Back to School 2017

It was hard to come back from vacation, but also good to get back into our routine...and our own beds. Just a couple days after getting home we had Weslie's meet the teacher for KINDERGARTEN. She seemed pretty excited and I think I was more nervous than she was. She has one friend in her class that she already knows from church so that is nice.

We did back to school hair cuts and Wes had a ton cut off! She is loving having less snarls to brush out. She looks so grown up with short hair.

On Sunday night Kevin gave all the girls school blessings and we called it an early night. I was a little sad knowing that this was our last night with all preschoolers in the home. In some ways it was the end of one stage of life for us and that made me sad. Having 4 kids under 5 was/is hard but I loved it. We did whatever we wanted when we wanted to. We played. We snuggled. All of us, together. knowing that we are starting the school stage and that things are going to be different from now on was bittersweet. The last 5 years have gone by so fast and as I said goodnight to my big Kindergartener I wondered if I spent the time wisely. Mom guilt is hard to shrug off, but I know that despite the difficulties we did have a lot of fun. I am so grateful that we had an extra year with Wes at home with us. It was a very special time in our home and now we get to have new experiences with her in school, the twins in preschool and I'll have some alone time with little guy!

Kevin snuggling them on the night before Kinder

I made pancakes for Weslie on her first day and she was so excited to wear her new clothes and buy lunch at school. She walked us to her classroom on Monday morning and I hugged her at the door I whispered in her ear reminding her that she is brave and kind and she happily walked into her new classroom. She seemed to have had a great day when I picked her up later that afternoon.

The next day was the twins first day of preschool. Remi was especially excited! They both did really well. Sophie got a little sad in the middle but cheered back up at snack time. They were so excited to show me what they made at school when I picked them up.

Day 2 of Kindergarten Wes wanted to bring lunch from home so that everyone could see her cool new lunch box. Kevin opened the passenger door for her as they were leaving this morning and told her she could ride in the front because it's only 2 streets away. She responded by telling him that she thought she should drive and he could ride in that seat. She is too big!

Utah 2017

We skipped the summer bucket list this year and enjoyed a more laid back summer. After going back and forth about 5 times we finally decided to drive out to Utah for Grandpa Blaine's 90th Birthday party. I was so nervous about driving so far with all the littles but they did so well! Kevin drove the whole way and I was slave to the masses in the back. The girls were easily entertained and the biggest challenge was keeping them quiet while Oliver slept. That little guy played, ate, slept, repeat and we easy drove 12 hours the first day.

We decided to stop, get a hotel and let the kids swim as a reward. They thought the hotel room was so cool and it brought out all the stored energy from the day.

 It was good to stretch out and get some rest, until 4:00 AM rolled around. "Sisters! Open the curtains and see if the sun is out!" Shouted Weslie, waking us all up. Then I wished we had just driven straight through. We laid there for a while longer before starting an early day. Everyone was over being stuck in the car, so it was good we only had 6 hours left to St. George. We stopped at the Navajo Bridge to stretch our legs for a few mins and saw lots of wild horses on our drive.

Finally we made it to Aunt Debbies where we were spoiled rotten and the creamies were endless. Debbie is as sweet as ever and Weslie clung right on to her. We enjoyed cafe rio, swig and lots of laughs. We got to attend Dallin's endowment at the St. George temple. Nana drove down to see the kids and babysit so that we could both attend. It was my first time inside and it was beautiful. We were at Ryan's the next afternoon and when Dallin woke up he asked him "if he slept better in the armor of God". I sure do miss the Ricks clan.

Kevin golfed on Wednesday and that night Dad and I went on a date to see Mama Mia at Tuacahn. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Grandpa Grape had us all laughing when he started belting the music along with the cast. 

As always there is never enough time and we were leaving St. George before we knew it and heading North to Salt Lake with Grammy. Sophie napped the whole 4 hours in the car and we went straight to dinner at Italian Village with Aunt B, Keven and Val. Those pizza benders always hit the spot and I love that my Grandma and Grandpa Ricks used to go there on dates. 

I had lots of activities planned for us but we hardly needed anything to fill our time because the girls were just happy to visit cousins and play outside in the soft grass and cooler temperatures. We did hike to Bridal Veil falls, roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a real fire and visited temple square. Grammy told the girls the story of how Grandpa proposed right there. As we were leaving the North Visitor's center Remi said, "The real Jesus can really help us." She is right! 

 We were so busy and the time flew by so quickly. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Chloe and tears may have been shed. Lots of memories were made and I am so glad we made the trip out.

Sophie Riding

Wes Riding at Bob and Saundra's

Getting Spoiled by "Grandma Shirl"

Checking out the Aviary with Bal

Exploring Grandma Harsh's backyard