Michael's 8th Birthday

Michael celebrated his 8th birthday in September. We took him to pick out his present which was a new bike. That morning he had a flag football game which Dan took him to. When they went to leave the truck would not start. Someone saw Dan and gave him a jump start. It was only the battery so that is good thing but the battery was 1 month past warranty but isn't that how things work when they have a warranty on them. We did not tell Michael that he was getting a bike but just took him to the store and we walked by the bikes and that is when we told him. Dan helped him pick out a new bike while I chased Mattie and David around the store. We went to lunch at Subway and then came home. That night my brother a

nd his family came over for cake and ice cream.

Quick trip to Payson

Over Labor Day Weekend we took a day trip to Payson. Payson is one of my favorite places to visit. I was born in Payson and my grandparents lived in Payson. I spent many summers, weekends and holidays in Payson. Went I went to college at NAU I would often drive to Payson and stay with my Grandma for the weekend. She would help me out by giving me gas money but it was always in change and it was usually nickels. I would also stop by my aunt and uncles house in Pine. I had to visit around dinner time because they would be liquored up for the night and they became very generous. I also got to eat dinner with them. My aunt loved to can and she would give me food and my uncle would give me money. My grandparents are buried in Payson along with one of my uncles (same uncle that lived in Pine). I loved driving through Payson and just remembering everything. I'm amazed at how much the town has changed but also how things have stayed the same. When we were leaving I stood outside for a few minutes and I loved how it smelled. The pines and the cool air with a little bit of rain, it definitely brings back memories. We went to Payson for a few reasons. First I had a friend who's kids were doing a fundraiser so they can raise money to go to New York with the school. Their Grandpa (who has known my family before I was born) has a side business. He does a deep pit bbq and smoked a bunch of meat and was selling it. I ordered a few roast and so I needed to pick it up. The second reason was a good friend of mine was getting married around Christopher Creek area. My mom also spent a few days in Payson with her good friend and she rode home with us. While we were in Payson I took a few pictures of the kids at the wedding. David was the photographer and took pictures of Dan and I.

A few funny things that happened. While we were getting ready to leave I had the ice chest sitting on the ground and I was putting laundry away and David came into the room with the lid and said "Mattie broke it". I walked out to the front room and found Mattie sitting in the ice chest. I don't know who broke it but have a good idea it was both of them. David blames everything on Mattie and Mattie blames everything on him. We needed the cooler to bring the meat home in so we had to duck tape the lid down. I figured it was our redneck moment for the trip. Also when we got home Michael was asleep and I woke him up and he said "What is my butt to big, do I need to scoot over". I have no idea what he was dreaming about.

Flag Football

Michael really wanted to play Flag Football this year. This is the first time he has played on a team for Flag Football and he has done really well.

First Shave

Dan was getting ready for work and David was sitting in the bathroom watching him shave. Dan put shaving cream on him and I gave him a comb. he stood in the bathroom sink and was pretending to shave. I love how serious he looks.

First Day of School

Michael started second grade, Mattie is in Kindergarten and David is in Pre-school. All 3 kids are at different schools which different start times. Mattie goes to a school that is 15 miles away for the reason that the program that is needed for her is at that school. I was a little worried at first but since she has been in school she has done great. Her vocabulary has increased and I really like her teacher and aids. In morning a van will pick her up and 4 other kids ride with her. Coming home she rides the bus. I really like Michael's teacher she is very organized and does a lot of fun stuff with the kids. David is in pre-school through the school district for his speech. He is doing really well and likes pre-school. He rides the bus and that is really cool to him. He has his routine down and every bus he sees he will say "that is my bus".

The fist big owie

David is our adventurous child. He is always climbing, jumping and flipping over the couch, and of course bumping into things (poor vision and not always willing to wear glasses has a lot to do with this). Needless to say his adventures lead to David being the first child to get stitches. Last Friday he was in the refrigerator wanting some apple juice. I told him to get down and when he climbed down his chin hit the handle on the freezer (freezer draw is on the bottom). At first I did not think it was that bad. When I took a second look I could see how bad it was. We took him to the urgent care and it was decided that the old fashion stitches was a better way to go for a few reasons. The nurse but a numbing gel on his chin and covered it for about 30 minutes. After that he got it cleaned out. He cried a little bit during that. After that the doctor came in and did three stitches. David was awesome and did not even cry. He laid very still. The only time David cried and I mean he freaked out was when we put a band aid on it. The nurse held his arms,the doctor held is head and I stuck the band aid on. The doctor said he did not need one but when we saw him picking at the stitches it was decided a band aid was a good idea. I have to admit that I was freaked out about him getting stitches. I made Dan go with me. Driving to the urgent care I calmed down a bit and noticed I was wearing my swim suit underneath my clothes and had sneakers on with no socks. Luckily Michael had a extra pair of socks in the van and I was able to put them on. Michael stayed with our neighbors who happened to call about 5 minutes before all of this happened and invited him to swim. I took him down to the house and they graciously took him in and feed him dinner. I was looking for a place for Mattie to go. I then could not find Mattie and found her sitting in the van with her shoes on. So it was decided that we would take Mattie with us because I don't think she was willing to go any where else. She was very sweet to David and would rub his head. David laid low on Saturday and was a wee bit on the cranky side. I could tell his chin did bother him a little bit. I am happy to report that David is know back to himself.

What is funny is while at the urgent care, one of the guys on Dan's team was there with his son who also needed stitches.

Picture of his lip- he also bit his lip when he hit his chin.


Chin with stitches.


While taking a picture of David's chin, Mattie wanted a picture of her owie that is on her toe. It is a hang nail.

Last day of school and Pre-school Graduation

It is official... Mattie is in Kindergarten. After 2 and 1/2 years of pre-school she is ready for Kindergarten. Her class did a cute presentation and sang a few songs and had a little lunch. I dressed her up for the day and I was told she knew how pretty she was. She would twirl around in her dress and would giggle. I knew this day would come but did not realize how soon. David's class also did a little presentation but sadly I did not charge my camera so I did not get any pictures of him and just a few of Mattie.






Michael also completed first grade. He had a great school year, made lots of friends and Ms. Becker was a great teacher.