Pictures the First Day of School

This picture of the girls on their first day of school is amazing because they look really nice even though I had vertigo and could barely do their hair. Good thing they are naturally beautiful. Below Jonathan is very excited about his new backpack. He started school first this year. He loves preschool and has never made a fuss about going. He is suprisingly shy around the teacher and other kids.

This is also a picture of Jonathan with his backpack. Soccer season started the same week as school so they were trying on their soccer clothes. Lindsay had her first practice the same day as Jonathan's first day of school. Michael ended up coaching Evan's team and Laurel's team. They all played hard this year. We did not get a picture of Evan's first day of school. He started a full 2 weeks after everyone else and somehow it got missed. The picture above at least gives you an idea of how big he was when he started Kindergarten. He has already grown so much!

Trip to Park City

Michael and I stayed in Park City without the kids for two nights at the beginning of October. It was really nice to have conversations with each other without being interrupted constantly. Then the kids came and stayed with us. We went to Main Street and rode the trolley. The kids really liked the trolley ride and wanted to keep riding, but we had to get back to the hotel so Michael could go to the Priesthood session . It was a little chilly that day. Everyone else wore their coats. I am not sure what my problem was, but I was really cold.

We took this picture while waiting for the trolley. We looked at a statue of a miner and some old mining equipment.

Michael took this picture of us with his camera, which is why we look a little smooshed and my head is kind of cut off.

These are the best kids in the world. I know I am very biased, but I think they are great!

Family Reunion Pictures in Oregon

The picture below is of just the granddaughters. There numbers have been slowly growing, but are still less than the grandsons.
Picture of all of the grandkids at Greg and Michelle's farm.

Below is a picture of just the grandsons. They are definitely more of them, but the girls have had some new additions in the last two years.

Hiking Y mountain

Our new goal is to get up and do things as a family on Saturdays. We decided to hike the Y because the kids had been begging for a long time. I expected the boys to be exhausted half way up and I could go back down with them. I was wrong, they hiked all the way to the top without being carried at all.

This is a very steep hike and the kids were awesome. the girls were always ahead trying to get us all to hurry up.

With a little bit of hand holding the boys marched right up the mountain. I know I was sore the next day.

Lil' Lindsay' Birthday

Now you know how behind I am. These pictures were from Lindsay's Birthday back in August. We celebrated with lots of family. It is hard to believe that my baby girl is already 7 years old. Time flies. I still remember her 4th Birthday when she wanted a purple cake with purple frosting.
This is her new bike from Grams and Grandpa. They were in town until just before her birthday when Uncle Ryan had surgery. She got to have it a few days early and loves to ride it.

Grandpa our family expert on bikes was available to get everything adjusted and ready to go.

We had lots of good food and a delicious cake for her birthday. She had fun playing with her cousins that were able to come.

Visit to Sacramento

On our way to the Higbee Family Reunion in Oregon in July, we stopped at my Grandma and Grandpa Patton's house. It was so wonderful to see them. Luckily, Michael got some pictures of that day. We are so grateful that they let us come and stay and even though it was a short visit, it made all the driving to Oregon worth it! This is a priceless picture to me. My kids love Grandma and Grandpa Patton and it was wonderful to take them to the home where I enjoyed so many wonderful visits as a little girl. They loved the back yard and run around it while we were there.

The kids with their Great-Grandpa Patton. I feel so blessed to be his granddaughter. He is such a kind and loving grandpa and I love his hugs.

This picture and the one at the very top are of my boys in the tree in the Patton's backyard. I was there when this tree was brand new. It was fun to see my kids climbing in it so many years later, just like my brothers and sisters did over the years.

We went out to dinner on Friday night and the girls went with Grandma Patton and Auntie Karen. Laurel commented that "they were going in style." Thanks Auntie Karen for giving them such a fun ride!

Visit From Auntie and Time Outside

Jonathan decided to use the girls' flowered rain boots to explore the backyard. These matched so well with his muscle man shirt that says, "I Love Danger" and his shorts.

Auntie came for a visit and we had so much fun. Evan is very teary eyed. He does not like it when Auntie leaves. He has such a sweet heart. He even cried last Thursday when we left for CA and he had to say good-bye to his dad.

Jonathan loves his Auntie too. We love spending time with Auntie and wished she lived closer!

Memorial Day 2009

The kids went to Grandpa Hickman's grave for Memorial Day. It was a beautiful day and the cemetary had a lot of flowers everywhere.

Brothers and sisters who love each other. This is what I like to see!

Early Summer Fun

This picture was taken last May. I am going to have to spend some time catching up. Luckily, Michael has been taking pictures so we have a few to share.

The kids enjoyed a BYU baseball game with Dad, some family, and friends. They loved it and would like to go again next year.

They ate giant blue popsicles. They were enormous and the kids could not stop talking about them when they came home.

Here's Evan with his cousin Isaac, Uncle Joseph, Aunt Angela, and baby Elijah.

Trip to California

For the Fourth of July we went to California for a Stewart reunion. The kids spent the whole week in the pool. They loved swimming in Gram's and Grampa's pool. It was great to see lots of family members and eat lots of yummy food.

The kids loved to swim at night. Evan likes to wear goggles to explore the pool and keep his eyes from hurting.

Even Jonathan could get around really well with a life jacket. Laurel and Lindsay are really good swimmers and had a great swim teacher that helped them develop good techniques.

Here are the kids having a fun night swim. Jonathan, Lindsay, and Laurel are all hanging onto noodles and having a great time.

It was so great to see the Peterson's. I think Jane and Josh look a lot like their mommy and they are super cute and cuddly.

Jonathan poses for the camera. He is all sunscreened up and ready for fun.

Father's Day

I figured I should probably do a tribute to Michael for being a fantastic father. He loves his kids and wants to spend time with them. He is a great storyteller, fun to play with, and keeps us all in line (in a good way). We decided to get him a charcoal grill, but we have not used it yet. I think I will have to make it a goal for this weekend!

What a smile. He is really this cheerful most of the time. I think he is already imagining the steaks he can grill up soon.

These kids love their dad and were so excited to give him his presents. Laurel even earned enough money to buy her dad a really nice card from the store.

Springville Parade

Once again I am really behind on blogging. The kids were in a parade in June for clogging. The boys rode in the trailer and the girls took turns clogging along the way for the people lined up. It was pretty hard work, but they did a great job. Michael and I were assigned to walk along with the cloggers and pass out candy to the parade watchers. It was actually a lot of fun.

The boys started clogging in June. The clogging teacher offered free lessons to any boys that were interested for the summer. They seem to be enjoying the lessons and are a lot of fun to watch.

Yard Work

With the arrival of Spring comes the return to yard work. It is amazing how it is never finished. We have a corner of our backyard where we had a huge pine tree taken out a year ago. We wanted to move one of our garden boxes to this area because of the direct sunlight. However, the root below was a major obstacle. Michael spent two Saturdays removing other extensions of the root and finally worked at the one below. I asked him, "How long do you think it will take to get it out?" Michael responded, "About 2 hours." Well about 7-8 hours later and with help from Richard, it was finally out. They were extremely sore and tired and so was I. While they worked on the root, I pulled weeds and planted our other garden areas for 7-8 hours straight. Amazingly, the work goes on and on, but with the help of lots of rain we are seeing our garden grow. The work that started last year with the addition of the playground, removal of the cherry tree, and lots of wood chips, the backyard is starting to come back together. Maybe someday we will have it just how we want it or maybe that's not possible.

The happy workers are overjoyed to finally have this root out. This was definitely back breaking work.

Preschool Graduation

Another milestone has come for our family. Evan graduated from preschool last week. He will be going to Westridge Elementary in August for Kindergarten. He is such a sweet boy and loves to learn new things.
Auntie came for a visit and was able to attend Evan's graduation. The kids absolutely loved having Auntie in town. Laurel and Evan cried their little eyes out when she left. I am so grateful for a sister who gives my children so much love. Their lives are better because she is involved in their lives.

Evan with his proud parents. We are so lucky to be Evan's parents. Jonathan is ready to escape in the background. He will attend this same preschool in the Fall.

This is Evan with Teacher Tracy. She is a fantastic teacher and Evan really loved her. Jonathan is excited to have her for his teacher in the Fall.

The theme for the month of May was Reach for the Stars. They not only learned about space, the planets, and stars, but they were the "stars" for graduation.