Back to School

Owen started his second year at preschool on Tuesday. His teacher, Mrs. Jenn, is superwoman! She had a baby five weeks ago and started school only a week later than normal!

Owen picked out his own clothes this year and there was no changing his mind. It was the "new dinosaur shirt" and nothing else would do.

Owen & his buddy Mason going to school.
Owen pointing out the apple with his name on it.

"Bye Mom & Dad! See you in a little while!"

Owen has been so excited to go back to school again this year. He loves it and has been asking to go back since a few days after preschool graduation last year. It always tugs at my heart strings to watch him run through the door without so much as looking back but am so glad he enjoys it so much. And lets be honest here, the break is great for both of us. He loves It makes the rest of the time we do spend together that much better. Here's to another great year!

Aspen Grove

Setting up the play tent
We headed to the mountains for our final camping trip of the year this past weekend with our friends the Elliotts. We stayed at Aspen Grove on the South East corner of Strawberry Reservoir. We had a great weekend full of campfires, dutch oven cooking, and an attempt at fishing in the cold wind with five kids! We didn't expect it to get as cold as it did. The temperatures at night dropped to 27 degrees. The first night we stayed nice and cozy with the heater in our trailer working like a charm. The camp was covered in thick frost in next morning. The second night was a different story! We purchased a new battery for the trailer the week before we left and it died at about 1:00 a.m.! I don't mean drained dead. I mean defective dead. Luckily, the Elliotts' brought a generator (which was surprisingly quiet) and we were warm and toasty again in no time. (Note to self: bring extra battery when camping from now on!)

Three cold little boys huddled by the campfire!

The little boys were in heaven. There was a hill behind our camp that the kids could climb through the trees and play the day away. Staci brought a little Survival Kit for each of the boys containing a plastic pocket knife, gun, compass, canteen and flashlight. As soon as the package were opened, their adventure began. They "hunted" for their dinner. They "scared away the bad guys." They hiked until they crashed. Even Sam got in on the action. He decided the hills were dirt slides and spent any time he wasn't chasing the big boys around, sliding down the hill with a huge smile saying "whee!" After the kids were in bed, we spent the nights laughing around the camp fire until we were too cold to sit there any longer. It reminded me of all the times we stayed up laughing with Brad and Staci when we were all newlyweds. Nearly 8 years and five kids later, we still laugh like no time has past at all.

We came home smelling like camp fire and dirt. A sure sign of a successful camping trip!

ThE fARm AnD tHe FaM!!

We spent our Labor Day with my family at the farm. It was our first real family vacation of the year that every member of my immediate family could attend. Since these get-togethers don't happen very often, I forget how much fun we all have when we finally do make it under one roof for longer than a Sunday dinner!

Whenever the whole family goes to the farm, we usually take our tent-trailer which our boys absolutely love! Every night while putting Owen to bed he would tell me, "Mom this is the best cam pout ever!"
Friday and Saturday the weather was beautiful! We spent the day out on the boat and playing in the yard. We roasted our hot dogs over the fire for dinner and spent the evening riding the four wheelers. My kids could not get enough of the four-wheelers. Every time we turned around, both Owen & Sam were climbing up on one. They were actually pretty content to sit on them and pretend they were on a great ride until someone could take them. On Sunday, we came home from church with a storm rolling in over the mountains. The rain started soon after and it didn't let up the rest of the weekend. It was great! We stayed inside drinking hot chocolate and playing games together. It reminded me of so many vacations we took as a family when I was young. We had such a good time and took advantage of the time to relax.

We celebrated Matt & Ryan's 25th birthday on Sunday with some yummy brownies and cobbler. Happy Birthday Matt & Ryan!

Thanks for a great weekend Mom & Dad! We appreciate all of your hard work & are so grateful for all the memories! We love you!

Owen's First Big Game

When we signed Owen up for soccer, we had a pretty good idea he would have a great time and that he would learn a lot from organized sports. We had no idea that we would have almost as much fun as he did! Tuesday was Owen's first big game of the season and it was one of the funnest activities we have done with Owen so far. We yelled. We cheered. We laughed until tears rolled down our faces.

Lining up for the game to begin.

Check out Owen's smile!

The ever important half-time oranges!

Owen crawling across the field because "dogs like to play soccer too."

Having a little water break!

Owen almost scored a goal in his first game. We were just excited that he was headed in the right direction!

"Good game guys!"

I think the post-game treats were his favorite part!

Brad helping Owen take off his socks!

Aunt Laurie made Owen this AWESOME cake to celebrate! He thought it was the coolest and it tasted as good as it looked!

Owen needed just a little more frosting....

GREAT GAME O-DADDY!

Getting In Touch With Your Inner Redneck

Every once in a while, we find the need to see a demonstration of down-home-let-your-hair-down craziness. You know, get in touch with your inner redneck. Saturday night while up at the farm, we attended a good 'ol fashioned Demolition Derby. It was actually a pretty family friendly event and we had a great time! Here are some highlights from the night:

The boys couldn't peel their eyes away from the destruction long enough for a picture!

I think the only thing Sam said all night was "Wow! Cool!"

This is a picture of the car in the video after the dust settled!

There was a new event at the derby this year. Two people rode around on a four-wheeler. The driver had a balloon stuck to his helmet and the passenger behind him had a bat. The idea was to ride around the arena trying to knock the balloon off the other drivers helmets while not getting yourself killed. Brad and my dad think they want to do this next year. It was one of the best parts of the night! Too funny!

Another Day at the Gateway

My kids love the fountain at the Gateway and since I stock up on parking validations every time I buy anything (too bad they don't offer validations with the purchase of a Diet Coke), it is a great, free way to spend the afternoon. This time we met up with the cute Butler boys.

"Come on Sam!"

Owen, Mason, & Ian

Owen waiting to be sprayed in the face.

Mason pulling Owen to "safety."

"My best pal"

Soccer Mom

A new chapter of my life started today. I am a soccer mom.
It began with a phone call from the coach telling us where and when to meet for Owen's first practice (and being that he is only four, his only practice.) So today we set out to the sporting goods store to find the necessary "big boy soccer stuff." I had to laugh as the salesman helped Owen find the perfect shin guards and let him pick our his cleats in the perfect color to go with the bag and ball that came in the package deal. Even at this age, Owen has very strong opinions about what he wants. No hesitation. Blue bag. Black cleats. Black and red shin guards. White and silver ball. He proudly carried his loot out of the store with a huge smile on his little face. I caught a glimpse of what it is like to be the mom of a "big boy."

Speaking of which, my littlest boy is seemingly much bigger this week also. Sam braved the nursery this past Sunday for the first time. Due to the fact that we have not made it through a three hour block since Sam's birth, we decided to give it a go two weeks early. I expected many tears and great wailing. I expected to sit with him the entire time helping him adjust to nearly two hours with people who to him, are complete strangers. Sam cries at the top of the stairs when I go down to change the laundry. But instead he walked into class, sat in a little chair and happily started playing with toys. After about ten minutes, his teacher told me that they would come get me if he needed me and I headed off to Sunday School to actually sit through a lesson with my husband. I sat there thinking this is WEIRD! He did great until the last ten minutes or so. Even then those tears were not for me. They were for his lunch and his nap. I cannot believe how time has flown by.

This week I have made a new goal to REALLY enjoy my children while they are still so young. My house may be a little messier. My laundry might sit in baskets a little longer. But before I know it, it will be Sam picking out just the perfect soccer ball for him.

A Visit From Italy

A little Brad and Jenn history:

Nearly ten years ago, Brad was a missionary in one of his favorite cities, Udine, Italy. I received a letter telling me of some friends he had made. Pietro Quattrone and Elisa Aristelli were high school students that attended the English class provided by the missionaries. Brad and Pietro had much in common and Brad always said how kind and funny they both were. He told me so much about them that I felt like I knew them as well, knowing that it was very likely that I would never actually meet them. When Brad left Italy, they fell out of touch.

One day in 2004, Brad remembered the e-mail address Pietro had given him and their friendship began again. Last year, we received a message that Pietro and Elisa were getting married in May of this year and that they would like to come stay with us for part of their honeymoon and then continue on a road trip to California. Excitement does not describe how we felt! We waited and prepared and last Tuesday, Brad picked them up from the airport.

What an experience! The week went by so fast! We spent our time together showing them around Salt Lake. We took them to the Salt Lake Temple, the Conference Center, and the U. We went shopping at the Gateway and Park City. We went boating at Pineview. We ate at all of our favorite burger places. We cooked our favorite meals at home for them. We spent the nights laughing and talking. We watched as Elisa played on the floor with the boys and tried to teach the dog Italian. We watched Pietro as Owen climbed on his lap so he could help him win Mario Kart. We saw how kind and loving they were with our children. Owen started crying two days before they left and asking if they would stay for "just four months". He didn't realize that they were only visiting and not here to stay for good. I expected to have a great time with them and we did. What I didn't expect in those six short days was how much our family would grow to love them. Elisa is loving and beautiful. Pietro is kind and funny. Our family grew with the addition of two amazing people.

When Sunday came, Brad took Pietro to pick up their rental car so that they could continue on with their trip through Southern Utah, Las Vegas, and California. We fought back our emotions all day and when it was time for them to go, the flood gates opened. In our tearful goodbye, we promised to not let another ten years pass before we saw them again. We are already looking at airfare for less expensive places to meet!

Brad has always told me how much he loved Italy. Having been there myself, I know what an incredible place it is but after this past week, I too love Italy and now more fully understand why a piece of Brad's heart will always belong there. I more grateful now than ever before that Brad served a mission. We have be so blessed by it throughout our life together and I am so grateful to have met Pietro & Elisa all these years later. We will always hold them dear to our hearts.