Mackay's 1st Book

Today Mackay read his first book. He had never read these words before today. He sounded them out and read the entire book all by himself. The title of the book was A Bug Band.
This was the book...

1 bug
2 bugs
3 bugs
4 bugs
5 bugs
A bug band

Very short, very to the point and just perfect for a Kindergartner to start with. Way to go, Mackay! I am so proud of you!

Bathtub Sayings

This morning I was brushing my teeth...yes I do that, and I was giving Grayci a bath. This is what I overheard her saying:

I'm not playing this game anymore! You better stop that right now! If you don't go to your room right now, you will get a swat when dad gets home!

I was busting up! I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I also thought that I need to really stop and think about the things I say to my kids BEFORE I say them. I wonder if they laugh at me just as I was laughing when Grayci was saying it???

A Lesson in Forgiveness

Halloween night our home and cars were vandalized. We were at our friend's house for the evening. When we returned, our "Yes for Marriage" sign was taken from our yard, shredded, broken and left in our driveway. We also noticed crude remarks on our Jeep and garage door. At first, I was a little distraught, not thinking that anything like this would ever happen to me. I really had to get over that little bit of anger when my 9 year old started feeling very angry. He went on and on and on about why someone would do that to us. That's when I had to take a step back and explain "We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Others believe differently. It doesn't matter whether or not we believe the same things. We are all entitled to our own opinions. What Heavenly Father wants us to do is forgive those who do us wrong. We have to say the things they did to us aren't that important. If we were to get mad and say bad things about others or keep those angry feelings in our hearts, then we would be just as bad as those that did us wrong." So...to those of you that destroyed my sign and vandalized my home and cars...I FORGIVE YOU! I don't have any hard feelings anymore. I feel sorry for you because you don't know what I know. I really would like to share what I know to be true and what brings me true happiness. If you would like to learn what I believe, you know where to find me.
ON A SIDE NOTE...when we first put the sign up in our yard, I was explaining to the kids what it meant, that marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman. Mackay, the smarty that he is and where he heard this, I will never know said "Yeah, because if a boy marries a boy, That's Gay!" Oh, if you could've seen my face!

MORE HALLOWEEN PICTURES

Baylie was a Scarecrow

Grayci was a Ladybug.

We had a great time with good food (Thanks Heather!) Good friends and lots of trick or treators. We are so blessed to have such great friends in our area. I am reminded everyday of how blessed I am to be in this area at this time for myself and for my kids. There are such wonderful people that are so great. Thanks everyone we know!

Halloween

HALLOWEEN PICTURES

Mackay was Darth Maul from Star Wars

JD was a mime

The kids did a great job at picking out costumes this year...I only had to buy 2 Mackay's and Grayci's. These are the boys. I will post the girls next.

My kids started school last week. I always get teary eyed when they start again. I don't know if it's because I'll miss them, or if it's the hustle and bustle of everyday life again. Gone are the lazy days of summer. Miss B is growing up so fast. I can't believe she is in the 7th grade. She is such a beautiful young woman with a strong personality and lots of confidence. J.D. is in the 4th grade this year. Wow! Time flies! When we first moved out here he was just going into the 1st grade. Now, Mr. Mackay is in Kindergarten. This is where my heart starts to break. I was always a little sad when Baylie & JD started school, but they both had only 1/2 day Kindergarten. Mackay has an entire day of K. I miss him dearly. He can be such a handful sometimes, and at the same time, he has the best personality. He definitely knows what he wants and knows how to go after it. He will do great in school. I think it's been doubly hard for me knowing that I'm getting closer to the end of my kids being at home with me all day! Just 3 more years and Grayci will be starting her adventures at school as well. I can definitely wait for that day to come. I love you kiddos and hope for all the best for you during this school year. You three are so very special to me and I know you will succeed and accomplish many wonderful things this year!

Baylie 7th grade

Sista K

For those of you who don't know...This really is my Sister...my youngest sister...12 years younger. I don't get to see her too much...as she's got her own little life to live...but as you can see, when I do get to see her...there's a lot to see. Yes...she has a mohawk...this is very tame compared to normal. Yes...she is tattooed from head to toe and everywhere in between...literally. And yes, she does have many piercings...a true freakshow in my own family. Just kidding...I love ya Kristina, no matter what!