School Days

A few days after getting back from Utah and recovering from jet lag (which brought a few late night tears) the girls were ready for their first day of school.  Kaitlan is beginning Kindergarten and Aubrie will be going into the second grade.  I decided to carry on the German tradition of the kids recieving a school "tute" filled with treats, school supplies, and other things they might need for the upcoming year.  Aubrie got a watch and new reading books and Kaitlan got a Leap Tag with a few books.  The day before they had lots of tons decorating their "tute's" and both had a great first day of school.

We are trying out a few new routines to make life easier.

When walking in the door from school remember 3 things:
1. Place back packs, shoes, and jackets in the closet.
2. Take brot-doses (lunch boxes) out of bags on put on kitchen counter.
3. Wash hands!

At night we are adding to our all ready long routine:

1. Clean up toys.

2. Do homework while Mom is fixing dinner.
3. Help set table and wash hands.
4. Eat everything you take.
5. Help clear table
6. If dinner was eaten, and toys picked up then you earn desert (1-2 pieces of candy).
7. Jammies and brush teeth.  Hopefully floss.
8. Pick out next days clothes.
9. Story time (in German more than half the time)
10. Tickle faces and give encouraging praise.
11. Shut the door, now it's grown up time! (All this by 9pm, preferably by 8 but that's a lot to ask)

Utah- wrap up

 Like usual we stayed at Bruce and Sharral's (Ted's parents) while in Salt Lake.  They are incredibly kind to let us stay there, eat their food, and lend us their car.  The girls also have a very close relationship with their aunt Cindy who lives there to.  One day we went to the aquarium with Cindy and the girls got to feed the sting rays. We didn't get so many pictures but I wanted to include the few that we had.  We love and miss you guys!

Bruce and Sharral visiting their son Reed at his new job as judge for Orem city.

 

Kaitlan and Aubrie had tons of fun playing with their cousin's Jessica and Kadie. 

Kaitlan has pretty short hair but Jessica managed a fabulous hair-do anyways.  Earlier, Kadie had painted their nails with little daisies.  Great girlie times!

I spent a weekend up in Logan with Jill.  We are both pregnant and only 8 weeks apart!  Here Jill is 26 weeks and I'm 18 but I think my "bump" is twice as big!

 We visited with my Mom and Gill, brother Shaun and new family, Grandma and Grandpa Condie, and Brenda and Nick one evening at a park in Kaysville.  Unfortunatley, we only got this one picture.

Here's us with the girl's Great-Grandparents.

One evening we also went to a Real Soccer game.
On our last day we had an open house at Ted's Mom's and visited with John and Mary Johnson and girls, Jean and Allan Rees, Lynda Olsen, Jamie and Josh Varley, and  Jenny and Paul Richardson and kids.


 All that plus a lot of shopping is how we spent our 3 weeks in Utah!

Utah- Fish Lake

For my Dad's 50th birthday we headed to Fish Lake for a weekend get away as a family (minus the brothers who couldn't come).  We enjoyed our first family outing in cabins instead of tents or trailers. My siblings and I wanted to surprise Dad with a new (used) fishing boat for his birthday and were taking bets on his reaction.  We pulled the boat up to our cabin parking lot and led him out their blind folded and put his hand on the boat.  He isn't the  type to scream with excitment but did have a huge grin on his face and let out a good "ooohhhh!".We spent the next 2 days fishing or four-wheeling. One evening we watched the church movie "Return to Zarahemla" which was filmed in Leeds and even had a short seen with Dad and Janice's house in it.  Here's some more fishing pictures!

My Dad and his new boat.

   My sister Brenda.

Yes this is now her second yellow perch.

None for me :(

One of the fish Brenda caught jumped into the engine and she had to "fish" it out.

Touching the fish gave her the heebie-jeebies, she's really not as tough as she lets on!

Me and my bump.  I am 18 weeks here (4.5 months).  We had huge, delicious breakfasts at the cabin.  Crepes one day and hash-browns with eggs and breakfast sausage the next. MMMMmmmmmMMMmm!

Sisters and kids.  Check out that huge American truck!  We were definitely back in the land of super sized vehicles.

Utah

July 22-Aug 16th we headed to Utah to enjoy spending some time with our family and friends from back home.  We didn't have a camera so we don't have so many pictures to show.  The girls and I flew in without Dad and had to spend a night in New York since we had missed our connecting flight.  We got to Utah just in time for Pioneer Day.  The girls enjoyed seeing the Bountiful parade with cousins while I spent some well needed time away from them and with my brother and sister.  A few days later I picked up Ted at the airport, we hadn't told his family that he was coming and his mom and sister were so surprised they were jumping up and down.  The surprise to my family that I was pregnant did not have the same affect.  They just wondered if I ate too much Swiss fondue untill I made the announcement, like an elephant in the room.  Funny really.  We filled up every day of our vacation spending time with our family and friends including: Amber and Curtis Edelman, Brad Johnson, John and Rieneke Holman, Greg and Lee Garff, Connie Olsen and her 2 boys, Susanne, Ben and Lisa, Lynda and Andy Olsen (fun game night), Reed and Tina Parkin and boys, Jill and Steve Burton, Mary and John Johnson and girls, Jackie and Jodi Rees, Johnna Grygla, Tarah Hargis, Cindy, Sammi and Adam Sarraj, Grandma and Grandpa Condie, Mom and Gill...

It was great to catch up with everyone and we were able to enjoy some great Utah/American food along the way.

For one week we headed down to Leeds to see Dad, Janice and Angie.  We had so much fun fishing at our favorite fishing hole!  We also saw a play (Cats) at the Tuacan Theater (incredible), enjoyed a midmorning hike in the desert (middle of the day temperatures were well over 100), ate at a steak house and saw Toy Story 3 afterwords, and the girls had a blast at Pirate Pizza while Ted and I enjoyed our anniversary at Eden's Keep (made to look like a red rock grotto).  Here's some great fishing pics:

Aubrie was so excited that she caught this fish, as soon as she reeled it in she came running full speed for me to see it!

Kaitlan reeled this small one in and we managed a fast pic before letting it go.

Kaitlan helped her Grandpa reel this one in.

Even Angie had a great time.

The girls love to fish with their Grandpa!