Back to School

Today was the first day back to school... 2nd grader in the house!! Lexi was so excited, she got dressed as soon as she got up. But being the mean mom I am, I made her take her dress off to eat breakfast. ;)
I made Pop-up Pancakes and instead of getting syrup on the dress, she just got a little in her hair.




Once at the school, Lex pretty much blew me off when she saw all her friends. Oh well, at least she was happy.

She had a great first day of second grade!!

M-O-N-T-A-N-A, Montana, I Love You!

This summer we got to road trip it up to MT again. I drove on my own with all 3 kiddos to UT and stayed with Destiny. And the next day, we followed each other to Hamilton. The scenery in the Big Hole is gorgeous, even on a cloudy day.

Enjoying the Farmer's Market

Monkey bars at the park

Destiny and I

We got ice cream at a fun, old-fashioned soda fountain shop in Stevi.

There were a lot of rainy days, but I loved it!

Reesey lounging in Grandpa's recliner.

We went to the fair in Missoula, so fun!

Grandma and Reese

The petting zoo

The girls got to ride a miniature pony

Grandpa built a fire and we roasted marshmellows and had s'mores.

Another fun trip back home! My mom drove back to Vegas with us and then flew home. We had quite the adventure!! Thanks Mom!

OTHER STUFF: Benj took a day off! :) We escaped the heat for an afternoon and had a picnic up at Mt. Charleston. I love it up there.

Ava went to an "Enchanted Princess" dance clinic this weekend. She loved it and is starting ballet class tonight.

Our baby girl is 3 months today! Reesey Piecey is:

~rolling over- from back to front. she hates being on her tummy though once she's there.

~ giggling- she's very ticklish

~ smiling and "talking" to anyone who pays her any attention.

I told her to stop growing, but she's not listening!!

Cali Getaway

This last weekend I finally got my day at the beach. We went to Newport Beach and spent the entire day there. It was so much fun. My girls LOVED the ocean (I was surprised they did). They didn't really have any fear, which gave me fear. And Ava did get taken out by a wave or two. They played in the sand, and in their big hole that was already there when we arrived, even kicking some boys out of it at one point. We met up with our friends from Vegas too, who happened to be in California for a wedding. It was fun in the sun and sand... my lint trap on my dryer even had sand in it after doing laundry, lol.

We also visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The girls loved petting the sting rays the most! It was a fun little weekend trip. Now on to our bigger trip to Montana!

Blessing Day

Here are a few pictures of Reese on her blessing day. She was really not up for getting her picture taken in her dress. Thanks to all the family who traveled down for this special day!!

And here is Reese with her Uncle Chad (my brother) and his FIANCE, Kristen... they had gotten engaged just that morning!! Congrats kids. :)

Lexi Turns 7!

Our first born is 7 years old now!

At age 7, Lexi likes:

* Music- her favorite song is still "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base. But she's getting to that stage where she's into the teeny boppers like Miley Cirus and Justin Bieber.



*Dance- she just finished a modern dance class and will be taking ballet again in the fall.


*Tending to Reese- Lex is incredibly helpful in the mornings when I'm trying to get everyone ready. She holds Reese when she's fussing.




*Art- we got her a whole box of paper from Costco so she can draw all she wants without stealing all my printer paper. :) Her art teacher at school kept her last painting for the school art show.




*Nature- she's always wanting to go hiking with Benj and when she prays she always mentions how grateful she is for nature.




*School- this past year she was always bored on track breaks. Next summer will be a long one for her now that schools are all going 9 month!





She is still terrified of riding her bike by herself, but maybe 7 is the age she will overcome that hurdle. We are so glad Lexi is part of our family. I can still see her as a baby, especially when I look at Reese, those two are one in the same in looks. We love you Lexi Pea!

Running... why do you hate me so?

I used to love to run. Now I'm trying to get back into running shape and hating every minute. Week 4 of running.

This morning:

Passing me from the opposite direction, a muscled male hottie hardly out of breath. While here I am truckin' uphill, my jiggly parts...jiggling.

Running down Patrick, the sun beating down on me. It's about 85*.

Rounding Grand Canyon, a side ache in my right side.

Wanting to walk so bad!!

Why am I struggling? Is it the heat? Is it the exhaustion of tending to a newborn? Yes, these things are factors. Isn't running supposed to relieve stress? Well, it's stressing me out. I want to run a half marathon this year. I know it will take time to get this post pregnancy body back into shape, but I want it now!



All right, give me your words of sympathy and encouragement. :)



P.S. Our desktop crashed, with all our pictures/music on it. I knew I should have put everything on my laptop... just in case. In the process of transferring what we can to discs. Fingers crossed, Lexi's 7th bday pics will get posted soon.