Summer Catch Up!

I have gotten way behind on my blogging this summer, so this will just be a quick catch up on a few of the things we did! Please forgive me for the length of this post!

The Morgan County Fair
This has become a family favorite since we moved to Morgan. We have so much fun with the kids activities, and the girls love looking at all the farm animals. Our friend Jayne came with us this year, and the girls had so much fun together!









Cabin
We went to a cabin with some friends in July. It was up in the Uinta mountains, and it was beautiful! We only spent one night, but we all had a good time!










Temple Open House
We were able to make it to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open house, and it was a very neat experience. We all felt the spirit so strong as we walked through. I was explaining to Ashlyn that this was Heavenly Father's house, and she said "What room is He in??" :) I am so grateful for temples and that my little family will be together forever.

1st Grade!!

I am so behind!! Brooklyn started 1st grade this year, and she absolutely loves it! She loves learning, and it is so fun to watch her learn new things. My favorite is listening to her read to me. She gets better every day! Her favorite part of school is definitely lunch (takes after her mother here...) and she loves that she gets to eat school lunch. One day she even went and asked for seconds :) Our backyard fence borders the school, and occasionally I practice my stealthy-stalker-spy-mom moves and watch her play at recess through my lilac bushes.(In the winter it is easier because the bushes are little, and I can watch her in the comfort of my own cozy kitchen while I am doing the dishes..)Wow!! I really am a stalker-mom!! Who knew?!? Anyway, point is, she is not my little girl anymore. People tried to prepare me for this moment, but I think it is one of those things you can never be truly ready for. And I don't even know when it happened. I remember rocking her in my arms, singing her to sleep, so little she could fit snugly on my shoulder, and I prayed for her as I put her in her crib. Now she fills her twin bed. She picks her own outfits. She wants to be a veterinarian. She has worries and responsibilities. And she prays for me. My soul now understands the depth of the term "bitter-sweet".

Happy Birthday Dyson Bear!!!

I still can't believe it, but on Saturday little Dyson turned 1!!!! We had a fun day of celebrating. First, we went out to Grandma and Grandpa Turner's and had a big party, and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Hofheins for dinner and another party!! Because we call Dyson our "Little Bear", I thought it would be fun to make him a teddy bear cake for his birthday. I have never really made a big cake before, so it was all a very new experience for me! It wasn't perfect, and I almost went insane...but it was mostly fun, and totally worth it when he dove in! (The paws detached so that he could have his very own cake to tear apart.) I can't believe that he is getting so big! He is such a sweet little boy, and overall is pretty happy all of the time! He loves playing with his big sisters, and his trucks...he is such a boy! I can't remember what my life was like before he came along. We are so blessed to have him!! I love you buddy!

Impromptu Haircuts

I had always heard stories about little kids cutting their own hair, or their siblings hair, but I piously believed that it would never happen to me...HA HA!! Well, I had been away for the day at a Day Camp for my church calling. (I will just throw in here that they would probably have done this regardless if I was home or not...Derick is actually a very good babysitter...:)and she had cleaned up the evidence and hid it very carefully...) When I came home, Brooklyn came to greet me, and I immediately noticed that something was different with her hair. It took me a second to figure it out, and I asked her about it. Her face immediately dropped, and she was instantly regretting her decision. She told me that she had cut it. Well, then Ashlyn walked into the room. Not wanting to keep her new hair styling skills all to herself, she decided to cut Ashlyn's as well. I'd like to think that I kept an equal balance in my funny vs. angry emotions...but I think anger probably won out. Luckily she had only taken two snips of each of their hair, so it could have been much worse!! We immediately called Grandma Turner, and she very kindly opened up her schedule to fix it for us! Thanks Grandma! I actually love the girls hair short, and we got an extra reason to go see grandma and grandpa! Never again will I say never!!



Hiding the evidence in her "special drawer"...



Brooklyn looking very remorseful....



Ashlyn just going with the flow...



The new look...

Memorial Day Weekend

Every Memorial Day weekend for as long as I can remember, me and all of my immediate Hofheins family get together. This year we decided to have everyone up at our house in Morgan for a camp out! We had such a good time (despite the one bathroom for 24 people)! We played games, roasted marshmallows, had an olympics day, did movies on the projector every night, read a lot, and the kids topped it off with a skit that they made up!! I feel so blessed to belong to the family that I do. They are my best friends, and my biggest supporters. Love you guys!! Can't wait for next year!

Pop's Party!!

Every year at Morgan Elementary School the Kindergarten puts on a Pop's Party. There is a special musical program, a dinner, and games and crafts. All kindergarten students and their dad's are able to participate. Brooklyn was so excited for her big date with dad! They got to wear their best dress, get their pictures taken, and they had a fun night just the two of them!

Dance Review!!!

Brooklyn had her year end Dance Review this last week!! We all had taken turns with a stomach flu, but luckily we got better just in time. We were there for a little over 3 hours, and I think she was on stage for maybe 10 minutes total, but it was worth it! She is in her element when she is performing. I am very proud of her!




Ashlyn was pretty much passed out on Grandma Turner's lap the whole time!



Dyson loved dancing and clapping to the music!!

Clogging Competition!!!

Brooklyn has been taking a clogging class this year, and this last Saturday she got to perform in her first clogging competition at Lagoon!! It was rainy, and we were all soaking wet, but it was a lot of fun to be able to see her perform! She loves it, and her big smile lights up the stage!! Her team, The Cajun Gals, ended up taking 2nd place in their group!! Great job Brookie!!!


(Dyson was having so much fun in his car seat listening to all the loud music. He couldn't move very much, but it was fun to watch him having fun!)

You delicately take the glove out of the worn, wooden box underneath your bed, the one that holds all of your most cherished treasures. You slowly raise it to your face, inhaling deeply, slowly. You slip your fingers delicately into the leather, savoring the way your fingers fit perfectly into their slots. Warm. Safe. A smile creeps across your face as you flex your hand and hear the gentle squeak of time passed. You reach back into your box and find your small vile of precious oil. You unscrew the lid and gently squeeze. Just three drops, right in the center. I stand in the doorway unnoticed, watching your ritual. Your arm flexes as you purposefully rub the oil into the glove. Back and forth. Back and forth. Pressing. Shaping. Back and forth until drops of sweat have beaded across your forehead. You flex your hand again. Again the smile. Silence. Satisfied you bring the glove back to your face. I inhale slowly, deeply. Tears form in the corners of my tired eyes and I let them drop to the floor. Just three. You reluctantly place the glove back into the box and quietly slide it back under the bed. Your eyes move anxiously to the doorway, but it is empty. Just like the glove.

Easter 2009!!

I had a LOT of pictures!! Forgive me for having so many, but I really couldn't choose which ones to post!!

Zoo!!

On Saturday after the MS Walk we got to go to the zoo with all of the Turner's. We all had a lot of fun, and the cousins had a great time spending the day together! This was Dyson's first zoo trip, and he loved watching all of the animals, but he fell asleep halfway through!! Oh well!! We had a great time anyway!!

MS Walk 2009!!!

For those of you who don't know, my sister-in-law, Megan, who is just 23, was diagnosed with MS this January. So Saturday we all had the opportunity to go support her and MS research, participating in the MS walk at the Gateway in Salt Lake. It was a great day, and was really neat to be there with all of the family and thousands of others to support a great cause. I love you Megan!!

Dyson and me all ready to start the walk!!



Derick feeling the inspiration of the moment...


Everyone crowding in at the Gateway


The walk...

Our family with our medals!!!