Back to School

It is back to school time again, and as sad as we were to see summer go, all the kids were ready for their new school adventures!

Aubree is in 6th grade this year and off to Jr High. This brings so many new adventures, such as walking to school, lockers, and playing in the band (she is playing the flute). Her teacher is Mindy Elliott. She is growing up so fast and turning into a beautiful young woman. She still struggles with anxiety and emotions, but is learning how to handle these a lot better. Along with playing the flute in the band, she is still taking ballet and piano lessons.

Kaden is in 5th grade at King's Peak Elementary (the school for 3-5 grades) and loves being the king of the mountain! His teacher is Lori Olson and he seems to be really enjoying her as a teacher. He has so many friends and is really outgoing and social. He loves being in Webelos Scouts and is working towards his arrow of light. He is also playing soccer right now and is looking forward to Basketball this winter.

Tyson is in 2nd grade at East Elementary (grades K-2) and like Kaden enjoys being the top of the school. His teacher is Amber Gordon, and he seems to really like her. He is super smart at Math and is at the top of his grade there. His reading is also really good and he keeps improving. He seems to be pretty well liked by all the kids and I can't walk down the hall at school with him without 3-4 kids stopping him to say hello! He is playing soccer this year also, and will play basketball and baseball in their respective seasons.

Brennen is back to preschool and thinks he is pretty hot stuff being in both classes, but that is the advantage of having mom as the teacher. He is really working on being a big kid and has come a long way since last year. On days that there is no preschool, he is mom's buddy and big helper. He started soccer this year and loves having his dad as his coach!

I can't leave Cambree out! She doesn't go to school yet, but she goes to the babysitter and she loves it! She is also a typical 2-year-old, sweet as suger the one minute, a raging tornado the next. But we do love and she brings a special light into our lives that I can't imagine not having!

Misc End of Summer Fun!

We did so many fun things at the end of summer this year, and since I am getting behind on this blog, I am lumping them all into one gigantic post!
The library hosted a Harry Potter birthday party at the end of July. Kaden dressed as Hagrid (and won 3rd place in the costume contest), Aubree was Ginny Weasley, Tyson was Voldemort, and Brennen was the Troll (his costume consisted of carrying a club)

We did sparklers for UBIC while we waited for fireworks to start. We are so lucky to be able to see the fireworks from our backyard.




Bruce and I ran the 5k for UBIC this year. We also ran the school district's back to school 5k.

The youth of our ward went rafting on the Green River and they invited the 11 year olds to go. Aubree had such a great time with her dad!

Aubree is on the front right of the boat.

The Saturday before school started we went to the Vernal rec center and went swimming. They have a really awesome indoor pool!
Cambree loved going down this little red slide.

Aubree playing in the water features.

Brennen took the time to stop and pose. I love that he isn't afraid to get in the water this year.

Tyson finally was brave enough to try the water slides. After that, we couldn't get him off!

They had a obstacle course set up in the lap pool. Kaden had a lot of fun with that.

Bruce wanted to do the climbing wall after we were done swimming.

Then Aubree surprised us by wanting to try it too! She made it all the way up and rang the bell! I was so proud of her! She is growing up so fast!

I am so grateful for the time we spent together this summer. My kids are growing up so fast and I feel like every moment I get with them is precious. I am so grateful that they still like to do things as a family and for the bonds that it builds. I was listening to a talk today about a mother who felt like it was so important for her to help her children build relationships with each other, because those are the relationships that will be the longest in this life. Even when we are gone, our children will have each other. That really hit me and I want to make that a priority to help them to learn to love each other and enjoy being together!