First Day of School

The kids started school last Tuesday and they are loving their teachers. Isaac is in the third grade and has Mrs. Bingham for his teacher. 

Abbie started first grade and has Mrs. Imler for her teacher. 

Kaden has Mrs. Jordan and is starting Kindergarten. We were about five minutes later than I planned on leaving because I wanted to take a few pictures.....classic, right? You have to have first day of school pictures!!

We have to park across the street on the road because everyone else was taking their kids on the first day of school also so I get all of the kids out of the car and just need to pick-up Brooklyn out of her carseat so we could fight the crowds and find the kids classrooms. I pick her up and she has a HUGE poopy diaper. Luckily, not on any of the clothes, (yet!!) and so I hurry to the passenger seat(away from the road) and hurry to change her diaper. We got her cleaned up without having to change her clothes and we were finally ready to find the kids classrooms. I think Abbie was the last one to her class (not late, though) because the third grade hall (we dropped off Isaac first) was before the first grade hall, we had to take pictures in front of the house before we left and the poopy diaper incident. Needless to say, it was a very busy morning!!

The kids all ready for their first day of school. 

Isaac finding his locker. He is now number twenty which is different from last year when he was number twenty-three and wrote it on EVERYTHING. So, I guess I should get used to seeing his name and the number twenty by it for the next year. 

Putting his book bag away. 

Finding his seat. 

Abbie at her desk. She has already made new friends. She really likes her teacher.

One interesting thing is that Abbie is now requesting different hair styles. The first day of school I (Mom) chose the hair down, curled under and a flower to match her blouse. No big deal, right? The next day started with a request. SHE asked for a side pony tail with ringlets. (The first day it happened I just shrugged and did the hair style) By the next day she was asking for a bun with her hair wound around it and a white curly-ribbon bow. That evening we took baths and she asked to have her hair put in curlers(she wanted curly hair for the final day of school that week and she NEVER asks for curlers to sleep in). We had curly hair with a purple flower headband. This is the first time ever that she has requested hair styles. Last year (kindergarten) she would beg me for just a little hair barrett in the front of her hair to keep her hair out of her eyes (anything simple) which is a huge contrast from this year where I've already had hair style requests!! My little girl is growing up! 

Abbie's name on her desk! 

We went to Kindergarten (later that morning) to meet the teacher and get the low-down on what will go on in Kindergarten. Kaden and I happened to be the first one there (we made sure to leave a little early because we didn't want to be late if we had another poopy diaper incident) so we got to meet his teacher and talk with her for a few minutes before everyone else came. Kaden just LOVES his teacher!!

Kaden LOVES his kindergarten teacher. He tells me so everyday how nice she is!! I am SO glad he likes her...and I do too...I think she will be great for Kaden, my sweet little boy!

Congratulations on completing your first week of school!! You guys will do GREAT this year!! Love ya and miss ya during the day!! (thank goodness Kaden only goes half day, I miss you guys!)

Happy 10th Anniversary!

We just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on July 21st. It's crazy to think it's been ten years already. I know that when we were first married we always said that we would go on some big cruise or do something big when we FINALLY made it to our tenth wedding anniversary but, that's not going to happen this year. We have a beautiful daughter that is attatched SOOOOO no cruise. 

We decided to keep it simple yet nice so we took the older three kids to Reed's Moms for a sleep-over. We actually left Brooklyn with Reed's mom also, while we went to dinner and then picked her back up to come back with us.

Reed surprised me (I had no idea where we were going for dinner) with reservations at The Roof on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I was REALLY surprised. He surprised me further by having flowers at our table (the window table with the best view of the Salt Lake Temple) with a Happy Anniversary Card. (I know I always tell him not to waste money on flowers but, this was nice surprise.) It was a delicious dinner with decadent desserts.

View from our table (taken on Reed's phone). We watched the sun set as we ate our dessert. BEAUTIFUL!!

For gifts we both gave sentimental gifts. Reed wrote me a long letter (I've been telling him for years that I would love a long letter for those times when you need to read and re-live your own love story....to remember why you love your partner in the first place) He didn't dissapoint!!

I gave him a card with a heartfelt message and a little token inside. I took a dime (signifying ten) and used a metal stamp to stamp our initials in the metal. I drilled a hole in the center so he coud put it on his keychain (he has kept a subway token from New York, where he served his mission on his keychain for years.) I wanted another something he could keep with him always.

Instead of staying somewhere(carting all the baby gear we would need) we stayed at home. I spent the morning (while Reed was at work) setting our bedroom and bathroom up like a hotel, complete with a fresh stack of towels in the bathroom. I tried to make it our own little get-away.

Reed, I know we always wanted to get away for this anniversary but, having our baby girl has been such a gift this year. I love you! Ten years isn't nearly long enough and I am so glad we get to spend Eternity together! I Love you, Reed!

Splash Pad

The kids and I are trying to make the most of our summer so we stopped at the Riverdale Splash Pad. Isaac jumped right in and was soaking within the first minute of being there. 

Abbie and Kaden were intruiged by the water and slowly walked around the splash pad twice before I had to prod them to go get wet. I've never seen them timid but, they were just looking at everything and slowly walking around....they were joined at the hip.....and I finally had to remind them why we came....TO GET WET!! (I don't even think they realized that they had walked around the place twice before I told them to get wet...too funny!) 

You can see them (Abbie and Kaden) slowly walking around, looking at everything. 

Brooklyn, sitting with me on the bench enjoying the warm weather....in the shade. 

She loved watching all the kids playing. 

Isaac's favorite thing is the shooting cannons. Him and the other kid would aim it at each other and squirt. Then you would find the both hanging on, looking away and still spraying. (I will never understand why that is fun) 

They would spray each other for minutes...neither of them looking! Too funny...BOYS!! 

Abbie loved the "mushroom" water! Kaden loved the squirting fountains! 

Then the kids would come back, warm back up and then go back to get wet! This routine went on the entire time at the splash pad. 

Kaden 

Isaac 

Abbie went to show me how she likes to get in the middle of the "mushroom" fountain and the pressure went down right as she tried to get inside. Needless to say, she got soaked!! 

Abbie 

It was SO much fun going to this splash pad! We LOVE summer and wish it was longer!

Zoorassic Hogle Zoo

We were invited to the Hogle Zoo by Reed's boss. We hadn't been since Kaden was a baby and were excited to take the kids. We got some discount tickets(just walk into any Les Schwab Tire Center and they will give you a buy an adult and a child gets in free coupon) So, we only had to purchase two adult tickets and one child ticket for us all to go....what a deal!! 

The first exhibit we saw was the elephants. They were eating from a hanging hay basket. 

This monkey was SO funny because it had a "monkey" doll that it carried around. Too cute! 

Rhino's 

The dinosaurs were animated. The T-Rex would move it's head and ROAR!! 

Kaden at the Giraffe exhibit. 

The kids ready to go inside to see the giraffe's up-close. 

Watching the Giraffe drink water then lick the wall(don't know why it was doing that!). 

Abbie showing me her map!! 

The Giraffe's. 

Reed and his boss 

Next to the Gorilla outside Exhibit where Kaden and Isaac tried to measure up their hands to a gorilla's hand. 

Isaac's hand against a gorilla's print. 

Abbie at the Gorilla outside Exhibit 

The tigers enjoying the shade...it was hot!! 

Reed and the kids measuring up!! Too cute!! 

The inside gorilla exhibit. 

This exhibit with the gorilla was awesome!! The trainer(you can kinda see her in the blue shirt) would softly say the gorilla's name to get his attention then she would take off and run to the end of the exhibit. The gorilla would race her to the other end. The kids thought that was SO AWESOME to see! Even the adults had a good time watching the gorilla interact with the trainer. 

Isaac 

Abbie 

kaden 

Brooklyn.....Reed didn't want her to miss out!! 

This elephant would play music, sometimes "achoooo" all the while, unexpectedly spraying mists of water out the trunk. 

This is Isaac and Abbie getting "achooo'd" on!! They loved this part of the zoo!! 

The animated T-Rex. 

Last of all, we went to the gopher exhibit by the discoveryland.

Abbie and Reed in the gopher exhibit. 

Isaac pretending to be a gopher. 

Kaden at the gopher exhibit. 

Abbie at discoveryland being a turtle. 

Isaac sliding down the snake slide. 

Isaac Abbie and Kaden in the dinosaur egg. 

Abbie and Brooklyn in the dinosaur egg. 

Kaden in the turtle shell. 

The kids LOVED the discoveryland. 

We are so glad that we have Brooklyn and that she could see the zoo at the same age that we brought Kaden (the last time we were at the zoo). Hopefully, it won't be so long until we visit again. Thanks for the invite, we LOVED visiting the zoo and it was fun to make some new friends too.