Tonight I was reading the scriptures with the boys, and we were reading in Alma 55 where Moroni sends a group of men get the Lamanites drunk and then arms the prisoners within the walls and surrounds them on the outside.  After we had read it I told the boys that one thing I love about that is that it shows how the Lord won’t always “rescue” us or solve our problems immediately for us, but that he’ll “arm us” and let us help to fight our own battles.  The part I love is what happened next.  Preston said, “Do you know what I really loved about it?  I think it shows how even if you are little you can do big grown up things.  Because they gave the kids weapons and they helped to fight.  So even though they were small they could do big things.”  Wow!  I was so proud of my little 5 year old!  But it didn’t stop there!  Zach then said, “I liked the part where it talks about how Moroni didn’t want to kill anybody.  He wanted peace.  He didn’t like fighting and killing people.  So we should want peace too.”  Wow again!  Both my boys were listening, thinking, applying!!!!  And then in Zach’s prayer after that he thanked Heavenly Father that we could read the scriptures and learn about Moroni and how he didn’t want to fight and prayed that we can have peace to.  Wow!!  I don’t know how your family scripture study is, but I can tell you it is not every night that our scripture study is calm, deep, or meaningful with 3 active boys.  I was very proud of them. It was one of those moments where you realize that no matter how nutty it usually is, it’s all worth it.  They do listen!  They do learn!  It was awesome!

These pictures are not from tonight, but since we’re talking about scriptures I figured I’d toss in a couple scripture reading pictures!

Mike went into work late today so that he could come with us to take Preston to his first day of school.  And he started the day off right by making Preston a special apple shaped pancake to celebrate the first day of school.  He told Pres he could either eat it or take it to the teacher – his choice! :>   Pres ate it!

Then after breakfast (and after debating with Zach about his clothes all morning – stubborn boy!  Almost as stubborn as his mom!), we set off  for school in the rain. When we got to school Zach had to be all big and didn’t want to wait with us – he wanted to just go get in his line.  Too big!  So Mike, Preston, Kyle, and I went to take Preston to his class!  We watched him get his name tag, hang up his stuff, find his place on the rug, and then we said farewell and left him to his very nervous first year teacher, Miss Ward.  I think she was probably as nervous as the kids, but I think she’s going to be great!  Yes, we are silly poperatzee parents that take pictures of everything, and we love it! :>

Two and a half hours later we went back to get him!  He seemed exhausted, but he had a great time!  Kyle was very confused as to why we got Preston, but didn’t get Zach.  It’s going to take some getting used to for Ky!  Here are some of the highlights of Preston’s day:

• There was a whole lot of “criss cross applesauce” all day!  “We were always sitting on the floor!”
• He was excited to have an assembly on his first day, and is now excited to sell Happenings Books!
• He said, “We spent most of the day on the rug, in the assembly, at recess, and we only sat at our tables to do one tracing paper!  I definitely need more work!  Definitely more work!”
• He had so much fun playing with Alec Ardizzone at recess! Thanks goodness that he has Alec and Esther Owens in his class!  Instant friends!
• He got to wear his matching Clone Wars shoes and backpack!

So here we go – on an awesome adventure!!  Tonight he gets to choose his special back to school dinner, and he chose mac-and-cheese (the homemade kind).  Should be yummy!  Here’s a first day of kindergarten poem that I love!

First Day of Kindergarten

He started school this morning,
And he seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside him
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as he took his place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw him as
He first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When he began to talk.

This little boy so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though he must have grown
To boyhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred but hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar his first big day.

Oh how I longed to stay with him
And keep him by the hand
To lead him through the places
That he couldn’t understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew he would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But he must have his chance to live,
To work his problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little boy
With friends and work and play;
He’s not a baby anymore –
He’s in Kindergarten today.

Zach had a great first day! He even said, “This is the best first day I’ve ever had!”  Since he’s in the ALA program, he had the same group of kids as last year, and he was so excited to go see all his friends.  And his teacher, Mrs. Benson, worked closely with his class last year.  So he already knows and loves her – which makes the first day a lot less stressful.  He is at a new school this year, however.  The ALA program keeps getting bounced around, and this year they reopened an old school that’s been closed for a couple years, and moved us from Heritage to Taylor Canyon Elementary.  The funny thing is that I worked there when I was in college as a reading tutor, and then I also got my first teaching job there after I was done student teaching.  I never thought I’d be back there, but here we are!  Kind of fun!  I also got roped into being PTA president this year, so it should add some adventure to our already nutty life this year.   Some fun highlights from Zach’s day are:

• We got in the car this morning, turned on the car, and what song was playing?  None other than, “Tonight’s gonna be a good night….”  The boys thought that was awesome and sang at the top of their lungs all the way to school.  We think that was a good omen.
• He got to wear his new shoes.  He’s so excited to have his first pair of “basketball shoes.”  When he got home today he told me all about how he played ball with a kid in another class and, “he threw the ball like 7 feet in the air and I could jump up and catch it because of these shoes.”
• After getting to school and hanging up his backpack, Mrs. Benson was standing at the door.  When he got over to her she said, “Are you sure you’re ready to be a second grader?  As soon as you jump over that rug it’s official.  Are you ready?  Ok then, let’s go!  Jump over and get ready to have a great year!”
• He took a math pre-test and is positive he got them all right.
• He ate chicken nuggets for lunch.
• He got to sit by his best friend Aidan.
• He loved a game where they wrote about themselves, and then the teacher read them and they had to guess who it was.  His was “obvious because I put that my favorite book is Fablehaven and I think I’m the only in the class that likes Fablehaven.”

Speaking of Fablehaven, we had a special back to school dinner tonight.  It was full of some very favorite foods and special “back to school brownies.”  They also all got a back-to-school gift on their plate.  Zach got Fablehaven 3, Pres got Fablehavne 4, and Mike got the movie, “Out of the Mouth of Babes.”

Mike also had a great first day!  The amazing thing was, he wasn’t even nervous!  Which was awesome considering it was his first real day of his first real class.  He’s so prepared – his classroom looks great – his lessons are ready – he feels confident and excited – and he had a great time!  What more could you ask for?  He’s teaching at the Northridge High Seminary in Layton, and it’s promising to be a great year! If he has time later I’ll have him add some “highlights!”   Mike’s also starting what we hope and pray is his very last semester of college!  Keep your fingers crossed!!!!!

Then I was in the other room and listening to Zach give Preston all sorts of school advice, which was very cute and sweet.  Advice included, “It gets way better after the first 3 days.  I was sad the first 3 days of kindergarten, but then it got better.”  and  “Don’t run in the halls.”  and “I can walk you to your classroom if you want me to.”   He’s also been praying in every prayer that when Preston goes to school he will do well and not be nervous and have a good time.  What a nice brother!  One funny piece of advice I heard from Zach today as they were eating lunch, “Just remember that girls are weird.  They group up everywhere they go, but then they always hate their friends.  And they all want the same thing… to be popular.  And you’ll never understand the games they play – I even know what they play and I still don’t get it.  I think most of their games have to do with fashion or something.”  Quite the girl expert.  :>

The boys love to “call” cars as we drive around.  Each color has a name.  For example, Yellow cars are “Bingo,” Red cars are “Dragon,” Green cars are, “Froggy,”  and of course slug bugs are always a favorite.  Well, Kyle has picked up on this in a major way, and spends every car ride yelling out, “BINGO!”  They funny thing?  He thinks the color yellow is called “bingo.”  So now everything yellow is “bingo.”  I’m going to have to unteach Kyle all of his colors!

“If we stare at this pile of sticks long enough it’s sure to burst into a fire!”

It was such a nice, fun, relaxing camping trip!  We didn’t do anything big and amazing – just sat around, talked, ate (the gigantic marshmallows were the hit of the night!), and enjoyed the calm.  Mike even took a nap!  It was awesome!  One of the nice things about the campsite was the small little stream that went through it.  We did have to keep an eye on the little ones, but that shallow little pool kept all 8 boys busy for hours and hours on end!  They loved it!  Bark boats, rocks, sticks, dams, fishing for shoes, rock bombs, all sorts of fun (except when the “bombs” landed on the boys)!

One thing about camping with Kyle… he cannot stay clean for more than 5 seconds.  You wipe him off and he is right back filthy within seconds!  And he loves it!!

Does he remind anyone else of a certain 1940’s dictator??

Cute, dirty feet!

All in all it was a great end to summer!!  I’m sad for everyone to start school again, but I’m so excited for the adventures that this year has in store!

Once we were down there we explored the planetarium and watched a movie in the dome theater.  The movie was actually pretty dumb, but it was a good time nonetheless. :>

One small step for Kyle….

The train ride back was a bit long because we failed to check the times that the train left, and we got on the train and hour before it left.  Add that to the long ride back and it was a bit nutty.  But we ran into and sat with some friends from our stake, so at least we had company on the long trip back!  And we had Dad’s Ipod with Star Wars cartoons on it.  So we made it!

OH!  And I also got my hair cut that morning!  Ta-da!  I cut about 11 inches off and donated it to locks of love.  I’m loving it!

Aren’t Preston and Lucas cute?

So, I got home from the concert about 11:20, got the boys inside, started unloading the van, and realized that “Blank” was not in the van.  Now, most of you that know Kyle also know “Blank.”  “Blank” is his very most favorite blanket that he cannot live without.  It’s his prized possession!  And it was missing!  Aghh!!  Mike had just gotten home, so I left him home with the boys and I headed back up over the pass to Wolf Mountain to look for “Blank.”  As I was driving I kept thinking, “There is no way I am going to find his blanket!”  When it gets dark up there it gets very dark.  And I wasn’t even sure where he had dropped it!  So I prayed the whole way up that somehow I would be led to find it.  I know it’s just a blanket, and not that big of a deal, but to my little 2 year old it is a very big deal!  So, I got back up there, and started driving around with my brights on in the field full of tall grass that we had parked in.  After a few minutes of driving something caught my attention off to the side.  I turned so my lights were on it, and sure enough, there in the tall grasses off to the side was “Blank,” sitting there waiting for me to come rescue it!  I was so thrilled and relieved, and felt very blessed!  I drove home a happy momma!

The other perk of being a client of Bishop Medsker’s is his annual client appreciation pool party!  It was last night, and once again Mike was gone.  This time filming a wedding.  But the boys and I had a great time!!  Zach’s now tall enough to go down the giant slides, and he had a blast doing that and floating around the lazy river (though he lost another prized ring of his).  Pres had a great time too swimming around and gliding under water.  Ky was a bit nervous and we mostly stayed in the shallow end together.  But they all loved the snow cones, hot dogs, chips, and cookies!  And the ducky derby and Twinkie eating contest were a hit!  Thanks, Bishop Medsker!  It was a blast!

1.  “Mom!  We just finished doing chores and now you want us to do more work!?  It seems like as soon as I finish some work there’s just more work to do!”  I feel the same the way, Pres, I feel the same way!

2.  While playing….  “Zach, you can’t quit before the battle even starts!  Just because it’s going to be hard doesn’t mean you have to quit!  You just have to battle harder!”  Boy, don’t we all need that advice when the going gets tough?

While we were there Matt was showing off the bow he had bought that week, which reminded me that there were in the middle of the archery world cup right now up at Weber State.  So, we loaded all the boys up and took off the check it out.  After watching it in the super hot sun for a while the boys decided that archery is really fun to do, but not so much fun to watch. :>  So, we checked out some cool bows, bought some much needed water, and headed for home.  It was kind of a random adventure, but an adventure nonetheless! I forgot to bring my camera, so the pictures are courtesy of Liz.  But that’s probably good that I had to steal them from Liz because if they were mine they would probably be on our dead computer and I’d have no pics to put up!

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