Walk...

I decided last night that I needed to go for a walk today. I have been trying to get back in the habit of daily exercise, however my body just doesn't want to cooperate. In fact, two weeks ago I told my body we were going to exercise and it staged a severe revolt. I ended up hurting my hip and knee in a very serious ice dance that ended in a less than graceful fall. Last night after I told Bayden my intentions of walking to the top of the hill, I hurtled myself into a chair in a panicked rush to save banana bread from burning. The result was a massive bruise on my shin bone. I did however force myself to go on that walk...(well technically, I forced myself to get on the horse and go for a ride, but the horse had a sore foot so I ended up walking the horse back home.) Anyway, long story short...I didn't make it to the top of the hill, then again I didn't ever specify which hill so I suppose the ant hill I climbed would count...so I am ever hopeful that this cursed lack of balance issue has been resolved with my short 2 block walk. Here's hoping!!

McKenna turns 5

McKenna finally turned 5 today after months and months of waiting. Her birthday is the last one in our family and she has had a very hard time waiting for it this year. It is hard to believe that the baby of our family is 5 years old. She starts kindergarten next year!! Kenna had an amazing birthday with all of her family this year! We had party chip cake with party chip frosting per her request! She got lots of great gifts including her own suitcase, a new bike, and some new clothes! We love you McKenna!!

Field Trip....

So how many of you remember the days when the words "Field Trip" filled you with joy and anticipation? As a child, those two words are almost magical...first, obviously you get out of school and second, you get to go someplace other than the school. Today, I got to go with the 3rd grade class on their field trip to Honey's Jubilee to learn about produce and nutrition. As I entered Jaxson's classroom, his teacher assigned me my buddy...Jaxson. I couldn't tell if he wanted me for a buddy or not...I kept feeling like I should have asked him, maybe he wanted another friend for his buddy but then got stuck with me. I couldn't help wondering if perhaps this is the sort of thing that might possibly traumatize him for life...someday he will be sitting across from his shrink explaining that in 3rd grade his MOM had to be his buddy. Anyway, moving on..we walked, as buddies, to the bus where we loaded up. There is something special about a school bus and I think that for kids this special something certainly adds to the magic of the field trip..as an adult, it sorta smelled like stinky feet. Jax and I found a seat towards the front of the bus, and then our journey began. As we drove to Kanab, I listened to the rather noisy chatter of 29 kids and I was amazed. I really thought that maybe this was the first time that these kids had ever driven to Kanab...but no that isn't possible, so maybe it is just that the school bus has special windows...ones streaked with kid's fingerprints, that makes the ride look so different than when driving with your mom or dad. There were several comments along the way that were said with such enthusiasim that I had to look and I admit I did feel the stirrings of excitement, such as..."LOOK, it's the Buckskin!" and "LOOK, it's the airport and my favorite..."LOOK, it's the new chapel church!" When the bus took the last wide turn into the parking lot of the local grocery store there was an awed silence and then a loud scream declaring "LOOK, it's HONEY'S JUBILEE!!...this is funny as I am almost certain that at least 99% of these children have been to this store multiple times. Judging from the excitement in the bus, you would have thought we had just arrived at Disneyland!! As the bus driver manuvered us into the parking lot, their excitement was contagious. It is certainly the first time in many many years that I have actually felt glad to be at the grocery store...it is also the first time I have been there without spending money...which truly is exciting! We got the kids in and settled and began the presentation on produce...did you know that anything with seeds on the inside of it is classified as a fruit?...bellpepper it's a fruit, squash, fruit, cucumber, fruit...I know we have all been told that a tomato is a fruit, but all these other vegetable wannabes certainly surprised me. After a quick tour of the produce section we were treated with a plate of vegetables or fruits..or let's just make it easy on everyone who is now confused fruitables...we then had a scavenger hunt for nutritious foods, and ended with a yummy fruit smoothie (I think it was a fruit, strawberries have seeds on the outside so I'm a little unsure) We then loaded back on the magic school bus and journeyed home. Today, the 3rd graders learned the importance of fruit and veggies while I learned that sometimes it is truly amazing to look through someone else's eyes for a short time, when you do (if you can block the smell of feet and clear away the smudges)I believe that for a brief moment it is possible to experience pure joy!

Kaytlyn turns 11

It's Kaytlyn's birthday today!! I can't believe she is 11 years old already...before I know it she's going to be all grown up and really where did the time go? We are so very proud of the wonderful young lady she is growing up to be. She has a wonderful way with other kids, and recently we started using her as our babysitter rather than hiring out..it seems to work out well for everyone! Kaytlyn does her very best at everything she does from school work to gymnastics to driving her dad half crazy! She is involved in the band at school, and she is starting basketball soon. Her life is pretty busy, and we are all blessed when she is able to hang out with her family. Happy Birthday, Kaytlyn...we love you!!

Wyatt turns 6

Today is Wyatt's birthday! My sweet boy is turning 6! It is customary that the birthday child in our family get to go out to lunch on their birthday. So this morning I asked Wyatt where he wanted to go to lunch; Junction, Lotsa Motsa, Subway...He replied, "Well, they are having super nachos at the big school so that is where I want to go." Since Wyatt is in Kindergarten he leaves school before lunch and very seldom gets to eat cafeteria lunch, so he insisted that he wanted to eat school lunch with Mom, Dad, Jaxson, and Kaytlyn (Kenna was in school) So that is where we ate! For dinner, I was all set to make his favorite meal but when I asked what that was he told me pizza from Pizza Hut...what an easy kid. So we ate pizza, had root beer floats, and played the Wii as a family! It was a great day! On Saturday, we will be officially celebrating his birthday with a birthday cake and presents! He decided that for his party he wanted us all to go out in the hills and shoot targets! We love Wyatt for his amazing personality and his willingness to help! He is a great brother and friend. We are blessed to have him in our family! Happy Birthday Wyatt!!