Eleven months already!

Last Saturday Grace hit the 11 month mark...how fast her first year has gone! I took these pictures last Saturday evening after getting back from Medford. But with school starting and Nathaniel's birthday, I just hadn't gotten a chance to load them onto the blog. She's getting quite vocal on her opinions of things...and is always happy to share it with us. She has taken several steps...but hasn't started full out walking yet. She likes to stand and dance :) We all love our cute little Grace Olivia.

Nathaniel's First Day of Preschool

The big kid preschooler

Both boys, ready for school

Doing one of his favorite things - PLAYDOUGH!!!
He was so excited to get in to class...hustled through the door (leaving Grace & I way behind) calling out, "Hi, Teacher!" No fear, no qualms, no hesitation...hugging the teacher, friends from church and storytime and getting down to business (ie playdough).
He did come and hug Grace and I good-bye.

Little Miss Grace upon returning home and finding neither of her big playthings (Joshua and Nathaniel) are around.

Our Third Grader

Joshua started third grade today. He was pretty excited to start up again...so was I! Nathaniel wanted to start today as well, but he's got to wait one more loooooooooooooooong day. He's asked so many times if it wasn't time for J to be home or not. Still 2 1/2 hours to go, bud!

How quickly 15 years can go...

Me in front of the sign out front

(and no, this wasn't my first day there...it was actually taken on our last day there)

My awesome companion, Hermana Whitacre and I


Us again

The elders

The Hermanas

The whole District

Fifteen years ago today (well, this afternoon), I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah to prepare for my mission to the Spain Barcelona Mission. I'd graduated with a BS in Elementary Education from BYU just five days before. I remember being so incredibly nervous as I walked into the MTC with my family...and being a little sad as they left and I stayed. The two months there (and the ensuing 16months in Spain) had its ups and downs, but I would not trade the memories and experiences and wonderful Spirit I had during that time for anything. My mission blessed my life in ways that I could never have imagined...I only can hope that it blessed others too.

this and that

Well, my surgery was postponed - approval from insurance didn't come through yet...they are very very slow! Yes, this is very very frustrating being as Brian starts class on Monday! And then Joshua starts 3rd grade the next week and Nathaniel starts preschool the day after that and that is followed by his 4th birthday.

Anyway, the other day we were driving around a bit after setting off some rockets at the high school practice field and ended up Old Etna at Grease Flats.

Building the rockets

Daddy helping Nathaniel "blast" one off

Joshua counting down to take off

Our rocketeers

Brian took the boys down to wade in Etna Creek while I sat in the car with sleeping Grace (that had been the goal of our driving around). Eventually she woke up and we walked down and joined them, but it was time to head home for dinner.

So Friday we took lunch and ate and waded and splashed around. The kids loved it...well, the boys loved it. Grace did not like it. She was tired and the water was cold.

As soon as we got home, I fed her a jar of food and then handed her her bottle while I went to the bathroom...when I came out - this is what I found:

she was kind of tired.

And here is a link to the little blurb that I sent in to the local newspaper about Joshua's lemonade stand:
http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/photos/x1351155078/Siskiyou-Seen?foto=8

Ten Months (plus a couple of weeks)

Grace is now ten+ months old...I took these pictures of her on her 10 month day (July 21) and am just now getting around to posting them. Life's gotten busy...we took a few days and took the kids down to Redding to Turtle Bay. The main purpose of our trip were a couple of appointments for me in preparation for my surgery...but we turned it into a family vacation. I'll hopefully get around to posting some of those pictures before my surgery on Wednesday.

Grace is growing too fast! - just over 18 pounds now and 27 inches tall. She's cruising around holding on to furniture and people and has taken a few little steps (including one good one to big brother Joshua this afternoon - he was ecstatic). She loves to clap - especially when someone says, "yay, grace!" Yesterday she kept trying to stand on her head - it was very cute!

We got her a doll a few weeks ago - at my insistence - because she kept picking up cars and making car sounds. I didn't have a problem with that, but wanted her to have a doll as well. One of the first things she did with the doll - put her in a truck and start pushing it around making car sounds!

Right now she has a little cold - and Nathaniel as well...I spent last night sleeping in the recliner because she couldn't breathe really well while lying down. She's already been asleep in her bed for 90 minutes now - and she didn't nap hardly at all today - so we'll see how tonight goes. Nathaniel finally just crashed on my bed - now to lug him to his bed.

Contest 1

A mission friend of mine is giving away a Silhouette cutting machine on her website (Sugardoodle.net) and if you post a link to her contest you get an entry in it...
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6344

Besides this contest, Melanie has tons of WONDERFUL things on her website!