First days of school 2013

At the end of last year I couldn't wait for summer. I was feeling terribly sick and I was so burnt out from taking the kids all over the place. I felt like we were living in the car.  When summer started it was just what we wanted. We didn't do a thing.  Our days were filled with lounging around, Gracie stepping up and getting the boys breakfast almost every morning, and best of all, no plans at all. We had the occasional trip to visit families and a reunion here and there, but mostly we were just home. It was just what we needed to re-boot. Or what I needed rather. The week before school started I started to get pretty antsy. The kids were at each others throats most of the time and I felt like I was a referee more than a mother.  We have a tradition every year that the day before school starts, we have a fancy feast and the kids get to dress up and use candles and wine glasses. After we eat we watch a clip about Carpe Diem from the movie The Dead Poets Society.  We teach the kids about making every day count and then Chad gives each of us a blessing for the year.  This year was amazing. Our oldest is turning 8 and with a new baby on the way, I feel like I cried through all of them. Owen couldn't wait for his turn and he sat so reverent while Chad blessed him.  I am so grateful for Chad. Mike gave Chad some advice while he was here on a visit and told Chad the importance of giving your children blessings. Mostly our daughter.  He told us to never underestimate the power of a Priesthood blessing. I guess after being a Stake President for a while you start to see what makes a difference and what doesn't in children's lives.  

    Grace started a week before Mikey and it turned out to be a great blessing because she knew what she was doing on the bus and was able to help Mike on his first day.  Owen and I are really enjoying our time together and I am trying my best to soak it all up before the baby gets here.  We were able to potty train Owen fairly quickly and I feel like that was my biggest "to do" before the new one arrives. What a fun time of life we are having right now. I am trying to enjoy it the best I can.... when I feel up to it that is :)

 Every year before school the kids get a fresh haircut. I love it so much. 

Our dessert for our feast. Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes!

This is the best picture I could get. 

Gracies first day of 2nd Grade!!

The Elementary Principal is honestly the funnest guy in the world. This is him with a bunch of balloons and a big sign that says "ALA rocks and so do YOU!" 

She was SO nervous to ride the bus. We talked for weeks about it and she was still scared to death. I walked her to the bus and said "Turn around so I can get a picture" She said "Okay" Then proceeded to walk right on. She was pretty distracted. 

Mikey's First day!! All day Kindergarten! 

Unlike Grace, Mike was stoked to ride the bus. He was running to get on. 

Vacation 2013

For the first time ever Chad was able to take a week off of work. It was amazing! He was able to get so much done in the yard and we loved having him around so much. We really wanted to take a big vacation to California or somewhere sunny but we weren't really feeling up to it. Me especially. We decided to hang around and take in the things that good ole Northern Utah had to offer.  Monday through Wed we stayed home so chad could do yard stuff. We made sure the kids were able to do something fun every day so it felt special. We did a lot of stuff and I hope the kids look back on this week and remember how much fun it was!

Nickle Mania!

We had 40 yards of soil delivered to the house so we can get a top layer down for our new grass!

The smell was a little more than Owen could handle. 

Swimming!

Our sweet neighbors went on vacation salmon fishing in Alaska. They were nice enough to share their catch. 

Owen has loved helping dad on the tractor

Trafalga! The kids loved it. 

Swimming at our Hotel in Salt Lake. It was so much colder than we thought it would be so we didn't last very long. 

Dinner at Pei Wei. Owen loved the peas. Obviously. 

Breakfast in the hotel. 

Mikey wanted something to remember our hotel by so we let him keep the key. 

Temple square visitors center. This was so cool. 

A rock from Uncle Bubbas house. To remember him by :)

Cache Valley Fair! My boys wanted a pony ride. My girl wasn't interested. 

Smores and scary stories with Uncle Russ!

They were selling puppies at the fair. It took everything in me to not take one home. 

Kids watching some Ben 10 while enjoying some dessert. 

Even though it was a local vacation, we still had so much fun. Our little family is at such a fun age and I love the times we share together. We were able to teach the kids a lot about the church this week. I love that they have so many questions and are eager to learn. They also got along really well. That isn't always the case so it made the vacation all the more sweet. I hope we have this much fun next year!

Staheli Reunion In Junction

   This year the Staheli reunion was held in Junction Utah. It turned out to be so fun! We were in a teeny tiny little town and it was so relaxing. The kids had so much fun and still talk about it. The town courthouse was refinished and made into a vacation rental. It worked out perfectly! Our family slept pretty well. I had to sleep somewhere pretty close to a bathroom because I haven't been feeling too well and we ended up in a sweet room. We all slept comfortably. I can't speak for the rest of the family though. We went for a hike/bike ride, four wheeler rides, played baseball, and just lounged around. I can't wait for next years!

This is Owen in our claw foot tub. It was really nice. 

The kids playing at the park

 

 Gracie up to bat

We went for a little ride up the canyon and it turned out to be pretty hard for the kids. Grace rode her bike for four miles! It was really tough for her but I'm so proud of her for doing it. 

We got a bouncy house! The kids spent most of their time in there. 

Owen and I spent most of our time in the hammock 

Minute to win it games! Always a family favorite.