Wrapping Up Summer

With our lazy days of summer definitely behind us, we had a lot to get done before school started this year! Including a bit more service helping to furnish homes for refuge families- 

Man, I used to get so excited about purchasing the school supply packs for a fresh start to a new school year.  These days we cobble toether what we've already got and make a quick Target run for the rest. 

Pulling weeds in this yard is no small task!

Emma's 6:44 bus time made her understandably nervous about getting up and going after delightfully slow summer mornings of sleeping in, so she started walking with me in the early hours of the day. 

The views always make it worth it. 

Leah and Adam are enrolled in online seminary for the first six weeks of school while marching band is going, and it is no small task to keep up with it.

We all squeezed in naps when we could. 

Emma wanted pancakes, so she made pancakes. Summer is a great chance to spend time in the kitchen!

Back to school tours- Emma was SO ready to get started at Stilwell!

Hee hee. 

Noah spotted some of Adam's mischief from last year!

Stilwell has a beautiful courtyard!

I did Emma dirty in this picture, but she was so excited to sign up for the fall musical- The Wizard of Oz!

The start of marching band season!  These kids are amazing- hard, hard workers and so much fun to watch!

Parent night meant I got to be on the field with Adam, and Emma went down with Leah. Noah took our pictures, and I think you can see my confusion from here!

Noah's in the top dog pod this year! 

Of course we had to say hello to Bangsy!

I went with Adam to his open house, and Leah just took care of herself.  Being a senior means doing a lot of things on her own this year!

One last trip to the pool!

We soaked up every minute of summer fun we could this year, but, like it always does, the days came to an end too quickly and we found ourselves- ready or not- headed back to school!

True Stories My Kids Don't Believe

One summer morning I saw the foxes that frequent our yard run around the trees and then hop onto the logs around the firepit and complete the circuit twice!  They never would believe me if it wasn't for Jason's witness, but it was adorable and amazing- fox olympics!

Three deer came wandering into our yard, one was most likely pregnant.  The other two deer stomped their hooves at her and even reared up on their hind legs, but she stood firm until they left her alone. 

One time I tried to convince the kids that I caught two deer jumping on the trampoline... maybe that's why they're often skeptical of my stories, but I swear most of them are true! 

Like the tales of these three beauties who have taken up residence in our yard- Angelica, Eliza, and Pecky, the Turkey Sisters that used to live in the evergreen forest nearby, now frequent our yard daily, pecking away for bugs and seeds and driving Laney crazy. 

Emma is a Teenager!!

The long awaited day finally arrived!!  Emma officially turned into a teeanger this summer, and a perfectly adorable one at that. 

Her birthday came the day after High Adventure ended, and she was confindent that she would be absolutely too exhausted to celebrate much that day. 

Still, we managed to do breakfast in bed and, loaded with gift cards, we hit the mall! What a perfectly teenager thing to do. 

Emma picked out books, a necklace, and all kinds of lotions and potions (as Grandpa Mark would say). We definitely shopped until we dropped, and then we were off for our birthdate at The Chicken! 

We took pictures the next day- 

So much love!!

What a cutie!

Hee hee. 

And a few days after that it was finally party time! 

Emma had big plans for partying with her besties from school and church. 

All of the Taylor Swift eras in snack form!

t-shirt decorating- 

she even decorated her own cake! 

Emma didn't really want to party outside, but it ended up being such a beautiful night and these girls had a blast jumping and giggling on the trampoline. 

Ahh, sweet teenage Emma!  You are growing up to be such a lovely young lady!  Emma took the bot-lious teenager oath from Leah and Adam, which says something like, "I promise not to be a moody, grumpy, emo teenager." She's off to a great start!

13 things we love about Emma- 

1. Emma is spunky!  We know this, strangers tell her this, she embodies this.  Life is more fun with Emma around. 

2. Emma is friendly to everyone- she makes friends fast and doesn't exclude anyone. 

3. Emma is stylish! She loves to shop and has a great sense of style. She loves thrifting and oversized sweatshirts most of all. 

4. Emma thinks good and deep about things, from her testimony to life after death to what life is all about. 

5. Emma loves fair.  Her sense of fair runs very deep, and it makes us all laugh when she declares that "the Fair Fairy is coming out!" when she recognizes that she is demanding fair. 

6. Emma is brave- she auditions for plays and honor choirs and leads the music in sacrament meeting and bears her testimony and teaches lessons in Young Women- she isn't afraid to share her talents. 

7. Emma is always looking forward to the good things that are coming her way. She tries really hard not to wish away today, but she knows a lot of good life is coming!

8. Emma handles not having a phone really well.  She is mostly likely the only person in her entire middle school who doesn't have one, and I know that she gets left out of some social things that happen on phones, but she also dodges some of the not so great things that happen on phones, and she recognizes that as a very good thing. 

9. Emma smells nice and looks beautiful!  Her early teen hygiene habits are leaps and bounds above what I experienced, and we all thank her for that! 

10. Emma is the best sister her siblings could ask for!  She still asks, "Where's my baby at?" when she can't find Noah, has a huge crush on Adam, and would rather spend her time with Leah than do anything else in the world. 

11. Emma is musical!  I love hearing her sing in her room, play the piano, and (occasionally) practice her cello. 

12. Emma is a voracious reader.  She loves to zip through thick and good books and devours the stories. 

13. Emma is delightful!  She brings joy to our family and laughter in so many ways, and our family would be decidedly more boring without her in it.  

Happy 13th birthday sweet Emma Grace! We love you!