End of an Era

well...i knew today was coming...but i wasn't any more ready for it than i thought i would be.

katie is starting kindergarten next week.

i can hardly believe it.

and in preparation for kindergarten we decided to cut her hair -- for the first time EVER!

Her hair was so long and as much as i love it, i could not see sending her to school with all that hair.

plus it was an opportunity to do an act of service since her hair was long enough to donate to locks of love.

i thought i might cry, but i managed to hold it together -- i think the fact that i was intent on documenting the whole thing was probably a good thing.

And now...she looks so darn grown up!

oh...my heart be still.

here's the side by side comparison:

she looks  totally ready to face the world.

wish i were as ready to send her out into it!!

Hop, Skip, Jump

Love the parks in California. This one is a favorite for the kids...because it's so different.

Choo Choo

We had a chance to visit a train park -- these amazing little trains take people for rides around this large park that these dedicated train buffs have built. There were several kinds of trains...even working steam engines. It was very cool.

We met up with our friends the Thomas' and had a great day!

My Fair Lady

The Orange County Fair is going on right now and I was excited to be able to go a couple of times. There are few better places to take photos than at a fair!

My friend Amy goes to fair every year and posts these amazing photos of all the yummy food she samples -- and I was beyond excited to try it out with her.

It did not disappoint.

We tried: Deep Friend Chocolate Covered Bacon. Yum.

It also happened to be food truck night and we sampled from Chunk-n-Chip. This little slice of heaven is a german chocolate ice cream and peanut butter cup ice cream squished between a brownie cookie and a snickerdoodle. YUM.

And a deep friend Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. YUM. YUM.

And best of all...I got a chance to practice my night photography.

I love California!

Hands On

I can't believe how quickly our time in California is passing.

We are mostly hanging out, but we have managed a few day trips as well, including the beach.

We also went to the California Science Center - which is awesome! The museum is highly interactive and hands on, and the kids had a really good time.

We were able to pick up a 6,000 pound truck -- all by ourselves.

Ride in a flight simulator.

Stand in a wind tunnel and experience 80 mph winds.

Make goo.

And build towers.

Excellent day.

The science center is really cool looking too.

And seriously...love these shoes.

i do.

our main purpose in coming out to california so early in the summer was so we could attend my cousin kim's wedding. three of the girls really needed haircuts...and they really turned out so cute!

i know i say it every time, but i just cannot believe how grown up my girls are getting!

and the other kids really turned out quite well too!

katie and becky were flower girls in the wedding...and oh gosh, was it sweet. they were so cute and did such a good job!

how cute was everyone blowing bubbles after the wedding?

and my cousin, Kim, was breathtaking!!!

 

and seriously...here cake topper? painted just like her and her husband, Ian.

I am so glad we could be here for their special day...and wish them so much happiness!!

footloose and fancy free

well...we did it.

we drove for 39 hours...stopping only for gas, food and potty breaks...and we made it safely to utah.

we were able to spend the 4th of july up on kolob mountain...it was lovely and cool and a super great way to spend the day.

look at the size of these dandelions! they were almost as big as Katie's head!

and of course, I had to get a photo of our tree.

then...as if that were not enough...we got in the car and drove 6 more hours to Cali...to spend my birthday with my family.

I don't know why...but 41 seemed so much more difficult than 40...but it's been a great 41st year so far!

Summer - At Last!!

The kids finished school today and they are so excited for summer.

So am I!

The kids have had a great year and I love seeing how much they change in just nine short months!

Mikayla

Emma

Joe

Josh

Becky

The kids all changed so much this year...but look at my sweet Becky. She started out so little and has grown up so much! She's such a little lady.

One more remembrance for the year?

Josh's stinkin' shoes.

He went through five pairs of shoes this year...and these ones barely made it!

The Last Day

Katie had her last day of preschool. Ever.

She's changed so much over this last year. She's still tiny, but she has grown a little taller and she's a little more mature. You don't realize how much can change in a year.

She has learned so much and I know she's ready for kindergarten.

In fact, she's already started asking me when kindergarten is going to start.

#it'sgoingtobealongsummer

End of an Era

Sweet Katie graduated from preschool today.

It was a happy occasion...and only slightly bittersweet. 

Josh, Becky and Katie have all attended this preschool -- and Katie will be our last to ever go.

I am so glad she had such a good experience, and I know that she is going to be so excited to go to kindergarten in the fall.

It's hard to believe that we are entering this next stage of life -- it came so quickly and I know that the coming years will pass even more quickly. 

Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.

Help me remember to enjoy!

sugar sweet

Katie was sooooo excited to celebrate her "pretend" birthday today at school. Since preschool is out next week, she was able to take cupcakes to school today and have a little party.

She was hilarious today. She got a special reward for being so good at the dentist...the first time was a lala loopsy doll. And this time she wanted lala loopsy socks.

She really wanted to wear them today...and dang if she isn't so gosh darn cute!! (I know..i'm not totally biased. lol.)

Not So Tough

Katie is the cavity queen.

Long live the queen.

She had her 2nd appointment to finish with her new filings and it was awful.

As she lay on the chair, feeling the hurt and pleading with me with her big, blue eyes, I just wanted to cry.

This is the same thing that happened when she went in for her tubes.

Why is it that I can never remember that I am just not this tough?

But it got me to thinking about sacrifice and kids and love.

I felt so helpless as all I could do was watch her suffer. I held her hand. I tried to reassure her, but I had to let her have this experience, because in the end, it would be for her own good.

And isn't that so like life?

We go though trials. And sometimes they are really difficult experiences. But we are never alone. And most likely, these experiences will be for our own good.

And sitting with Katie today, I had a tiny glimpse of what our Heavenly Father must feel for us...as we suffer.

I would have gladly traded places with Katie today. I would have taken her pain and felt her suffering if it meant that she didn't have to. Because, surely it is a lot easier to do the suffering ourselves than it is to watch someone we love suffer -- especially our own child. But...I have to let her experience life, just like I am experiencing it. And hopefully, I (and Katie) will know the good and appreciate it more because we have had to have the bad.

I know what we experienced today is just such a small fraction of what others we know are going through, but I grateful for still for the remind that my Heavenly Father loves me.

Weigh Down

Well. It's not going well. Not well at all.

The diet I mean.

I have gained and lost the same two pounds several times over the last few weeks.

And I wonder if I'm ready for this.

I see other people doing it, and having great success, and I think...hey! I can do this.

Then I go back to my regularly scheduled life.

Things are good, but it's a really busy time of year and I'm a stress eater. This combination is surely the quickest way to diet failure I can think of.

But...I gave myself a gift.

I gave myself a year. Resolving that gain or lose or even just staying the same...I will make changes in my life that I believe in the long term will be of great benefit...and continue to try to work my diet program.

I'm making better food choices.

I'm moving a little more.

I'm trying to make changes that I think will be healthy and enhance my life.

So...even though I'm nearly back where I started at my first weigh in (which, BTW, starting a diet right before spring break is just silly)...I'm committed.

And...that my friends...is a victory in and of itself.

Weigh In

I'm down 1.8 pounds.

And I have to say, some small part of me was disappointed. 

I kind of expected a bigger loss and I realized that this is one reason that I continue to be heavier than I like -- I'm an instant gratification kind of gal.

I want what I want, when I want it.

Sigh.

Life doesn't always make this possible, and I realize that many things worth having aren't going to come easy. I need to have patience. With the process. With myself.

I need to reframe the loss into more of a positive. The scale moved down. I am continuing on the journey. It was a good week. I wasn't hungry and I really like the new Weight Watches Points system.

That isn't to say that I didn't have cravings -- because I did. And I was able to indulge -- I had a piece of cake, ate out twice and even had a little candy. And I still lost.

And I think that's how I need to think about this -- that it will take however long it takes -- and that it may take a long time, but it's going to be worth it.