Everybody shout "Hooray"!!!!!

Yesterday was the first day of school. It was a day that started with anxiety, excitement and nervousness, and then ended with happiness, smiles and a big GIANT sigh of relief .......... and those were just my feelings =)

ALL the kids woke up yesterday at 6:45am as happy and excited as could be.

Ellie is now in 4th grade. She was asked to be a mini aide for two of the 4th grade teachers and she could not be any more happier about it. Seriously, Ellie comes home and plays teacher. She LOVES to staple, hole-punch, sort, file - you get the picture so this is TOTALLY ideal for her. She is one happy 4th grader.

Scot started Kindergarten today.... and yes, this is where my anxiety came into play. If you know Scot- then you know he can be very unpredictable when it comes to his emotions. He is kind of a sensitive little guy so when it comes to him being nervous about something.. it is hard for him to control it. He is also a bit stubborn- so if he doesn't want to do something, its a little tricky on how to approach the situation.

Well, all summer we have been talking about Kindergarten and the things that will go on the first day. It seemed like we were prepared, but then again with Scot sometimes you just don't know.

Well, much to our surprise Scot woke up a happy man. He was so excited about taking his new backpack and his school supplies to class. When we got to school he was happy until it was time to line up. This is when I saw the look on his face go from happy to not quite so sure. I took him into class. He hung onto me a little bit while the teacher started reading a story. The teacher said, "okay parents, time to say bye". Scot wasn't quite sure about it but the teacher came and distracted him a bit........... and I left. and there was NO CRYING!! =) He did it. He controlled his emotions and was fine. When I picked him up at the end of the day~ He was SO happy. He loved it and was very excited to go back. This is where you can insert the BIG sigh of relief =) Woo Hoo! We are all very proud of Scot.

Macie couldn't be left out of the day. Her preschool doesn't actually start until after Labor Day but she is very much excited about her big day too. I think she wanted to go to Kindergarten with Scot- but we had to gently remind her that it won't start until next year =)

It was a wonderful first morning of school. My kids are getting so big. In fact, I think they each grew up a little today.

Ellie and Scot are both in the same class with their friends Sean and Morgan which is helpful and very Awesome!

What a great first day of school! Hopefully every year can be just like this one =)
Woo Hoo!!!!

Yosemite

We were able to explore this beautiful place with the kids this last week. Can I just say Amazing! The last time I was there I was Scots age and honestly I really cannot remember it well. Elliot has hiked half dome a few times and he was eager to show it to us all.

The scenery was beyond amazing.

It felt like everything we were seeing was something from a painting and not real life.

We enjoyed this trip with the Jensens. The kids were amazed at the sites and how far up we were. My kids were a little frightened that they might see a bear. It's always good to keep them on their toes =)

Looking over the edge was a little overwhelming and I couldn't help but think to myself~ please don't let there be an earthquake.

I had to get a shot of these two handsome boys and the awesome background behind them. Someday I'm sure Elliot will take Scot to hike some of those rocks.

Our family with half dome behind us. What a site.

I think Scot would climb half dome now if he could. He is such a rock climber, tree climber, or anything climber really. Someday soon..... maybe!

We camped at Bass Lake which is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen.

The kids loved playing with the sticks, rocks and dirt. We've decided that we don't need ANY of the toys we have at home. All we need to do is rip up our back yard and add boulders, sticks, rocks, etc. and they would be perfectly happy. Craig's list here come some toys......... =)

Ellie and Ashley loved floating out in the lake.

We splurged and rented wave runners for a couple hours. Everyone joined in on the fun. Every kid went out and had a blast. The lake was perfect for wave runners. The weather was great and it really wasn't crowded. The bummer was having to return the wave runners. None of us were ready to be done.

Our campground was full of fun stuff...... basketball court, play area, horseshoes (which Elliot totally kicked my butt at), tether-ball, pool table, ping pong and a big fire pit. We definitely made use of all of those amenities. We also introduced the Jensens to Oreo smores =)

So, when you ask your husband if he can unwind a swing does yours climb to the top to do it? Mine sure did. All of a sudden he shimmied his way up to the top and was up there for about 15 minutes doing his magic. It was quite the funny site but sure was efficient and hey- he got the job done. =)

We have found a new tradition for the Jensen/Davis families. We are all counting down the days to return to Bass Lake and recreate these fun memories. It was an awesome and relaxing end to our summer.

12 years and counting....

Its pretty crazy to think that we have been married for 12 years. It seems like forever ago that we started talking to each other in the Missionary section while working together at Deseret Book. The time keeps going by faster and faster but one thing that always stays the same is that I truly love my husband.

I'm thankful that he: is the one who holds my hand when we are walking (even if we have to "swing a few kids" here and there), still opens my car door, can tell when I'm frustrated and rescues me, writes me love notes on the back of a ticket and leaves them on my windshield at church, will sit and listen to me whine even when he doesn't have to, loves to teach our kids new things, can fix anything around the house when its broken, falls asleep while watching TV and doesn't get mad when I take funny pictures, will talk with me late at night for hours and hours, and most of all.... loves me and our family unconditionally.

Happy Anniversary Ell! I love You!

Soccer Queen....

After many years of asking Ellie if she wanted to play soccer~ finally she said Yes! She started practice this week and has come home so excited about the games they played and the things she learned. She absolutely loves it. She loves the fact that she gets to play on her cousin Ashley's team too! We are so excited for this soccer season and look forward to many Saturdays cheering on the sidelines for Ellie.