First Day of School!

Last Friday was Lauren's first day of kindergarten. I have wanted so badly to freeze time ever since she was born so I could keep her my baby forever. Sadly, I just couldn't figure out how to do that. Now she's five years old and so confident and secure she wouldn't even let me take her to school on the first day! She decided she wanted to ride the school bus with her sister and neighborhood friends and even though I asked her 50 times if she was sure, she wouldn't change her mind. So Friday morning we walked to the bus stop (I should be thankful she let me do THAT) and waited for the bus to wisk her away. Sure enough, as soon as it pulled to a stop she jumped aboard without looking back and off she went. Oh, the ache in my heart...

Visitors!

Last week Aaron's brother Leif and sister Constance came to visit us. We had so much fun hanging out with them and showing them why we love our new home in Idaho. I think we may have sent them home a bit waterlogged because we spent so much time jumping into the canal, swimming in the reservoir and floating down the river. Luckily they both love to be outdoors and especially enjoy the water. The longer they stayed the more the small town charm of Emmett seemed to grow on them. We are so glad they came to visit and hope they make it back before too long.

Yee-Haw!!!

Living in Idaho has inspired our family to try some new things we've never done before. One of the things I decided to do was take horseback riding lessons (or "horsey lessons", as my family calls them). I met the most amazing woman named Sonja, who trains horses and gives riding lessons, and spent the next three months learning basic horsemanship. I usually rode Flip (in the pic) and he was such a sweet, gentle spirit. I truly fell in love with him and each week I could hardly wait until the next lesson to see him again. Sonja and I became great friends. She and I agree that God must have brought us together because both our lives have been so enriched by knowing each other. We would go on these long rides in the hills and totally forget we were having a "lesson" because we had so much fun just yacking away. Ever heard of a "horse whisperer"? That would be Sonja. It's almost eerie how well she understands the way horses think. It's like she can get right into their heads. She has spent a lot of time studying how horses interact with each other and uses that knowledge to train them with their own "language". I am no longer officially taking lessons but Sonja and I are still friends and she has taken me along to watch her train horses. I'm so grateful I had this opportunity to learn something exciting and make a great friend in the process.

Fresh From the Font!

Last night was very exciting for Amanda and our family. Amanda was baptized! She has been excitedly waiting for this moment to arrive and she was absolutely beaming when she came out of the water. She said that it felt so good when she was getting baptized. Amanda truly has a testimony of the gospel and was so happy to take this step. I feel so blessed to have Amanda as my daughter. She has so many gifts that were given to her by her Father in Heaven. She has an enormous heart, full of love and compassion. She is very thoughtful, sweet, and full of fun. She is very outgoing and makes friends wherever she goes. One thing I admire so much about her is that she is so positive and always looks on bright side of life. I feel so honored that I was chosen to be her mother.

Getting Started...

I am really excited to join the world of blogging. With our family and friends becoming more and more spread across the country, this will be a great way to keep everyone posted on what's new in our lives.