HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARDEE PARDEE!

Yesterday Arden turned the big 41, which is much worse than the big 40. Well, I don't know if it is actually worse, but he is definitely one year older.

We spent the weekend in Salt Lake and Park City. My dear sister, Dayna, watched the kids so that we could run around and have fun.

The highlight of the weekend was stopping in the Candy Shoppe in Park City and buying caramel apples. Those apples were heaven on a stick. Nothing says fall like caramel apples.

Saturday night we went to see Ghost Town with my sister and her husband, I laughed until I cried. That show is hilarious, or maybe I was just very tired.

Near midnight we decided to pack it home, as we drove the clock turned midnight the kids and I screamed HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I don't think he was very impressed, but he loves us anyway.

Arden is such a good man, a very hard worker, and a great father and husband.

A few of my favorite memories of Arden:

Arden as a teenager wearing short levi brand cut off shorts with the pockets hanging lower than the fringe. (SUPER HOT!)???

Arden wearing his crazy hawaiian shirt (also as a teenager), riding his unicycle all over the neighborhood. Very talented.

In the summer Arden would come to our home at 6AM on Saturdays, and sit on our porch to wait for my dad. Arden worked with him on the Stake Farm cutting hay.

When I was 13, Arden helped his mom with her calling as the Y.W. basketball coach. I would always make sure I looked good at basketball practice because I had a massive crush on him(along with most every other girl on the team).

At age 14 writing Arden on his mission. I wrote him often and sent packages, I felt so grown up to be writing to a missionary. Completely innocent I assure you. When he would finally write me back I would take the letter to school and show it all the girls in gym class.

When Arden came home I was 16, he called me over to watch church videos at his brothers condo. I thought it was a date. I think he was just trying to be nice because I wrote him so often.

Our real first date July 2, 1991, one month after I graduated from high school, we went to see Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, Arden gave me a t-shirt from Sports Mall Metro where he was working. (He only asked me out because I wouldn't leave the poor guy alone).

Our first dance date at the Institute of Religion. He was mortified that I was picking him up at 8pm, he thought he would be home by that time. He was also mad that the tie I got him was wider than 4 fingers at the end (but it matched my scarey pioneer dress so well).

Watching Arden make our first kitchen table when we were engaged to be married. It was so romantic, no seriously it was.

Our wedding day, October 10, 1992. It was the most beautiful fall day I can ever remember in my life. Oh, we were so in love!

Well I could go on and on, I am truly grateful for my life with Arden. I hope he enjoyed his birthday weekend as much I did. I love you Arden!

First Day of School

Well it happened, the kids are now in school and I'm slow at posting. The kids started their first day of school August 19th. I don't know where the summer went. I don't feel like we hardly had a break. Didn't do a whole lot this summer.

Regarding the pictures, I can't take a decent photo to save my life. I will never buy a camera with a strange battery again for as long as I live. I need suggestions for a nice camera in the $200-$350 range, I am saving. I ended up borrowing Cory's camera he was given for yearbook staff, but it is not much better than my own. Anywho I will still post a few photos.

Cory is now a big High Schooler. The first day was a little rough. He came home saying that their gym teacher did nothing but swear at them the whole hour. Why the teacher is allowed to cuss when kids can be punished is strange to me. I guess if you lived in the sticks it might make a little more sense. It must be an intimidation tactic, it seems very scary, especially if you aren't a jock. I guess class has been a little better since then and he seems to really be enjoying school.

Cory is the 9th grade secretary this year. The 2nd day of school they had a big assembly and the class officers had to get on stage, sing their name and office in different styles and then do a dance move off of the stage. Okay, any of you that know Cory well might have considered this an impossibility for him. I guess quite a few of the officers wouldn't sing at all and just gave their name, but not Cory really stepped up to the plate. When he was told he had to sing in country style, he got on the stage sang in some twangy voice and then did a strange little backwards skippy dance off the stage. I was laughing my guts out when he showed me the dance. The funnest part for him I think were all the girls that said HI to him in the hall afterwards, and told him that he did a good job.

I am so proud of him. He is really fighting his shyness and trying to get involved. As I mentioned earlier he is on the yearbook staff and really loving it. They got to take a trip to St. George last week for a seminar on the software they are using for the yearbook. He had a lot of fun. He is growing up into such a fine young man. I just love him to death.

Chelsea is now a 7th grader in the middle school. It's heaven to not be the youngest grade at school this year, that's never fun. She has a lovely locker that pops open every time another person around her closes theirs, but she takes it all in stride. She is an awesome student, always very responsible, comes straight home and gets her homework done.

Chelsea is very outgoing and nice to everyone. She's had to watch how friendly she is at times. One of her girlfriends thought she was being a little to friendly with the boy she liked first. Chelsea is not a boyfriend stealer, believe me, she just gets along well with boys. Go figure.

Having new braces for school was exciting. Getting those teeth nice and straight is top priority. Braces are quite the fashion statement as well, if you weren't already aware. I guess I always wanted braces when I was young too, oh well I'm stuck with these horse teeth now. I'm not brave enough to get braces as an adult. I don't have the pain tolerance for them either.

For the first time in his life, Jackson finally got to return to the same school for another year. That's what happens when your family moves as often as we happen to. He could have attended the same school twice in North Salt Lake, but when he entered second grade I was able to get the kids into a charter school.

He really enjoys 4th grade. It was fun for him to have a few friends and kids that he recognized. I love his teacher, very organized and helpful. This is also Jackson's first male teacher. I think it is going to be a great year.

I'm very proud of all my kiddies. They are all great kids. It's different having a child in elementary, middle, and high school, that's a first as well. They are all becoming quite grown up and independant. I wanted to at least drive Jack to school, but he wanted to take the bus. He claims it was to save gas. Such a concsiencious child, well I keep telling myself that. It's impossible that his Mom might be embarrasing, right? This is the first year since Cory started Kindergarten that I didn't cry. Maybe sending them all on the bus was a good idea, then I don't have to see their frightened little faces as they try to find their classes.

It was hard to send them back, they keep me company at home when I'm not working. I wish we could have done more this summer too, but as my Mom always said "NO MON, NO FUN"! We have really enjoyed living here, and it's been fun for the kids. The poverty thing will pass eventually.