WOW! I am like a year behind in posting!!!!

Okay...now that the kids are in school, I am working full time....at my desk at home....and I am also subbing, so I am still super busy.  BUT...I am going to take 15 minutes every couple of hours to update this site, because I just realized I am SOOOO behind on updating it!  And...not only do I do it for you...the family and friends....but I do it for ME and the KIDS too!!  I used to journal for each of them...but I found I was writing a lot of the same things in each journal.  So I decided to start the blog so I could some day, print it off for each child!  And and I am SO behind!

So...we'll try to start where I last ended...which was like last Summer I think!  Yikes!  I hope I remember everything!  Well...at least I have a ton of pictures to help me out a little!

The summer involved a lot of exciting things!  One of which was the graduation of Dr. Christine Fukumoto-Rukasin!  We were so proud of her!  We were sad to see her leave...but proud of her great accomplishment!  She is in sunny California now....but we hope to catch up with her really soon!

 The boys still worked at the Henry Doorly Zoo as Zoo Volunteers!  This was Jake's first year.  He enjoyed it...sometimes.  It was a bit too much for him though.

 Cam still enjoyed it....but this summer, neither one of them wanted to do it.  They had other things to fill their time.  Maybe next year!

 Jake and Jeff did a Try Scuba class at Diventures.  They both really enjoyed it.  Cam and I also did the Try Scuba class much later.  We ALL enjoyed it and we would ALL love to be certified.  BUT....Jake is the only one that is working towards that!  He should be a certified Scuba Diver by September!

 My uncle Ron and his wife Linda visited my dad and Jan.  It was nice to catch up with some of the Oregon family!  Here is my uncle Ron, my sister Rhonda and I.

 My OTHER sister (step sister just sounds wrong), also visited with her family.  They live in London, so it was nice to see them.  Here is Allison and Abby!

 MaKenna, Emma and Abby.

 All of my dad and Jan's grandchildren....to date!  :-)

 Kayla, Major and MaKenna.

 Emma, Allison and Abby.

 The summer was a scorcher!  I took this picture one day on my way to pick up Jake from school.  MUCH different from this summer so far!

 We enjoyed the Platte River a little bit.  We like to "explore".

Just a few short days after the above picture was taken at the Platte River, we started our 24 hour drive to Arizona!  On our way, we took our time....and stopped at Casa Bonita in Denver.  Have you ever been to Casa Bonita???  If you haven't...next time you're in Denver, or just driving through, it is worth the little detour!!  The food isn't as good as I remember it when I was a kid (both Jeff and I had been there as kids), but the entertainment was still awesome!  Kids LOVE it!

 Soon, we were out of Denver and on our way south again.  We stopped at the Border of New Mexico and Arizona.  We've driven by dozens of times, but never stopped...so since we weren't in a hurry...that year...we stopped!

 We played around and we shopped!

 Next stop.....sunset to Flagstaff!  Here is a picture I took of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff off in the distance with a beautiful sunset!

 Once we were finally in Flagstaff, we decided to do some fun things we've never done before!  Aunt Holly (Jeff's sister) had a new baby named that we hadn't met yet...so it was so fun to get to know her!  One of our fun days we spent at Bearizona in Williams, AZ.  Have you ever been there??  Next time you're in AZ, it is worth it to make that detour too!

 The kids loved all of the bears they were seeing!  And other animals!  There were plenty to see!

 Of course we had to have some down time to practice target shooting with the new rubber band gun we got at Bearizona!

 Another day we decided to go to the Lava Tubes in Flagstaff.  There is no entrance fee charged.  They are just caves that were made by Lava running through millions of years ago.  Here is Major, Cade, MaKenna, Jace and Uncle Danny in the tubes!

 Here is Jace, Jake, Cam and MaKenna....sticking close together...it got a little chilly down there.

 Here we all are at the entrance of the Lava Tubes!  Another fun attraction when you are in Northern Arizona...worth the detour!

I gotta go for now....I'll be back....

The Kids are in School....

I know I sent this to some of you on e-mail....but thought I'd put it on my blog for memories!  This was last Monday....it was a long hard week, but they are starting to get into the swing of things....as am I!

After bawling last night at midnight after finishing their lunches....I got up at 6, made breakfast and send Jake off walking to Andersen Middle School at 7:15 with his friend Nicoli.....next was Cam.  I sent him off walking at 7:30 to his freshman year of high school at Millard South High School with his friends Maddie and Cannan.  I thought that would be hard.....but it wasn't bad.  It was weird....but not bad.  Uncle Danny...he starts football tonight!  He wanted me to tell you!  Next at 8am, I started walking with MaKenna and Major to Neihardt Elementary school for 3rd grade and Kindergarten.

Major was a chatter box all morning and super excited...until we got on school grounds.  Suddenly he clammed up.  This NEVER happens.  MaKenna did just fine of course.  However, for the first time EVER, we had a power struggle over what she would wear this morning.  Yes....there were even tears....from her.  I have NEVER had an issue with her and clothes.  For some reason this morning she tried 4 different outfits on and I had to redo her hair 3 times!  She also tried on several different shoes.  What has my daughter become?????

And they were off.  Major has the Spiderman backpack.  He never looked back.  I cried....a little since I had forgotten my sunglasses and I knew lots of people there...so I choked the tears back as much as I could....until I started walking home.  As soon as the crowd cleared and it was just me, myself and I walking home....I let it loose.....

I realized that this was the first time I had ever walked this road from Neihardt with no hand holding mine........it was a long walk home......*sniff sniff*.