First Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday Jassy started kindergarten.

Here she is being shy.

She rode the bus home with her older siblings where she knew me & Daddy and Grandma & Grandpa would be waiting!

She did so amazing! We are so proud of her.

Meeting Jassy's Teacher

Today I took Jassy to meet her kindergarten teacher and for her testing. Her teacher is Damon's old teacher and is actually on Maternity Leave so she didn't get to meet her but got to see her classroom and her new seat. I had to wait in the hall but had a pretty good view of her getting tested by the other kindergarten teacher. She looked so small to me. I can't believe she is going into kindergarten. It actually made me really sad as I watched her. I have been dreading this day for a long time now. She is my shadow, she goes everywhere with me. What will I do with myself while she is gone for three hours a day? I guess every mom goes through this at some point...

She gets to sit where Damon used to sit!

Her teacher made her a little treat to take home.

She doesn't start school until next week, so I am preparing myself. I know she will love it!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Damon and Olivia. Olivia is now in the fourth grade! She has heard wonderful things about her teacher and is excited to learn how to play the recorder!

Damon is in the second grade and has Olivia's old teacher Mrs. Dailey. We are thrilled to have her again! She plays the guitar, does lots of art projects and has a class reward store!

Last Weekend of Summer Break

Since this was our last weekend before going back to school, we let the kids decide how we would spend it. So that meant lunch at McDonald's.

Swimming at the indoor pool, which turned out to be way hotter then the outdoor pool.

Olivia got brave and went down the big slide. Damon wanted to go but the Lifeguard said he was too small.

Then they let me decide how we would spend our evening. So I decided it would be fun to go to The Great Salt Lake to watch the sunset (you know I had to sneak a photo session in).

Damon was in a horrible mood. We had to wake him, he hurt his foot, and there was a Barn Owl in the corner of this old building and it scared us all.

We made it to the lake just in time. If I had planned better I would have brought my tripod and wireless remote so that I could have been in the picture too. Liv tried taking a picture with my camera of John and I, but it didn't turn out. :(

On Sunday we spent the afternoon with my adorable SIL-Kim at her pool. We pretty much had the pool to ourselves!

Then it was off to dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a really busy, but fun weekend. Now it's time for BACK-TO-SCHOOL!

Tracy Aviary

Today my sister, mom and I decided to take the kids to Tracy Aviary.

Damon did a report on the Bald Eagle last year and wanted to get his picture taken with one behind him.

Jassy found a feather.

They enjoyed playing in the sand and learning about different types of beaks.

Just a few of the cuter birds.

The Bird Show.

They learned about different eggs and different feathers.

And even claws.

They were so mad about having to sit next to each other for a picture.

Craft Corner.

It was a lot of fun. Now I'm off to take a nap...

Bouncing At Classic Fun Center

Need I say more....

Our Anniversary & Family Reunion

John and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary today! We have been together for 14 years and I couldn't imagine my life without him. He is absolutely amazing and we are truly blessed!

We celebrated by going to dinner and a movie last night since today was my Dad's Family Reunion.

Every year we drive out to Eureka City Park the first weekend of August for the reunion. The ride is long but we always have fun once we get there. This year there was a bike marathon and with all the road construction and already narrow roads it ended up being quite an adventure! We were following my parents when all the sudden I looked up and saw a diesel coming in the opposite direction, headed right towards us. The trucker had slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting a biker. But ended up hitting the car in front of him and clipping the side of my dad's truck. It was absolutely terrifying to see such a huge vehicle out-of-control and heading right towards us. Luckily John had quick reflexes and veered to the right where there was an open street and got us out of harms way. He turned so quickly, I thought our car was going to tip over. The diesel did hit the car behind us.

It's funny how they say that when your in a situation like that, you see your whole life flash before your eyes. It was like we were moving in slow motion. We heard all the tires screech, heard the yelling, saw people running from their vehicles, smelt the smoke, felt the sorrow for those who did get hurt. But during all the commotion, I thought to myself... is this it? Is this how we'll be spending our Anniversary? Will I be alive to see my babies get married? Our my parents okay? Is the other driver alive? Who will tell their families? My mind raced with a million questions...

After doing a quick look back at the kids and asking if everyone was okay, I now needed to find my family. We raced over to see my dad and sister running down the street in tears and frantically looking for us. The car behind us that did get hit was silver too and looked a lot like our car. So they thought for sure we were hit. I waved to get there attention, I say the look of relief on my dad's face when he saw us driving towards him. But where was my mom? My stomach dropped! Then I saw her on the other side of the road! She was hysterical! We rushed right over to her. I grabbed her and held her tight until she calmed down. Then I realized she was covered in dirt and all banged up. OH MY GOD! What happened? "She fell out of the car!" my sister said. They were all shook-up from the diesel hitting them, that when they all looked back they just saw a silver car get hit too. My dad immediately turned the truck around to get to us, and at the same time my mom opened the door to run to us and that's when she fell out of the truck and into a ditch. She landed on her shoulder but got up and went running, frantically looking for us! My mom's adrenaline kicked in and she rushed to our rescue not feeling any pain. She is so amazing! I'm so glad that we all survived and I pray for those who were injured...

After all that, we made it to the reunion! This year is was a "Hippie" theme.

The kid's went on a "Wilde Ride" on the "Wilde Wagon."

Jumped on the bouncer.

Played games and won lots of prizes.

Fishing for prizes.

The kids think the best part is when they get to play in the sawdust. They go by age groups in search for money and candy.

My favorite part is the auction! Everyone brings items to put in the auction and then we buy raffle tickets.

This year I made a few necklaces to put in the auction. I was really excited about getting rid of a few bottlecap necklaces. I made a few hundred of them. Somehow the only thing I won was my own bottlecap necklace. Damon had put his tickets in that bucket thinking I wanted them back. LOL.