You might remember that we had to reschedule a planned trip to Six Flags because of Derek's broken toe.  Well, we were able to fit it in last Thursday, as a last "hurrah" before school started.  And it was so fun!  Lucky for us, our friends the Lee's met us there.  And BONUS of bonuses,…

Tonight was the designated time for us to find out who the kids' new teachers would be, and go meet them.  When we walked in to Caleb's new classroom, we shook hands with the teacher and she immediately said to me "You look so familiar".  She is new to our school, and just recently bought…

This morning I had Jacob and Caleb put together an Olympic activity.  It was fun!  We had a sprinting race.  A biking time trial.  A biking road race (around the cul-de-sac and back).  A javelin throw.  A wall (fence) climb.  A stunt competition (on the trampoline).  And a double-dunk competition (inside). Jacob won gold in most…

On Friday night we headed out to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo with our friends the Crane’s, Emily, Bret and their 4 cute kiddos.  Earlier in the day I was prepping the kids for the “Calf Scramble” – a rodeo event open to children, where they chase a calf to win prizes.  My brother is a…

To ease the sting of not getting to go to Six Flags, I bought the kids Diet Coke and Mentos, and let them make geysers in the backyard.  I have to admit, it was pretty fun! Please watch carefully…

On Wednesday morning, he was changing the baby's diaper for me.  And he proceeded to trip over the baby's trashcan, try to catch himself, and his left foot ended up getting caught on the leg of the crib.  I heard him tumble and ran in to see what happened, and found him face down not moving. …

That night after THE HIKE, we decided to go out for dinner.  It was our last official night in Kauai and it was our anniversary, so we didn't just want to go to sleep (actually we DID just want to go to sleep…we were exhausted and sore, but felt we should celebrate anyway!).  So we went…

Today is my dad and stepmom's 20th wedding anniversary!  20 YEARS!!  It is thanks to their generosity that we were allowed the privilege of going to Kauai without children! They took them for that week.  And my kids were so loved, and so cared for, and I didn't have to worry once about them.  My dad…

Thursday, July 17th (our official 10-year anniversary) This was the BIG day…the day we had built up to all week. We were going to hike the Na Pali Coast. The beautiful north shore of Kauai – uninhabited and protected by law. It's rugged mountain cliffs, sea caves, breathtaking beaches and tourquoise waters are the big…

On the way to Hawaii, I read (once again) one of my favorite books:  These is My Words, by Nancy Turner.  I was bringing it to give to Dana as a gift, but decided to crack it open for myself one more time before she got there.  I am never disappointed when I read about…