Happy 80th Birthday Granny!

My Granny is going to be 80!!!
On Saturday, we went up to Auntie Julie and Uncle Don's for a Birthday BBQ for Granny.


We had a blast hangin' out with the fam and swimming in the pool and eating all the yummy food!



And I'm sorry, but my Granny does not look 80! She's so dang cute! Check her out!





We Love You Granny! Happy Birthday to you!

(Another) Heart Happy Moment...

Do you see this kid? He is HAPPY!!!! We have seen such a change in him these last few weeks. And you want to know why? It's his school. His new school and the people and teachers have really helped him build his self esteem. It's a place where he feels comfortable with those around him and is not afraid to be himself. He's also very excited to have found some really good friends. He has such a great attitude now and such a better outlook on life. We are so happy for him and are so happy that he is HAPPY!

A Star Wars-The Clone Wars Premiere Party!

We Like to Party!
Tonight was the Season 3 Premiere of Star Wars-The Clone Wars. So I broke out the Star Wars Cookbook and we celebrated in Style!

I thought about making the "Boba-fettucini", but got lazy, so we ordered "Pizza the Hutt" instead.


I did make the yummiest "Wookie Cookies":

AND - Some delicious "Yoda Soda":


Here's the whole Party Crew:


Cali loves Ahsoka and was wearing her Ahsoka Chibi shirt and I painted her face to match her favorite jedi:

Cont.:
Luke the Jedi enjoying his Pizza the Hutt:


A Yoda Soda Toast:


My cute little Ahsoka wannabe enjoying her pizza and soda:


Daddy getting in on the action and enjoying his own version of the Wookie Cookie:


Daddy wasn't dressed for the event, so Cali decided to add a little Star Wars face paint:


Now he's ready!

A little Star Wars Monopoly to pass the time:

Woo Hoo - Lovin' the Show!


It was Awesome! Can't wait for the rest of the Season!


The Clones have taken over!

First Day of Pre-K!

BRODY'S TURN!

Yes, it is Brody's last year of Pre-school. Or, Kindergarten Readiness, as that is the name of the course (My kids always correct me).
He was so excited to return to Ms. Francine and Ms. Leslie's Class. He has some buddies from last year in his class and he's made a new friend, Nate Cranney!



After signing in, he went straight for the Science Table. He was too busy to hug me goodbye... (sniff, sniff)...but he did tell me goodbye and had a great day!



I started to tear up on the way back to the car....my baby is big. This time next year, he will be a big kindergartner....I cried the whole way home.

Grandma's Birthday Weekend (Labor day)

We had the most wonderful Labor Day Weekend this year!
It started on Friday. We picked the kids up early from school and drove straight through (14+ hours) to Nibley/Millville, UT. We stopped in St. George for dinner at the Red Lobster, so that we could see Candace. It was so good to see her! She's a manager there. If you're ever in the area, stop by and say "Hi!" That put us getting to our destination at 4:00 AM-But was so worth it!
Saturday, we were up at 8:30 AM to get ready to head on up to Bear Lake. We met up with the Undjhem Clan for some yummy Dutch Oven Breakfast and Fun! The Lake was so pretty. The color of the water reminded me of the color of the ocean in the Bahamas or something. We had a great time hanging out with everyone and I realized the Luke and Brody had never been on a boat before!!! They had a blast climbing all over Pat & Amanda's boat! It was pretty windy, so there was no wake boarding or skiing happening. But the kids did get to go out and tube. Gavin had so much fun and Cali liked being the flag girl. Our day ended short, but we did get a chance to head into town and get a famous fresh raspberry shake-YUMMY!!!!
That night, everyone came over to our rental house (we rented a house w/ mom & dad and Mark & Tracy near Barb's) for a BBQ. The house had a huge backyard with a basketball court, playground, trampoline, wood deck, and lots of grass to play on! After dinner, we got to enjoy a free concert by Elise's boyfriend, Chris. We actually got to bed at a decent hour that night and got to sleep in a little on Sunday!
Sunday was Grandma Day! She's the reason we took this quick trip up to Utah, because we were celebrating her 80th Birthday! It was kind of surprise, but she came on over on Sunday to spend some time with us, before we all headed over to Barb's for a yummy dinner. Their house is so fun! They have a rad treehouse and little archery camp set up. They also have chickens and a goat! My kids have so much fun playing there and with all the cousins.
It was such a nice trip! We are so glad we went! Even the drive home on Monday wasn't bad! We left at 10:00 AM and arrived home at 10:30 PM.
I love my family! My Grandma is such a special lady! Hope she enjoyed the weekend too! Happy Birthday Grandma Gerry! We Love You!

"Go outside & PLAY!!!!"

Since school has started, my kids come home and just sprawl on the couch and watch tv. They are so beat! So today, I turned off the tv and told them they had to go outside. They moaned and groaned, but I said no tv, video games, or computer until they ran around the back yard 10 times, waving their arms and yelling! Here they are and they had a great time!

The kid's got a cell phone...

OK-I know what you're thinking...wha? But yes, after MUCH deliberation, we decided to allow Gavin to have a cell phone. The kid is stoked! With his school being a little far from home, and my job might cause me to run late sometimes to pick him up, we decided it was a good thing to do, to stay in touch and for him to have in case of emergencies. I did A LOT of research to try and find the best deal and the most appropriate for his age. I didn't want him to have a phone that would allow him to text or access the internet. So, I found one of my really old phones that can only be used for calls and just added him to my plan. He has to keep it turned off at school and can only use it for emergencies, or if he has my permission. I'm not sure why I'm sharing this, but I think it's because this was a big step for us. He's getting older....