Chaser, Robby, Pedro, Sparticus......

All names of which Chase answers to!

Height: 4'11"

Weight: 86.2 lbs.

Foot Size: 7 

Favorites--

       Food: Stromboli (Homemade)

       Treat: Twix

       Soda: None or all, depends on how you look at it!--Chocolate Milk or Hot Chocolate

       Fruit: Strawberries

       Veg: Potatoe

       Ice Cream: Mint Cookies N' Cream

       Toy: Nerf Guns

       Video Game: Anything Mario

       Game: Battleship

       School Subject: Physical Science

       Holiday: Christmas

       Color: Turquoise

       Movie: Inside Out

What a serious, sweet kid! He amazes me daily with his knowledge about the world and sometimes always lets me know how I can make things perfect! He keeps me in line and on track, I love him for it--even though it can really frustrate me. He is a perfect shopping companion(if you are trying to stay on budget) and list tracker, honestly I would be a mess without him! Love him so very much!

James

This boy is 11!!! He has grown up so much over the past year--and is one-of-a-kind! His sense of humor, teasing, and all out goofiness are the best--and we laugh all the time! He is caring and considerate, he loves fiercely and is equally loyal. He is himself always--thinks, acts, speaks, and does things exactly how he wants to--and thankfully now that he is home schooled he has the freedom to do that! I love him so immensely! This past year Joe and I have really stepped back and allowed James to have more control over his life and decisions--hands down the best decision we have ever made as parents--James has proven that he is capable, strong, and intuitive about how he lives his life--he asks for guidance when he needs it, and accepts that sometimes the answer is no. I am so very proud of him and the choices he makes!

Some facts about James--on his 11th Birthday--
Height--5'4"
Weight--108 lbs
Foot size--9.5 in mens!
Favorites
       Food: Chinese
       Treat: Giant Lollipops or Marshmellows
       Soda: Fanta Mango
       Fruit: Mango
       Vegetable: Potatoe
       Ice Cream: Ice cream sandwiches
       Toy: Pogo stick, roller skates
       Video Game: Mario Kart 8 (thanks, Jewel!)
       Game: Chess
       School Subject: Science
       Holiday: 4th of July
       Color: Gold
       Movie: Trolls (such a cute movie, he was the first one to clap when it ended in the theater, then             he got up and started dancing--love this kid!)
Happy Birthday James!

Yesterday

Yesterday Joe had a conference in Provo so the boys and I tagged along! He has been so so so busy at work the last couple of weeks and we have not had much family time so it was good to ride down together! While he was in his meetings the kiddos and I went on a LONG walk in Provo Canyon.

I love fall and the temps were perfection--it was so nice--even if I ran the truck out of gas and had to have the Highway Patrol help me out--oops!

September

September went by in a flash--I had some medical issues that had me down for the count for a week or two but now I am much much better! In fact, I feel better now than I have for years!!! We did some fun things--a field trip to Golden Spike and watched my nephews on two different Fridays--so it has been busy but SUPER fun! Here's the pics to prove it!

Labor Day Weekend!

Or should I say Lagoon Weekend--we had a very generous friend give us four tickets to Lagoon so we went on Saturday and had the best time! The boys are so so much braver than when we took them to Disney World several years ago--and I was brave too and rode a ride that I have been scared of since I was 11 or 12!! We really had such a great day--no whining or fighting it was beautiful!

Then on Monday--Joe's sister offer three tickets to Lagoon for the boys and Joey--they had so much fun on Saturday that they could not pass up the opportunity to again! Thanks for the great day Enoch, Ethan, and Owen!

I spent Labor Day up in Kamas at my parents--I needed to return the smoker we borrowed and stayed to help my mom can green beans and played croquette with my sister and her husband--SUPER good time--we spent a lot of time laughing :)

First Field Trip of the Year

Our first field trip was to the Utah State Capitol and Monument Park. My sister Amber and her family are also Homeschoolers so we went together!
It was such a fun trip--sure my kids were a little grumpy and FULL of interesting comments--but still fun!
We had a picnic lunch and walked around the park looking at all the monuments--Chase kept saying "What is the point of War" and "This is just a waste of our useless time"--(I thought it was a great use of our useless time) After Chase kept repeating these statements and arguing with our explanations of the different wars James finally said--"Chase the point of war is to brighten the soldiers spirits"--Oh dear do we have learning to do about Wars--I am slightly embarrassed that this is the impression they both have of War and Soldiers :/

Then off to the Capitol and AC--the building was beautiful and timeless--I haven't been there for about 20 years--and it was just as I remembered it!

Some pictures-----

Now this final picture is for James--who very loudly, in a building that echoes for days, with tourists standing right next to us--wants to know why lawmakers have "naked people by their clock"--"I mean do they like staring at naked people all day?" He's the best!!

School days....

This is my view--and I love it!!!

THE hair.....

Jim's hair has its own name--beebs--he doesn't want it cut, touched, or commented on--but when it has a life of its own you can't help it!!

Olympics are here!

The Olympics are a favorite in this house--for the next few weeks, our evenings will be spent watch and cheering for our American Athletes! And we wouldn't have it any other way!!! Listening to the boys ooh and ahh over the sheer magical strength of competitors is the best--listening to them dream about being the best swimmer, gymnast, cyclist, or weightlifter is what the Olympic are all about!

On another note, it is completely insane to think that we were watching the last summer Olympics in our trailer in Indiana--has it really been 4 years?

Fun with my family.

2nd Annual Palisade Trip

A few of my sisters and I took our families to Palisade Lake last year--it was so much fun we decided to make it a tradition every summer! This year we got the group site right on the shore--beautiful!

Chase's favorite activity is the kayaking. He spent hours everyday on his kayak. 

Bekah and Boyd brought a projector and screen so the kiddos could watch movies in the evening--they were all so tired!

 Kade's cracker sandwich!

Everyone loves to kayak!

Another favorite is always the floating dock in the "middle" of the lake!

These three were inseparable and eluded my camera for most of the trip!

Our rowdy crowd---

 The Ladies.....?

My favorites of Jimbo

Favorite pics of Racer

And some random pics....

All the kids LOVE Bekah, Boyd and Zoey!

 Uncle Nate arrested the "naughty" kiddos!

Such good memories and fun times!--can't wait until next year!!

I know, I know, I am not in most of these--but I think my sisters got some as proof I was there.