   There wasn't  swimming up there, but we had  fishing despite the lack of fish.   The kids learned how to bait and cast, and had fun doing that.  The kids caught a frog and a snake, and they had fun playing with the snake.  They even game him a name, Frankie, even though we made them put him back after about an hour.  I told the kids there would be no electronics, so they had to be creative with games to play.   Boston and I had fun playing Frisbee, and a few of us played Frisbee golf.  I also taught them how to play hopscotch, and they played that up to the minute that we left.   They also had fun playing campfire games, hiking, playing ghost in the graveyard, etc.  It was a relaxing fun time, and a nice way to wrap up the summer.   I can hardly believe a new school year is already upon us, but it makes me feel a lot better going into it knowing we made the most of our summer.   Tomorrow we will go to Wet and Wild for only the fourth time this summer.  That shows how little time we had for anything else, and this was our first year with no Dance Recital and no swimming or diving.  Between all our traveling we had to fit in Math tutoring, gymnastics, soccer practices, piano lessons, personal progress, and a bedroom redo.  Whew, I need a summer from my summer!

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Our next trip was just a trip for Aubrie.  It was her first year at girls camp.  She also took her best friend, Olivia.  They had a GREAT time.  Everyone I know who went said Aubrie was always involved and participating, and having a great time.  Though I was a bit sad not to be there, and it was so hard not being able to talk or text, I think it was best I wasn't there the first year.  She was able to be independent and do her own thing without her micro manager mother watching over her.   While she was at camp, the boys did a Apple Movie Maker camp.  They had a fun time doing that.  They got to create their own music with Garage Band, and put that music to their movie.  Boston did a funny movie called Super Simba.  They had Simba doing "super hero" type things.  Ethan did a "how to movie"on making pasta.   We posted their movies on youtube.  Saturday morning they presented them at the film festival.  Their movies were very good in comparison.  It made me realize I expect too much from them sometimes.  Their movies  got some laughs, and were short and to the point!

6:00 is early!

Before

There!

After!

Last Disney Trip

Our next trip was back to California.   We had to get one more trip in before our passes expired, and to see the new Cars Land.  We drove up Friday, and spent a few hours at Disney that night.  Ben got to golf with his friends, and we also made a beach trip.  The weather was perfect, and the kids had a blast.  Not once did they complain about the sand! That night we went out to dinner with friends, while Aubrie babystat.  Sunday,  we went to the Hendrickson's ward again (beginning to feel like home there we have gone so much), and then had dinner with the Hendricksons and Hellewells.   We are blessed with good friends!  We hit Disneyland Monday and Tuesday.  The lines were pretty short, considering it was the middle of summer.  We got to ride Radiator Springs twice (the boys rode it 3).  It was a lot of fun.  We waited in line for an hour and a half and got there when it opened.  Aubrie waited in the fast pass line which was an hour long.   So that is how we rode it twice.  The boys got in the single rider line, so that gave them 3 rides.  We felt like we put our last few days of our passes to good use!  Later that evening we headed to Disneyland.  When we were in line for Space Mountain Sophia ran right into a pole and she got a bloody nose.  It was gushing bad.  The Disney workers had a nurse there within a few minutes.  They had several other workers that showed up and helped.  Some were blocking us from the view of others, another worker took the boys aside and entertained them.  Disney is ON TOP of things.  They gave Sophia a coupon to get a new shirt anywhere within Disney, to replace her bloody one (she got one just like Aubrie's and Aubrie was a good sport about it).  They also gave our whole family fast passes to 3 rides.  We still had our fast passes for Space Mountian we hadn't used yet, because of her accident.  So it was more like 4 rides.  That definitely made it all better, and the boys were thanking Sophia for taking one for the team!  Our last day at Disney was fun but sad.  I LOVE Disneyland, and I will miss it so much, especially not knowing when we will go again.

Mickey Ferris Wheel

Sophia is no longer afraid!

Beach time with Hellwells and Hendricksons

First Time on Radiator Springs Racers

Madhatters!

Second Round

The"Incident"

A nose plug wont keep her down! (Wearing her new shirt doesn't hurt!)

Scene of the Accident

We are sad it's our last ride!

Goodbye until we get passes again!

BYU Sports Camps/ July 4th

After the reunion, Ben drove home with Bryce, and I headed up North with the kids. Aubrie had gymnastics camp at BYU, and the boys had football camp.   Aubrie stayed in the dorms, but I had to drive the boys to their camps every day.  We stayed in one of Ben's friends Condo, in Park City.  It was really nice.   It had a pool table, and we spent a lot of time playing pool.   The first day of camp, the boys went earlier than Aubrie.  Aubrie's friend Chloe (who is at her gym and goes to our ward), went to the BYU camp too.  They were roommates.  They stayed with us in Park City the night before.   So she slept in while I took the boys.  They boys first practice was on the Football Field.  They thought that was awesome.  So did I!                                  

 When Aubrie showed up she did not look good.  She was feeling sick Sunday morning, and she looked even worse that day.  I literally checked her in the dorms, and than once we got in her room, I checked her out and took her to urgent care.  They gave me medicine for strep, even though she tested negative.  The last couple of times she tested negative on the rapid tests, and the lab tests came out positive.  I took her back to Park City with the boys, and she slept most of the day.  I took her back to BYU after I dropped the boys off at Football camp the following day.  She still didnt' feel that great.  The following morning, I brought her Ibprofin, and that took her headache and sore throat away, and she felt a lot better.  The rest of the week she had a great time.  She got her aerial and almost got her back walk over on the beam.  She had a great time in the dorms, and doing all the activities.
The boys also had a great time at football camp.  I had to get them there every morning by 9:30.   The drive from Park City was an hour.  So I just stuck around Provo, while they were at camp.   Monday we watched them a bit, and then we had the whole thing with Aubrie.  Tuesday, I dropped Aubrie back off and then drove around looking at my old stomping grounds, Wednesday I met up with Kari Headrick, one of my friends who moved back there a few years ago.   Thursday I went to the mall.   Finding things to do with the three kids after football was the challenge.  Dollar games at the Fat Catz bowling ally was the favorite pass time.  I also took them on the hike to Stewart Falls. That was a lot of fun but also very challenging.  We took the ski lift up and hiked down.  There were a lot of falls, and times when we had to run through huge brush with big scary bumble bees every where, but they were good memories.  Boston was brave enough to walk under the freezing waterfall.  It was good family time!

We also went to Bridal Veil Falls one day.  That is always a family favorite.  The kids went in their swim suits, and this time hiked up a quarter of the way from the very bottom.  Ben would't have gone for that if he was there.  That's why I planned on it!

Met up with Aubrie one day for lunch at the BYU Training Table!

Aubrie was done Friday at Noon, but the family was invited to a mini dance recital.  So we got there around 10:30 and watched her work out.  She got her kip, and we were there to see it.  She was excited about that!  After their dance, it became an open gym, and the kids went around having fun on the apparatus's.  After we checked her out, we took her to Fat Catz.  Saturday we all slept in and spent most of the day at the condo.  Then we hit the outlets, and scored big time on shoes for school.  We spent several hours shopping, and then went back home to relax, and play more pool, and eat dinner.

July
Sunday we went to church with the Elcocks and had dinner at their house.  The kids had so much fun playing hide and go seek game in the dark basement.  I had a fun time catching up with Julie and seeing her new house.   Her girls rooms got Aubrie in a decorating mood, which I will share the fruits of that later.  Monday we met up with Amber and went lunch at Brick Oven, and then went bowling (shocker!), and finished our afternoon at the BYU creamery.  The kids LOVED playind with Livvy.  Boston has this softer side for Babies!  

Later that night Ben was coming in.  So before we picked him up we stopped at the new mall in Salt Lake.  I can't remember the name right now, but it's right by Temple Square.  This is the view from one of the walk ways.

 Tuesday we spent at the Park City Resort all day, doing the Alpine Slide and all the other things there.   We had a great time!  It was the first time we had ever gone.  We got the day passes, and we had fun doing whatever we wanted.   Half way through the day, the sky went dark, and we realized there was a fire on the other side of the mountain.  (There were a lot of fires in Utah this year).  It got so intense that the smoke made the sun look RED, and ash was falling on us.  It was something to remember, for sure.  After a long day of riding rides, we ate at a yummy Mexican restaurant at the Park.  We were baked, and ready for home by the time we were done.

What a fire does to the sun!

 The following day was the Fourth of July.  We left the condo, and checked into the Marriot by the Stadium.  We spent some time on Campus  and watched the Fireworks from our hotel, like we always do.  The following day we left for home.

Cougar Eat