Impatience

Josh was so excited about his new purchase at the store today, he couldn't wait to put them on until we got home.  So he put them on in the car like this :)

Persistence

 

 Rebecca amazes me with her persistence in doing hard things!  She decided to join the cross country team after spending summer mornings running with Jared.  Its been a huge blessing as she's had the opportunity to meet some great friends while staying fit and pushing herself to the limit.

 I feel a surge of emotion when I watch my kids do new things. Jared rarely cries, but this day did it for him even more than watching the boys football.  I love how supportive and involved he is with our kids.  As I watched her take off for her first race, I had a flashback of dropping her off for her first day of Kindergarten as my shy little girl headed off to her new adventures in a new town just after we had moved to Idaho.  I love to see how much she has grown and is willing to step outside of her comfort zone to challenge herself and reach out to others.  Moving has been hard, but I also think it has pushed her to new levels as challenges often do.  She had fun on her FCCLA adventures this summer as she competed in Food Innovations with her high fiber "Fiberry Flapjacks" entry and is seriously considering a Nutrition and Foods or Dietetics Major in College.  After many visits with the school counselor and her persistence to keep going back until she could talk with individual teachers, she was able to get into the "FULL" Nutrition and Foods Class and is excited to serve as FCCLA VP at her new school.  I love how her passion for healthy eating is paying off for me at home because she wants to take over more of the cooking.

 

I'm not ready to think about sending my girl off on her own in just 2 years!

Imagination

Choosing School Folders

Conversation I overheard from Becca and Emily about why they choose the colors of their subject folders

Emily: "I always choose blue for Math because it makes me feel Blue."

Becca: "I choose red for Math because you know Blood, Fire, Pain,  the Devil!"

Apparently I'm not raising any female accountants.

Daniel on the other hand is so excited that he gets to be in the Advanced Math Track and take Pre-Algebra is 6th grade.  It's his favorite subject.

More Cousin Fun

 Somehow I missed posting our Pioneer Day Celebrations which we were fortunate to spend with some of our cousins.  I appreciate their willingness to travel up to visit us despite the longer drive.

 Swimming at the Splash Pad

 Bocci at the Park

 More Carousel Rides

 Fireworks

Pioneer Day fell on Sunday this year so I printed off some brief highlights from the lives of our Pioneer ancestors for the kids to read and summarize.  Somehow that always seems to bring my troubles in to perspective as I read about those who lost homes, children and lives in order to relocate to Zion.  While the transition of moving our family to a new city hasn't been easy, I have felt amazingly blessed by the little miracles that have occurred to make the transition easier.  Rebecca joined the cross country team and is starting to make some good friends as she pushes herself to new heights and amazes me with her persistence to do hard things.  Jacob is in heaven with his our new dog, 4 wheeling in the backyard and keeps busy with football, agility training.  Daniel was able to maintain his position as quarterback on his football team with an amazing QB coach. And Emily, Alyssa and Josh all have nice friends in close proximity. 

Cousin Fun

 

I love living in near such picturesque farmer's fields! My kids and their cousins had a great time at the Mother Daughter Activity playing beach volleyball and then played a little hide and seek in this field of tall grasses before we left.

 It was a fairly cold day but we still took a little trip to the free splash pad and then Alyssa warmed up by laying out on the sunny sidewalk.

 Josh was super excited to show me his new accomplishment... pumping himself on the swings.

 Even the bigger kids like to have crazy fun on the Carousel at the Park.

Everyone has their own rendition of what a crazy face is!

Healing Music

Prepping for back to school in a new town has been an emotional process for me this week.  I am so thankful for the music that heals my soul and brings back proper perspective when things start falling apart in my mind.
Three of my favorite passionate endeavors are education, music and family history.  This week I visited each of my children's schools