In August a lot of changes happened. Collin turned 12! In our church the boys who are 12 and a worthy can receive the Aaronic priesthood and this comes with duties for them to do. We got to be there as he was blessed with and received the priesthood as well as when he passed the sacrament for the first time! He was so reverent and did such a great job. The kids in his group or quorum as we call it are all so supportive and sweet. We are proud of Collin and the wonderful brother and uncle he is. He and Bentley get along great and like to play video games together and swim. We got to go to Krazy Air and celebrate Collin for his birthday with his friends. Heidi and Tyler moved up to Utah. We had lunch with Tyler before he left and we had a pool party with Heidi before my mom drove her up to college. It has been tough getting used to my sister and brother being gone. The kids as well as Jon and I feel their absence. They were always so good to visit with or play with the kids. We are excited for their new adventures and we wish them the best this life has to offer! The kids went back to school. Bentley started the first grade and although he is doing well and has a wonderful teacher named Mrs. Johnson, he is a little frustrated that some of his class goofs off and so they get in trouble as a whole and miss out on things. It is hard to know what to say to Bentley because we can't control what others do around us and I feel bad that his good behavior isn't being rewarded like it was last year. ( Last year his class won all the awards because everyone followed instructions and met the goals well) It's a good growing experience for him and I because I am not sure what to tell him. He still loves to read and has done well on all the new homework and assignments. He lost his first top tooth and has a big gap in it's place! He still is my handsome, sweet, caring, smart little boy but he is growing up way too fast! He was excited the tooth fairy brought him a silver dollar. He loves to draw and has made several wonderful drawings about his favorite past times like playing the wii, playing football, playing soccer, playing hockey, and playing dragons with his toy castle and men. He has started to realize what he can and can't get away with which is good and bad because I have caught him in a few lies. We always reiterate that it is better to tell the truth then to lie. He is always quick to apologize which is great! He has started his football practices again and loves being with friends. Bailey started her last year of preschool and is already learning so much! I was worried that she wasn't as far along as Bentley at this age but she is really picking up on the lessons being taught by her preschool teachers. She is going to Miss Heather in the mornings then comes home for a break and lunch, and then she is back on a bus headed to Miss Mary for the afternoon to work on her speech and other skills. She took a little time to get used to it but is really doing great at both preschools! She has made some new friends and of course her teachers love her. She loves to dress up, have her nails painted, put on lip gloss, play with Sophia, play make believe, listening to music, and practice her poems for preschool. She also is getting better at drawing and likes to draw pictures of her family and cousins. Wyatt had a rocky start to preschool. He did great the first week and then all of the sudden started throwing tantrums and crying uncontrollably that he didn't want to go to school or ride the bus. I was shocked and didn't know what to do. I tried bribes, I tried talking to him and listening, I tried to just love him, but nothing worked. Jon even tried his hand at getting him to go and finally Wyatt after a few days of coaxing and promises of prizes if he would go went. He is now back to going without prizes and bribes and is doing great! He gets on and off the bus with a smile and always has a great school report. He is doing well and has a love for learning already. He likes to practice what the older kids are doing for homework so hopefully it will give him a upper hand. If not it will at least get him moving in the right direction. My biggest goal for him is to get him to learn his letters so that he can learn to read in a few years. I love to read to all the kids and we have really enjoyed that time together. I feel like it is important to the kids to spend one on one time with them and I try my best to get that time in! Wyatt is about to start soccer. He loves playing swords, sports, trucks, and even dolls with Bailey. He is a sweet boy but is very particular and very rarely can be persuaded to do something. It has to be his idea in other words or it's quite the fight to get him to cooperate. Sophia is 9 months old. She finally got her first tooth after months of teething. She is still very uncomfortable as I can tell she has more that need to pop through. I love when she smiles with that lithe tooth, and she moves her tongue over it several times a day. She is such a sweet spirit and is always a lot of fun. She loves to follow after us around the house, but sometimes she will sit and play for a good 15 minutes before she comes looking for someone. She is starting to say sounds like dada, mama, and hi. She started waving which is so adorable and her smile is still cute as ever. She is a terrible napper but is sleeping through the night mostly. I hope I can get her napping better soon because I know it will make us both a lot happier! She goes with the flow in most other parts of her life though, and is always being taken to go pick up or drop of one of her siblings to their many activities. She is a trooper and I couldn't ask for a better baby. Jon is still working hard at growing his business Green Home Pest Control. I love him so much and appreciate his ability and desire to provide for our family. I have started going back to the gym and am trying to figure out how to get everything done in a day while staying balanced. I have a terrible back but it has felt better when I keep it strong. I sometimes long to work as a hygienist but know that there is a time and a place for everything. I know how lucky I am to be able to stay at home with these sweet spirits god has in trusted to Jon and I. I have also felt that even if I do enjoy working as a dental hygienist, there is not a more important work for me to be doing than to be here at home raising our children. It can be oh so hard and daunting, but it can also be amazing and joyful. All it takes is a smile, love note written from Bentley, picture drawn from Wyatt or Bailey or Bentley, or to see them learn something new to remind me how wonderful it is to be their mom! Some other things that we did were welcome my cousin Colton home from his 2 year LDS mission in South Dakota. I took the younger kids to the airport to see him when he arrived! We listened to his homecoming talk that he did so well on, and after went to my aunt Corinas for lunch and dessert. We also took the kids to a fun outdoor show this month. They loved it and got to fish in a tiny man made pond, watch dogs fly through the air and into a big pool to catch toys thrown to them, and the best was watching them ride the sheep. Bentley actually did really well and hung on for 9 seconds before the horn sounded. August was busy but good! Now all we need is for this hot and humid weather to go away so we can welcome fall!
