Clara's First Day of School

September 7, 2010

Ready or not, my 11/12 to 9/10 (go to bed at 11 or 12 at night and wake up at 9 or 10 in the morning) princess got up, out the door, and to her first day of pre-school by 8:30 AM. Yes, you read that right, AM. When did getting somewhere by 8:30 AM seem so early? Clara did wonderfully well and really enjoyed her day. She has a great teacher in Mrs. Kelly, although I wondered what went on at school when Clara came home with a paper bag puppet with the face of the puppet proudly glued to the wrong side. I thought to myself, "Can my child not follow direction?, or does Mrs. Kelly still got to iron out some things? I also did well, not a tear to be shed. I talked myself down by saying, "this isn't really REAL school and it's just a couple of days a week for three hours at a time-she'll be fine, and so will you!" But, I can't help but think it was just yesterday that I was pushing her through the birth canal. That brings two points to mind: 1. Time flies and they only stay little a little while-so enjoy them and soak them in as much as you can. 2. Today really wasn't THAT painful.

Mandy's Birthday on the AR Queen

August 26, 2010

To celebrate my birthday this year(#33, thank you very much!), Trevor and the kids took me down to the river. We sailed up and down the Arkansas River and had lunch on the Arkansas Queen River Boat. We had lots of fun and it was a unique experience. Clara got a captain's hat, and I couldn't get over how adorable she was in it. The best part of my day though, was spending it with my family. Well, and not having to cook or clean up, but mostly spending the day with my family.

Our 24th of July Holiday

July 24, 2010

Being in Utah over the 24th of July holiday is always such a treat for me. It is especially fun now that Clara is old enough to enjoy some of the same things about the holiday that I did when I was a child.

Things like:

THE FIREMAN'S WAKE-UP:

The Fireman's wake-up consists of all the firetrucks and ambulances driving up and down every street in town with lights and sirens going-all for the purpose of waking everyone up to signal the beginning of the day of the 24th. The fire department also makes "bombs" that they set off here and there to make sure they are heard. This year my nephew, Austin and his friend, Wes were on the fire department-so we were sure to get blasted out. Our family tradition is that we sleep out on the front lawn the night before in anticipation of all this excitement. Clara was so set on sleeping outside with all of her cousins, and even though I didn't really want to take little Clayton out (he wakes at least 3 times a night to eat or whatever), tradition made me go. So, Clayton ended up sleeping through the night for the first time in at least 3 months and Clara didn't want to wake up when the firetrucks came by, so she just stuck her fingers in her ears. My favorite part was that my Dad's dog, Magggie (old and allegedly deaf and partially blind) got so scared that she climbed into Ashlyn's sleeping bag with her.

THE DEMOLITION DERBY:

My nephews, Cole (#73) and Austin (#9), were both in the derby this year. This has been a passion of Cole's for several years now. Part of the fun for me is watching him work on his car in the days preceding the event (even though he's been working on it for longer than that). This year Cole was good enough to let his brother have one of his "used" cars to use for his very first derby experience. They both made a good showing, but no wins to report. Better luck next year boys!!

Finally, my favorite part of the 24th, and of Utah in general:

MY FAMILY:

Spending time with those that I am bonded to, yet once felt in bondage to is the best part of any trip back home. It's funny how those I once struggled to get along with as a child are now the ones that I turn to the most. I know they always have my back and I feel honored to call them sisters and brother.

Clayton's First Haircut

July 23, 2010:

Clayton received his much needed and anticipated first haircut today. Having the foresight that a trip to Utah was coming, I put off this task so that I could put it onto Aunt Suzanne. She's known for being the unofficial family barber. So, with a little effort, and a lot of distractions, my little Clayton came out on the other end of this haircut looking so much older, but just like his Daddy. Everyone thinks he is so handsome, including Clayton himself. He was kinda "feeling himself" today. So, thank you, thank you, Aunt Suzie for helping us out!