insta-friday

Good bye Summer, you'll be missed.

We packed a lot of fun into the last month and enjoyed every minute of it!

A new year

Just look at this girl, her smile is a direct link to her heart.

So I now have a 4th grader.

Crazy!

She is so excited to be in 4th grade.

(I loved 4th grade because it was the year I learned about Idaho history and my dad was the 'trapper' at our 4th grade rendezvous.)

This year she finally got the teacher that Cody had 

and her and her best friend, Jaclyn, are in the same class again!

(they've been in the same class every year since kindergarten)

Her teacher told them that they are now considered big kids of the school and Abigail told me she always considered herself a big kid.

It's going to be a great year! 

Look at this girl, when did she grow up on me?  Isn't she beautiful!

Ash has a new teacher to the school this year.

She recognized a few names of the kids in her class.

She has already made 2 new friends but is really missing her best friend, Dryson, from kindergarten last year.

When we went to the back to school night the teacher let them pick where they'd like sit.  The desks were moved together in groups of 5.  Ash picked the desk that hung out by itself.  I thought it was so that she wouldn't have to sit by anyone but the next day she told me she chose it because she's the leader.  That's my Ash! 

She's had a few moments where all the changes have upset her a bit but I told her it would just take some time to get use to and soon it would start to feel like normal.

It is hard to go through changes, my momma's heart is having a hard time with it all too.

I'm sure, even months from now, I'll still be tearing up every time I see them walk away from me.

But I know the Lord is always with them and that comforts me.

Psalm 46:7

The Lord Almighty is with us ...

 Hurry home girls!

Ta-da

my new smile

i'm amazed at how great it looks.  dr miler was right, with braces he could get my smile perfect.

he straightened my teeth, widened my smile, fixed my over bite and then shaped my front gums to make my teeth look bigger.  

smile. perfect.

well almost, he is still working on a little gap with my retainer. ;o)

here's what my smile looked like during my brace face stage

and here's my smile before

i wasn't self conscious of smile before, just ask anyone, i loved to snort and smile but now

 I really love to snort and smile.

i love you mom and dad, thanks for my new beautiful smile!

insta-friday

 here's what the last 2 weeks have looked like around here

 hello julep july box, it was so fun having our nails painted with america the beautiful for the 4th
 and i love the coordinating polish and lip gloss i got too

 the girls scream when this white truck comes around

we tie dyed shirts with the boys 

jason taught the kids how to play kick the can

plenty of pool time

j and i finally started watching LOST

we took a drive to the shoshone ice caves

my mom has this exact picture of me and my sister at the caves

 mom and dad invited us over for lunch on Sunday, i brought the cookie ice cream sandwiches.

baby it's been HOT outside!

 i love my evening bike ride/run with Jake, i get to see pretty sunsets like this

Celebrated!

We had another fun year celebrating the fourth with friends and family.

My sister, Mick and the kids came out to swim with us,

(i'm bummed i didn't get a family pic)

 we went to Garrett's Avengers birthday party,

and topped off the day with shooting off fireworks with the boys!