The Vacation is Over

Well, that's enough relaxing for a while...I guess. We had a really nice time in St. George,though Monday was kind of weird. We didn't really have any plans, so we played it by ear. We ate at a crappy Chinese restaurant, walked out of a crappy movie and Trent sat on my awesome pink sunglasses and broke them - I shouldn't have left them on the bed, my bad. We did discover a Massage Therapy School next door to the crappy Chinese restaurant and made appointments to get massages the next day before we headed home. When we arrived on Tuesday, the lady had forgotten to enter our appointments into the computer, so there were no students to give us our "couples" massage. So, instead of paying $35 each for 1 hr massages, we got free 1/2 hour massages from the instructor. That made up for the crappy chinese, crappy movie and broken sunglasses. It was so relaxing. What a great way to end our trip. 

The kids had a great time without us, too. They got to hang out with Grandma Karla & Grandpa Kerry, who spoiled them excessively.  Gavin went fishing with Grandpa, Uncle Bill & Kris. He caught 3 or 4 fish. Ryker and Saige went to Trafalga with Grandma. They ate at Wendy's twice, got new shoes and Saige got a haircut. I don't think they missed us at all. (Don't tell them, but we really enjoyed our time without them, too.) Gavin also took 3rd place in his Cross Country meet (the only one I've missed). He decided he wanted to race with the junior varsity team and probably could  have taken 2nd place. He ran the whole race with a friend and told my mom that he let the friend beat him because "he doesn't win much". (He has such a good heart.) 

All in all we are glad to be back home. We had a nice break and now it's time to get back to the real world...school, work, fighting kids, laundry, dishes, piano lessons, homework, making dinner, scubbing floors...you get the picture.

Playing in St. George

After my Girl's Weekend (with my mom and sisters) got cancelled on Thursday, I talked Trent into taking me on an impromptu getaway to St. George. I managed to get us a couple of hotel rooms (couldn't find any that had vacancies for all three nights, so we had to switch after our first night), and I also got us seats at the Tuacahn for Les Miserables. We didn't get the greatest seats, but I don't think there is really a bad seat there. I have wanted to see this show since I was in high school, so I was really excited. Trent was less excited (musical theater is NOT his thing), but he agreed to take me anyway. It was amazing! I totally loved it. He didn't, but he endured it well. I guess I will have to go and see Hell Boy 2 with him now. (Personally, I'd rather literally go to hell than see that movie, but when you love someone you make sacrifices, especially when they make sacrifices for you.) We also ate dinner at the Tuacahn, which was delicious. The only drawback was the hornets swarming our food.

Today, we drove into Zion National Park and hiked Angel's Landing, which is a very strenuous and difficult hike. The last time I was in Zion I had my kids with me and they were too small to hike it, so we thought this would be a great time to go see it. It was hard, but we made it up and it was SO worth it. The views were amazing. 

At the top, Trent made friends with a chipmunk that came right over and stole some of his granola bar. Apparently, the chipmunk didn't read the "Don't feed the wildlife" signs posted all around the park.

  

I'm not sure when exactly I got old, but my knees were whining all the way down (okay, it was me whining, but it was my knees' fault). I love that we live so close to so many beautiful places. You can drive a few hours and see some incredible things. We are having a great time hanging out together and being a couple instead of mom and dad for a few days. Don't get me wrong, we love our kids, but sometimes you just need to take a break. Thanks to my mom for taking care of them. Ryker, the picture above is for you, my little poser. Luv u most! (You too, Gavin and Saige!)

Patriot Day

My mom sent me an email today that was a video collection from 9/11. It really made me think about how grateful I am to all the men and women who serve our country and try to protect us from things like this, whether they are in the military, law enforcement, fire department, paramedics, whatever. Thanks to all of you and your families who sacrifice so much for the rest of us. 

First Cross Country Meet

After practicing for just two weeks, Gavin ran in his first cross country meet yesterday. It was held at Bonneville Jr. High. The race was 1.2 miles long. It went around the grounds of the school and a couple of times around the track. He was the only 7th grader from Kennedy to make the varsity team. There were 90-100 boys racing in the varsity race and Gavin came in 15th out of all those boys. I got a little choked up watching him. I could tell that it was hard for him, but that he was determined to do his best. His stomach hurt when it was over, but he felt good about how well he did. I hope that he will stick with it because he obviously has a natural talent for it. 

First Day of School

Wow! Gavin's first day of Junior High! Every year I take the kid's picture in front of our house. The door makes it easy to compare their growth from year to year. I think Gavin has grown about 6 inches from last year. He has about 3 inches on me now. Anyway...before he left for school I asked him what he was most nervous about. He said, "not being the tallest kid in school anymore." He has gotten used to that I guess, but being as tall as he is I don't think that he'll have any problems with kids bugging him. When we went to the orientation he actually tried to fit himself into his locker, but it just wasn't happening. One of his friends, who is about Ryker's size, was also trying to squeeze himself into his locker. (He got everything in but the lower half of one leg.) Apparently, that is a pretty big concern when you are a 7th grader. I told him not to worry, that he would probably fit in a garbage can if someone really wanted to get him.

For the most part he is really enjoying jr. high. At his school they have A & B days, so that he only goes to 4 classes per day. "A" day is mostly Quest classes, so he is with the same group of students all day. He is enjoying his French class, but P.E. is his favorite. He made the cross country team, so he is really excited about that. He loves to run. He is thinking that he will try out for the Boy's Volleyball team, Basketball and Track (maybe he'll learn how to do hurdles, though, I'll probably still try to tell him how to do it right).

Ryker is in Mrs. Baker's 4th grade class this year. We really like her so far. When I asked him what he was most excited about this year he said "wearing my new clothes and shoes". He loves the color pink, which I think is totally cool, because he doesn't care what other people think. I love it when boys wear pink (in a masculine, non-girly way) and Ryker can totally pull it off. Ryker is my fashion guy. He loves to look good. When Ryker was in 2nd grade he would come home and tell me all about his "girlfriends" (he had about 9 of them) and he is still trying to impress them. He loves it when his best friend, Jared, will ride bikes to school with him, that totally boosts his image of coolness. I think he is a total "Hottie".

Saige is in Mrs. Sutter's 2nd grade class. Ryker had her when he was in 2nd grade and we really liked her. Saige is into all things "Hannah Montana". This year we got her a Hannah messenger bag, water bottle, 2 shirts, pajamas, a wallet, a purse, 2 hats, notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, and just about anything else you can think of. What a spoiled child! When you're the only girl and the youngest, I guess that's what happens. As soon as Saige gets up in the morning Hannah can be heard rocking the house from her room. She is so much fun. I love it when I can hear her singing at the top of her lungs to the music. (The girl can sing.) Saige was most excited about having 3 recesses this year. Her 1st grade teacher only let them have 2, so she is totally excited for that extra 15 minutes of play time. Hopefully, she doesn't use it to break another arm!

My kid's are so cool. I am totally proud of them. They make me laugh. (They frequently make me crazy, but with them back in school I am enjoying them much more.)

I started my Physiology class this semester. It has been really interesting, so far. I have a really good and entertaining teacher, who makes class fun, so I'm excited. 

Lake Powell

We had a great time at Lake Powell this year. We had a couple of mishaps - the wheel flew off the boat trailer just outside of Price, crossed both lanes of the highway and climbed 8 feet up a tree at least half a mile down the road - one of the houseboat motors snapped in half - and we couldn't get the electrical power on the houseboat to work until the last night, but we didn't let that keep us from having a blast! The weather was beautiful (very hot, perfect for spending lots of time in the water). Here are some of the highlights:

Ryker playing in the water.

Gavin tried to ski, but his gigantic feet were too big for the kid size skis.

Trent did some skiing.

Saige and Ryker in the boat.

Tony taught me to drive the boat, which was cool.

(I only almost hit one big rock below the surface.)

Gavin and Ryker after a swim to "Ryker's Island".

Saige playing in the sand.

Saige in her glamourous sunglasses.

Climbing around on the cool rocks.

Saige and I went for a little walk.

Miracle

"The Lord would want you to be successful. He would. You are His sons and His daughters. He has the same kind of love and ambition for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Wow! I totally have proof of that today! I have been so incredibly stressed about my chemistry class and the final that I took on Monday. I went and took the test after saying about a million prayers that I could get a score good enough to earn a B in the class. That was really the most that I could hope for. I had figured out the score I would need to get an A and knew that it was out of my reach, so I was praying for a B, though I really wanted an A. I took the test and then, contrary to what I have done so far on chemistry tests, I looked back through it. On one particular question I suddenly realized that, though I had followed all the rules exactly, this question was an exception to the rule. I fixed the answer and went home, feeling relieved to have finished the class, but not feeling great about how I did in the class overall. Last night, very nervously, I checked on my grade. I was seriously terrified, thinking that I may have done so poorly that I would have to retake the class. When I saw the score I got on my final I just started sobbing. I got the exact score I needed to get an A. By 0.4% I got an A in a class I truly hated. How grateful I am to a Heavenly Father who wants me to succeed! I did not earn that score on my own, I only did it with His help (also some help from my Dad who helped me get a grasp on some concepts that I was struggling with). I don't have to retake Chemistry! Hallelujah!

With my finals over, Trent & I finally got to celebrate our 14 year anniversary, which was July 30th. We haven't been able to celebrate until now, because of school. It was really nice to be able to go out and relax, with nothing else to worry about. We kept it simple and just went to a movie (The Dark Knight) and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.