first day of KINDERGARTEN!

abby started kindergarten today...i say it all the time, but how on earth did she get so big so fast?! she's my little tender-heart, so i kept the tears to a minimum BEFORE i started walking away from her classroom. she has the best teacher, and she is so thrilled, so all-in-all it's a good thing. here's the little beauty in her 1st day of school garb (props to sherst for the stinkin' cute outfit!):

my dear little shorty abs, someday you will be taller than the bottom windows on the classroom :oD

she wanted to ride the bus home with caitlin...(which was nerve-racking for me!)

looks like day #1 was a success!

2nd grade: here she comes...

first day of school pics
(round one...round two will be in a week when abby starts....)
here's our sweet little 2nd grader. all ready for the big first day at a new school in a new state. new rules, new everything. hard for mom, seems to be easy for her...so far. and yet i still got a little teary-eyed when she got on the bus for the 1st day. will i still be doing that in high school? really.
i was SO ready for us to be back on a routine. but not quite ready for her to be gone all day again.

and this picture has absolutely nothing to do with 2nd grade. meet micah. my chubbiest cutest almost 5-month-old baby nephew. who weighs 20 lbs. for real. i just L.O.V.E. this picture! it is sooo him. he could care less what you think of him, and he'll cry when you hold him just to prove it. and he's got one hand on his mom making sure she's the one holding him. cuz if she ain't...you'll hear about it! but his kissin'-cushion cheeks are just about to die for. oh micah...we love you. and you WILL love me someday too. it will happen. :o)

the latest

i can't believe school starts tomorrow for Caitlin! and next week for my little Abs. how does time fly by so fast? we've been enjoying the *warm* summer days, and the cool summer nights in Utah. we've been busy with visitors, Nate's retreat, swimming, sleepovers, cousins, etc... once again it's been so fun to see our friends from all over now that we live in Utah, and everyone comes to Utah to visit! :o)

our awesome (highly missed) friends the stansfields stopped by on their way to a family reunion. it was a breath of fresh air....and it was so wonderful to hang out again. finally. we LOVE you guys. for real.

one of the sweetest reunions, ever.

bff. forever.

the other sweetest reunion. this was highly anticipated, and we counted down days since the day we moved. THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY GUYS!!

and of course, the sweetest introduction ever! this is sweet little dylan. we love you, even though we only saw you for a few hours.

didn't take long to get back into the old groove

complete. :o)

our awesome friends (or are you family? we were together enough to be family...) from kirksville were in Utah too...so we met up at Liberty Park to let the kiddos play. i love reunions...seriously. thanks jenny, brade, and ash for hangin out for a while! good luck on the new munchkin soon!

last (but not least!!!) we met up with the Perry's a few times when they were out here as well. they were friends from Kirksville, and they followed us to AZ ;o). and now i am jealous that they are there, and we are not. but it was fun to hang out like good ole' times. thanks guys for taking time with us!!

emma the helper. that IS what wheelbarrow's are for, right?

nate's residency has a family retreat every fall, and a resident reatreat every spring. this fall it was at Bryce Canyon, and it was AMAZING. we were fed wonderfully, had so many fun activities, stayed in a sweet hotel...and got to know the other resident families better. we are so happy with this program, everyone is amazing! and HOW ON EARTH have i lived in utah half my life and never been to this BEAUTIFUL place? it was so breathtaking, i love it.

the cute western couple

that lady has fingers growing out of her neck. wierd.

awwww...so adorable.

jailbirds. right where they belong.

pictures just don't do it justice. it is so amazing, i can't even explain it in words.

worn out hikers. ya like caitlin's choice of pillow?

the men packin' around the kids.

caitlin and cute megan. they became bff's on the retreat. such sweet girls.

i am so terrified of heights...even being that close to the edge was too close for me.

yeah bebe. they get those guns from their mom.

see? AMAZING!

caitlin and abby. or anna. they look so similar!

the 3rd day we hauled the kids on a 3 mile steep hike down, then back up. i think we left a little too late, and it was a little too hot for them. but they were such good troopers!

almost to the top...

champions! we all made it. and yes steve was carrying a sleeping baby with megan on his back. you men are troopers!

tuacahn + felines

my most amazing talented best friend is in Cats and Tarzan at Tuacahn. now that we FINALLY live in the same state (for once in a loooong time) we had to go see her perform. she's the white cat (Victoria) in Cats...she is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! her boyfriend troy is Macavity (and Quaxo), so it was fun to see him perform as well. the girls were a little confused why after the show we wanted them to socialize with the 'bad guy'. it took a lot of explaining to convince them (especially emma) that the bad cat is actually erica's boyfriend.

thanks mom for enduring 7 hours in the van in one day to see the show! thank you erica for the tickets and the amazing entertainment. you are talented beyond words! can't wait to see thriller....

oh yeah, and if you haven't ever been to tuacahn, i strongly suggest you make the trip! it is the most beautiful place to see any show. the natural backdrop is astounding....we love it there!

if that isn't the most darling tarzan ever...

the white cat pre-show. (and when emma still liked her)

now emma's not so sure...

erica, troy and the girls