me and macie

 Now that the older 3 are in school, Macie and I have a lot of 1 on 1 time with each other. She took ISR swim lessons with Miss Holly and learned to swim. These pictures were taken on the last day.

 lessons were only 10 minutes. she learned to swim under water and reach for her hand and roll over on her back and float.

 We bake sometimes and macie is a big helper and taste tester.

 we read lots of books and usually after we read we both get sleepy and take a little nap. I love our moments together and thankfully I'll remember them more clearly since I print my blog every year!

MACIE

 Jeff and I had met for lunch. It kinda feels like a date since we only have one kid with us. She is just too cute for words. We started potty training her in August (2 years 5 months). She picked it up quickly. We did the "stay at home for 3 days and have her walk around naked" method. Currently she does great! One of her Macisms was saying "your welcome" in place of Thank you. Now, the end of October, she says Thank You appropriately. She's getting to be a big girl. I love it, but I'm getting a little sad about it too.

1st hike

 Enjoyed our first hike with Cooper. We didn't go too far, took some breaks, and everyone did well. It did get hot; we had to go early.
 
 It's nice to know we have 6 months of good weather to look forward to :)

LEVI

Cute, little creative guy spelling his name with these toys. Love him!

paddle boarding

 One morning we rented paddle boards and went down the river for a few hours. We had a lot of fun. It was great to relax and enjoy nature. A few times we saw wild horses crossing the river.

 I'm so grateful for these friends. We all close, but I love that there's no drama. I think it's the perfect mixture of personalities. We laugh a lot and of course support each other. It's nice having a group of friends that I can go to if I need to.

Chicago

 The day after school started, I flew to Chicago for a Younique convention. I met up with Leanna (my freshman roomie at BYU) and a few people from her team.

 We checked into our hotel. Leanna and I stayed with 2 girls from TX. We didn't know them before, but we all became good friends and still keep in touch today. Our first stop was a legit pizza place. Pix above and below. We met with some other friends and we all clicked at stayed together the whole weekend.

 That night was an 80's party. Most everyone dressed in neon. Not me. I borrowed Brooke's piligimist costume. I got lots of compliments just so you know.

 The next two days were filled with classes/lectures to help your business. I became friends with Danielle, below, she also stayed in our room.

 Friday, everyone wore our team shirts.

 After the first day of classes a big group of us took a architecture river cruise.

 I found 2 AK friends, holly and lisa. We got to catch up with each other in a cab.

 Gala night, everyone dressed up and awards were handed out. One morning, Elizabeth Smart spoke.

 The last day we went to the top of the Chrsyler building with the big group. I really had a great time and am happy to be with Younique!

what I did on the 1st day back to school

 so while the kids were at school, I got my hair colored and went blonde. I really like it. When I picked up the kids from school, Jordyn said, "mom are you wearing a wig?" Me: "No, now that you're in school I have time to do my hair now." I was surprised to see how long my hair was. I think it really was in a bun all summer long.

back to school

 Another back to school dinner to goodies to put in their backpack.

 And a note to read in their name tag.

 Levi was very scared to start. He thought he wasn't ready for Kindergarten because "I don't know how to draw a heart or read." He was just nervous about not knowing what his day was gonna look like. We took him to school and dropped him off at his kindergarten line. Again, he was nervous and looked sad. I also was sad. Fast forward a few days, and he was confident and very happy! His teacher is Mrs. Doutrich and like we told him, Levi was more than prepared for Kindergarten.

 Jordyn wanted to wear her new Quartz Hill shirt. Her teacher is Mrs. Fierro, which was also Sydney's 2nd grade teacher. She was very happy and excited to start and I'm so happy she has Mrs. Fierro!

 Sydney didn't smile her first so I told her too, but then she started giggling, and finally I got a cute, smiley picture. Her teacher is Mrs. Dewhirst. She wasn't excited to have her as she is known to be a dry and kinda dull teacher. Sydney was a little nervous thinking she would get in trouble cuz she thought she was a mean teacher. We had to reassure her that she's a great student and kid and wouldn't get in trouble as long as she follows the teacher's instructions and classroom rules.

 Jeff gave each kid a blessing for FHE. When we were done, or so we thought, Macie climbed on the chair, sat down, folded her arms, and said she wanted one too....so Jeff gave Macie a blessing as well.

 Goofy kids

I love these 3. I'm really blessed with happy, well-behaved, healthy, and kind kids!