Off to School

Our first day of school started early. I was shocked when the kids got up before 7 on their own. The morning was a little hectic now that we have kids at two schools but everyone made it and had a good day.

Preston is excited to have the same 1st grade teacher that Austin and Madyson had



His cousin Alyssa is in the class right across from his (these two are trouble!)

Madyson has the same 5th grade teacher Austin had and is very excited. She is ready to rule the school!

Of course Brayden had to get in on the action

It was very rainy when I took Austin and we didn't have time to take pictures at school (I'm sure he was quite relieved)

I was ready for school to start and I don't usually have a problem sending them back but I was a bit teary dropping them off. I just can't believe that Austin is already in middle school, Madyson is in her last year of elementary and Preston is gone all day now. They are growing up way too fast.

Free Car Wash

The boys wanted to wash my car and they are so darn cute I just couldn't refuse. I'm not sure how clean the car actually was when they finished but they had lots of fun!

Gone Fishin

One of the kids favorite activities this summer has been fishing. They all love it. We made lots of trips to the park so they could fish and feed the ducks. The kids were catching so many fish that we lost count. One day Preston caught one that was almost 2 feet long and so heavy we could hardly reel it in.

Pearly Whites

Brayden had his first visit with the dentist. He had just been a few days earlier with the boys so he was excited at first and kept saying "my turn, my turn." However, when it came time to get down to business he wasn't as cooperative. Luckily we have a great dentist who was very patient with him. Hopefully next time will be a little smoother!

Reunions and Roller Coasters

Trent and I went to Utah for his 20th reunion and had a great time. It was fun to meet his old friends, spend time with family and get a little break from the kids. One night he had a show and chamber choir reunion. They of course did some singing and I was amazed at how great they sounded. You would never know it had been 20 yrs since they sang together. Trent doesn't do much singing these days so it was nice to see him having such a great time singing.

The kids were excited to have us home and we promised we would got to Frontier City with them. Brayden stayed behind with a babysitter and it was nice to focus all of our attention on the older kids. I of course forgot to take the camera to both events. Preston wasn't so sure about the roller coasters but once he tried them there was no stopping him. After his first ride he got off and said "that roller coaster ride pushed my face back so far my cheeks almost covered my ears!"
We had lots of fun spending the day with them but I rode one too many roller coasters. Once we were done there we went to dinner, followed by dessert at Orange Tree. We didn't take any family vacations this summer but we had lots of fun spending the day together.

Double Digits

Madyson has is 10! This year she celebrated for a week. First she went bowling w/Aunt Krista and her kids and then had cake. Next she skipped a birthday party and spent the day with dad at Frontier City and a movie. She finished her birthday off with dinner at her favorite Japanese restaurant. She even caught the flying egg!
Madyson is such a sweet person. She is such a great helper with Brayden and a great sister. She is becoming so independent and is always trying to help. She is very aware of others feelings and always tries to make sure everyone feels included. She is growing into a beautiful young woman and we are so proud of her. We are so lucky to have her as our daughter!

July 4th number 5!

We moved into our house 5 years ago on July 1st and have celebrated July 4th with our neighbors every year. They have a big party and it's always lots of fun. We thought we were going to get rained out but after a huge downpour the skies cleared! The kids love setting off fireworks and even Brayden got in on the action!

Firefighter in Training

Preston got to participate in the Children's Safety Challenge at the Fire Department. After the camp he got to put his new skills to the test and ran the fire fighter's obstacle course. Preston had a blast and did a great job!

Fun with the Spencers

My sister, Krista, came to visit for a few weeks and there were tears when she left today. We went swimming, fishing, to the Science Museum, Pelican Bay, celebrated July 4th and had lots of fun. I think the biggest hit was baby Addy. Madyson and Brayden couldn't get enough of her! Thanks for visiting Spencer's we had lots of fun!

Krista taught the kids how to fish last summer so they insisted they go fishingMadyson made the only real catch of the night!

Jayce snagged a fish by its gill

The Science Museum as a hit

Ride the Tornado!