It's A Race!!!

The week after school started, the boys school had a race. It was a fundraiser for the district. Between like 5 elementary schools they raised $27,000. Pretty good I think! The boys had so much fun! It was almost 90 degrees out so it was really hot!

So Much Changes....

over just a few short months!!!

This is when Porter was about a week old!
 

Here he is nine months later (minus Cole cause he was being difficult and refused to get in the picture)!
 

Eight is Great!!!

Braxton's baptism was a good experience. My parents made the drive from Michigan to be here and it was perfect timing! They helped us get a dinner ready after wards and also helped us pack! We would have never been ready without them!!! Dave's parents came also, and a few other family members and close friends!

 

Dave's parents and youngest brother.
 

Our not so little family!

My parents.

Grandpa & Grandma Bartlett (Dave's side)

Thanks to everyone who came and participated!

The First Day of School!

This was a scary day for everyone! We hardly know anyone here and there were many firsts! The big one was that now the boys get to ride a bus to school!!! No more school runs for me!!!! I'm down from 4 a day last year!!!

Braxton is in Mrs. Moore's 3rd Grade class

Cole is in Mrs. Merkley's afternoon Kindergarten class

It even tired out the baby!!!

The Day After.....

Braxton's birthday was very busy and we were sidetracked. We had even started packing because we had 4 days to leave for Logan so the boys could start school on time. At one point I looked over at Porter and found this.....




I guess he found a way to stay entertained!!!

Happy Birthday Braxton!

It's only a little late! Sorry bud! Braxton turned 8 on August 20th! It's hard to believe I have a child so old!!! We had a few of his friends over for cake and ice cream and for a slip n' slide! They had a lot of fun. He had a lot of tears that day also because it was the day we made the decision we needed to move in with Dave's parents for a while to save money.... Poor kid!

I Haven't Stopped.....

blogging that is! Life has been so crazy with the move and getting settled! This has been the longest I've ever gone without a post! Hopefully I can catch back up and get regular again! Hope everyone is doing well!

"Mommy The Sirens Are Scaring Me!"

That is what Braxton said as he sat next to me while I was laying on the couch. I told him to stop and get over it figuring they weren't anywhere close by. Dave came down the stairs and went outside and came to get us. We went out and this is what we saw:
 


This lumber supply store right next door had flames shooting out of the air vents in the roof. The spindles were spinning out of control as the flames blasted out of them and then they began to catch on fire and fall off. We continued to watch as the whole building became completely engulfed and the roof caved in! Within 45 minutes of it starting there was a police officer evacuating our building and we had to leave. I grabbed the formula and some water and a few jars of food for the baby and we walked out to leave. We were going to take the car, but realized that our driveway was blocked and the only thing we could grab was the stroller. We were without anything else. We stood around for hours watching, waiting, hoping that our house wasn't the next to go. The police officer told me that if the winds changed (they did) that it would be in danger. Nothing like worrying your house won't survive the night!

This picture is from our back yard.
 

This is out at the main road across the street from our neighborhood.
 

If you look closely you can see our silver van in our driveway that the police car is parked at! Pretty intense moments......
 

This is what it looks like today, a total loss. They were able to keep the wood in the lumber yard from burning which was wonderful.
 

View from our back door.
 

View from the end of our driveway.
 

This was such a devastation! Our maintenance guy is a nephew of the owner and also works there during the day. Another friend of mine is the owners niece. The owner was out of state at a funeral for his sister's daughter when the fire broke out. He got here when there was nothing left. Two weeks before his niece died, his only daughter's husband died of a heart attack at the age of 28. This family has had much heartache this month and I hope you will all keep them in your prayers. They have it cleaned up so much already today! They've been out there for hours working.

We are thankful to have our home and that it was spared. It really made me think of all the things I should have grabbed in the moment, but didn't. Maybe if there is a next time I will be more prepared!

The Distraction of my Week!!!

This past week I was working on a very special product! Dave's aunt and uncle are adopting an adorable 3 year old girl from China! We are very excited for them. I decided to make her a blanket. I was up until 2 in the morning a few days and put on the binding twice. I finally decided it was ok the way it was and finished it! I hope she likes it!!! Here is the finished product :
 

Pioneer Day Celebrations (There were 2!)....

In Utah we have Pioneer Day on July 24th marking when the pioneers reached their destination. It's a really big deal here! They do fireworks and have large parades. We went to Dave's parents the week before for their towns festivities. These were the fireworks Friday night! We were SO close the ashes were falling on us.

This is the parade Saturday morning. This is the "Pioneers of the Future" float!
 

These pictures are from the next weekend in our town! These are a few of the festivities before the parade. The parade lasted HOURS and there were more than 100 floats. WAY TOO LONG!!!
 

Yes, these are sideways pictures of the boys rock climbing and bungee jumping! They had a BLAST!!!
 

These were the fireworks later that night!