This big boy started preschool! He was nervous, but did just great. His preschool is small, with just a handful of other kids in the basement of his teacher’s house. I think it will be just perfect for him. His favorite thing on the first day was playing in the sandbox.

It’s been a year since family pictures, so I got out the tripod and set to work trying to get everyone looking nice at the same time. (My husband was just as bad as the boys at being smiley and agreeable. Due to the lack of enthusiasm from everyone we do not attempt family pictures that often.) I ended up with two I liked, and I only need one, so it was a success!

Peach Days is big in Brigham City. There is a parade, massive car show, carnival, vendors and lots and lots of people. 

Truthfully, I don’t love it. It’s a bunch of people I don’t know, people trying to get me to spend money on things I don’t want, and a sunburn without the experience of enjoying outside. I did my best to enjoy it, and I had fun. Curtis and I were even in one of the parades. 

Positive thinking is something we all know we should do. It’s very simple, but easy to forget. I have a tendency to be very critical, and I’m working to overcome this. I want to fill my mind with positive thoughts: about myself, family and people around me.

One day, I found myself gossiping. It didn’t feel like that at the time, but I was casually criticizing others and allowing those around me to do the same. When I left, I felt awful about myself…Doubts crept into my mind about what I was doing in life and what people thought of me. I wondered why I suddenly felt so awful and remembered all that gossip. It was the direct cause of my insecurity.

After quick repentance, I felt much better. I want to focus on what I think about others, not what others think about me or what others think about other people. And when I think about others, I want to think only positive thoughts and allow all the bitterness to fade away.

Can you find my boys? At Bridal Viel Falls in Provo, UT.

Sometimes I rediscover play.

My son and I were outside playing. We used some old boards to make bridges for the swales (irrigation ditches really, but “swales” sound much more interesting).

After, I was looking around the yard and what looked to my adult mind like a pile of garbage had transformed itself into an opportunity. It became a fort. I was out there for almost an hour building a hokey, horrible fort. It was the best part of the day.

Play isn’t about results or achieving something. It’s just having fun.

How big of deal was the first day of first grade? It was so uneventful that I forgot to post about it. He went back to school, said it was pretty much like kindergarten and that was that.

The County Fair is the week before school starts. We went on the first night (because it happens to be a discount night for the carnival rides). See if you can spot the two youngest in this train ride:

There was a lot of animals after the rides. We like to compare our chickens, and our rooster is huge. Which is awesome, because it is the freezer now and will be dinner soon.

The boys and I went and visited the Church History Museum in Salt Lake, and also visited cousins there. The only complaint the whole time was having to leave.

Later in the week, we went and found a fun Geocache. It was a multi-cache with four different stops. It was full of dead sticks and thorny plants, so we really had to work together to do it. Even the little kids were a benefit as they could fit into the tight spaces. Joe found the first, Peter the second, Liz the third, and Curtis the final large one. It was a great experience for everyone except for Henry. He was tired.