Some happenings!!!

Summer flew by
Girls started school (K, 2nd & 4th)
I am training for a half marathon
Jobs are going well
Got a dog (Jada) she is a lab!
running
I got called as Primary President
Glen got called as Elder's Quorum President
running
Got the girls into piano
Set a PR on my 5k time 24:47!!
running
and more running! :)

Happy Birthday Aleis (1 day late!)

It is really hard for me to believe that 9 years ago I brought such a wonderful girl into this world! Aleis has been such a blessing to our family. I especially love that she is such a great daughter and big sister! So in honor of Aleis 9th birthday... a day late... here are 9 fantastic facts about my Aleis...

1. Aleis is the most helpful girl I know

2. Everyone is a friend waiting to happen!

3. She loves to sing and dance

4. There is nothing she can't do!

5. Everything is a new adventure to her!

6. She loves to be a tomboy, but she still has her girly side too!

7. She is always there to play with her sisters

8. She is amazingly smart and talented!

9. She makes me proud of her every day with every thing she does!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET ALEIS!! This picture is a bit old, but I just love her in it! :)

So here's what happens...

I recently decided that I am tired of constantly picking up things my children keep leaving around! I especially got tired of picking up the pajamas that were dropped on the floor in front of the dresser instead of in the drawer! I don't even care if they get folded, just as long as I don't see them on the floor!!! So I have made a new rule around here. Every item found on the floor at the end of the day is worth 5 minutes of hair time for me! That means if I find 4 things on the floor belonging to one child in particular, that child owes me 20 minutes of "hair time"! They get to brush my hair, put in clips or pony tails... whatever, they just can't stop playing with my hair for the whole 20 minutes!!! I am loving this game! However, it is getting to a point that my 8 year old has decided to get real creative (she usually ends up with the most hair time!). So here is a picture of what can happen when your child ends up with 45 minutes of "hair time"!

Not bad work for an 8 year old huh?! :)

Summer and 1st day of school pics!

So I have totally slacked on the blog! Sorry about that! :) Here is a little taste of our summer!

Dad spent the good part of the summer tucked away in the room or at class studying for the BAR Exam! We missed being able to have him come play with us, but the time spent studying was well worth it. He took the bar at the end of July and we headed straight out from Dallas, TX to Beulah, CO for a family reunion. It was a long drive, but well worth it to spend some quality time with the Work/Hurt side of our family! We had a wonderful time visiting, exploring, hiking, swimming, gaming, and all around playing!

Since we have been back in Texas the girls participated in a program called "TEXAS STARS". It is a great program run by a wonderful lady, Shaleen Wilding! She teaches the kids different songs and dances to perform! The girls loved going every week and learning all the new things! I will post some pictures soon!

Glen is in Irving, TX during the week working at a part time job with an attorney. He is learning a lot! We sure miss having him around all week here with us, but we are very grateful for the job and experience is gaining! Maybe we will end up in Dallas again! :)

Aleis and Charissa have started school here in Round Rock. They get to ride their bikes to school by themselves, so they are loving it! I am grateful we are close enough that they can do that. It gives them a little independence. I am still not sure how to handle all this independence, but I am learning! Riley just started (today) a small preschool program with some moms from the area. I did this with Aleis and it was great. I am excited for her to have this experience and get a little more prepared for Kindergarten next year! :)

I am trying to figure out what to do with my free time, besides spend it at the gym! :) I am applying to be a substitute teacher here in Round Rock. That should take care of a little bit of time. I am also working on helping my parents with some organizing projects around the house. Oh yeah... I can also get caught up on this blog and Facebook! :) SWEET~!!

We are enjoying our time with our family and are grateful for all of the blessings Heavenly Father has showered us with! We seriously miss our Tulsa friends! Hopefully before the end of the year we will have to make a trip to Tulsa for some fun!!

"Daddy rung the BELL!!"

IT IS FINALLY OVER!!!


3 years of some serious hard work, late night study sessions, who knows how many Diet Mt. Dews, sacrifice and STRESS are finally at an end... well at least the school part is! :) Yesterday Glen finished his last final of Law School. YAY!!


There is a tradition here at The University of TUlsa that after a senior finishes their last final they RING THE BELL on Bayless Plaza. Working on campus, pretty much right next to Bayless Plaza and hearing the bell ring through these last weeks of school made me realize that this is really it! It is a great tradition and everyone in my office loves to hear the excited cheers of family and friends as those graduation seniors clang away on the BELL! Well, my husband and I strongly believe in keeping traditions alive. So after he finished his last final yesterday, Glen gathered the girls together and met me at my office for the big event. We gathered up all the people in my office, they have all been a great support and comfort to me and my family for the past 3 years, and we headed out to Bayless Plaza. It was amazing! To finally be able to watch my husband grab that rope and clang away and get to cheer him on was a great memory moment! I am so glad my girls were able to watch their dad ring the BELL! They were very excited, even if they are not really sure why he did it or what it all means yet! Someday I hope they will pull this memory out of their hat and smile at what their dad accomplished! :)


Riley is already telling everyone that "Daddy rung the Bell!". Not many people realize what she is talking about and kind of give us a funny look, but after explaining it a little, everyone is very excited and understands why she is so happy to share such great news! :)


I am posting some pics that my coworkers took for us!

This is Bayless Plaza. Charissa is giving daddy a big thumbs up (I think!) :)

Here are the girls by the bell on Bayless Plaza, before daddy rang the bell!

Just cause she is so stinkin' cute!! :)

Colorado!

Here are some pictures of family we spent time with while in Colorado!

Laurie is Glen's Cousin. We weren't ready for this picture, but Aleis took it anyway, that is why we look the way we do and Glen's head is chopped off a little! :)

Natalie is Laurie's daughter and the guy with green hair is John, Natalie's boyfriend! They were great tour guides and hosts! We loved spending time with them!

Bob Longwell is Glen's Dad's Cousin! :) He and his wife, Irene, live in Greeley, CO. We were able to spend a good part of one day visiting with them and having lunch! Glen had never met Bob until this trip, so it was neat to learn about his life and their family!

It was fun to visit and catch up with everyone! We had a great time!

We went skiing... well some of us skiied and some of us hiked down the mountain, while carrying skis, poles and listening to a whiney 4 year old throw herself in the snow, very dramatically and tell me "I can't go on! Please mommy!!!" hehe!

WE hiked through Bear's Lair Park with 4 HUGE dogs and some great old and new friends! This picture only shows one of the dogs that was with us! Bailey was by far the biggest though! It also doesn't show that they were sitting on some pretty high rocks! It was awesome!

We ate a lot of food! We explored Black Bart's Cave at Casa Bonita. We ate awesome Sopapillas! YUM!! We explored Denver and its surrounding areas of Greeley and half way to Estes Park! We did explore the Dam Store on the way to Estes Park! I highly recommend it for the shopping, not the bathrooms! :) I don't have any good pictures of the Dam Store... sorry!

And even when our car had to be put in the shop to have the fuel pump replaced we still got to eat some more food and watch fun old people do square dancing in their fun outfits! They were amazing! :)

Thanks to Aunt Layne, we spent a day at the Denver zoo and had a fantastic time! It is an amazing zoo, with peacocks and geese wandering around right at your feet! Notice the pics!

We will be going back someday! We loved our visit to the beautiful mountains and miss our family already! :)