July 29, 2008

Zach's 1st day of 1st grade! He got home and said, "Mom, we are at school forever!" (full day) As you can see in the picture, he is having trouble with the fake smile stage....Does anyone have a cure for that? Steve had the State written test today. I did ironing and laundry all morning then Ryan and I went to the mall for lunch and to get some of my jeans hemmed. All of my kids love Panda Express! Ryan sat there and quietly ate all of his orange chicken...every bite! It was really different having Bree and Zach gone all day. Very quiet...no fighting...but poor Ryan was bored stiff. He's not used to playing by himself, so he would just kinda follow me around all day. Poor little guy, I'm going to have to set up some play dates!

July 28, 2008

Brianna started 4th grade today! She said that she wasn't that excited, but she never complains about going to school, so that's good. Zach and I went in for 45 min. to meet his teacher. Zach will start his 1st day of 1st grade tomorrow. I had my visiting teachers come after that and they are really nice and I like getting to know new friends. I took the boys to the splash pool and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. They are so rough with each other and it drives me nuts. I'm shocked that neither of them have needed stitches yet! Bree also had her 1st day of dance at her new studio. She loved it and luckily she already knew 1 girl from school that we might end up carpooling with. Steve took the boys to get new basketball shoes for school and also ended up with Lightening McQueen crocs. The crocs are pretty funny lookin', but cute and the boys love them, so that's what matters. We also took them to Target to pick out a new outfit for Zach's 1st day of school. He doesn't like wearing collared shirts, but we're trying to convince him to dress a little nicer for school. Later that night, Steve was meeting Jared at Mulligans to give him some tips and Steve took the boys. The boys love to go there to "smack." Steve said they also loved riding home with the windows down and playing the ipod. The songs they ask for right now are, "Turn it up some" "High Maintenance Women" and "Don't Stop the Music" :)

July 27, 2008

Steve has had shifts every Sunday for about 2 months, so it was nice to finally have him back to church with us! Bree gave a talk in Primary today that I wrote during Sacrament meeting because we forgot about it. Ryan wouldn't go to Sunbeams again, so he went to all of Steve's classes. We don't know what to do with this kid, we're hoping that it's just a phase that will be over soon! Zach caught his 1st grasshopper today and it was actually really exciting! He wants to take it for show and tell! We watched part of the Yankee vs. Red Sox game and America's Funniest Home Videos which we all love. Steve made a Holmes cake and Syd and her kids came over to visit and watch the game.

July 24-26, 2008

We didn't do a whole lot for the 24th of July...Steve golfed in the morning and we met him at Cafe Rio with Jared and Courtney for lunch. Then the girls took off to the mall and the boys went back to Geisler's place. I haven't been to the mall for a long time and it was so fun! After that we went to Geisler's to meet our husbands and kids, ate a ton of big sticks and creamies, then went home for a nap.
After quiet time we met Steve's parents and Syd at Taco Bell then to McDonalds for ice cream. Not exactly your traditional BBQ, but we didn't plan anything, so that's what we did! Mike and Kris and their kids met us there too and we just talked for a long time while the kids played!
Friday was a big day because Steve graduated Paramedic School!!! The kids and I went down to the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy where he went to school everyday for the first 3 months. The last 4 months he was busy doing clinical hours. Steve gave us a little tour before the ceremony started and got some cool pictures! We thought July sounded so far away on January 2nd when he started, but now that we're done I can say that it went pretty fast. I am so proud of him and so excited for the future! We wanted to go out and celebrate a little, so we got a babysitter at 3:00 and went to Uinta where I helped Steve pick out a new golf outfit. Then we met Jared and Courtney at Applebee's for dinner. It was a fun night!
Saturday:
-Steve golfed early
-Bree played with Kami
-Cleaned my house
-went to Uinta....again :)
-went to Mulligans to watch the boys hit a bucket
-BBQ up at Mike and Marian's

July 23, 2008

Today was Steve's last day of class! He had to take a 400 question test and pass off 3 more codes. It was a long day, but he was so excited when he got home and knew he didn't have to go back! I am so proud of him.
I went to the neighborhood pool with my kids and Courtney and Jada, then watched the kids play in the alley on their bikes. After that Steve took Zach and Ryan to the golf store and Bree and I went shopping at Justice. We found he a cute new tank top and necklace for the first day of school on Monday. I can't believe it's back to school time already. I don't like buying a ton of clothes right now because it's still so hot and they have plenty of summer clothes. I usually wait until September to buy new Winter and Fall clothes.
When we got home, the boys were sad that they didn't have something new for school, so I said they could pick something and Ryan wants new basketball shoes and Zach wants a new shirt, shoes and pants! We ordered NY Yankee backpacks online last night for the boys and they are so excited. They go look on the front porch every few hours!

July 21-22, 2008

I had to get drug tested for my new job and I got stage fright or something and couldn't do it, so we had to go to lunch first and then go back! I was so embarrassed! Ryan wanted to go bowling again, so we went and the lady didn't even make us pay! It's not busy at all in the summer, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The kids had fun spending their own hard earned money(from the lemonade stand) in the vending machines. Steve, the kids and I all went to Wal Mart to get Ryan a new bike for his early b-day present. We wanted him to have more time to enjoy it while we're having nice weather since his b-day isn't until the end of August. Steve and I went to the pool again on Monday night, but it was a little warm for the hot tub, so we actually got in the pool.
On Tuesday, Steve ran a bunch of errands in the morning, then went to the library to do some studying for his final on Wednesday. I just did a bunch of mommy things:
-drop clothes off at dry cleaners
-Chick Fil A for lunch with kids
-took Bree to Gabby's house to play
-went to Cookie Cutter's to get the boy's hair cut (they loved it!)
-grocery store to pick up pictures and garlic bread to go with Goolosh
-pick up books at library
Later we went to the hot tub again and then Lea and Lisa brought over pizza and we watched Wipe Out.
Bree was giving us a little guilt trip about not having a sleepover yet this summer, so we let her have her cousin, Allie, over for one. They had a ton of fun, but they go to bed so dang late! All the kids slept downstairs until some lightening started and of course Ryan came upstairs because he was a little scared because Allie's house got struck by lightening when we all lived in Arizona.

July 18-20, 2008

Steve was off on Friday and enjoyed golfing at Glenmoor Golf Course. He loves golf more than anyone I know! When he's not playing, he's watching it on t.v. When he's not watching it on t.v., he's looking at golf clubs online and discussing them thoroughly with his brothers! We had on The Open Golf tournament all weekend and the kids and I would join Steve from time to time to watch it with him.
I got the job at the Community Center Day Care! I am so excited because I really think this is going to be a great job for me! If Steve isn't home to watch the kids I can take them with me to work. They all like the day care and I can even pack them a little sack lunch if I need to. It's just a part time job and mainly nights for now, but they close at 8:00 and they are closed at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and closed on Sundays! Perfect!
The kids and I went to the Splash pool on Friday with Krisha and Shanda and their cute kids. Then it was off to run the kids lemonade and otter pop stand! They look forward to it everyday! Later that night, I got a sitter last minute and we went to dinner with Lea and Lisa at Texas Road House. So yummy!
Steve golfed again on Saturday and the kids and I went swimming at Aunt Jenn's. We rented a movie and watched it for Family Movie Night together. Steve was asleep after the first 10 minutes and I got up to make peanut butter cookies.
Sunday was long, Steve went into work and they knew it was his last shift before graduation, so they told him to go home! So when the kids and I got home from church, he was already home! Yeah! Zach gave a talk in Primary and did really well. Despite my bribing, Ryan wouldn't go to Sunbeams, so he stayed in nursery with me. After lunch, Steve and I took a nap for over an hour! Syd and Rachel came out to visit and we watched the ESPYS which was actually really entertaining!
We are left with only 1 week of summer vacation left, finals for Steve on Wednesday, and graduation for Steve on Friday!

July 17, 2008

Bree has been asking to do a lemonade stand for a couple of days, so yesterday at the store I got tons of lemonade mix and plastic cups. Today after the pool, the kids came home and made a sign while I made the lemonade. They all went outside and started selling! I told them we needed to keep the lemonade in the fridge to get cold, so whenever they had a "customer" someone would run in to me and say how many cups they needed. They had so much energy and enjoyed it so much. There's nothing that says Summertime more than a lemonade stand!

July 16, 2008

-kids played and rode bikes out front in the morning (such great weather)
-I went the the store with no kids because Steve got home from school around 2!
-Steve took the boys to putt and chip golf balls before dinner. He said that they behaved so good too!
-Bree and I took Izzy on a walk around the neighborhood before dinner. I thought it would be so nice because it had been cloudy all day, but the sun came out for our walk and it was so hot! So we kept finding sprinklers to run through. We never take Izzy on walks, so she was about to pass out by the time we got home! She laid right down and fell asleep when we got home.
-Had my yummy tacos for dinner! Steve helped me out in the kitchen (which I love) chopping tomatoes and browning the meat while I fried the taco shells! Yummy. Lea and Lisa came over for dinner then we went to the pool to hot tub again. We told the kids if they were good they could all earn a dollar and a treat. They are very into earning money lately!
-After the hot tub we chatted for awhile and made our usual otter pop wrapper tower. Steve loves his otter pops!

July 15, 2008

Today I had a doctor appointment in the morning. Then I sat out back in the alley and let the kids ride bikes. Later that night, Bree watched the boys (for $1.00) while Steve and I went to the pool to hot tub with Lea and Lisa. It was only for an hour, but such a nice little get away! Bree was so proud of herself that she babysat and we were proud of her too. She is going to be a great babysitter when she's 12! I have friends and neighbors counting down the years already until they can have her babysit!

July 14, 2008

Yesterday the kids and I went to church, and Steve went to work. I am in nursery and I actually like it this time around. Maybe because my kids are getting older, I don't know. Ryan has a hard time going to Sunbeams and I usually have to bribe him with treats when we get home. It worked this past Sunday, but they brought him to me with about 20 minutes to go and He was in tears. I gave him a big hug and asked him what was wrong. He said, "Sunbeams takes too long!" I praised him for going for most of the time and he still got to have No Bake cookies after lunch.
Syd came by with her kids and it was really nice because Sundays can get so long, especially when Steve is gone at work. Then the kids and I went to Lea and Lisa's for a BBQ. I scarfed down home made mango salsa...YUM!
Today, (Monday) I had a doctor's appointment at 11:30 and waited until 1:00 and I still hadn't seen the doctor. I was so mad! I left and said that I can't wait anymore, we'll have to reschedule. I don't think I've ever had to wait that long. They called and apologized and gave me the 1st appointment tomorrow. Oh brother!!!
Later in the afternoon we drove down to Seven Peaks Water Park! It was a blast! Ryan started out in the kiddie area for awhile, but by the last hour, Steve had him going down the big slides with him! I love that they will let you take your kids on your lap there. For the first half hour in the kiddie area, Ryan's smile was painted on his face the whole time! Brianna was a dare devil as usual with no fear and Zach was actually the same way! He showed no fear on any of the big slides and went down with all smiles. Bree and I went down a few together on the 2 man tube and she enjoyed teasing me cuz I would scream the whole way down. :) She had fun guessing how much money it would take to get me to go down the Free Fall slide. I think we got up to at least a thousand dollars. Those slides scare me half to death! We went on almost everything and it was so fun to do something fun like that with our little family! I didn't bring my camera this time, sometimes I just get tired of lugging it around.

July 12, 2008

On Saturday, Ryan woke me up saying that we need to go bowling today. He must have had a dream about bowling or something...weird! All the kids camped out in our family room with sleeping bags and blankets. They love to do this! We have been going to bed so late (around 10:30) and sleeping in until around 9:00! So after a late breakfast, Ryan still was freaking out because he wanted to go bowling, so we gave in and the fam went to the bowling alley. Ryan was so into it! He would stand back, then run up to the line and throw the ball. Then he would watch the ball roll very slowly down the lane as he walked backwards. So cute!
After that we went home for lunch and a little chill time. Syd had some Buzz tickets that she wasn't using and offered them to us, so Steve, Ryan and I went to the Buzz game and Bree and Zach swam at Syd's. The kids love Syd's house, she is so nice to them and I'm sure the HUGE candy drawer helps too! :)
We were on the front row at the baseball game and one of the players threw a ball to Ryan. The smile and look on his face was priceless! I don't know if Ryan really liked the game or just the churros, Diet Coke, Starbursts, and nachos! Ryan was wearing his red basketball jersey on Saturday and on Sunday he put it on again and I said, "Ryan, that is SO stinky!" and he said, "No Mom, it smells gorgeous!" -What am I going to do without my kids keeping me laughing all the time? At church today there was a girl in front of us with a small braid in her hair...Ryan said, "Mom, why does that girl have a zipper in her hair?" :)

July 11, 2008

Bree enjoyed going to Activity days today. They had a water party in her leaders backyard with a blow up water slide and plenty of popsicles. I let her walk home with her friend, I can't believe she is old enough to do that already! I have always been so protective and I'm trying to relax a little. Courtney, Liz and I got Wendy's for dinner and took it up to a park for a picnic with the kids. The kids all had a blast running around and riding scooters and skate boards all along the bike paths. There was even a man playing a bag pipe and the kids went over and listened to him and clapped for him! I bet they made his day! A little later, a man starts walking through the park playing his guitar! Liz asked him to play for our husbands and he sang us two songs! Too funny, it was a concert in the park!
The boys got Frosty's for us and the kids played night games until 11:00! Zach said, "This is the best night of my life!" I love a late summer night outside with good friends!

July 10, 2008

Ryan loves to sing in the car...When he hears a song that he knows and likes to sing, like You're Gonna Miss This, he gets out his "microphone" and starts to belt it out!
Steve worked in the OR today and got to watch a brain surgery! He loved it! He came home in his green scrubs and the kids thought that was really cool. He also brought home a hat that they wear in surgery, so the boys played "doctor" for the rest of the afternoon, pretending to give everyone shots!
The kids and I went to visit Nana because it was her 92nd birthday the other day! Go Nana! The kids showered her with lots of hugs and I hope that made her happy. The kids and I went to the pool around 5:00, but only stayed for an hour. I think we are all so tired from our jam packed summer days.

July 8, 2008

-Bree and Ami-
We started out our day yesterday at good ol McDonalds. I would never think to wake up and take my kids there, but Steve loves to go. I don't complain because I love their Cinnamon Melts! The kids all love the hot cakes and Ryan orders "pam pakes and chocolate milk!" Ryan is so funny, he would rather sit by us and eat than play on the play place. The boys spent the first 10 minutes arguing about who got to sit by Daddy. I tell ya, when Steve has a day off he's like a Super Star around here.
Then we went to get my van washed because it was so yucky from our road trip. After that, it was off to Wal Mart for groceries. Ever since Steve has spent time at the fire station he is a whole new man when it comes to the store. He has no problem helping and even offering to make different meals. I love it! It is still hard to shop with all 3 kids because they constantly ask, "Can we buy this, Can we buy this?"
Later, the kids and I went swimming at the new pool in our neighborhood and Steve paid a visit to his other love in life...the golf store. The kids love to swim and Zach has really improved lately. He is diving for rings and loving every minute. Ryan doesn't last as long, so luckily Steve was off yesterday and could come and get him when he was tired. The day ended with me and Steve relaxing on the couch and watching reruns of Friends. I don't think we'll ever get tired of that show! (Ryan usually sneaks down after we've put him in bed and asks for 1 more hug and kiss. He knows we will end up tickling his back and cuddling him for awile...Smart kid)

July 7, 2008

We just got back from our fun summer vacation in Boise, Idaho. We were visiting Brad and Sunny and their two cute kids. Steve, Brad, and their dad spent their days golfing and at the golf store. I will never understand this obsession, but I've made my peace with it. :) Marian, Sunny, the kids and I spent our days swimming, shopping, seeing Wall E and just letting the kids play. One of the best parts is that Sunny surprised me with Tres Leche cake! What a good friend! It seriously made my day! Steve took the kids out to the lake in their back yard and had fun fishing with the kids. Zach loved playing with the slimy worms! We did our own fireworks in their circle and that was fun too, but Will was so scared! He would curl up in Brad's arms and say, "Are we done?" Will, or should I say Buzz Lightyear, is such a character. At the end of the movie, Wall E comes back to life and the theater was silent. Then you hear Will say, "OOOhhhhh, way to go!" The whole theater started laughing. Ryan wore his Nike hoops jersey the entire trip. If it was dirty, he would start to pout. I washed it every day that I was there! All in all, it was a great trip!

July 1,2008

I am really enjoying the warm weather! I took Ryan and Zach to the kiddie pool today where I met one of my friends. The kids have a blast and I get to soak up the sun! I still haven't figured out the sun here, I have gotten burned a few times already. The sun in Arizona was much kinder, I never got burned there! Steve picked up Bree from school for me today, so I didn't need to worry about that. I love having him around to help with the day to day things. Izzy got groomed today and looks so cute and fluffy. I just can't believe how much it costs to get her groomed! That's why I only take her every other month. We just ran some errands today and Bree was excited about her new tankini and sunglasses! We ended the day with a yummy dinner at The Pie and watching Wipeout. Why do we like watching people get bounced around and beat up by an obstacle course? I don't know, but we all think it's hilarious! I'm off to do yet another load of laundry!

June 30, 2008

Steve was "working" at the ER today, which he likes because he gets to do a lot of IV's and they really keep him busy! He loves what he is doing, but is ready to work and actually get paid for all of his hard work. Today was Zach's last day of Kindergarten and his teacher had the parent's come in for a little graduation. He has been a great Kindergarten teacher and Zach has really learned a lot and had a ton of fun! His teacher even put together a slide show to music with pictures from throughout the year for us. It was really neat. I got to enjoy the presentation because Ryan spent the time in the Day Care at the Community Center. :)

Tomorrow is Bree's last day of school and I can't believe that my kids are done with another year of school. She has been having all sorts of field trips, field days, and parties! She is a great student and she got an award saying that she was "A Cheerful Companion" and was "a friend to all." What a nice compliment, I am so proud of her! I am always excited for the new changes the future may bring, but sad to leave things behind. My kids are growing up so fast!