Little STAR

We had received a letter saying that Kendall had been chosen by his teacher to be recognized at an assembly for being kind and respectful and for working well with others.

It was called the "Star" award.

Justin and I waited for him in the cafeteria.  He came bouncing in with a grin spread clear across his face and jumped up onto my lap.

His principal gave him the award along with a special Stony Creek pencil and a coupon for Chick-fil-a.  He slurped down a delicious red Jello star, took a few pictures, and we walked him back to class.

Hillan Reunion

There is a first for everything and it was definitely a first time for the Hillan side of the family to get together for a "mini reunion."

We kicked it off by meeting Justin's Uncle Walter, Aunt Sally, and cousin Kimberly at Hacienda Colorado.  It had been too long since we had seen them and it was nice for everyone to catch up.

The next day we went to Bear Creek Lake and took out the Kayaks.  The kids looked like ducklings after they hooked themselves together and Justin would paddle them around.  We played in the sand and ate sub sandwiches.  A very relaxing day.

The next couple of days consisted of lots of eating; Bone Fish Grill for the adults, Breakfast at Uncle Joel and Aunt Lisa's, and smoore's at the fire pit.  

The kids put on a killer talent show and we had an awesome family home evening.  There was a tender spirit present as we watched the kids interact.   My boys truly love their cousins and I love watching their sweet relationship with one another.

We ended the weekend with a hike up to Massey Draw.  One of the prettiest hikes we have around here.  Breathtaking views and the loveliest smell of pines and crisp stream water.  I was proud of all those little legs that made it to the top.

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Good Grades

The other day Kendall's teacher took me aside and proceeded to tell me an experience she had with Kendall the day before:

She was passing out graded papers to the class and noticed Kendall was sobbing with huge alligator tears he was quietly trying to hold back.

She asked him what was wrong and he replied, "Did I do this wrong? There is a big red X on my paper."

"Oh, Kendall!  That is a STAR!" she said.

Needless to say, she hugged him, the tears stopped immediately, and he was back to his happy little self.

First Day of a NEW School

Nathan - RED
Kendall - BLUE

Before school I:
Woke up early, 6:00 to do my chores.
Did back to school pictures, chores, and family prayer

Today for breakfast I ate:
Blueberry pancakes and eggs
Blueberry pancakes

Today I wore:
A space shuttle shirt with maroon shorts
An Airplane shirt with rockets

I made friends with:
Football fans at recess (hopefully)
Austin and Andrew

My favorite part of the day was:
Playing football at recess
Seeing my mom

Who I sat by at lunch:
I was new and couldn't find anyone to sit with
Somebody

I look forward to seeing:
future friends
Papa and my mom

I am excited to learn:
math and science
How to do homework

What's in my backpack:
water bottle and some papers from teachers
papers from my teacher, colored pictures that I made, and homework

My grade this year is:
4th
1st

I weigh:
87 pounds
62 pounds

I am this tall:
4 feet 10 inches
4 feet 1 inch

 Starting a new school this year was exciting yet a bit "tricky."

 It went something like this....

Woke up early.  So excited!  Got jobs done, dressed, brushed teeth, ate breakfast, took pictures, and Mammy came over and we all WALKED to school. Everyone was happy, happy.

As I was walking the boys to school, I noticed a stop sign bigger and redder than it normally seems. The word STOP just clawed at me.  I sucked some air in and thought, "Yes, Stop.  Stop growing up and getting so big!"

We made it just in time to get Nathan into his line and hug good bye.  It was Kendall's turn.  We met some nice kids and then the bell rang.  He went in and didn't look back.

I was all smiles and cheerful all morning and when those babies of mine went out of sight and entered that red brick school building I felt as if someone had socked me hard in the stomach.  I couldn't breath and didn't want to walk off the campus and leave them in the care of those sweet teachers ALL day.

I'm so glad my mom was with me because we quickly started to chat and walk back home and the deep ache eventually let up.

I kept busy and prepared the house for their arrival back home.  Ran some errands, got a yummy snack ready for the boys and walked back to the school 30 minutes early.  I sat there and hoped and prayed they had met some new friends, loved their teacher, and were happy.

The bell rang.  Kendall ran out all smiles and we picked up Nathan. I could tell by the look on his face that he had a hard day.  He told me that he sat by himself at the lunch table and couldn't find anyone to play with at recess.  I felt sad for him but tried to make it seem like it was not that big of a deal.  It was a big deal.

That night he cried.  He cried hard. In the shower, during dinner, and while getting ready for bed.  I finally let him sob on my lap while I read him story after story.  He  finally calmed down and fell asleep.

That night we (Justin, Me, my Mom and Dad) prayed so hard that Nathan would find one person to connect with and become friends.

The next day I went to pick up the boys and Nathan was beaming.  He met a little Japanese boy about Kendall's size named Darren.

 Darren.

That was the name of an angel.  (Update: We have been thanking Heavenly Father for Darren for days!)

  A very happy moment.

 However Kendall began to cry.  He had a HUGE bruise and a thick knot on his chin.  He had fallen down in Gym and hit his chin on the floor.  It hurt to walk and hurt to talk. And he couldn't find his little friends he had made the night before which hurt more than his chin.

I'm so glad I had made them homemade cookies for their snack.

A celebration and a comfort party was needed.

It will all work out.....

*Update: Nathan has been doing well.  Loves his teacher and has made lots of friends.  Kendall has had a rough start.  He cries every night and in the morning as the bell rings I peel him off my legs and hand him to his sweet teacher.  Not fun.  He will do better and I know it will all work out....

Sometimes it's hard to be a kid and sometimes it's hard to be a mom.

 We are in LOVE with their sweet teachers!  I feel like they were hand picked for the boys and know this was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father.

A Special Sunday

 Sometimes you go through life and try new things and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.  We happen to hit on a "sometimes they work" moment the Sunday before school started.

We decided to take a drive up to the mountains on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and the boys took turns picking out the perfect spot for their back-to-school fathers blessings.

The sky was crystal blue with a few wispy clouds. It was quiet and serene with only the sound of wind occasionally blowing through the trees and long grass and our footsteps crunching the gravel and twigs on the trail.

It was a peaceful experience that brought our family closer together and made us all feel thankful for Heavenly Father, the Savior, and this amazing world we live in.

Sand Dunes

A little detour to the Sand Dunes was just what the doctor ordered. 

 On our way home from Durango Justin surprised the boys and took an unexpected turn.

The day could not have been more beautiful.

We spent the afternoon hiking up the dunes, running, jumping, laughing and preforming tricks for one another.

"The sand was so warm and soft. I love to jump in the soft sand." -Kendall age 6

It by far has become one of my favorite afternoons of the summer.

Fish Hatchery

Justin had to go down to Durango for work and we happily jumped into the truck to go with him.

We stayed at the hotel and drank hot cocoa and went swimming while we waited for Justin to finish his work.  After he was done we decided to go tour the Hatchery.

As a child my family and I spent many a time at the Durango Fish Hatchery since it was so close to my Grandma's cabin.  I was hoping it would be just like I had always remembered.

Guess what?.... It was! 

 It had a little museum you could tour with tons of interesting animals to see.  The outside had different stages of holding tanks for fish all the way from babies to 30 year adults.

The best part was a cup of fish food that you could acquire at the front desk.

It is always shocking at first when a handful of food goes into the water.  It starts to boil like an infestation of snakes as millions of fish fight to get the pellets of food.

When the shock wears off you become a fish hatchery addict and have to feed every stage of fish while visiting each holding tank.

I love that the boys (Justin included) enjoyed the hatchery as much as I did. 

After our visit with the Trout we walked to streets of the quaint little town of Durango looking for a bell for our kitchen before we started the scenic drive home.