Look whos 4!

It is hard for me to believe that my "baby" is turning 4. She is so much fun, we definitely ended on a good note! She is always happy and loves everything! She wakes up with a smile and keeps us smiling all day, then at night she hops right in bed and falls to sleep with the same ear to ear smile she started the day with! I do not know how we got so lucky but we will keep this one, we have a few other children that may be negotiable, but this one we'll keep!Of course she wanted a picture with the "Birthday Hat"!

Fall Fun!

The Benson Grist Mill's annual "Pumpkin Walk" !!!

All the cousins in front of the original mill.

They have many activities for the kids to do games, crafts, contests, pony rides, hay mazes, fun pumpkin displays to check out. The best part, it is all FREE!



This was Skylars favorite part!

Everyone decorating a cookie!

Fall fun was had by all!

1st grade field trip

Does anything sound more fun than herding a bunch of first graders through the

many, many animal attractions at the zoo! I didn't think so either, so I gladly volunteered to chaperone Davins class! We had a great time!

Chartered buses??? I thought the school district was having cut backs? I guess only

when it comes to teacher pay or smaller class sizes. Apparently field trips are top of the line for funding.

Lunch break! Looking forward to my smashed sandwich and crunched chips.

Good thing I smuggled in a Diet Coke!

It was a nice day, a little chilly but I think it helped the animals to be more active.

Sometimes I think they are sick, but today they were all out and about!!!

My favorite part. Zuri the new baby elephant!

The DARK side!

OK, what do you think????? I finally got the guts up to go dark! Thanks to my good friend and hair stylist Kari, she gives me the confidence to try new things, with out her I would probably still be perming my hair and blowing my bangs up. My three oldest kids like it and after Skylar clarified that I was still her mom she liked it too. She now says "You look just like dad"??? I am not sure about that comment, I hope its just because now we are both brunettes and not that it makes me look manly. Doug likes it, I am sure it is just because it feels like he is sleeping with a new woman!!!lol I am still adjusting to it but its ok, they say blonds have more fun so I guess I will test the theory and find out if my life is less interesting as a brunette!

I'm a fan!

Doug's company took come clients to the Keith Urban concert last night and I was lucky enough to be able to tag along. Sure, I liked some of Keith's songs but a night away from the kids was what I was really looking forward to....

But now that the concert is over, all I have to say is WOW!!! I am a FAN! He puts on one excellent concert!! Absolutely one of the loudest, make you want to get up and dance, scream your guts out concert.

Now I really could not do any of those things because I had to act "professional" Doug did not want his boss or clients to think I don't get out of the house much. So I clapped and swayed and quietly sang along. That was about all I could get away with because we were up in the suite and not exactly in the action. But the next time Keith Urban comes to Utah I am getting front row seats!!! If you ever have the chance to see him in concert GO!!!! Unbelievable guitar skills!!!!!
Tons of fun, never a dull moment, I have no idea how he did not just pass out! It felt like a 30 minute concert I could not believe he did what he did for nearly 3 hours.

Doug Smiles!!!!

Hunting is Dougs favorite thing in the world to do, ok maybe his second favorite thing to do! But this year Christmas came early for him when he found this big buck his last scouting trip the weekend before the hunt.We have more pictures of him than we do our children. I chose to only share two with you!

Please pay close attention to Dougs face, yes that is a smile, a genuine teeth showing smile. It occured just after he found the buck he was scouting and got him!
Here it is him smiling with his BUCK!


He had a bow tag so for those of you who do not hunt that makes it a bit harder, well a lot harder to get one. So I really was not worried about having to find more space on my basement wall for
another animal, but lucky us this thing will be there soon!


His little brother Mark, got this one three days before Doug, but he was in a different hunting area! Doug was feeling some pressure and still thinks his little brother out did him. But they both have the biggest grins I have ever seen before!!!

Back to School!!!

WOW!!! I can't believe summer is over!!! School time again. I love this time of year, new clothes, the smell of just sharpened pencils, new teachers and for us a whole new school situation. For those of you who do not know- Grantsville Elementary School suffered a huge fire this summer. Making it impossible to have students return there for this school year. So both Asthon and Rylie are "displaced". I do not know why terrible situations bring the best out in people but it always seems to be the case. Our little community has been amazing. I cannot even begin to imagine how many volunteer hours have been put in to make everything possible for this year to be a success for both the teachers and the students!
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This would have been Ashton's first year at Grantsville Elementary School! But now she is back at Willow Elementary in a PORTABLE!!!! She thinks it is great? Although her teacher Mrs. Chamberlain is very optimistic I know she is crying inside having to stuff 24 kids into a space not much bugger than a shoebox.

Davin is also at Willow! His teacher is Mrs. Jennings. He is glad that he has Ashton here one more year (and at the look of things, she will probably be there for 4th grade also). I am glad because the parking, dropping off and picking up at this school is ridiculous, now that they have added 16 more teachers between the 3rd and 4th grade, it is impossible! These two will be walking to and from school everyday!!! "Even in a BLIZZARD?" asked Ashton. "Yes, my dear, in a blizzard, tornado, monsoon, what ever comes our way!" I answered. I guess it is a good thing we only live a block away from the school's front doors!!!

Rylie is now at the Jr. High School! WOW!!! She is lucky, because her 5th grade class is the only one that is actually inside the school, the rest are in... you guessed it PORTABLES. She has Mrs. Aagard and is completely ecstatic about the fact that she has a locker and they can buy ice cream during lunch! I told Rylie this is so ironic, when I was in 5th grade the JR. High was a middle school and I was in this exact room, also during my 5th grade year our High School burnt down. So the high school students were "displaced" and ended up using our school (the middle school which is now the Jr. High) after us. So we went to school at 6:45 until 12:30 and the high school students when from 1-6. It was not until we went school shopping that I realized not only is she reliving my 5th grade fiasco year but that she will be doing it in the exact same fashions and styles that I wore at that age. I think I still have some of the florescent clothes that are now the envy of every 10 year old shoved in a keepsake box somewhere in my parents basement!

This is NOT Skylar's first day of preschool, but she was feeling very left out and wanted her picture taken also!


Even with all the changes, the first week of school went well and everyone is loving being back with all their friends!!!!..... I mean having the opportunity to expand their minds and gain knowledge!