Where Did September Go?

So, I've been a little slow this month! Sorry, for those of whom are loyal bloggers :( I'll try to be better this next month; October that is. September started with a trip to Indiana to visit my little brother and his family. The Midwest is gorgeous! My adorable niece and nephew are absolutely scrumptious and Chad and Annette's home is beautiful. I loved the old farm houses and downtown Indianapolis was a blast! Of course, we had to visit the famous Indy 500 track. We took a tour bus around the track and the driver asked where I was from and the conversation went from racing to, "Ya gotta love Vegas." It actually made me homesick. Who knew that the Mojave Desert could actually grow on a person :)

School started, and Reagan is just loving the lone-time; as noted in her "first day of school" photo. The kids are getting so big. Abbey rides in a carpool with two of her best friends, Emma and Mallory. She is just eatting Kindergarten right up! She loves to read and write and just waits for a challenge. We are pretty darn proud of that girl! Chase is absolutely booming this year! About a month before the new school year begins I go into over-drive to make sure that every "t" is crossed. It doesn't necessarily do anything for the stress lines developing across my forehead, but it pays off in the long-run :) Chase has a brilliant team this year that is enthustiastic and open-minded! We are seeing huge progress in our little man! We are really enjoying being able to watch his confidence just explode. Way to go Chaser Man!

Of course, the annual Pinewood Derby. Chase did an awsome job, and so did his Dad! Scott serves as our Cub Master and he would be busy greasing down wheels, until he heard Chase's name, he would run over to the track; black hands in all. When Chase would win, Scott would literally jump up and down and just shake Chase with excitement. It was wonderful! We really enjoyed laughing and cheering as a family. Scouts Rock!

OK, I think that just about covers everything! Chase also started soccer this month and Abbey began tumbling classes. So, I'll be sure to post some pictures real soon. Next month, we are jammed packed with activities! We can't wait! So, look for our updates, there will be a lot to share :)

Cub Scout Camp

Oh Yeah! Cub Scout Camp came and went this last week along with it being the last week of school (Aug. 7 - 11.) Actually, it was lots of fun playing with sixteen little boys for five days. The theme was Cub Island Adventures! They really were a great group of boys and I learned to love them all, even the stinky ones! Chase did great on the rifle and archery range and he loved it when the Henderson Fire Dept. came and sprayed all 400 boys down with their big water hose.

Chase also graduated from the second grade! He earned two medallions in Reading and Writing! Way to go Chaser! We are very proud of him.

Summer Gardening

The flowers in our backyard have just been blooming like crazy! I've been going outside in morning, while our yard is still shaded, to trim the flowers and hang the honeysuckle. The girls have been great in assisting me with my chores by spraying the flowers with their water bottles. Don't you just love summer time?!!

Summer Vacation at Disneyland

On July 19th we headed out for California to enjoy some fun in the sun! My parents were able to join us on our short little get away. Grandparents ROCK! We met my older brother and his family at the park. The new Pirates of the Carribean ride is awesome! We spent a day at the beach and on the last day of our trip, we headed into L.A. to attend the baby blessing of our new nephew, Chason Kent Hall.

The beach was wonderful! We headed down to Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon. The weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed the ocean. I accidently forgot the camera when we went to the beach, so I apologize for not having any adorable beach photos. I was very upset! The girls looked very stylish in their hats and Chase was in heaven while catching a few waves. I promise to be better in October when we head back to California with Scott's firm.

It was short, but wonderful. It is always good to be able to make such precious memories with family. We are very blessed!

Proud to Be American

Each year, our 4th of July tradition is to meet up with about 3-5 of our friends and drive to Boulder City (15 min. from home; Home of Hoover Dam) and watch the Boulder Parade, drive back to our place and swim, eat a huge amount of food, take naps, and then go back to Boulder for fireworks! It is an incredibly long day, but ohhhhhh sooooo much fun!

This year we celebrated the holiday with 5 our friends and Grandma and Grandpa. At the parade it was fun to be able to see some old friends and even the Torgesons (a dear family of 10 kids that Jen grew up with in Houston!) At the pool, Scott got all of the Dads involved in several water competitions. They raced over anything, from holding their breath to chicken fights with their kids on the shoulders! They had a BLAST! We had over 15 kids in our backyard for lunch! There was tons of laughter and lots of great food! It was terrific!

I will forever enjoy fireworks. Boulder City does an amazing firework show and this year was no different. I absolutely love watching the kids curl up with their grandparents. Mom and I inevitably Uhhh and Ahhh at the exact same time. It was another fabulous 4th!

Summer Swim'n

Don't ya just love Summertime?! We just finished another year of 2 week swim classes with our favorite swim teacher, Ms. Rosie! We met Ms. Rosie through school. She was actually Chase's first Early Childhood teacher and we love her tons and tons and tons!

Both kids are now able to dive off the diving board in the deep end while wearing clothes! WOW! Ms. Rosie truly is amazing. Way to go Chase and Abbey!

In addition, our Reagan has figured out how to swim with just her wings on. She kicks her little legs and just putt-putts around the pool. She had lots of fun playing in the sand/water table while watching her big brother and sister learn their stuff!