Getting back to good

I love my new baby girl... I really, really do. What I don't love is the anxious, weepy, grumpy girl I become after having a new baby. Call it hormones, call it exhaustion, call it excess fat and flabby skin... I just know that it takes me weeks and weeks (sometimes months and months) to start feeling like myself again. We've all been trying to find our own ways to adjust to the new little person in our lives. For me, the past 4 weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions - the most common being the irresistible urge to throttle my 2-year-old. I fear I brought on his ultra neediness myself, through self-manifesting statements like, "I'm not looking forward to Nathaniel's reaction to me having this new baby" and "Nathaniel is going to have a hard time sharing his mommy". You know, it's not always a good thing to be right. But alas, how can I stay mad at a little boy who looks like this?



I'm afraid I'm a bit of a softy when it comes to this little monster, and he's always forgiven his tantrums and antics before I'm ever able to give into any violent urges.

As expected, McKenna is absolutely loving having a little sister to dote on. She holds her, sings to her, tells her stories, and is on a constant mission to be the first one to make Gracee smile. 8 1/2 years isn't too big a gap for these two to be future best buddies, is it?

I can't say Mathew has been incredibly involved in the whole Gracee scene. If it wasn't for his occasional "Hi Gracee!" I would wonder if he's even noticed that we added a new member to our little family. The only change he's really made is that he's now prone to carrying around one of his many stuffed animals, wrapped up in a small blanket. If you show the slightest interest in his "baby", he'll talk your ear off about his baby's sleeping, eating, and playing habits. Just a fair warning.

Brandon is a trooper. He continues to be patient and supportive no matter how many times he has to wonder in exasperation why I'm crying again. I'm still managing very little house work. Not because I'm still healing, but more because I'm exhausted and would rather escape real life by sleeping, reading a book, or watching Entertainment Television (hey, we all have our guilty pleasures). Brandon doesn't even roll his eyes (that I know of) when he comes home to a messy house and another non-existent meal. I have a feeling I'm pushing it though and should probably start stepping up my game a little. Almost every night, you'll find him and Gracee in this position. Once the older kids are in bed, Brandon has dibs on his baby girl.

My Gracee girl is a sweet little baby. She does a lot of this...



and this...




and this...



and very little of this...


(Don't you just love the outfit?? Courtesy of my bestie, Katie)

Seriously, this girl can SLEEP (except between the hours of 3:00 am - 5:30 am... the ONLY time of day or night that she feels like fussing... of course). I'm very in love with my little baby doll and can't wait for her to give me a smile or some sort of acknowledgement that she just might love me too.

The last 4 weeks have flown by in a tornado of laughter, yelling, and tears. I'm still feeling a little psychotic, but I think I'm starting to have more good days than bad. I'm slowly making my way back to good, and I'm sure my family will be ready and beyond thrilled to welcome back their mostly normal wife/mother with open arms.

Please give a warm welcome to...

Gracee Lyn Staten



Born April 26th and weighing in at 5 lbs, 15 oz and measuring 18.5 inches long. She's gorgeous, she's sweet, she's tiny, and we could not be happier to have her join our little family. Love to hear the birthing story? If so, read on! If not so, at least scroll down to look at the rest of the pics, because this 1st one doesn't really do her justice. But then, none of the others do either. You just have to see something this adorable in person to fully appreciate it! But then, I may be a little biased.

The day of Monday, April 26th dawned and we were on our way to the hospital for my scheduled induction. So, I'm a bit of a wimp and asked to be induced. I was miserable (for personal reasons you'll all thank me for not sharing) and I caved. I was stripped of my clothing... and my dignity (as all of you who have given birth before will understand), hooked up to an IV and the waiting began! The first couple hours were the usual misery, until the epidural. Oh sweet epidural... How I love thee! Then we waited another hour... and another... and another, and so on. At 4:00 pm I almost cried when they said I was only dilated 4 cm. I was starving, on the verge of a migraine, having my usual panic attacks at being so numb that I couldn't wiggle my toes (even the sweet epidural has drawbacks) and since the baby's heart rate kept dropping dramatically at every contraction, I was also stuck with a lame oxygen mask on my face... which sucked (or technically, blew... whatever). Thankfully, luck was on my side at 5:00 when they checked me again at I was ready to push! Hallelujah! Let the pushing begin!! Two little pushes later and my little baby doll was born.



The rest is history. Recovery the first night was hard (and may or may not have included me puking a few times. I'll spare you the details.) But each day got better and today I'm feeling pretty darn good for having just given birth.

The kids were so excited to meet their new little sister. Especially McKenna. Not that you can tell at all by the huge ol' grin on her face in this picture. Even Nathaniel has been quite enthusiastic and inquisitive about "Baby Geecee". We'll see how he feels when his morning chocolate milk/cuddle time with mama is delayed because I'm feeding her.

I seem to be doing this a lot lately, but I would AGAIN like to publicly thank my amazing parents for keeping and caring for my kiddos while Gracee and I were held up in the hospital. Gracee has no idea how lucky she is... yet.



As always, I loved the peace and quiet of my hospital stay, with just a short visit from my crazy kids.



Though, truth be told, this morning (day 3) I was missing those crazy kids and very ready to go home. So we took our baby Gracee, draped her in WAY too much pink, and took her home.



So here we are! It feels good to have our complete little family all together. More stories to come for sure. But for now, I'm going to assume my usual position on the couch (because if I'm ever going to lose this baby weight, I have to enjoy what little couch time I have left), and enjoy this incredible feeling... at least until my post-partum psycho crying begins.
Thanks to those of you who have already offered your congrats, visits, offers of help, gifts, and love. What would we do without you all?

10 Years and Counting

That's right. Brandon and I have officially made it to 10 full years of marriage. It hasn't always been blissful, it hasn't always been all I ever hoped it would be... but it has always been real and we have always made it work.
We always had BIG plans for our 10 year anniversary. Hawaii was in our sight! Unfortunately, life doesn't always appreciate your big plans and we had to face reality. We're broke and I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant. So instead we opted for seeing Brian Regan live during his tour through Salt Lake, and staying at The Courtyard Marriott in downtown Salt Lake. Who needs dumb ol' palm trees and warm sandy beaches anyway?? Who's to say we didn't love the crappy snow storm that hit yesterday just as much? Well, lame weather and all... we still had a great time.

For those of you who are not familiar with Brian Regan, you really should be! He's a hysterical comedian that always manages to keep it clean while still making me laugh until I worry I've pulled something. Honestly, I had tears dripping from my face onto my chest throughout his whole show because I was laughing so hard. I don't think I had a stitch of makeup left on my entire face by the time he wrapped things up. Good times. A big thanks to my fabulous sister, D'Ann, for recommending Brandon and I attend the show (along with a fabulous lunch before hand) with her and her boyfriend, Antone. What a way to celebrate! I also owe her a big thanks for using her Marriott employee discount to land us our cozy hotel room for a price that actually fits in our budget (this is not an easy task to accomplish right now, trust me folks!) Brandon and I, exhausted from all the laughing, checked into our room right after the show and didn't leave for the rest of the night - even though we originally had big plans of a nice dinner out and a late movie. Instead, we enjoyed fantastically greasy and delicious pizza, courtesy of The Pie Pizzeria (and delivered right to our hotel room door), and a couple of lame movies on HBO. (Seriously, they should have stopped making The Mummy movies after the 2nd one. It was all down hill from there.) With our movies watched and the pizza sitting like a big, greasy rock in our stomachs, we settled down for a nice 12 full hours of sleep without interruption from the kids. Well, it was more like 30-50 minute catnaps, taken in succession for 12 straight hours. Who sleeps good in a hotel room? Not I. But I did enjoy the soft bed, fluffy pillows, and black out curtains. So I'll take it.

Before I wrap things up, I have to give a big THANK YOU to my wonderful parents (who celebrate their anniversary tomorrow) for taking our kids over night and not even complaining about it. They do this for us every year and I wish they only knew how much we really appreciate it. It was pure bliss to not be woken up at 6:30 this morning by a crying 2-year-old who immediately insists I give him a big cup of chocolate milk and hold him on my lap until he finishes every drop.

10 years... I can't believe everything that we've been through so far, and how we haven't even scratched the surface of all the years to come (we'll hope so anyway). Happy Anniversary to my love! Can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring!

Updates (of the Mundane Variety)

Bloggity shmoggity... I'm just struggling with it right now. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I don't make it out of my pajamas most days. Maybe I should change the name of my blog to "Sheri's Adventures in Pajamas". Not bad... I'm going to consider it.

I have decided, after reading many blog posts by many of my fellow peers, that I don't need anything exciting to happen to keep up my blog. Lots of you make me laugh on a daily basis with nothing other than the same life events I experience everyday. So here I am to tell you what's been going on and to assure you all that we are still living and breathing... in a manner of speaking.

Nathaniel is a major pain, but is saved from mean thoughts and dirty looks by being so stinkin' cute. He is very vocal and talks to me all the day long. These talks are sometimes super cute and sometimes annoying, depending on my mood and whether or not I got my nap that day. I'm thinking of starting potty training and worrying about how on earth I'm going to kick him out of the crib before our baby girl makes her debut.

Mathew continues to successfully make his way through Kindergarten. When at home, we struggle to make him take breaks from the Wii. The kid is all about video games and his obsession reminds me on a daily basis why I never wanted to get a video game system in the first place. Oh well. He loves it and will talk your ear off about his strategy plans if you'll give him the opportunity.



McKenna is such a girl. What can I do? I don't know how to deal with this girl who talks and acts like a 13-year-old. I'm in for many long hours of listening to rambling talks about boys, Taylor Swift, fashion, and everything else classified as "girly". That is, when I can break her away from her friends long enough to be reminded of her existence.

Brandon is the glue that holds this household together right now. He is basking in his post-nursing school freedom and is on a rampage to purge this house of any unnecessary item lurking in hidden corners and closets. He works full time and spends his days off tackling everything I don't do. He does the dishes, cleans the bathrooms, vacuums and mops the floors, picks up toys, and threatens to do the laundry until I finally break down and do it myself. Poor guy. I've asked him to merely tolerate me for the next few months, and promise daily that this isn't the permanent me. His sanity saver right now is basketball, which he plays 1-2 times a week. Thank heavens he has something.

Me? I'm pregnant. This is my excuse (and most likely the last time I get to use it) and I'm sticking to it firmly. I'm trying my best to enjoy this experience for the miracle it is. I spend my day doing what's absolutely necessary, and then my remaining hours are filled with sleeping and reading. What a life. Can I help it if my aching body gives out after only 30 minutes of manual labor?? Can I help it if cooking most foods make me want to run for the nearest toilet? Can I help it if the slightest hint of annoyance or criticism from anyone makes me burst into tears? I answer NO to all these questions to keep myself from feeling the guilt that's hiding out and waiting to pounce. Please tell me there's at least ONE pregnant woman out there who is just as pathetic as I am... Please?? My sanity saver right now is my book club (which is going quite well, thanks). I really, truly love it and everyone in it.

That's life. I'm sure it will get more exciting at some point, but right now I'm just enjoying the pure laziness of it all. As whiny as I may sound, I'm truly not complaining. In life, there's a time for excitement and a time for the mundane. A time for productivity and a time for sitting on one's backside. A time for wakefulness and a time for sleep. A time for cooking delicious homemade meals and a time for purchasing fattening take-out. I think you get the idea.

A Wedding Day

Some said it would never happen... but happen it did, and we all could not be happier! What am I talking about? Brandon's step-brother, Bubba (aka Justin), finally found his other half and decided to marry her. What a beautiful day! We spent the large majority of last Friday celebrating this momentous occasion.

Our morning started off with a drive up to the Bountiful temple, where we learned that if you head up that high, you actually find the sun again! Who knew it had been there the whole time, hiding above the thick layer of smog hovering over the Salt Lake valley? While freezing our way through all the beautiful outdoor pictures, I decided to take a few pictures of my own. And since it was Bubba and Stacy's special day, I choose to ignore them completely and focus my camera on no one but my own cute little family. I'm thoughtful that way. But before you judge me as selfish, I ask you... How could I not with this little guy flashing me cheesy grins?



Or this handsome little man making such picture worthy faces?



I even conned an innocent bystander into taking a family photo for us.



It is a rather squinty-eyed picture. Probably not the best idea to stand directly facing the sun. Oh well.

After all the picture fun was done, we made our way over to The Old Meeting House reception center for one of the most delicious luncheons I've ever had the pleasure of eating. It was so good, not one word of complaint escaped my lips when I was only given water to drink with it. (For those of you who really know me, compliments don't come much higher than that!)

After a nice rest at home, we made our way to the final destination... the wedding reception. I hope you all haven't become too bored with my rundown of the day, because I tell ya... this is the best part! Bubba, having gone to Scotland on his mission, and being a bit Scottish himself (his last name is MCEWAN after all), decided to fully exploit this little fact and dress himself and his groomsmen all in KILTS! It was fabulous... truly. Pictures you ask? Oh yes, I have pictures...

Lucky for me, my dear husband was chosen to participate in this wonderful game of dress-up. Here he is with the kids.



The groomsmen... And yes, the one on the far right (Bubba's best friend, Corey) is indeed holding his adorable little son, who is ALSO decked out in a kilt. LOVE it!



Bubba and Stacy. I'm ashamed to admit, this truly is the one and ONLY picture I took of them. I'm pathetic.



I have to add one more of little Tristan, being held by his cute mom this time. I think I giggled for a full 5 minutes when I realized that he was all dressed up too. Honestly, can't get enough if him.



It really was a wonderful day and we are so happy to have Stacy join this fun family. A big, heart-felt CONGRATS to the happy couple!

Ok, fine... one more of the groomsmen for the road...


Gotta love it.

Bah-Humbug!

It is a true testament to what a Scrooge I was this Christmas when, now that it is over, my energy level and mood have improved dramatically. Honestly, if I was childless, I think I may have skipped the entire holiday. This makes me sad, since Christmas, with all it's magic, is normally my very favorite time of year. But sadly, with the combination of more things than I care to complain about right now, I just wasn't feeling it this time. So much, that I'm almost surprised I didn't receive any ghostly visitors attempting to give me redemption on Christmas Eve night. So my apologies to you all this year. I didn't do Christmas cards, I didn't do neighbor/friend gifts... in fact, the only people who received any kind of gift from me this year is my kids and Brandon (and even his loot was pretty pathetic). Now, let me backpedal a little. I wasn't COMPLETELY worthless in the Christmas spirit department. And I have pictures to prove it! After all, we did...

Put up and decorate our Christmas tree...



(Ok, fine. Technically I had nothing to do with this, since I was laying on the couch in nauseated exhaustion while Brandon and the kids did all the work.)

We saw Christmas lights in sub-zero temperatures...



Nathaniel donned a Santa hat...



(So this really doesn't have much to do with anything, I just thought it was a fun picture.)

Though not Christmas related, we did celebrate Nathaniel's 2nd birthday with a delicious chocolate cake, my HIS favorite!



McKenna looked adorably snazzy while performing in her Christmas dance recital...



We paid a visit to Santa Claus (and I really do have photographic evidence of the actual Santa, but my scanner is being uncooperative)...



And, of course, we watched movies (complete with a picnic dinner of snacks on the family room floor) on Christmas Eve. We set out brownies, milk, and apples for Santa and his reindeer. We tracked Santa (who was making his way through Ecuador when the kids were about to climb into bed). And we read stories to calm our minds a little before falling asleep. Once the kids were in bed, the work began. Brandon and I wrapped gifts, finishing at 12:30 am (a full TWO hours ahead of schedule for us), only to have Brandon get called into work at 1:00 am. He worked until 6:30 am, came home, and slept for all of 40 minutes before the kids were up and ready for gift opening! Poor Daddy hauled his poorly rested body out of bed for the sake of Christmas morning magic!

Here's the kids impatiently posing for pictures before being allowed to dive into the pile of presents (decked out in Christmas jammies provided by Grandma and Grandpa Squire, of course).



Stockings first!



When all the fun is done, there's always the mess to look forward to...



My house is still an absolute wreck, and I'm trying my best to channel the energy needed to clean it up. Meanwhile, I think I'll ignore knocks at the door and waste time playing on the computer. Sounds good.

Despite all my whining during the season, and prayers of thanks for having it over and done with, I do love Christmas and everything it entails. I promise to make more of an effort next season. Because next season... I won't be pregnant, I won't be working until the wee hours of each morning, and the shock of having to pay for Christmas without credit cards will have worn off and I will be better prepared for this challenge. Ah, just listen to my naive optimism... it's so sweet. I'm sure next season will have it's own challenges, but we'll just hope I'm not as hormonal and can take them on without a fuss!

I hope you all enjoyed a happy and fulfilling Christmas! All I have to say for now is... Bring on New Years!! I am more than ready for a fresh start!

The Time Has Come...

A large chunk of you have already heard our news one way or another, but for those of you who haven't, let me officially announce that we are expecting our 4th and final baby!



Awww... check out that profile! Don't you just already want to pinch those skeletal little cheeks??

I am fortunate enough that my doctor's office is so kind to offer an optional ultrasound at 16 weeks (for a mere $25) for those of us crazy people who are simply not patient enough to wait the extra 4 weeks to find out the sex. Honestly, the best $25 I ever spend! I simply don't know how those of you who are amazing enough to wait for the kid to actually be BORN to find out the sex do it. You have the kind of will power I could only dream of. So without further ado...


(I'm praying this will be the only picture displaying her private parts to ever make it onto the Internet...)

Yep! It is indeed a GIRL! And thank heavens for that. I was not looking forward to the therapy I would have had to invest in for my poor McKenna had it been another little brother. To say she is thrilled would be an understatement.

We expect our sweet little girl's arrival sometime around May 3rd.

It's Great to be 8!

Did I really not blog a single thing for the entire month of September?? Ah, well... I'm sure you all survived without me. I don't have much on the news front, other than McKenna turning the magical age of 8! What an exciting time for my girl. In order to fully celebrate this momentous occasion, I confronted my anxiety and threw my daughter her very first, big, friend birthday party. I'm not sure why, but doing stuff like this just about sends me to the nuthouse. Is it really that big of a deal? People throw big birthday parties for their kids all the time, right? Surely I can do it too! So I bought and delivered a little pack of 8 invitations so McKenna could invite her favorite friends over to our house for a lateover. Not familiar with the lateover? It's the newest thing to replace the sleepover, and I must say I'm a fan. I could have never hosted an actual sleepover with 8 squealy girls. I barely stayed sane throughout the lateover, to be honest. I have come to the conclusion that little girls are L-O-U-D. Not to mention dramatic. However, despite a few tears shed by several girls and many deep breaths on my part, the party was a success. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time for at least part of the night. Though for next time, remind me to cut the party's time down by at least an hour. 6:30 - 10:30 pm was a bit much. Alright, enough whining. Time for pictures!



Seriously... cutest girls ever. Just looking at these pictures makes me feel bad for ever having a moment of wanting them to all go home. We really did have a blast and McKenna was in heaven. I may even be willing to do it again... you know, in a few years or so.

I also was able to carry on the recent tradition of bringing lunch to McKenna at school. Again, my friend Amanda joined us for lunch, as her daughter, Savannah, and McKenna share a birthday. What fun this is! I am looking forward to many, many more birthday lunches with Amanda and these cute girls.



When you're a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, turning 8 has a wonderful and great significance. McKenna is officially old enough to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church. Which also means she's now old enough to be held accountable for her choices. For some reason, saying that makes me get all teary and also makes me feel like I've just aged a great amount in a short time. I can't believe I have a daughter old enough to have to repent when she makes a bad decision. *sniff* Ok... drying my eyes and moving on.

Have I mentioned that having large groups of people at my house scares the living crap out of me? For this reason, I was absolutely terrified for her baptism to come. But the day did indeed come, and you know what? It was wonderful! The preparation, the baptism, the confirmation, the open house... all of it was just wonderful. What an amazing day! And all thanks to my family who deserves a HUGE shout-out for being there for me during the time of my panic. My mom was amazing, helping me buy food, making delicious salads and desserts, and for her and my dad doing just about all of the set up. My brother Lynn and his super-wife, Vicki, and even their older kids stepped up and helped prepare and set out all the food (not to mention the super yummy treats they made). And my Aunt Marie, in addition to also bringing fabulous treats, was busy getting all the food in the kitchen ready while I still stood there with my head spinning trying to figure out what to do first. Lots of love and thanks to all for making the day so special.

As if my amazing family and the friends who shared the experience with us wasn't enough to make the day unforgettable, McKenna was so lucky to share her baptism day with one of her best friends, the previously mentioned Savannah (who has made many, many other appearances on this blog of mine). It was just the two of them and we were able to share the room during all the talks, baptisms, and confirmations. Even though I'm not very familiar with all of the Packers' extended family, I felt I was. The feeling in the room was incredible, and I didn't feel like we were two separate families. Forgive my moment of sappy cheesiness, but I really did feel like we were all just one big family sharing this incredible experience together. I think I got just as choked up watching Savannah be baptized as I did with McKenna. I'm so grateful that, if I had to share this moment with another family, I got to share it with the Packers. Ok, again... I'm done blubbering.

It really is great to be eight! Who knew I could keep a kid alive this long? We love you so much McKenna!

Summer Wrap-Up

My desire to stay involved in the blogging world is dwindling with each new day. What was once an obsession has now become a vague interest. What's happening to me? But don't fear! Take a deep breath! I'm not leaving, just explaining my average of one post a month (at best) and lack of commentary on everyone else's fabulous blogs. For the sake of preserving memories, and to appease all my adoring fans (Ha! Who says I'm not good at making jokes?), I am here to jot down just a few highlights of our summer. It's not much, but still worth documenting.

For the month of June... was there a June this year? 'Cause I got nothin'. Quite honestly I don't even remember June... poor June. I do, however, have memories of July. So let's start with July!

I know this makes me sound like a grump, but there are very few holidays that I actually look forward to. Independence Day is one of the lucky few. I love the parades, I love barbecues, I love the fireworks... it's just good fun! Here's what we were up to this last 4th of July.

For the first time this year, we attended the West Jordan parade. Whoo! Ok, in all honesty... I hope I don't offend anyone... it was kind of a lame parade. Sorry. But McKenna was involved in a cheer leading work shop a couple of weeks earlier (Ah, I just remembered ONE thing that happened in June) and as a part of the work shop, she got the opportunity to parade along with her friend Savannah and all the other Fusion cheerleaders. What fun! The boys enjoyed blowing bubbles and throwing snaps. Nathaniel and Felicity enjoyed continually attempting to join the parade and strut their stuff... that is, when they weren't fighting over the same chair (which explains the above picture. Nathaniel's ever a gentleman... we're working on it).

After the parade fun was done, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch funded by my parents (thanks Mom and Dad), we took naps. Sorry, no pictures of this fantastic event. After we were fully rested and ready for more fun, we ventured over to Grandma Susan's house to help her celebrate her birthday (which falls on Independence Day EVERY YEAR... imagine that!)
Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dave have a hot tub! How cool is that? They were nice enough to turn the heat down on it a bit and let the kids swim to their heart's content. After swimming, we all enjoyed a nail-biting round of lawn croquet. I can't remember who won, because I think I forfeited about 10 minutes in. Lawn croquet isn't exactly one of the things I excel in. Let's move on...

Once the family barbecue fun started winding down, we headed over to Murray Park, where we enjoy their impressive display of fireworks every year.



3 seconds into the show, Nathaniel jumped into Brandon's arms and there he remained for the duration - clinging to his daddy for dear life.

The end of July brought an exciting first for me... Alumni Days at Lagoon! As a thanks for all the blood, sweat, and tears I poured into my 6 years of employment at Lagoon, I am given the option of several different days to chose from, in which I receive a bit of a discount, eat cookies, drink soda, and watch a slide show. How could I pass up such an opportunity?
Katie and her cute family joined us for the fun-filled day. We thoroughly enjoyed our refreshments and watched enthusiastically as Katie and I both made an appearance in the infamous slide show. Oh yeah, and we rode rides and ate greasy food until we were sick. I love amusement parks!

This summer, we also had a really exciting trip to The Grand Canyon planned. Hooray! How was it? Oh, well... there's really not much to tell, since we kind of never went. *sigh* Due to complications beyond our control, the trip was cancelled. But we didn't complain too loudly, since we still enjoyed a couple of fun days in the mountains with my awesome family, in which all the fun pictures below were taken.





We hiked to Donut Falls, ate wonderfully delicious dutch oven dinners, roasted marshmallows, sang songs (ok, fine... we didn't sing songs), had picnic lunches at Silver Lake... It was no Grand Canyon, but it was still a grand ol' time.

Somewhere in the middle of all our summer fun, we also managed to go boating with the Poulson family (who we love and worship and don't spend nearly enough time with)...




We attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open house...



I started my very own book club...


**Note: Only about half of the girls who are actually in my book club were able to make it to the first meeting. But we had a blast, talking until a few minutes before midnight. The conversation may or may not have been strictly about books. I have a feeling I'm in for some LONG (yet highly enjoyable) nights with these wonderful ladies in the future.

Oh, and one more teeny-tiny thing happened this summer...

BRANDON GRADUATED FROM NURSING SCHOOL!! WHOOOO-HOOOOO!



Now everyone... please hold onto your recently consumed lunches while I gush for a moment. I'm so proud of Brandon for all the hard work and late nights that have gone into the last 2 years of school. Nursing school is not for wimps. Brandon has been done with school for a little over a week now, and it's so nice to have him HERE. Not necessarily the at home kind of here, since he's having to work like a dog so we can start getting our lives financially back in order; but having him mentally here. It's so nice to have him not constantly worrying about this test or that project. The next school semester starts up next week, and I didn't even know about it because Brandon doesn't have to go! I'm so happy to have this chapter of our lives done. You know, at least until he goes back to school in a few months to further his career opportunities. Way to go Brandon! We are all so happy and proud and just plain relieved to get rid of that pile of nursing books that sat on the kitchen table for 2 years.

Alright folks, that is all! School started for McKenna last week and Mathew starts Kindergarten on Tuesday (Oi!) But I'll have more to say about all that in another post at later time. Enjoy the last days of summer!