Precious

What on earth would life be like with out this little sweetheart? I am endlessly amazed at how perfectly she fits our family.  She is my little buddy.  She is Cole's little buddy.  She is Kaitlin's little buddy.

She is Brock's best bud and Brandon's favorite thing to tease.

She is happy all the time.

She is helpful most of the time.

She is a hard worker and a thoughtful munchkin.

We sure hope she knows just how much we love her!

My Brothers

Words can't say enough about how much I love this little team.

They are my boys.

They are brothers, teammates, playmates, best friends.

 There is just something about watching them work hard day in and day out at practice, then lazily walk onto that field, hours before their game starts, to get ready.  I love watching them gather.  It is like long, lost family coming home. To a place where everything is right in the world.

 And there is my little south paw, #4. 

He's not usually a catcher, but, man, was he good! The kid has got skills!

 He has been working so hard on his bat.  He has even hit his first home runs in practice.

This year is his year, I just know it!

Pumpkin Patch Traditions

Every year for the hunt, we love to head to Richfield! For the last 10 years, we have headed to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins.  This is something I never did as a child, but something that I absolutely love. We have so much fun searching the fields for the perfect pumpkins.  Big, small, ghourds, squash...

each one as unique as can be.  We always find some great ones, too!

 Grandma's kiddos - minus Brock, who got up early and went hunting with the big boys!

When we got back, Alli and Taylor decided they wanted to help Grandma out by gathering the leaves.  It was too cute watching them take armfuls of leaves and put them into the bucket.  They were great little workers!

 Not only did we get to pick pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, but they also got to pick pumpkins from Grandpa and Grandma's OWN pumpkin patch! 

 Look at those beautiful pumpkins Grandma and Grandpa grew!

Oakley loved these little ones because they were just her size!

Our Little Runners

In October, the kids got to participate in the first ever "Move It" kids event! It was the night before the marathon and they even got to finish at the Marathon line! 

They sure had a blast running it.  The boys have been running in their schools' running club and Kaitlin had been working on her 1 mile at school, so it was perfect timing for them to put all that hard work together! 

 Allison ran first and boy, oh boy, was she ever fast! 

She ran 200m and was a little nervous because all alone at the starting line. 

Cole walked her over and then she took off running. Luckily I was watching because the next thing I knew, this little lady went flying by! She ran her guts out and did great! 

She sure was proud of her finisher's medal!

 The older kids ran 1 mile. 

Brock was FAST!  If I had actually blogged this when I was supposed to, I would remember what place he took, but it was pretty good.  He only got beat by a few older kids.

Brandon finished next.  I won't lie, I was a little teary when he finished.  He was exhausted, but pushed until the very end.  He finished great.  Diabetes ain't got nothing on him;)

 Kaitlin finished just after Brandon.  Again, she pushed until the very end.  She was sure proud of her time, which was faster than she had ever run a mile.  

FINISHERS!

Look at those happy smiles!

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!