One last camping trip

Lori and Gideon- he was so happy the entire trip I don't think I heard him cry hardly at all.

Reid showing the kids his catch

He got a 19 inch fish, he was pretty excited.

Carolina was really interested

My sweet girl that wanted to be in on everything!

The kids playing in the mud, oh boy did they get muddy!

Me and the babies sitting by the campfire.

Reid took them on a little ride, Carolina couldn't get enough.

watching Grandpa fish

Savanna

Mitch

Grandma and Grandpa

Treyton

We decided to go camping one last time for the year this last weekend. We went up to Driggs by the Teton River, we usually go there at least once every year. It is a fun place to go with the kids, they are able to ride around on their 4-wheeler and motorbike. We went with Reid's parents and sister and brother-in-law Lori and Aaron and their kids. We had a great time, the kids had fun playing together and getting muddy and the boys even caught some fish. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life and just slow down a bit.

Look Ma, no training wheels!

Treyton learned to ride his bike with no training wheels. He did this pretty much by himself without a whole lot of help. This is a pretty big accomplishment for the kid that wouldn't even peddle his bike at the beginning of the summer.

This one is for Mitch

Warning: Bragging Alert!



Today was Mitchel's 2nd football game. This is the first year he has played football. I was shocked at how much fun it is to watch, I don't know why but I wasn't very excited about going to his football games (probably because I don't really know the game very well). But so far they have been so fun to go and watch and I am amazed at how into the game I get. Last week their team didn't score at all and they kind of got stomped. (It didn't help that the other team was a lot older than theirs. But today they tied, Mitch's team scored 2 touch downs, and Mitch was the one that scored both of them! We were so excited. He is a fast little runner so both times that they got the ball to him he was able to run the ball across the field and score touch downs.



That is Mitch running about to score the 1st touch down.

This was Mitch and Hayden Jackson. I missed it but after the touch down Hayden went up to Mitch and did a chest bump, Mitch wasn't really sure what he was trying to do-- it was funny.

Mitch running- Stevan is the coach along with my cousin Heath Jackson

the cute boy!

Update of sorts

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog, partially because there hasn't been much going on, and partially because I just haven't been in the mood to do it. We have been really busy at our house. Reid has been working a lot of extra shifts at work, the extra money is helpful, but I get really tired of being home alone with the kids. He has also taken on several extra projects that has kept him really busy. He helped paint his parents kitchen, he has taken a few other painting jobs, and he is currently trying to finish Savanna's room in the basement. Sometimes I wonder how he does it all with such little sleep. I appreciate his hard work ethic and feel lucky he is my husband.

I have been keeping busy being a Mom, wife, and trying to take care of myself. After struggling to lose all the weight that I gained when I was pregnant with Carolina I finally gave in and joined weight watchers again. It is such a great program, and I know that it works for me. Going to the weekly meetings and the weigh in's are really motivating to me. It has been 1 month and I have lost 14 lbs so far and 2 inches around my waiste and 2 inches around my hips. I still have a ways to go, but I feel so much better and feel like I am doing something positive for myself. Things are going good for me at my job at Koala Kids and I still am glad to be working there.

These are pictures from Treyton's first day of his new preschool class at Koala Kids. He was a little sad to not be in Aunt Leah's class anymore. But he really likes his new teachers Ms. Heidi and Ms. Sam. He comes home from school very happy and singing all kinds of new songs. Heidi tells me he is a very good boy at school. I am happy that he loves it, it makes going to work so much easier.

This is what I found Carolina doing this afternoon. They learn very quickly! She is a big handful and into everything---but so cute!

Here is Savanna's new room in the basement, the sheet rock is almost done. Reid has done most of the work by himself. My Dad helped him do some of the framing and Reid's Dad came over and helped do some of the electrical work. We are so grateful for the help. Reid has just been trying to do a little bit of work on it each day when he can. Last night we got home from the Koala Kids Back to School BBQ kind of late and he told me he would go down and work on the room for a little while. I was exhausted so I told him I was going to bed. I laid down and just had the thought to go and tell him good night. I walked down there to find him struggling to put a piece of sheet rock on the ceiling by himself. He was glad to see me come and help him hold it up while he put in some screws. I couldn't believe he was trying to do that by himself, I was about dying trying to hold that thing up over my head. I don't know how he was holding it and screwing it in both by himself. (this was the 3rd sheet he had done.) I am very impressed!

closet

We are so excited to see this project happening!

Pocatello marathon

Today was the Pocatello Marathon, yes the one that I said I was going to run (at least the half). Well I was there today, but not to run. I chickened out :). I didn't do it for various reasons including, my asthma and allergies were really bad this year and everytime I ran I struggled to breath, our summer very busy and it was hard for me to fit in the time for the training, Reid was working a lot of extra shifts so he wasn't around as much so I could got and do the long runs, and I simply didn't feel as motivated as I should have. I felt bad today when wasn't running, but I knew that I wasn't prepared so it would have been ugly if I had tried. My brother Steve ran his first marathon today and we wanted to go and support and cheer him on. It was really cool, I actually got a little chocked up at the finish line seeing all the runners come across looking like they wanted to die, but it is such an amazing accomplishment.

There were lots of people from our ward that ran the full and 1/2 marathon today and that was really cool to see.

The kids waiting to see Steve come

Carolina

Steve, and Steve Pettingill

Almost to the finish line, he was struggling because his calves were cramping up really bad at the end.

Trying to recover

here comes my friend Sarah who I was initially training with, she did it--good job!

Sarah and her husband Jeremy! Good job guys!!

I love these guys!

Our latest project

Before shot

Before, different angle

Mitch and Reid putting up the wall

Savanna and Mitch

Almost there.

We have been wanting to finish our basement ever since we moved into this house 4 1/2 years ago, but there never seems to be enough extra money to get it going. We decided that if we did one room at a time it might be more reasonable, and not so overwhelming. So for now we are going to finish Savanna's room. The goal is to have it done by Christmas, and then hopefully this Spring when we get our tax return we can start on Mitchel's room and the bathroom. (that is the goal, we will keep our fingers crossed that no other things happen like they do when you have a family!)

I'm sure there will be many more pictures with each stage of completion of the room! Hey, I am so excited to get this going.

We have a wall!!!

While the cats are away

Carolina now just wants to climb up onto the table, I am constantly getting her down.

Here she goes

Treyton working on his letters.

This was the first week of school for Savanna and Mitch, and they are loving it so far. I'm Keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to say that in a few months. But, I have to say that having them both gone for a large portion of the day has been kind of nice for Treyton and Carolina. I have been able to give them a lot more attention. Treyton and I have started working on his alphabet book, he is really enjoying it and has been really engaged in it so far and so hopefully since he has two years until kindergarten he will be really ready by then. Carolina has turned into a real handful lately, she wants to climb on everything. I feel like my full time job is keeping her alive, which now that I think of it is the life of a mother, and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else right now.