First day of school

I'm still not really sure where the summer went, but we sure had fun! The kids were so excited for school to start! The kids each got their father's blessings Sunday and then, after finishing all the details like what shirts and shoes to wear, and what to make for their first lunch, etc...they headed to bed early at 9:00! After a summer of late nights, it was nearly impossible to actually fall asleep though and they each read and giggled for a few hours before finally falling to sleep.

 

5:30 am came awfully early!

Yes, that's right! That early!

Kailtin leaves for her bus stop at 6:50, so we are up awfully early!

The whole crew got up and ate breakfast and then we drove Kaitlin to school. Normally she will ride the bus, but for the first day, we drove our sweetie to school!

 

I totally forgot to get a picture of her before we left the house, but I did manage to catch a quick one of her as she headed in the school door! She was all smiles and a little nerves! I couldn't wait for her to get home so I could hear all about her day!

 

Shift #2 was the boys. We walked them to school, in Roundy family tradition.

It was all smiles and familiar faces at the school and I loved it.

They got the best teacher I could have asked for and we are all so excited for this year!

My boys just keep getting bigger and bigger! Cuter, too! I still don't think they look anything alike, but sure am glad they have eachother! They are both super excited to start school because the girl that each of them likes (seperate girls) are in their class!

Alli was the best helper ever! We made chocolate chip cookies and waited on the porch for Kaitlin to come home! Kaitlin came running down the street and excitedly announced, "That was AWESOME!"

 

She and Alli posed on the porch in their matching outfits and we ate our cookies and talked away until the boys came home! Then we did it all over again!

It was a great first day of what we hope will be a great year of school!

Kaitlin's Finale at Riverside

It's only been a few months since Kaitlin's graduation, so I thought I probably ought to go ahead and write about it! Haha!

 

Kaitlin had such a great time at Riverside Elementary. She was so lucky to have wonderful teachers and some really great friends. She is so excited to finish up elementary and start 6th grade.

 

For their 5th grade ceremony, they had a patriotic program and gave out awards.

 

After the ceremony, each of the kids got a balloon that they had written a wish on and let them go at the same time. It was fun to see! 

We sure do love our Kater bug! It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up, but we couldn't be any prouder!

Have you ever taken time to notice...

The older I get, the more I realize just how lucky we all are to have dads.  Ever since I was a little girl, I can remember my mom talking about her "daddy."  I remember the wonderful stories she told, I remember the excitement on both of their faces each time we went to visit. I remember him listening to her stories and her listening to his. He has passed on now, but still the bond they shared is a driving force in her life. I look at so many of the things that she is able to do, the determination she has, and although I am sure that some of it comes from her mom....I believe a lot of it, comes from her dad. 

 

I have a dad like that, too.  Much of who I am, comes from my mom. There are so many things she has taught me and continues to teach me, but a lot of who I am comes from my dad, too. My dad has always been my hero.  A lot of that comes from the fact that he didn't ever get involved in the hard stuff - he left that to my mom! Lol!  My dad loved my grandpa, and my grandpa loved him. Since my dad's dad wasn't the greatest at expressing himself, I think my Daddy Earl became a wonderful father for my dad. He was a role model, a mentor, a proud spectator, and a friend.

 

I guess what I am getting at, is how grateful I am for the "dad's" in my life.

My grandpa was an amazing man.  Not only did he shape my mom's life, I think he helped shape my dad's too.

My dad is an amazing man.  He has helped shape my life in so many ways, and he is helping to shape Cole's life, too.

Cole is a great dad. Our kids KNOW he loves them. Despite not having a very affectionate dad, Cole loves and holds our kids all the time.

 

My kids couldn't have better Grandpa's either.  They both are so involved in their lives and offer such sound advice on such important things. I know my dad always wanted sons.  I can't help but be grateful that he didn't get them. Ash and I got them instead and I am so grateful that my dad can be a "dad" to them (without actually having to do all the hard parenting stuff!)

 

This year, the church put out a non-denominational video about fathers.  We watched it in Primary and the message has stuck with me.  I know I've taken for granted all the things that dads do - all the things that make a dad a dad. 

"Have you ever noticed why you like to work with your hands? or why your friends always played at your house?  how vacations are made? why the night monsters never came back? or why you and the princess always had the same name? Ever appreciate how happy a dad can be when he came in the house? how goofiness can ease the tension? or the nonstop battle he faces between supporting his family and supporting his family? Because if you really look around, you just might. You might appreciate where your passions came from, wonder on the dreams of those before, or find that being the bad guy is sometimes a very hard job. You may even discover the ultimate pride in his eyes when you've learned for yourself. Remember the Fathers who taught you what it takes to be a good father."

Click here to watch the video. It is really touching.

Happy Father's Day to all the awesome dads in our lives! We love you!

ALL-STAR Summer...ALL summer!

This was a fun summer for our family. (Hopefully a foreshadowing of the years to come!)

 

All 3 Roundy kids made the All-Star team for their divisions! This was especially exciting because the boys were playing "up," in a division with boys a year or two older than them.  Kaitlin was also playing "up" in the Majors, instead of the minors and this was her first year even playing softball!

 

It was pretty exciting!

 

The summer started off with the 4th of July parade in which the Washington Little League stole the show! Poor Kaitlin was planning on riding on the float with her All-Star jersey on, but once she saw all those boys, she chickened out! (Not that I can blame her!)

 

She opted to watch the parade from the sidelines with Alli and me instead!

 

 



A look at those handsome Roundy boys ready to make their 2013 All-Star debut!

Oh wait! Guess I'd better show all 3 of the Roundy boys ready to make their debut! Cole was once again asked to coach the All-Star team! They had to twist his arm a bit, but he finally accepted! {wink! wink!}

And now....

 

Drum roll, please!

 

Here is my darling "little girl" making her first All-Star debut!

Can I just tell you...she tore it up!

She had never pitched an inning in the regular season, but pitched every game of the All-Star tourney and did awesome! She is fearless and determined and it was so fun to watch her energy.  She absolutely loved her coach, Jordan, which was a funny coincidence since my father-in-law was Jordan's favorite coach of all time.(Jordan and Cole's younger brother, Lance, played ball together in Richfield.)  It's funny the way things come full circle.  Jordan believed in Kaitlin and Kaitlin believed him when he told her she could do anything! He was perfect for her!

 



So thankful for my sweet friend, Jen, who helped personalize Kaitlin's jersey! Kate wanted hers to say "ROUNDY" just like the boys...so we made it happen...but with a girly flair! She was the only one with her name on her jersey and I thought it looked awesome! I was happy that everyone knew she was ours!:)

She is so lucky to have such good brothers.  Brandon was such a great brother during all of this.  He spent a lot of time being catcher and giving her feedback. He would play catch with her every time she asked. Everyone who saw Kaitlin play, said, "You can sure tell she learned to play ball with her brothers! She is going to be an amazing player!"

 

I think it was fun for her to enjoy the limelight a little! I was sure proud of her for trying her hardest and for learning that "we can do hard things" and that they can be fun!

Kaitlin and her friend, Sage! Cute girls!

 

My mom and dad were out of town during All-Star week.  I do say "week" because literally, between the two teams our kids played on, they played everyday for a week....and they played in Cedar! Thankfully Cedar City is only 40 minutes from home, but we sure blew through gas going back and forth each day!

 

Cole's mom and dad were troopers and made the much longer trip from Richfield several times! (What can I say? They are baseball junkies!)

Long story short, we had a blast that week in Cedar. It is a week we will never forget.

Hanging out in the car and trying to wait-out the monstrous rain storms!

Eating dinner at Sizzler with the whole motley crew!

Team play date at the pool!

Games at the wooden park!

Eye black!

Pump-up jams!

Wild pitches and amazing catches!

 

All-in-all, the boys got a weird draw in the tournament bracketing.  They had a rough seed, but were able to come back and win the drop-down bracket.  One person said, "It's the toilet bowl."  I say, "Whatever!" They walked away with medals and a huge win in the end and they had a blast! The final game was played in pouring rain! I do mean POURING!  There were puddles all over the field and it was a mess! It finally started letting up a little right at the end! I think it kind of added to the awesome atmosphere of the final game of the 2013 All-Star season!

 

Kaitlin's team didn't make it into the championship, but sure had fun! She met some amazing new friends and learned that she is every bit as talented and competitive as her brothers.

What a fun week! Hopefully we'll do it all over again next year!

My babies don't keep...

It's amazing to me that no matter how much I seem to accept it, no matter how many times I tell myself it will happen...when it actually does....the reality of it pierces deep in my soul.

Another summer gone, another new year of school. A little girl growing into a beautiful young woman, two tiny toddlers growing into strong, good boys, and my baby, growing into a little woman herself. How does time fly by so quickly?

I've always prided myself in my ability to "enjoy the journey," "to trust that God is at the helm," "to enjoy each moment as I live it"....but good heavens, I can not seem to wrap my head around the speed at which life keeps passing me by.  If God truly is at the helm, and if he knows me so well...can't he just slow things down a little? Just a teeny? for me?!

It truly was just a moment ago that Cole and I walked out of the hospital, carrying that light blue and yellow car seat (the coolest one available at the time), which held the sweetest thing we could ever imagine. It's good we didn't know back then just how fast the time would disappear before our eyes.  If we did, I am quite sure we would have been content to never leave the confines of our humble apartment. I believe we would have contentedly spent each day watching her every yawn, smile and relishing each new milestone. 

But life's lessons are most always learned in hindsight.  While I can't go back and recapture each detail of my children's littlest moments, I can remember and recognize that life will NEVER slow down. Just as the years before have flown by, so will these years now.  Before I know it, I will be watching my 3 older children venture off to teach the gospel, to go to school, to start families of their own. I surely don't want to look back then and wish I had truly relished each moment. I want to do that now...and look back then, with no regrets. 

The words of a familiar poem have been on my mind a lot this summer. As I have neglected my house, my friends, my exercise, this blog...nearly everything, as we've run from here to there and back again...I am reminded that nothing really matters more than being right there in those moments with my kids.

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
 Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.


Could it paint a more realistic picture of the state of my "shocking" home these past few month?. I think not! The sink has been full of dishes, there are crumbs all over the kitchen floor. Laundry is piled up high and stacks of out=grown clothes are scattered in the garage waiting for a DI run! My yard needs a good trimming, my flower beds need weeding. Basbeball pants are soaking on my kitchen counter and shoes are scattered in every single corner! Hairbows and bobby pins scatter my bathroom and homemade "masterpieces" clutter the walls. My cupboards are bare and we've had to borrow toilet paper twice from my parents, but all the while - something magical has been happening....we've been living and enjoying every moment of this crazy life.

I'm quite sure that years from now, none of us will remember the crumbs or the dust, but I do believe we will remember the car trips to baseball games and the talks that we've had. The games in the backyard, the bike rides to grandma's and even the new hermit crab! I always hoped I'd be the mom that had the darling, behaved, perfect kids, the romantic, sensitive, perfect husband, the spotless house, the beautiful figure and the sparkling, white smile to top it all off!

Now it's funny that those things seem so trivial! I'd much rather have a smudge on my clothes, a stain on the carpet and sweaty, dirty, spunky kids surrounding me. (Although I'd still like to have the romantic husband part';)  I'll trade my idea of "how I hoped it would" be, for how it is - any day!

So that being said...."quiet down, phone calls and all those distractions.  Dust and vacuuming go to sleep. I'm going now to go snuggle my baby and heaven knows, my babies don't keep."

Jacob's Lake Camping Trip

On Memorial Day we went camping as a family...for the first time ever! Haha!

Sure, we've done a few minor things, but never for several days and never with all 6 of us!

 

It was a blast!

 

Friday, some friends mentioned that they were going camping and asked if we wanted to come along! I finally got home from work around 10:30 pm, got all our food and gear packed by about 1:30am and we were all set and ready to go by 10am Saturday morning!

 

At first I was a littel nervous because we only knew one of the families, but those fears were quickly put to rest! The other families were wonderful.  Our kids played together like they'd known eachother forever and the whole weekend was just a complete "breath of fresh air!"

 

Cole made the kids really learn how to do things since Kaitlin will be going to girls' camp next year. We want our kids to acutally be helpful at camp;) (Looks like we'll have to start camping a little more often!)

 Right off the bat, the kids got to work on a bike trail through the forest! They worked for hours on that thing, even building jumps! It was pretty awesome! (I was so glad someone thought to throw in bikes!)

 And of course, there was an awful lot of baseball going on! I'm pretty sure we played at least 2-3 games per day! It was always adults vs. kids, which made for a pretty heated game! I am convinced that I could've recorded the whole thing and started a new reality tv show entitled, "Dad's Gone Wild!" Let's just say there were some pretty competitive ex-ball-players! Haha!

...and they wonder where their kids get it from!

 We tried to play Bocce ball, but the ground was so uneven it was nearly impossible! The kids had fun trying anyway though!

 Oh my, the bike races these kids had! They rode around and around and around! Then, when that wasn't enough, they started having time trials and races and workouts! Oh, to have the energy of a child!

 Alli even learned to ride a 2 wheel bike without training wheels this weekend! She simply hopped on and away she went! It was awesome! She was so happy to feel like a big kid!



Brandon was thrilled when Jona helped him find a horned toad! I thought the thing was nasty, but thought it was cute the way Brandon took care of it so well. He was a champ about letting it go when it was time to leave!

The woman all got matching bracelets to remember the trip by! I thought that was a super cute idea!

 The whole group went up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon one day. It was pretty, but hot and hard to have a bunch of little kids around the trails.  We looked, picnicked and headed back to camp!

 That night we watched a movie outside! It was so much fun!

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

 



Poor Alli crashed! It had been a long day of biking, hiking and adventures!

 

 

 

 

All in all, it was an awesome trip that we hope to replicate annually! It was one of the most fun weekends we've had in a long time! You just forget how much fun it is to hang out away from the lights, the fast food places, the internet and phones, and just sit by the campfire and talk and watch the kids use their imaginations and learn how to explore and entertain themselves! It was just an awesome adventure and I'm so glad we were spontaneous and just went with it!