First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Ben. I can't believe he is in 8th grade already! He wasn't thrilled about having his picture taken and as we we arguing about it, I thought, I don't have too many more of these first days....So after a few takes, we finally have a nice first day of 8th grade picture. Thanks Ben for humoring your mom!

Ben will have a busy year as he serves as the 8th grade rep, learns Spanish and plays trumpet in concert band.

After carpool came, I went for a nice long walk and run since my first day is tomorrow. Gotta love the block schedule in high school. On my route, I passed two elementary schools and saw tons of parents taking their kids to school. As I ran by Butler Elementary, I remember taking Lindsi there on her first day of 1st grade and pushing Kristi in her stroller. Could not believe she was going to be gone all day.

Then I ran by Bella Vista and remember taking Kristi to kindergarten and how cute she looked and how independent my baby girl was.

When I took Ben, I remember being a sad because I knew he was our last and I wouldn't do that again....

It's gone way to fast; my little girls are all grown up and I know that the next few years with Ben will fly by, so sorry Ben, you are just going to have to put up with a few more pictures.

Summer Fun-2011 Part One

Now that summer is over and school starts TOMORROW, I thought I better get my summer post done....To avoid picture overload, our summer of fun will be a series of three posts. Here is what we did in June.The day after school let out, my cute niece Kelli was married to Matt Emery in the Salt Lake Temple. It was so nice to have the entire family together for the week. Kelli looked beautiful and was so so happy! Beautiful bride, beautiful day!

My handsome nephew, Brian and his wife Jen with their cute girls, Kaylee and Amelia

My nephew Matt and his wife Kendra and handsome Ethan.

My cute niece Erin and her fiance, Michael. Looking forward to a spring wedding in Seattle!

My sweet girls and Cashe enjoying the evening. Cashe looked so handsome in his wedding clothes.

Two handsome boys-Papa and Cashe.

My mom and brother enjoying a dance at the reception. It was a wonderful day!

Zach, Anthony and Ben went to the library for some summer reads. I had to snap a picture of the boys reading on the porch.

I spent a morning with Cashe; we went for a walk and he fell asleep.

Here is my cute boy playing on his mat. He smiles all the time and is such a happy boy.

Too cute!

Cashe and Braden having lunch with Nana's dear friend Amy.

Bri bought some tickets to the Bees and we enjoyed quite a few games. These were the only pictures I took all season....Braden enjoying his bright blue cotton candy...sorry Lindsi...

Ben, Bryce and Braden enjoying the game. I think the Bees lost most of the games we saw, but it was still tons of fun.

One evening Bri and I took the convertible and enjoyed a beautiful ride up the canyon. We had the top down, the 70s tunes on and felt like kids again. On our way up, we saw two moose just hanging out near the road. We seriously were twenty feet away from them. Spectacular!

With all the snow this year, the creeks were running so swift. It was almost scary just to stand on the road near the water, and it seriously sounded like thunder.

Ben played in three golf tournaments with kids from other schools. He won all three tournaments. Bri and Ben seriously studying a putt; I love this picture. Ben played a ton of golf this summer and his game is getting so good and he even beat his dad once this year!

Ben and his golf buddies and coach Nate.

We got the pool going a little later this year due to June being cold and rainy. Finally, it was warm enough for Cashe's first swim. Here is Lindsi and Cashe ready to take the plunge.

Cashe and Lindsi-he loved the pool and thought it was like a big bathtub. He wasn't afraid and splashed and kicked and had a great time.

Cashe and Papa

At the end of June is was time for summer scout camp. Ben and Jackson ready to head to camp.

The boys loading up.

The boys and leaders ready for a week of camping, adventure and lots of merit badges. See you in a week.

So that ends June...stay tuned for July activities.

D.C. Trip-Our Last Day

After almost ten days, our trip was down to the last day. Ben wanted to see Arlington National Cemetery and since it was only a few Metro stops away, we decided to spend the morning there. It was very beautiful and peaceful.

The Arlington House sits on a hill above the cemetery. This house belonged to Robert E. Lee, but after the South loss in the Civil War, it was dedicated as a cemetery. This was done to insure that Lee would never be able to live in his home again. It was a beautiful home.

Just a glimpse of the rows and rows of markers that were all over the cemetery.

The Eternal Flame which is lit for President Kennedy and his wife.

The grave of President Kennedy's brother, Robert.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb is guarded every day, every hour and it is a very solemn experience to see the changing of the guards.

We walked around the cemetery for a little while and then our nephew Justin picked us up and took us for a drive. Justin is a federal officer and we were able to tour the grounds of the Naval Observatory which is the home of our vice president Joe Biden. For security reasons, we could not take any pictures, but is was really exciting to be on the grounds. He drove us by the embassies of various countries. It was great to get to see him! Thanks Justin for the tour! After we grabbed a quick lunch, it was time to head to the airport and home.

Abby, Bri and Ben chilling at Reagan National Airport.

And here are the brochures and tickets to all the places we went! It was an amazing trip; thanks Bri for letting me plan it all! I think we all came home with a deep pride and appreciation for our beautiful country and the many sacrifices that thousands have made to insure that we are the greatest nation in the world.

DC Trip-Day 8 The Smithsonian

Friday was our last full day in D.C., so we decided to try and fit in a few things we still wanted to do. First on our list was to get tickets to the Holocaust Museum. I stood in line for about an hour or so to get the tickets. We were in luck and were able to get passes for later that day. While I waited for the fam to join me, I walked over to the National Mall and enjoyed some time in the museums.

Some of the animals on display at the Natural History Museum

A very large giraffe

This was at the entrance of the museum

After that I wandered over to the museum with all the fancy gems. Here is the Hope Diamond. There were armed guards at the entrance. This picture doesn't do it justice; it is huge-45+ carats.

Some of the information about the Hope Diamond

More fancy gems. I also saw some jewelry given by Napoleon to his wife and a few pieces worn by Marie Antoinette.

The kids in front of the Castle. It was featured in the Night at the Museum movies.

Ben wanted to spend some time at the Air and Space Museum, and we were able to see some more historic planes. Here is the plane the Wright Brothers flew.

Some info about the plane and their flight.

The Spirit of St. Louis flown by Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris.

Ben and Abby in front of one of Amelia Earhart's planes.

It was really rainy that day, so we didn't walk to the Capital, but I got a nice picture of it. We also spent about two hours at the Holocaust Museum, but no pictures are allowed inside. It was a very sobering experience to view the images and artifacts from the Holocaust; it is a must see in D.C.

We walked and walked all day long, even though it was raining. Highest pedometer total of the trip. Lots of steps!

So one more post to go of our trip.....