NEW BLOG...

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schoolgirls...

The girls have been in school for a little over a week now, so I thought it was finally time to post their first day of school pictures :)

Kennady is such a little social butterfly. She loves school and making new friends. She doesn't get the least bit nervous about starting a new year, just excited! She always tells me how much she loves that even though she is the youngest one in her class that she is the smartest too. (We aren't lacking in self-esteem around here. Ha!) She loves learning. When I asked her how her first day of school was, her reply was, "Perfect! It was the BEST DAY EVER!!!



In contrast, Addy is a stresser! She worries that she won't make new friends. She worries that she won't know where to park her bike. She worries that she will forget her teacher's name. Actually, there is a story behind this. When she was with her THIRD kindergarten teacher last year (since we moved twice during the school year), she would often mistakenly call her teacher the name of one of her previous teachers names. She has a hard time remembering names...it just doesn't come naturally to her. Well, once her cute teacher (who I thought was the most fabulous teacher ever!) kind of laughed a little. I'm sure she wasn't laughing at Addy, but it was probably a little funny to hear her little voice say, "Mrs. Miller....I mean Mrs Stoker...I mean..." Well, that did it. As soon as Addy realized that she would be getting a new teacher for 1st grade, she was terrified that she would forget her name and that her teacher would laugh at her. When Daddy gave her the traditional "back-to-school-blessing", he blessed her that she would remember her teachers name, be able to make new friends and feel confident. Last night when Addy said her prayers, she thanked Heavenly Father for his help at school. She knew that He had helped her remember her teachers name and is already gaining a testimony that Heavenly Father knows her and cares about her.

I love this picture of Addy because it is so cute to me that she always does the front buckles. Most kids don't even know that a backpack can buckle in the front. But, she always has her backpack securely buckled on, so it is just so Addy and so cute to me!

the stars and the stripes...

and the red, white and blue!

We had such a fun 4th of July! It is amazing what you can do when it is not 115 degrees outside. :) We started the day off early as the whole family went to watch BJ run a 5K.





We had so much fun cheering him on! We saw him halfway through the race where he gave the girls "high 5's" and then cheered again as he crossed the finish line.







After the race, each runner got a popsicle. BJ told the kids they could share his popsicle. The Bub was in charge of holding it, which worked pretty well...







...until he decided that he didn't want to share anymore. When Daddy took it away from him to give each of the girls a bite, he was not happy!



But, then the Foof gave him the popsicle and brushed away his tear. All better!



Next, we watched a parade with one of BJ's co-workers and his family. The girls had never been to a parade before, but they were pretty excited that people kept throwing candy to them!







Exhasuted, we came home and our whole family took nice, long afternoon naps before heading down to spend the evening with family and watch fireworks. We went down to my grandparents house for a BBQ.







After dinner, we played frisbee, horseshoes and just had an all around great time. We had so much fun playing with Becca and Brandon. We are trying to live it up while they still live here for another six months before moving down to Texas!















Clarissa made rings for the girls out of the flowers growing in the yard:



Then, BJ brought out the sparklers...





The Foof was afraid of them, until Clarissa showed her that they weren't scary:







The older girls had fun casting spells at each other with their "wands."





Grandpa even joined in on the fun!



And, of course the Bub got to hold a sparkler with a little help from Daddy.



We stayed and chatted and played and popped popcorn together while waiting for the grand fireworks show to start. (Come on, sing along: We all love popcorn! It's our family treat. When it comes to having fun...popcorn's hard to beat!)

The firework show was amazing. It was crazy having to snuggle in a blanket to enjoy the show :) We just had a good, old-fashioned 4th of July! I am so thankful to be American and am thankful for the principles upon which this country was founded!

relationship...

When BJ was living/working down in Utah and the kids and I were still up in Idaho, our future was unpredictable and our present felt bleak. BJ and I switched off making the 4 hour drive to see each other on the weekends. One weekend, he would drive up to Idaho and the next, the kids and I would drive down to Utah. Because BJ lived in a shared apartment with a few other guys, my grandparents graciously opened their home to us for our rather frequent visits. Amidst all the difficulty, they were there for us; to pray for us, encourage us and support us. I remember when BJ got his permanent job offer, how excited I was to call and share the news with them because I knew they would really understand what a miracle it was for our family and would truly celebrate with us!
One huge, amazing blessing that came from these visits is that my kids really KNOW my grandparents now. They will have distinct memories of my grandma cooking and serving and nurturing and loving, of my grandpa always ready with a hug and a kind word, of movie time snuggled up on Grandpa's lap. I too have felt their love throughout my life. As a child, we lived just around the block from them and spent MANY summer hours playing in the fig tree (a.k.a. the pirate ship, the mansion home, the castle, etc), of eating toast with peanut butter & honey, followed by a lot of ice cream at our weekly "Ice-Cream Sundays", rehearsing for singing productions and plays. Then, during my college years I often visited their home when I found of couple of hours here or there between classes/jobs. I knew that I could always get what I needed there, whether it was a nap in the basement or a listening ear. Again, in my early years of marriage after BJ and I had purchased our first home, we suddenly found ourselves homeless when it turned out that the loan was based on a fraudulent appraisal. With nowhere to go, my grandparents opened their basement to us, where we lived for a little over a month while we made other living arrangements. And again, just recently they helped us through a difficult time. I know, right? How could I have made it through my life without their encouragement and love? So, yes. I am thankful that through it all, my kids have come to know my grandparents! At Becca's reception, my Dad and my Grandpa were sitting next to each other and I put the Bub down, saying "Go get Grandpa!" The Bub ran straight for my Grandpa. So Dad...I think is a sign: You need to move to Utah :) Just kidding...sort of!

Formal Wedding Portraits...

Don't you just love how happy they are together?
To view more pictures, visit my website at www.mindykiddphotography.com and enter "becca" in the clients section...

nieces & nephews...