PRESCHOOL FOR MISS KATE

Preschool is one of the highlights of Kate. It means that she is not home alone with Mom, but instead an independent little Miss who gets to ride the bus all by herself. She has a new teacher this year, Miss Angela, whom we will hopefully get to know a little better soon.

Here she is getting ready for her first day:


Waiting for the bus.


Just like clockwork, Kate started having disfluencies quite a bit this week (stuttering). I really feel bad for her. We know that this is the best schooling that she could be getting right now, so we are praying for a wonderful year!

CONFERENCE TRAIL MIX

Conference is definitely a favorite time of year for our family. We enjoy hearing from our prophet and apostles of the Lord. I hope that this is something that my kids grow up loving. Last conference, I decided to put together kits for the ladies that I visit teach. (Thanks Sondra!) And this time, I thought that I would do something again, just a little different. So, after looking, I found this poem by Heidi Baxter on Sugardoodle. It's a keeper! Hopefully this inspires you to enjoy conference as much as I do!!!

Conference Trail Mix Poem

General Conference is upon us; yes the time is drawing near
To listen to the prophets and apostles we hold dear
The lessons taught and stories shared will truly be a treat
But we know you’ll each enjoy a little something fun to eat.
So as you sit and ponder the great lessons you are told,
Think too about the meaning of each conference snack you hold.

The BUGLES in your bag are more than just a crunchy chip
They represent Moroni’s Horn, pressed firmly to his lips.
Standing tall atop our temples, he symbolically proclaims
The spreading of the gospel and our sacred Savior’s name.

You’ll find little candy circles with the letters “M&M”
A perfect, sweet reminder of the goals that you should plan
The first M stands for Missions (boys you know just what to do)
The second is for Marriage - eternal joy for all of you!

Look close and you might see some GOLDFISH swimming in your snack
Reminding that we’re “…fishers of men”, helping others back
To the straight and narrow path, where the RAISINS you will see
Representing the sweet fruit upon the everlasting Tree.

And if, by chance, you falter grab a SEED and plant it firm
Watch it grow and feel your faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord, confirmed
Pick a PRETZEL from the pack and twist your arms into its form
Till they’re folded in a humble prayer that gets you through the storm.

Lastly, in your bag you’ll find a treat that’s white and pure
It’s soft and sweet much like the Holy Ghost that whispers sure
These MARSHMALLOWS remind us to be reverent and be still
So we can hear calm promptings and our Heavenly Father’s will.

So as you eat this conference treat, partake of something more
Listen to the Prophet’s words and remember who you are
For this snack, though quite delicious, will too quickly disappear,
But if you FEAST UPON THE WORDS OF CHRIST, you’ll keep Him ever near.

SOCCER VIDEO

SOCCER FOR BIG D

We decided very last minute to put Dawson in soccer. There is already some good and bad things, but we are just hoping to teach him a few life lessons this year.

Play nice and play fair!





Teamwork is important and will get you far.



Never, never give up!


GO BIG D!!!

THE LITTLE RED HEN

Faith did our family home evening lesson last night on working together as a family to have a clean house. She did a wonderful job and shared the story of the little red hen. It is important that we work together and then we can all enjoy a nice clean house.

Doctrine and Covenants 42:42 "Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer."

Enjoy the story!


There was once a little red hen who found some wheat seed. She went to her friends and asked, "Who will help me plant this wheat?"



"Not I," said the rat.


"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the dog.
"Not I," said the pig.


"Then I will plant the wheat myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

The wheat was soon ripe and ready to cut. The little red hen went to her friends and asked, "Who will help me cut this wheat?"



"Not I," said the rat.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the dog.
"Not I," said the pig.

"Then I will cut the wheat myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

The wheat was cut and ready to be taken to the miller to be ground. The little red hen went to her friends and asked, "Who will help me carry this wheat to the miller?"


"Not I," said the rat.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the dog.
"Not I," said the pig.

"Then I will take the wheat to the miller myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

The wheat was ground and ready to bake into bread. The little red hen went to her friends and asked, "Who will help me bake some bread?"



"Not I," said the rat.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the dog.
"Not I," said the pig.

"Then I will bake the bread myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

The bread was baked and ready to eat. The little red hen went to her friends and asked, "Who will help me eat this bread?"



"I will," said the rat.
"I will," said the cat.
"I will," said the dog.
"I will," said the pig.

"No you will not! I will eat the bread myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

LUCKY #7

Dawson celebrated his 7th birthday! We cannot believe how much he has grown in 7 years. It is truly amazing.

A good friend brought over a birthday balloon the night before. She said how much fun it was to put a balloon on your chair at school. So we headed to school with a balloon and fresh glazed doughnuts to share with his class.


We also found out how he got his black eye. Dawson and the other Dawson ran into each other turning in a paper. The other Dawson had his head down and hit him with his forehead right under his eye.



School was fun. He got to be line leader, they sang to him, he made a birthday bracelet, etc. Sounds like he got spoiled. After school, we took him to get his first request for birthday ... a massage at Sunsations! It was a half hour and he totally fell asleep, which I thought was just the greatest ever!

Family came over in the evening and we started opening presents.








Yeah, I really liked everything!


Here we are singing to him. It was SO funny to watch him blow out the candles!!!


Happy birthday Dawson! You are so happy! We hope that you continue to grow up to make people laugh!

PANTHERS IN THE HOUSE

September 1st was the back to school open house that was everything that we imagined I guess.

Twas the night before school started, When all through the town,

The parents were cheering. It was a riotous sound!

By eight, kids were washed and tucked into bed...

when memories of homework, filled them with dread.

New pencils, new folders, new notebooks too!

New teachers, new friends, their anxiety grew!

The parents just giggled when ........they learned of this fright

and shouted, 'GO TO BED IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT!!'

Family Fun magazine had a great idea that I decided that we would try. I helped the kids come up with a few questions to ask their teachers to help for teacher appreciation and such. We scrambled, very last minute, to get all of their school supplies labeled and put together in sacks and away we went.

First stop, Dawson's teacher Mrs. Chandler. She seems to be like a grandma type, so I am very excited about having her for Dawson.

Dawson - 1st Grade
Teacher - Mrs. Chandler
Her birthday - July 22nd
Her favorite color - red
Her favorite treat - anything chocolate
Do you have a pet? Yes, a dog named Princess
What is your favorite thing about 1st grade? Everything is exciting and fun

Next stop, Faith's teacher Mrs. Pirrong. All of the 4th grade teachers are strict, but now is a great time to start doing that for them.

Faith - 4th Grade
Teacher - Mrs. Pirrong
Her birthday - November 30
Her favorite color - white
Her favorite treat - brownies
Do you have a pet? No (her pet got old and she had to put it to sleep)
What is your favorite thing about 4th grade? All of the independent workers.

Then to the cafeteria where we filled out PTA info, bought new Chubbuck Panther t-shirts which they wear every Friday, and received more information about Girls on the Run, which Faith is going to do this year. We are very excited for her.

Final stop was just with Miss Kate. We headed off to Lincoln Early Childhood Center where she got to meet her new teacher Miss Angela. Kate is always very shy when she meets someone new, but is good to do what she is asked to do. I filled out paperwork while her teacher gave her some assessments. I have no doubt that Kate will do very well this year. Miss Angela gave us a paper with a little bit of information about her as well, so I am excited to get to know her.

September 2nd was the first day of school. I got up early and asked, "Is there a Chubbuck Panther in the house?" No excited responses, but at least they were up and moving. I made blue waffles and juice, though the kids thought they were green - LOL! (Blue and Gold is Chubbuck Panthers colors) Dawson wasn't totally convinced that they would taste the same either.


We had Dawson eat on the red special plate that my Sister in law gave to me one Christmas. We use it for the 'special' days for each person for different reasons. Faith ate on the Celebrate white plate that is similar to this one.

Here are the first pictures that Brandon took.








Faith and Dawson, we hope that you have a wonderful school year. Listen to your teachers and learn the very best that you can. Be sure that you remember who you are and be friends to everyone, even your enemies. When the days are tough, just remember that these experiences will help you as you grow up to be a better mom and dad. We pray for you everyday and want the best for you. Love, hugs, and kisses! Mom and Dad

OUR FIRST DAVE PURCHASE

This was in April, but somehow it got lost in the shuffle of blogging.

Brandon and I had been doing so great at our debt snowball from the end of December through the spring, paying off bills, getting rid of bills, etc. So, in April, Brandon started wanting to buy a truck so that we had a second vehicle. I have to tell you that I was hesitant, especially because it was our first after Dave purchase.

He bought this truck from his friend, went down to Preston to pick it up. He told me that it was blue, but when I first saw it, I was shocked. I said, "WOW! It's BLUE!" Anyways, it is such a great feeling to buy something totally in cash and know that you save and worked up to get something. It just means a lot more.

So, with all of that said, here is the BLUE truck.


Any thoughts on names for it???