Summer 2012

We have been so busy this summer I have not had time to post anything.  Here are some things we did:

We went swimming...........A LOT!

All three kids took swimming lessons.

Brandon started 4th grade with Mrs. Graham

Sara started 7th grade

Sophia started preschool with Mrs. Joy

Our puppy Zurie made a lot of messes for us to clean up.

A HUGE cat face spider moved in on our front porch.  Ben says I can't kill it because it eats the Hobo spiders- I hope he's hungry.

My friend got us a great deal on Lagoon tickets, so I took the kids and we had so much fun!

We jumped on the new trampoline.

We went to Jessica's baptism.

It has been a fun summer, but I am loving the routine that school brings.  Stay tuned for a few more updates from our summer.

Camo belt!

Brandon really likes doing martial arts and recently tested for and earned his camo belt.

He has gone as far as he can go at the beginner level, so I signed him up for black belt training.  He gets to train with weapons, and continue until he gets his black belt.  I never thought I would let my kids do martial arts, but it has been amazing!  It teaches control and discipline as well as respect which I think most kids of this generation lack.  I highly recommend finding a good studio in your area.  Most of them will let you try it out first so you can tell if your child will like it and if you like the instructors and how they teach.  Southwick Academy is close to home and the instructors genuinely love working with kids and helping them grow!

June happenings!

I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I have been way to busy trying to keep the kids busy so they don't fight or watch t.v. all day.  Anyways here is what we've been up to:

Sophia fell asleep on the guest bed when I was downstairs cleaning.

Sara had a couple of performances and the weather was hit or miss all month.  This day was pretty cold and very windy!

Sometimes Sara and Sophia get along so well!  They were playing superheroes with my dish towels.  I will probably make some capes for Christmas this year. 

Sara helped Sophia get dressed so we could meet some friends for lunch.  Her outfit and hair were just fabulous!

Brandon earned his bear.

Brandon and Ben fixing the x-box controllers.  With all the stuff breaking around here recently I am really thankful for a husband who is willing to find out how to fix them.

Sophia helped me make cookies.  I just love the look on her face!

Sara went to girls camp and had so much fun!  The first thing she wanted when she got home was a popsicle.

We have been to the lake a couple of times and since we bought a pass this year will be going a lot more!  We have lots of fun things planned in the next few weeks and I will try to get the pictures up sooner :)

Zurie

So.......... we got a puppy.  I told the kids we could get a dog when Sophia was potty trained, so the kids have been bugging me about making good on my promise.  One Saturday Ben and I stopped by the pound to look at dogs and we saw this cutie.  She wasn't available until the following Tuesday, so we put our name on the list and took the weekend to think about it.  I went back Monday to see her and I still liked her temperament and new I wanted to adopt her.  She was three months old and is a Boxer/Lab mix. 

She looks scared in this picture because she pooped in the back of the truck on the way home, so I had to spray her down with the hose.  The kids came up with a whole list of names and we started eliminating them until we had two left, Bailey and Zurie.  We chose Zurie because it was a little different.

She loves chewing on pig ears.

I didn't know anything about raising or training a puppy, but I knew I wanted a good dog.  I brought her home on a Tuesday and we started puppy class at Petco that Thursday.  She did really well and just graduated this week.

Friday I took her in to be spayed and have her dewclaws removed.

She kept chewing at the bandages and licking her stitches, so I had to get a cone.  She loves it can't you tell?

Overall she is a good dog and potty training is going really well.  I know if we make it through the first few months it will get better and I will get some sleep again.  Puppies are a lot of work and I don't think I'll do it again, but I think it was a good thing to do at this time in my life.

Sara's 12th birthday

May was a very busy month for me, but I HAD to make Sara a cake.  She started telling me what she wanted, but it got complicated, so I asked her to draw me a picture.  The picture is amazing and I will keep it forever, but I got busy with other cakes and school getting out, so this is not exactly the cake she wanted.  We compromised and she helped me decorate it.  In the end she loved it.

Sara wanted to go swimming this year, so we went to the aquatic center with a bunch of her friends.

One of Sara's favorite presents was a zebra pillow pet.  A few other things she got was duct tape, a zebra print blanket, candy, flip flops and jewelry. 

She's in Young Women's now and going to girls camp this year.  She even got her first temple recommend and did baptisms for the dead Friday morning.  She can be exasperating at times and try all my patience, but I love her and I'm glad she's my daughter.

May 2012

We visited our friends in Layton one weekend and I wanted to visit City Creek, so we took the kids and they had so much fun playing in the water.

Yes, that's Sara.  She's growing up too fast, but she's kind of fun to hang out with now.

Sophia trying to crawl under the water.

It has been unseasonably warm here for May, but Sophia has loved playing outside.

Every once in a while Sara and Sophie get along for a few minutes.  One morning Sara was eating an apple, so Sophia wanted one and she wanted to lay by Sara on the couch.

We made indoor smores one night for dessert.

Mmmmmmm, gooey and yummy!

April 2012

Here are a few more pictures from April.  Part of our fence blew down during a big wind storm and since our neighbors have two big german shepherds Ben fixed it right away.

We finally spent some serious time potty training Sophia and after a few days she had it down.  I found some Dora and Diego stickers for her to put on her potty chart.

Hanging out on the potty.

Sara loves Peeta.  One of her teachers bought this cutout and all the kids took their picture with him.  She read the first book, but I haven't let her see the movie yet.

Playing with Sophia.  I would make a shape with the jumprope and then she would sit in it and jump in and out of it.  We have tons of fun around here while the kids are at school.