Chad's Baptism Day

Chad was so eager to get baptized.  I think he has been thinking about his special day since Kylie got baptized a couple of years ago.  We had set up his baptism interview with the bishop for a Sunday after church a few weeks before his baptism was scheduled.  That day the bishop said that he would have to reschedule because he was overbooked with appointments.  We let Chad know that he would have to do his interview on a different day and he was SO disappointed.  It was actually really cute.  I think the bishop noticed the disappoinment and told us to bring him in anyway and that he would work it out.  Chad was prepared and ready and was looking forward to it.  He did a great job.

To prepare for his baptism he was given his own set of scriptures, a baptism preparation notebook with games and activities and family night lessons, and we bought his very first suit and shirt and tie.  By the time the day came, he could hardly stand it.  He was so ready.  I could tell that he was a little bit nervous, but it helped when he and Dad practiced together. :) 

All of our family and friends were there.  Chad even invited some friends from school and they came too.  Kylie and Cameron sang"When I am Baptized" and Sister Flores from primary gave a talk as well as our Primary President Sister Guy.  Bishop Jergensen spoke to Chad too and I think Chad felt very special.  He had a big smile on his face the entire time.  We all headed back to our house for dinner and fun afterwards and it definitely was a special day he will always remember.  Thank you to our friends and family for supporting Chad that day.

Chad has always had a special testimony.  He enjoys learning about the gospel, and loves to answer questions when they are asked.  He is always the one to remind us to say family prayer, and I don't ever need to remind him to say his own prayers each night before he goes to bed.  He is a great example and I look forward to watching his learn and grow more and some day serve a mission.  (Uugh!  Scary thought!)

Chad turns Eight!

This year Chad had an extra special birthday (turning eight), so along with it came an extra special birthday party.  He woke up on the morning of his birthday to a brand new bike and was very surprised.  We had our traditional birthday breakfast of donuts and milk and then we were off to SkyZone Trampoline Park with lots of friends and family to celebrate.  It was so nice having his birthday on a Saturday so we could celebrate on the actual day.  Chad loves to jump on our trampoline at home and loves to do spins, flips, and tricks.  So we knew this would be the perfect place to hang with his friends for his special day.  They had a blast flipping into a foam pit, playing basketball trampoline style, and dodgeball games with all of his friends.  After the kids jumped, we headed upstairs for pizza and cake.  He was given many nice presents and I think he enjoyed being the center of attention for the day. 

I thought this picture was so cute.  The kids put on the tatoos from Chad's party bags.  I also love the background of the race car track they created with boxes underneath our family room rug.  They played with that for a long time that day.

At the age of 8 in our church, boys get the opportunity to begin Cub Scouts.  Chad has been waiting a long time to be able to attend and was so excited to go the week after his birthday.  His first meeting was a pack meeting pool party and he had a great time and met lots of boys from his den.  We bought him a scout shirt and hat, and now I need to figure out how to sew on all the patches that he earned the first month of scouts.  It is so fun to see all of the activities he gets to participate in and to see him in his uniform.  Some day he will be an Eagle scout!  I think this is going to be a great experience for him.

During the September awards assembly at school, Chad was awarded Student of the Month for his class.  (It also happened to be Hawaiian day).  He was so surprised and it was great to catch a picture of his expression when they called his name.  This made for a great end to a great birthday month.  Chad is an awesome student who is always respectful and consistently does his best work.  I know that he is a good example and kind to others.  Happy Birthday Chad!

Sunflowers

Thanks to the best husband ever, I was able to enjoy my favorite flowers throughout the month of August for my birthday.  Some day I want to have fresh flowers all over my house all the time.  They make me happy!  Happy Birthday to me!

First Day of School

The first day of school was in early August again this year, and we now have a FIFTH grader, a THIRD grader and a little one who is finishing up his last year of preschool!!!  Our kids our growing up way too fast and if I think about it too much I will get depressed.  Honestly.  We had to take some cute pics to remember their first day and for some reason, the first day of school pics are always the best I get of my kids together out of any other time during the year.  It's probably because they all LOVE going to school so it is easy to catch a good smile that morning.

Kylie is in 5th grade and has Mrs. McCullough this year. 

This has been her favorite teacher/year of school so far!

Chad is in 3rd grade and has Mrs. Weaver.  He is very excited to again have the same teacher that Kylie had and has been looking forward to being in her class for a long time.

Cameron is in the Busy Bee class at preschool and has Mrs. Skiver this year - a former preschool teacher of Kylie's too.  He can't wait to start school after Labor Day.

Summer Swim Lessons

Every summer since they were born, our kids take swimming lessons.  It is a fun thing to do and gives me peace of mind that they are comfortable and safe in the water.  Kylie has finished the highest level available, and I am too cheap to pay to put her in an advanced class...although she would love to continue swimming.  La Sierra University is the perfect place to take lessons, and just so happens to be five minutes from our house.

Chad worked on level four this year and completed it by the end of the summer.  He is now with Kylie and will no longer be taking lessons anymore either.  He was so proud of himself when he realized that he can tread water for five minutes!!  I was extremely impressed and realized that this would be very hard for me to do and I have been a swimmer for a long time now. :)  He learned how to dive and got really good at it.  It was really fun to watch.   I think the most challenging thing for Chad was being able to swim in a straight line.  Just like Kylie, he always swims crooked and almost runs into other kids along the way.  I was very happy with all that he learned this year.

This summer was the first year that Cameron was not in a "parent and me" type of class and he was all on his own and loved it.  I wasn't sure how he would do being told to hold on to the wall and wait his turn to swim.  He is a very busy boy and so I was a little worried.  But he did a great job and loved to bob up and under the water with the other kids.  He really started to grasp the concept of "swimming" on his own.  By the end of the summer, he was able to swim to me from the wall and then swim back.  He is still not 100% safe and swimming on his own, but I am confident that this will happen next year.  We may even do two sessions since Kylie and Chad are done.  :)

Decided to jump off of the diving board like his big brother.  I love this face..."I got this!"  :)