Aunt Anita

I'm so excited to have Anita in our family! She and Jer's brother Dustin went through the temple yesterday and are getting married on Saturday. She has been here from Mexico for a little over a week now and we're all so glad to have her! She is such a sweet beautiful girl and while we're still working on the language barrier (google translate is our friend), that doesn't get in the way of her beautiful happy smile even in a place far from her family where she really doesn't know anyone. This photo is of her and Mckayla playing a Spanish/English learning app Mckayla found all by herself. Mckayla even wrote out some cue cards for herself, so sweet! Bienvenida Anita!

Lagoon!

Jer's pretty overworked and underpaid to be completely honest, but at least we get Lagoon Day out of it  :)  We haven't been the last 2 years for some reason but managed it schedule wise this year.  I was SO excited to go!  It's been 4 years but seems longer when you have kids at an age you know they'll love it.  We got to be there from when it closed to the public at about 5pm to 11pm, just Icon employees.  Was nice having it quiet enough to let Mckayla and Talm run around kiddie land while we were there too, but not following their every move.  That last half and hour when things were starting to close we ran full speed from ride to ride trying to fit in as much as possible.  And heck, even dinner was provided. Was a good evening!
I talked Mckayla who was very excited to be there into going on my favorite, the White Rollercoaster and hoped she wouldn't wuss out at the last minute.  I could tell she was a little nervous but she got on.  And then it headed up the first hill  :)  She started freaking out but oh man, when we went down that first drop, she looked like she was 100% sure we were going to die.  I was laughing hysterically having fun but at her too.  Needless to say she refused to go on it ever again, but hey, at least I got her once  :)

10 years

10 loooong.....I mean glorious :) years.  Kidding, it really has flown by.  We went out to dinner at Outback then grabbed cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory, Jer's favorite, and went up to Ensign Peak where Jer proposed.  Of course there was a boisterous youth group up there when we got there but they left after a few minutes.  The sun went down sooner than I wanted and it got chilly, but we had enough time to enjoy our cheesecake, martinelli's, and a little conversation.  Then we headed home to grab kids to put to bed since it was a school night.  Oh yeah, high rollers, I know. 
We'll have to save the warm water, sandy beach exotic anniversary trip for next year.  Adding a new baby to our family this year forcing us to put it on hold isn't too bad of a trade  :)

Back to school!

Those darn kids, growing again.  The 3 older kids are all in school now, and loving it!  Mckayla in 3rd grade, Talmage in 1st grade, and Kaitlyn in preschool.  It's a bit strange for me to have Ella only for a few hours a week. I don't believe I've had only a baby at home since Mckayla.
They are doing well.  Mckayla is still in the magnet (gifted) program, and her workload already seems higher this year than last.  She loves being in a 're-lo' (portable classrom).  Talmage has had no complaints about all day school which I'm happy about.  It was strange letting him eat lunch all on his own and hope he'd be ok, I mean what if he couldn't open his milk or something?!  Of course he is, but I still really wanted to be there and spy on him that first day.  And Kaity is thrilled to death to be in preschool.  Just a small neighborhood thing, but her teacher Jennifer does an awesome job!  She's super organized and prepared each day.  Kait is the only girl with 4 boys so I hear a lot of damsel in distress / knight(s) in shining armor gets played at free time  :)