First day of school

This year they are all in school. Which has left me with a quiet house all day. I'm still adjusting to it.

I love these kids!

 

 

 

She wanted to be like Chase.

This picture makes him look so grown up.

Chase was a bit nervous for school to start. His best friend was in another class with the teacher Maeley had last year. He was pretty bummed about not getting Maeley's second grade teacher. His frist day was off to a rocky start but he has been fine ever since. Sounds like there are some rowdy kids in his class which he does not do well with. I'm hoping this will be a great year for him. 

Maeley was very excited for school to start. She was wishing school started at the beginning of July. She has 3 friends from the ward in her class this year!

When Zoe woke up for school she said, "Finally the first day of school!" To say she was ready would be an understatement. She had been giving me pep talks the couple weeks leading up to school starting. She'd tell me that she would have an awesome time at school so I shouldn't worry. Her excitement made it easy sending her to school. She is just so eager to learn. 

 

Chase's 7th Birthday

We decided to have Chase's birthday party the day after the wedding so his Uncle Phil and cousins Parker and Braden could be there. The only other time they have been to his birthday party was when Chase turned 1!

Of course Chase had another Lego themed party. I swear that's all he thinks about.

He is such a cute kid!

 

 

Happy 7th Birthday Chase!

He still loves Lego's.

enjoys playing basketball and playing with friends

loves chicken nuggets and French fries

loves to eat maple and brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast

He is as sweet as ever and still loves to snuggle with me.

He is probably our most sensitive child and doesn't do well with change. But the flip side to that is he is very caring and sees the needs of others.

Kim's wedding

Derek's sister got married July 12. We actually didn't get many pictures of them or any pictures for that matter. We were just trying to just soak up the day.

Derek's brother Phil with his boys, Braden and Parker

I am in love with this picture!

Derek's parents took these 5 kiddos to Sea World the next week by themselves. They are growing up so fast!

Colin and Kim looking so happy.

I love this picture Derek got. Zoe nicknamed Colin "Beardie" early on. She's very happy now he's her uncle. 

It was a windy late afternoon but had to try and get a family picture while we were all dressed up.

Aunt Kimmy with her nieces and nephews on the Jones side.

Zoe was very happy to be holding her bouquet.

Zoe was so excited. She was ready to catch the bouquet.  I think she was even prematurely doing her victory dance.

That excitement soon turned to tears when Maeley caught the bouquet. I should have taken a picture but honestly I was too busy laughing. It was so funny. Maeley was nice about it and we put the bouquet in a vase on their nightstand which is between their beds. Maeley was telling Zoe, "Aren't you glad I caught it so we can both share?" That wasn't much comfort to Zoe.

office built-ins

I was on the search for a new desk and storage solution for my office. It seemed like everything I liked was more than I was willing to spend. The cheaper options felt like I was just settling but I knew I wouldn't like them long term. That began my vision for built-in cupboards with bookshelves above.  This is when Derek and I make a terrific team. I have the vision and he has the expertise to know how to build what I want.

It begins! I'm so excited!

My vision is coming to life!

Countertop purchased at Ikea

Ready for paint!

Starting to build the bookshelves. It was funny because while we were painting them in the garage before installing them they didn't seem all that big.

That is until they are sat on top of cabinets that are about 3' high.

Its looking amazing! So happy we took it to the ceiling!

Ahhh! I love it, needs finishing touches though.

How one project quickly becomes another. Derek removed all the baseboards downstairs to install 5" baseboards.

The second shelf from the bottom is stationary however the rest are all adjustable. We have the shelf that should go where our Christ statue is in case we want to move that elsewhere.

Its a pretty amazing feeling to say that we built that. It took about a month to build/paint and replace baseboards. We took a break after it was built before Derek built the doors in June.

 

I could not be happier with the finished project. Thanks Derek! You did such a great job!