Preschool GRADUATION

She has grown up so much in just the last nine months! Her hair has grown, her cheeks have shrunk, she is much taller, but most of all she has found so much confidence, so much desire, so much knowledge, and so much passion thanks to Ms. Tara!

Ok, so last year there was a preschool graduation post, but it was just Tori graduating from one year of preschool to the next. This morning she did the real thing. She is officially FINISHED with preschool. She is thrilled, and I am sad. I am SO not ready to have a kindergartner! She is growing up too fast, and I am having a hard time keeping up. Anyway--here are some pics of her big day!

She was thrilled that Daddy brought her flowers!!

Daddy was there too, but had to leave for an appointment before we could snap a picture. :(

Yes, that is MY child, the one that (like her mommy) LOVES to dance/perform/be the center of attention. Of course, for today, when there was a perfect photo op, she chose to stand very still and skillfully avoid the camera. Booger! (Ok, so the video won't upload, but I'll try again later)

Bolder Boulder Pics

Here are some pics that prove that I actually ran it!! See me in action (but don't judge)!

brightroom event photography

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Bolder Boulder Baby!

Katrina and I at about 6:30...getting ready to leave for Boulder.

I RAN the Bolder Boulder! No, seriously, I did! I RAN the entire 10 K. Not only that, but I completely sprinted the end! I am SUPER excited. I know that I didn't have the fasted time, but for me, I did really well. I am really proud of myself. I did exactly what I set out to do, and I feel great about it! Thanks Allie for all the training, and thanks to Katrina and Erica too for the practice runs! I will be proud of my 64 minute finish time, at least until next year when I do it in LESS!!

Check back for the pics that the other girls are gonna send me...I didn't have a camera at the start or the finish.. :( These super fabulous pics were taken from my cell phone! Hey--at least there is some record, eh?






THE FINISH LINE!

I was a little bummed when I talked to Tom just after I passed the 9K mark and he told me that there was no way that he would be at the finish line in time. I ended up seeing him just a few seconds later, and my wonderful husband and three beautiful cheerleaders gave me the energy to KICK IT for the last hill and through the stadium. It was an incredible feeling to move faster than I ever have and finish the race like a champion! Thanks for your support babe, it made a big difference!

Tori was happy to celebrate with me when I FINALLY found them (about 45 minutes after I finished the race).

Our NEW yard

Ok, so it is technically the same yard, but I think that it looks totally different. A HUGE shout out to my dad, and Tyler, and of course my amazing hubby who took out several very large tree limbs and a couple of REALLY TALL trees!

The front yard

The front yard was a pain, but hopefully the sickly tree (that now looks more like a bush) will come back stronger over the next few years. I don't have a before shot, but here's the end result.

The trees in the back yard before before...

The trees after!

Both the front and back yard look so much better. Now I can get my "outdoor classroom" for the preschool ready! I can't wait for the unveiling! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

I had to take this video from the bathroom window upstairs (hence the screen) because I was terrified! I was sure that somebody would get hurt. Nice job holding up the tree there, Muscle Man Monson!!

yes, more planting

On Friday, I was busy with the spring formal for our youth, but the ward was planting flowers at the temple. Tori was devastated when I told her that we couldn't go this year. I knew that I would be busy pretty much all day and night, so Tom, being the INCREDIBLE father that he is, took all three kids by himself! He not only went, handled everything, and did it happily, but he even took some cute pictures. Here are just a few.

I wish I could have been there, but I have to say, I think it went better even though I wasn't there...remember last year? No hives, just fun!

Bird Catching

Yes, we have moved on. Tori is no longer content to watch and identify birds, now she wants to catch them! A few days ago we had Lily over to play (mainly to keep mommy sane) and the warm weather held so much promise. The girls were outside the entire time!

Lil and Tor decided that they wanted to catch a bird, so they tore up pieces of bread and put them in a cage-type thing and hung it from a tree branch. They waited patiently "hiding" behind this tree (I am sure that they couldn't be spotted).

When I went out in the middle of the hunt and told them something, I got some nasty faces, and I was informed that you "can't talk while you're catching a bird." Good to know.

At least the squirrel had a nice lunch (which TOTALLY ticked Tor off!).

Mother's Day

Yummy breakfast this year! I think I liked it even better than last year's. It was croissant french toast with a raspberry and cream sauce. Let me just list a few of the calorie free ingredients for you: heavy whipping cream, vanilla ice cream, croissants, etc. In other words YUM!!



The breakfast in bed came with live music by a percussion, percussion, percussion, and vocals band. Yeah, that's a LOT of percussion! They had a song all worked out (thanks Dad) and performed it wonderfully...well, Tori did. Liz pretty much just screeched and danced around the room. Still very fun to watch!

The girls each gave me a teddy bear--just what I was hoping for! I got a scrapbook table and a SPA shower head from my hubby. All the guys cleaned up after our family dinner (shout out Tom, Ty, and Trav!!). It was a great day!
Now...what am I supposed to come up with for father's day???

Kindie Welcome Hour

So smug and ready to tackle kindergarten.

Ok, so I am way late posting (again), but Thursday was Tori's Kindie welcome hour at Summit. It was a crazy morning trying to figure out where/when to drop her siblings, pick up cousins, etc. but it was exciting for both Tori and I! I was so nervous to drop her off. I was afraid that she would panic and wouldn't want to leave my side. NO WORRIES. I lingered for a second at the door, hoping she would look back and care that she was unaccompanied, but nope. She was off to the brave new world of elementary school, and she was NOT looking back. I am proud of how much she has grown up, even if that means she is leaving Mom in the dust.

Tori and Shane heading in the front door!

Shane and Tori lounging in the school library. Tor was unhappy with me when I told her that she couldn't check out a book while we were there. Never really thought to explain that before we got there.

Planting Flowers

On Monday night we planted flowers in our front yard, and at Nana and Papa's house too. This yard will require a lot of work, I fear. Since the house was empty most of the spring and summer last year, all the plants/lawn/trees/etc. are still pretty neglected looking. Here is the before shot.

The kids and I spent over an hour at the store picking out....petunias. Lots of petunias, and ONE rose bush. They were so patient and so excited to pick their favorite colors, etc. We got to pick out veggies for the back yard too, but we will have to BUILD a garden before we can plant those. They were so anxious to get everything planted that the minute Daddy got home, they were begging.

After a LOT of digging,


weeding,

and sweating into the soil,

here we are.

At Nana and Papa's house the biggest attraction was not the flowers, but the ice cream sandwiches. Thanks Nana! Owen REALLY enjoyed his.

Tori's Trip

She thought she was pretty cool stuff!

Tori has been home for a week now, but I need to document it. Last week was a big week for Tori. She got to spend some alone time with her Grammy. She also got to take an airplane ride all by herself. I thought that she would be terrified...apparently I was the only one in that state. I was desparate to get this little girl home. I never realized what an incredible help she is to me. She is my moral support, my little gofer, my detective, my babysitter...I LOVE THIS KID! I missed her, but she had a great time. Grammy informed me that now it is no longer an option...all the kids will do this when they are five. I hope my heart makes it through.

Yeah...I rode the airplan alone...obviously. I am SO grown up!