Feeling Fall

At Mueller Park on Monday.

I love fall.  I love the nip in the air, and I love the colors.  I love the beginning of the holiday season, and I love football season (well at least I used to, this season is trying my patience!)  The kids have been back to school for three weeks now, and we are kind of in a routine again ( I have never been super skilled at establishing good routines).  So this seemed like a good time to give a quick update about happenings in our household.

Ashley is loving school this semester.  She is absolutely loving sign language, and is excited about her writing class and human development class as well.  She only has a couple of music classes this semester as she is trying to take care of some carpal tunnel issues. She loves singing with LDV (institute choir).  She gets to sing and have her testimony strengthened-it's a win/win in her book.  She has been coming home a lot, even though she has only been at school for 4 weeks. 

Alexis loves BYU.  She has some great classes, and even likes her Stats teacher.  She is taking a class from Lloyd Newell of Music and the Spoken Word fame, she says he's great even though he assigns a lot of homework. She works at the MTC and was recently called as the Relief Society pianist.  She is a huge football fan, so if last night was any indication this semester might be rough for her.

Jared is loving high school.  He is running cross country, and can usually be found icing something when he is at home.  He is hoping to wrestle as well.  He constantly has girls texting him, but he says he will not have a girlfriend in high school. (We'll see how that goes-although he did give me permission to have his Dad hurt him if he does) I am constantly impressed with his maturity.  He goes to bed so much earlier than his sisters did at that age.  He is often wise beyond his years.  Now if I could just get him to make his bed and do his Eagle Project!

Breanna is in 8th grade, and seems to be handling the stress better this year. She is a peer tutor and loves the time she spends helping out the girl she has been assigned to.  She talked me into letting her take dance again, and practices the piano because she can't use pinterest until she does!

Grant is still the ever happy one.  He is so content to ride a bike or a scooter, and has so many good friends.  We just signed him up for his first merit badge class...here we go again. He is pestering me about replacing our Wii that broke this summer.  For some reason I am dragging my feet...

We went to Mueller park for FHE on Monday with my family, and then yesterday as I drove to the temple I was loving the colors. I know they won't last long, but it is just another reminder to me that God's hand is in creation no matter what Bill Nye or the pompous English atheist might say.  Daily there are reminders for me that God is real and that He is aware of me and my family.  Life is not easy, there are risks and trials around every corner, but I am trying to always find joy in the journey, and truly there is much to be thankful for.

9/11 Memorial

 As part of our trip this summer, we made a stop at the 9/11 Memorial.  As I remember the events of that day 11 years ago, I think about our time spent there.  Yes the skyline in New York has changed, but as the new tower stands tall above the rest and the beautiful pools remind us of the past it seems a perfect metaphor for us.  We must always remember the past, but never fail to build our future.

First Day Of School already?

Summer is officially over as I sent my three youngest off to school today.  Ashley and Alexis both started college last week, so the day after returning from vacation I was moving Lexie down to Provo, and then later in the week I moved Ashley up to Logan.  Thanks goes to Jared who willingly provided the manpower to empty the Suburban two different times.  I have 5 kids and all 5 are at a different school.  We have a senior at USU, a sophomore at BYU, a sophomore at Viewmont High School, an 8th grader at Centerville Junior high and a 5th grader at Reading Elementary.  For the past 17 years I have taken at least one child into their classroom to meet their teacher and get them situated.  This year my son said, Mom I know where my classroom is, you don't need to come in.  So today I dropped him off at the curb and came back home to my very quiet house.  I really don't like summer coming to a close.  I mean I know I will get a lot more accomplished with them all in school, but I miss them and the quiet is almost overwhelming.  In a few days it will just seem normal, and we will be back in a routine, but I just don't love change.  Change is everywhere around us though, and you never know when major changes are on the horizon.

We enjoyed our last two weeks before school started with family gatherings, the Brigham City Temple Open House, Cross Country meets, canning and FOOTBALL!!!  Remember how I love football?! We made the trip to Provo for the late evening game, and enjoyed every minute of it (well except when we kept scoring field goals instead of touchdowns-might want to work on that boys).  Football and school means fall and the leaves are already changing. Life is always changing, someday I will learn to get used to it.