School Days

It FINALLY came! Jay's first day of kindergarten. He was so excited he woke up at 6AM and told me it was time to go. He wasn't too happy when I made him go back to bed. Jeremy gave him a father's blessing before he left for work then I had to pack up my troupe and get going. I had Alyssa and Kobe in the stroller and then had Brenden in the Baby Bjorn. (Kobe and Brenden are the little boys I babysit. Kobe will be 2 next month and Brenden is 8 months) We took the long way there through the park to waste some time since Jay was dragging me out of the house at 8:15 and his school's only a mile away. (School doesn't start until 8:55)
When we got to school Jay put his back pack away and went to play on the playground until it was time to go inside. We got a few pictures of him playing and with his teacher then it was time to go. I had no idea what all those other first time parents were so worked up about. I couldn't wait to get Jay into school. Then it was time for the parents to leave and the teacher closed the door. Then it hit me. My baby is in school! I started tearing up a little on the walk home.




We made it home at 9:15 so we only had an hour and 45 minutes before it was time to leave again to go pick him back up. Just enough time to feed the little ones and let them have a short nap. Then back in the stroller they go.
When we picked up Jay I could tell he was tired. (That's what happens when you get up at 6AM) He was in a pretty cranky mood so I was worried that his enthusiasm from this morning was going to be very short lived. He was kind of a bear on the walk home, but after some lunch and quiet time, he's good to go and is already starting on his homework.
On the other hand, I have no idea how I am gonna walk him back and forth every day with the other three kids if this heat doesn't die down soon. I was pretty temped to jump in the pool fully clothed before heading inside. On the bright side, the benefits of walking 4 miles everyday will out weigh the sore knees and back.

Perparation

Tonight is a very exciting yet bittersweet event in my life. This is the last night before Jay starts school. We are both SO ready to have him out of the house for 2 1/2 hours everyday. He met his teacher and saw his classroom on Friday, his backpack is ready to go and his clothes are laid out in preparation for the morning. I am asking myself, Is this it? It doesn't seem like that big of a deal right now. I am sure that when they close the doors tomorrow morning I will feel differently. To get myself in the mood for back-to-school time and the fall, I updated my background to something more festive. This really is my favorite time of year....I can't wait for the temperatures to cool off.

Random 5

Thanks Meka, now you will see just how boring I really am. ;)

Rules: Name 5 random things about yourself, then tag 5 people. Make sure you comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged!
Plus - If you want, add a random picture.. kinda makes it more fun!

My Random Photo: Northern Paiute Duck Decoy (I actually wrote a story about them for the Nevada History class I took for Jeremy)


1. I've got a weird ability to remember numbers and dates. I have 9 sibilings, Jeremy has 6, all but 3 are married. Together we have 22 nieces and nephews. I have every one of their birthdays and anniversaries memorized. (So even when you don't get a call or card from me, I AM remembering you....BTW Happy Birthday TODAY Jason!!) Old account numbers, phone numbers, address, I know them all. Kinda freaky. I even remember the phone number my parents had when we lived in Yuciapa when I was 3 years old. (714-795-6740...this was BEFORE they changed to the 909 area code)
2. On average, I change 75 diapers/week
3. I've been afraid of my closet ever since I watched the Saw movies.
4. The only reason I'm NOT looking forward to Jay starting kindergarten is because it means that I have to be up and dressed by 8AM everyday. I have fully taken advantage of being a SAHM this passed year by not getting dressed until noon...sometimes later)
5. I saved all the notes my friends wrote to me in Jr. High and will re-read them whenever I come across the box they are in. (Does anyone remember writing in Etruscan thinking we were cool and that no one else could read it. Yes, Darrell, I am talking to you here!)

I am tagging Tasey, Christy (cause she SERIOUSLY needs to update her blog), Amy, Coral and Raela

My Trip to Utah as A Single Mom

WOW!! What a weekend! It was SO much fun but exhausting since I had to wrangle my two whirlwinds all by myself. (Jer was stuck at work) I had been looking forward to this trip for a long time, expecting to get my "Utah Fix" then come home and be glad I don't live there with all the crazy Utah drivers and the sheltered life style. BOY WAS I WRONG! I am now more home sick than ever. I miss my family and friends and just Utah in general. When I see Mt. Timpanogos, I know I am home.



On Friday I went hiking with my brothers and their kids to Timpanogos Caves. We had a fun time but I won't be doing it again until Alyssa can hike up by herself!! I got nearly 1/2 way up the mountain and felt like I was gonna die. Luckily Bryan rescued me and hauled her up the rest of the way. (Even after we had to leave the baby backpack at the split off, he still carried her on his shoulders!) THANK YOU UNCLE BRYAN!!! I took a few pictures on the way up thinking that I would get all the shots I wanted on the way down when I wasn't struggling to make it up the hill. Unfortunately my batteries died while we were in the caves, so I didn't get all the ones I wanted. Oh well, here are a few that I did get:

Our group getting ready to start the hike:


Jay, Alyssa and I (Luckily Jay's mood improved)


Bryan saving me by taking Alyssa the rest of the way!


We were all exhausted when we made it to the top but Alyssa wanted to do her own hiking now that she was out of the back pack. She found a walking stick just her size and started exploring the outer caves where you wait to go in.


WE MADE IT!!! WHOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!


Bryan, Sydney and Briget at the top!


On Saturday we went to a picnic for all of the Timpanogos 1998 graduates and their families. It was so nice for Jay to have kids his own age to play and rough house with. It's hard on him to have to play softly all the time with all the babies around here. Alyssa had fun exploring the whole park before finally playing on the playground. It was fun to catch up with a lot of people I hadn't seen in 10 years and others I had completely forgotten about.

After the picnic, Uncle Bud and Aunt Michele had a bar-b-que at their home. It was fun to have everyone over, but I had to leave after an hour to go to the reunion dinner. I picked up an old friend while his wife watched my kiddos and we went to UVU for the reunion. Still fun to see more people and get a chance to socialize with out worrying where the kids had run off to. When I was in high school I was one of the team managers for the football team. I got a picture of me with the 6 players that actually came to the reunion.


On Sunday I drove to Payson to see my mom, grandpa and little brother. We had a little picnic in the park on Main Street. Grandpa hadn't seen Jay since his baby blessing and had never seen Alyssa. It was good to get some pictures of them. My most favorite picture of our whole trip is Grandpa pushing Alyssa on the swings.


Dylan carrying Jay on his shoulders. I really like this pictures, messy faces and all.


Great-Grandpa Tolman with the kiddos


Grandma Tolman and the snuggle-bug


We then drove all over Utah Valley and ended up at a new park in Orem (thank you again Bryan for the tip....we LOVED this park) If any one is in the area, you should check it out. It's off of Sandhill Road and 2000 South (The road that Walmart is on....just drive down the street away from the college and it will be on your left after a few blocks) By then the kids were getting hungry so we went to the mall in Provo for lunch and got some school clothes for Dylan. In the car, Dylan was putting Alyssa's hair bows in his hair to make the kids laugh. I told him that I'd buy his lunch and get new trucks for his skateboard if he wore the hair bows the entire time we were at the mall. Well, he had a full stomach and has new trucks, but I have black mail photos. hehehe

What being a Grandma is all about!


Alyssa taking time to smell the flowers.


Dylan teaching Jay to jump off the swings. I can't believe he didn't break anything when he landed. Hope I can say the same for Jay when he tries to do this on his own.


I am SHOCKED neither of the kids jumped in the fountain!!


He thinks he's cool, but just see the next picture to remedy that thought!


Princess Dylan with the munchkins. I think I will put this one in his yearbook when he graduates! LOL


On Monday morning, after the delicious breakfast Aunt Michele made for us, we packed up the car, bathed the kiddos and put them in their church clothes hoping to go back to the park and take pictures by all the flowers. We ran out of time but did get one picture in front of Uncle Bud and Aunt Michele's house.


We then went to my mom's work to pick up the diaper bag we left at her house the day before, stopped by Dana's house for a few minutes to visit then drove out to Eagle Mountain to see some old friends. (Then a quick trip back to Bud and Michele's to get my cell phone charger) We didn't get on the road to come home until 5:30 and made it home at 10PM We were all exhausted, my calves still hurt from the hike and we have a mountain of laundry to do, but we had the time of our lives. Can't wait to go back again (Preferably WITH Jeremy next time)

Jay's Hair Cut

Church Funnies

We had a really great sacrament meeting today. The new couple in our ward that spoke did VERY good jobs, were entertaining and very spiritual. The only problem was that the entire congregation would start cracking up randomly because we couldn't stop thinking about the youth speakers talk. This particular young man has a very dry sense of humor and is very soft spoken. During his talk he was emphasizing the need for reverence and respect while praying to Heavenly Father, referring to Him by Thee, Thou and Thine ect. He then went on with to say "Heavenly Father is NOT your 'home skillet' and should not be referred to as such." He didn't even crack a smile when he said it, just kept going with his talk. Every one burst out laughing and he didn't even realize what was so funny, of course that made us all laugh harder.
Then I was teaching the lesson in Nursery today (on obedience of all things) and was telling the kids that Heavenly Father gave us commandments to keep us safe and happy, just like mommies and daddies give the kids rules to keep them safe and happy. One little boy spoke up and said "all those rules keep me safe, but they do NOT keep me happy."
Last of all, Jay was chosen to be the "spot light" child in Primary next month so I was filling out the paper with all of the questions about Jay. Two answers really cracked me up. One was asking what his favorite food was. I was about to write strawberries, but I thought I would ask Jay in case he changed it again this week. He told me his favorite food was the donut daddy was eating. (Of course it was the last one in the box) Then I asked him where he would want to serve a mission. Without missing a beat he said "Disneyland......or Russia" I didn't even know he knew anything about Russia.

Spoilers

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BREAKING DAWN FOR YOURSELF!! Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I can't tell you what an awesome end to the saga this book is. I was worried that Stephenie would end the book with Bella's transformation and not share much of the "after-life" with us. I am SO glad I was wrong. I seriously had to put the book down and bawled for a good half-hour when Jacob imprinted. Also, what Edward says to Jacob when they were saying goodbye to one another got me choked up as well. I loved that Stephenie took care of my ONE reservation about Bella becoming a vampire (even if it nearly killed her, it was worth it) Oh, and the honeymoon setting, absolutely stunning.
Ok, hopefully I haven't given away too much of the book for those die-hard fans out there. Go, read, ENJOY!