Week Synopsis 8/4-8/10

MONDAY AUGUST 4th - The picture above perfectly describes our week! I think Dacie fell asleep twice in her high chair this week...which NEVER happens. We were not feeding her any later than normal. Just a crazy busy kind of week. I did answer phones today for work-it was back to normal.

We eat squash at about every meal now-the kids have really started liking them w/ 'stinky' (Parmesan) cheese on it. It is so nice to know we could live off of this if we had too, from our garden. Our harvest is really starting to come in (check out picture below). The cherry tomatoes are so yummy to just plop right into your mouth! Seriously-even Dan and the kids who are not tomato fans do it!!!

Family Home Evening was getting ready for the new school year to start. We read all our children's books about the first day of school and ended with The Kissing Hand (my all-time favorite) my boys go to school each day with a kissing hand! Then we gave them their fathers blessings. I am glad we did this-it was sweet and tender moment with our boys. Besides the rest of our week ended up getting really BUSY--so this was our peaceful night to do it! The stake presidency called Dan and I tonight and asked to meet with us tomorrow.

TUESDAY AUGUST 5th- Dan and I spent the entire day in our grubbies getting our yard work done and ready for play group on Wednesday. We did the things that have been on our list for a long time-like sweeping up the falling and rotting nectarines from our tree. The nectarines look ugly but taste sweet! The boys always go out and get a tummy full when they are out playing. It has been SUPER humid and warm lately, because of monsoons-it brings back fond memories of Houston. Dan and I stayed pretty wet the whole day from sweating and no dry heat to dry us!!! It was our last day with daddy home on Tuesdays for awhile. Their new clinic is FINISHED-- and Dan is going to be putting in extra time on Tuesdays and Saturdays, as well as some moving days. I am hoping to get a babysitter so I can see him a little bit during this time and go help them!

We got a babysitter this evening so we could go to stake interviews. We got our temple recommends re-newed, got Dan set apart for his calling as a seminary teacher. It use to be an assignment,but is now a calling from the stake. Dan is going to be the only early morning seminary teacher this year. They are meeting in the seminary bldg. across the street from the H.S-he could potentially have about 40 students. They may have to split the class.

The stake also called me to be the 2nd counselor in the Stake Young Women Presidency (click here for our blog). I was ecstatic! I LOVE the young women. It is my comfort zone, and the ladies I am working with are phenomenal!!!! I am going to be carrying my chorister calling and this one until after the primary program in October. It has already been a little hairy with scheduling (i.e. my speaking assignments on Sundays with the high council men in other wards). We have allot of great ideas and are having our first presidency meeting this coming week-lots to get going!!! They had us stay for a meeting that night and I did not get home until 8:30pm...after getting there at 5:15pm.

This was so funny...another retired school teacher mom and I brought the exact same topping (which was not a common one) and labeled it with the same purple marker (not a common one)and exact same letter (it could have been a few letters). Once a teacher always a teacher, I guess!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6th- Was another sweaty day. I was blowing up 2 borrowed wading pools (thanks Raban's), setting up tables and table cloths, school drive collection baskets, trashcans, volleyball net, signs, etc. By the time play group arrived I am sure I looked HOT!!! We had a back to school ice cream sundae fun in our backyard. Each person brought their own toppings for the ice cream labeled with a large letter (for fun letter recognition) and some things to donate to the church's humanitarian school kits. Then I had the spider man sprinkler going, two wading pools, the turtle sandbox and water table full of bubbles. It was great-a perfect combo of people. We were back in the house around 1:30pm. In time for me to answer phones!

That night was the open house at the kids elementary school! We went and saw their classes-did a little scavenger hunt in Sterling's, met the teachers, and put some money on the kids lunch accounts for pizza days!! I really enjoyed having it BEFORE school this year rather than after. It was perfect.

Dan and I spent the rest of the evening marking backpacks, school supplies, and making lunches! We are back in the saddle of having to do some tasks before bed!

Dan labeling and sharpening pencils and the boys backpacks (above) Me, making lunches (below)

Colton and Sterling's camo backpacks, full of lunch and ready to go! (above) The 2 kiddos left at home (below) Dacie and Ryland LOVE to eat ALL day!!!

THURSDAY AUGUST 7th- It was BACK TO SCHOOL today!! Read my post titled (And I Cried). It was a day of adjusting. It felt weird most of the week. I felt out of place. I did have fun making these cake buses my mom sent the idea for. They were so simple to make I made some for my visiting teachee family's. Some of them have had a hard time of it. Surprise dessert is always a fun way to start the school year. The kids all helped me deliver them!I also had a good hour of paperwork to fill out for school too! Of course I watched the finale (taped) of So You Think You Can Dance later that night!

FRIDAY AUGUST 8th- FUN FRIDAY!!! We had a busy day on the phones and getting a softball team together. The kids got pizza for dinner and Colton came to the tournament game w/ Dan and I. We lost by one run to the other LDS team!!! I was impressed with some of our rally innings. If we could control the innings where we make serious mistakes--we would be pretty good. We came in 3rd over all for the tournament and got this fun trophy (below). We picked up one of Colton's favorite friends (Dallin Gordon) from the fields to come sleep over after. I stayed and watched the next game to root on our other LDS team. One of the umpires we have had all season asked me to play on his co-ed softball fall league. I am a little hesitant b/c I hear it is super competitive and is it 'one more thing'? BUT they only need me Thursday nights..so I think I might-all in the name of exercise!
We were going to have the sleep over party out in a tent on the back deck, and make Smores, BUT it started raining pretty good. So we had them make their own 'fort/tent' in their bedroom to sleep in (look below). So we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and ate pizza instead, and made Smores in the fire pit the next morning. Smores for breakfast is every little boys dream!!! Of course Dan and I ended the evening w/ getting some of The Office in!

The boys room after a night of sleeping in their forts, playing star wars with costumes and the like

SATURDAY AUGUST 9th- Saturday dawned early for us. The boys were up at 5:30am, even after going to bed late! We roasted marshmallows and I took Dacie up to the church with me. I visit teach the stake pres. wife (Tina). Their daughter got married on Friday and was having a reception that evening. They were having to travel from Southern Utah for this. So another lady (Carol Langford)and I started the decorating. We were later joined by two other ladies and the Johnson family. I was there decorating from 9:30am-4:30pm. Dan switched me for the boys later that day..so he would not have all of them by himself all day. The kids all did pretty well up at the church, until I found out Sterling got a dry erase marker and decorated the stake clerks office with the letter H ALL OVER!!! aaah! I also made two pans of brownies for their ice cream/ brownie desserts. Their daughter loves to fish with her new hubby-so we were going for the cat-tails fishing type theme!

I did DO lots of bows (below) and Dacie in her dang cute pig tails (above)

Later that evening we went to the reception AND then over to and Elders Quorum ice cream social. There were tons of kids there and one split his head open on the trampoline (5 stitches and a ER trip) We got home too late to give the kids baths!

The guy in this picture stood right in front of our lit up glass blocks-right as I took the picture-darn it!

SUNDAY AUGUST 10th- We were on time to church, despite the late night!!! It was good because they were re-doing our bishopric and it was a pretty full day at church. The new Bishop is going to be great with our ward. He was born and raised here. He owns a car shop and is a camper/fisher guy. He went on Dan's young men retreat voluntarily and saved girls camp as the cook. He will be perfect. One of his counselors is our good friend (Tim Raban). He is the most personable and easy to get along with guy. We are excited and fully support the new Bishopbric. They also read my name in and we were sustained as the stake YW presidency.
That evening after some afternoon naps. Colton slept 5 hrs. and would have kept on sleeping (think the fun weekend was wearing on him?)-we went to a youth fireside . Dan was speaking at it. It was a starting seminary fireside. I took the kids there, as the stake YW pres. all went. I ended up in the foyer with some NAUGHTY children-I need to send them to reverence boot camp! BUT I did get to hear Dan speak. Dan will not start seminary until Monday 8/11 instead of the first day of school, because of serious miscommunication, no keys, etc. He was grateful for a few more days to get it all together and start it out with a BANG! I was set apart that night as well.

We got home and got he kids bathed and clothes laid out for the new week! Whew! Lots of changes to get used to this week! Hurray!

Dacie is just looking so grown up to me! I loved this dress w/ her hair in a ponytail for church--too bad she looked like a ruffled shoe-less mess by the end of that evening!

HAVE A GREAT NEW WEEK!