2019 Blue Jeans Week 47

Hello!  We have had a good week.  Miss E was burning the candle at both ends with two-a-day basketball practice.  One thing we are thankful for is that is OVER!  She is excited about her last season of basketball.  She has been playing with the same girls since 7th grade, so to see them still together as seniors is awesome!  Cross country banquet this week.  Miss O's roommate got married, and we had a backyard visitor.  SO much to be thankful for!  Take a look....

I am thankful for nature.  We have had a lot of deer visiting our back yard lately. This buck is beautiful, and he just watched us as we watched him out the big kitchen windows.

I am thankful for great coaches that have been a huge influence for good in my life as well as all 4 of my kids' lives!  Cross country banquet, Miss E honored as a senior by the same coach I had when I ran cross country in HS.  He is a gem!  

I am thankful for good friends for my kids.  Mr J and the other freshman boys honored in the cross country banquet. 

I am thankful for strong girls that work hard, and no one has worked harder than these girls on our varsity cross country team.  They supported each other and encouraged and worked SO HARD to get the whole team to state, which hasn't happened for our girls team in over 15 years!  So proud of all of them and so proud Miss E was part of the state bound team her senior year!

So thankful for the good roommates Miss O has had.  She started college with 5 other roommates and knew nothing about any of them.  They have become the best of friends, and one of them got married this last weekend.  Such beautiful, strong and talented young women!

So thankful for good friends that you can have fun with!  Sure love these girls and so grateful for their being a part of Miss O's life!  Lifelong friends!!!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

2019 Blue Jeans Week 46

 A slower week with no sports practices or anything, nice weather, and it was a good week.  Take a look....

Mr J and Ben doing the dishes together one night.  Love it!

A beautiful sunset on a lake near our home as we walked one evening.  So beautiful!

Making chocolate chip cookies.  A family favorite.  

School board meeting this week, and we were presented with a check from a local business that supports education.  So grateful for the good people in our town!

We had really nice weather, so Ben and the kids took advantage of the 60 degree sunny weather to get the Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving and it gets cold and yucky.  We won't turn them on until after Thanksgiving, but nice to have it done!

Enjoying the fall weather and leaves!

Hope you have a great week!  Thanks for visiting!

2019 Blue Jeans Week 45

Had a beautiful fall week.  It was a slower week as we are in between sports right now, which is nice.  We had nice weather and enjoyed being outside this week.  Take a look...

Miss E getting some basketball shots in this week.  She has one more free week before basketball practice starts, and she has enjoyed the break, but she is excited for basketball!

Girls' Lunch Out with these ladies!  Sure love them!!!

Mr J was at a school conference this week with one of this teachers and these great kids, and while he was there he entered a writing competition and won!  He was super excited!  

Getting some school pictures taken and loving the fall leaves!

I donated blood this week.  I do fine as long as I don't look at what they are doing :)

We had a gorgeous weekend with sunny weather in the 60's and went on a wonderful bike ride with some friends.  We love all the bike trails around where we live!

Stopped at a candy store along our bike ride to get us some extra energy.  Yummy!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great week!

2019 Blue Jeans Week 44

Super exciting week as we had an award for Miss A, Halloween, first snow, state cross country that both Mr J and Miss E got to compete in and other fun stuff.  It was awesome!  Take a look at our week...

Ben got some new games for his birthday, so Sunday afternoon he was teaching us how to play Sushi Go Party.  Pretty fun!

Miss A worked really hard and received a university writing award.  So proud of her!!!

Mr J was able to participate in a piano workshop this week with a visiting professional pianist.

Our Halloween pumpkins.  Love the different colored lights Ben put in this year.

We woke up on Halloween to snow!  We rarely get snow before Christmas, but even less often before Halloween!  Fall dressed up like winter for Halloween!

Ben's work for Halloween.  They were super fans :)

And then these kids and their teams headed off to state cross country about 2 1/2 hours away.  They left Friday afternoon, and their races were Saturday morning.  How cool they got to go together!

Miss E's team having their team prayer before their final cross country race--Miss E's last cross country race ever!  Yes, I shed some tears!

Running her race!  This was a very hard course.  They were either going uphill or downhill.  There was not a straight level part of the course, but Miss E rocked it and got her best time of the whole season!

This was her sprinting to the finish.  I jumped, and screamed and cried.  So proud of this senior girl of mine!  What an amazing way to end her senior season of cross country!!!

And what an amazing way for this kid to end his freshman year of cross country!  So proud of him!!! One of two freshman on the varsity team!   

It is all over, and so proud of these two!!!!  Awesome to experience it together!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great week!

2019 Blue Jeans Week 43

Fun week.  Miss E and I went on an awesome college visit and got to spend time with family and see my two college girls!  Ben and Mr J fended for themselves at home, but rocked the regional cross country race, so next week both Miss E and Mr J are headed to state!!  Take a look at our week...

Happy birthday to this amazing guy!  Sure love him!!!

On the plane.  First time for Miss E to fly, and she loved it!

Lunch with Miss O!  So fun to see her!

My girls--all together again--with the pretty fall colors!

Miss E loving campus! 

We got to see and stay with my 93 year old grandma who is so amazing and had homemade cookies, caramel popcorn, and crocheted hot pads waiting for us.  Sure love her!  I want to be just like her when I grow up!

Eating sushi with my girls!

Exploring Provo with Miss E and Miss A--Provo City Temple 

Having lots of fun in Provo!

And a trip to BYU is not complete without getting BYU creamery ice cream.  Oh, the best!

Got to stay with my amazing in-laws!  They are the best!  Sure love them but we were missing Ben and Mr J! 

Mr J was busy back home qualifying with his team and the girls team for state cross country!  State here we come next week!  Woohoo!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great week!

Blue Jeans Week 42

An amazing week this week.  My dad turned 70, and all my siblings came out for it, and it has been 14 years since we have all been together at my parents' home!  It was awesome to all be together.  We just all live different places and getting us all in the same place at the same time has been pretty hard, so we sure enjoyed the few days we had to be together!  Take a look at our week...

Contemplating my dirty laundry this week...with 2 of my 4 kids out of the house, I do a lot less laundry, and who would ever think that doing LESS laundry could make you sad?  Life is full of different stages, and despite the challenges, we need to enjoy the stages we are in.  I am grateful for the stage I am in where I still have my wonderful husband's and two kids' laundry to do, but I am also grateful that my oldest 2 kids are able to be learning and growing and doing their own laundry in the stages they are in.

League cross country race for the week!  These two did awesome!  Regional and then hopefully state coming up in the next few weeks!

Picture from my college girls who had homecoming this week and went to an awesome concert during the celebrations!

And this amazing man is my Dad, and I did not get a very good picture, but at least I got one (because pictures are not his favorite things).  He turned 70 this week!  Happy Birthday Dad!  I made him his favorite banana cream pie.

My mom, brother-in-law, two nephews and I enjoyed a bike ride this week while my kids were in school as they came to celebrate my dad's birthday.

And this cute guy's birthday is coming up, and for his birthday I took him to see the Broadway touring musical of Dear Evan Hansen.  Wow!  It was powerful! I admit I cried multiple times.

The whole gang is together!  My two sisters and my brother.  Sure love them and so fun to all be together (first time in 14 years to all be together at my parents' home) for a few days for my dad's birthday!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!