~1st Day of School

We are all happy school started! :)

Ashley(11th) & Kelsey(10th) are going to have fun in high school this year with dance/choir and Ashley driving. Garrett(6th) is excited to go to middle school with Austin(8th) and being involved with student council and show choir/sound wave for both of them!

Blake(1st) is our last one at elementary school...but he is in full day and he loves his teacher. She has known hime since he was born.

The kids always look forward to the blessings (I need one too :), goal setting, driving routine, etc to start off another new school year! Craig and I after dropping off the kids at the schools decided to go out to breakfast that lasted almost 3 hours! It was catch up time after a busy summer.
To finish off a great day (of signing many papers) we saw the "Emma & Joseph" movie playing at the theater. I couldn't tell who loved it the most. Craig was so emotional, I tried to keep mine under control since we knew everyone there and Blake said "I love you" over 50 times and kept smiling and hugging Craig and I. It was amazing and uplifting.

He played "Joseph" in the Nauvoo pageant last year and was "Hyrum" in the movie we saw tonight. The kids were excited to watch him again.

~Dance Festival 2008

California Dreamin'

“You can have a good time. Of course you can! We want you to have fun. We want you to enjoy life…. We want you to be robust and cheerful, to sing and dance, to laugh and be happy” ~Gordon B. Hinckley After many months, weeks, days & hours of practice and driving it was all worth it! 12 stakes and over 3,000+ youth. The kids had a blast. It is an experience they said they will never forget and met many new friends.

It was emotional for us in the stands watching. They did a beautiful job and we are so proud of all of them. Ashley danced to a copuple Beach Boys songs, Kelsey danced to "Oye Como Va" & Austin danced to "Get'Cha Head in the Game".

~Temecula Tapping Dads

America's Got Talent 2008! We love them!!

~Remembering the early Pioneers

Our Favorite Pioneer Painting

Henery W. Bigler - Pioneer, Mormon Battalion, Sutter's Mill, etc.

Parley street/ancestors journal page

"Eyes Westward," Brigham Young & Joseph Smith

Jacob G. Bigler (4th great grandfather) left Nauvoo June 1846 for the Great Salt Lake.

Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith Left Nauvoo February 1846 and journaled her whole experience.

"When you're here, we're here," Parley P. Pratt

This saying we had in our hearts and minds while being in Nauvoo. It was very emotional and life changing.

We LOVED our Nauvoo experience! The spirit was so strong where ever we went and knowing this is where our ancestors were. Doing all this for us! We enjoyed visiting with Craig's parents while on their mission too. The kids did not want to come home and wanted to live there! We brought back every souvenir possible to remember our overwhelming time.

~YW Camp Slide Show

Too many pictures to choose from to post. You can click forward to go through the slide show faster.

Rap video below!

~EFY & Kels

"STEADY & SURE"
...she loved every second of Especially For Youth, Santa Barbra session three!

~YW Camp 2008

The Wizard of Oz ~ There's no place like Home

We did it! After 10 months of planning it all occurred in 5 days with amazing Stake Leaders, Stake Staff, Ward Leaders & the best Young Women !!! THANK YOU Temecula Stake Staff - we could not have done it without your help! Here is Monday nights RAP!

~EFY & ASH

Do you think Ashley had fun at EFY Santa Barbra session one? I think so! :)
She loved the classes and dances even with the fire and power outage!

~Last week of school & Graduations!

~St. George

Well, the excursion (car) broke down on the way back home from a trip with Craig and some YM. They got to ride in a tow truck for quite awhile than rented a small car after after finding out the car would have to be left in St George for a couple days to get worked on.

So, two of our boys went back with Craig a couple of days later for a day trip to St. George. They went to see the Temple, Tabernacle, eat at the famous Pizza Factory, Dixie mountain (airport), and all the fun stops along the way home. They said the best part was staring at the desert forever, driving the Las Vegas strip and buying fireworks!!!!

I LOVE this picture! Being on sacred grounds does things... to see my two boys holding hands makes me giggle. I think they were babies the last time they did this.

~The Haircut!

BEFORE~

AFTER~

Our baby boy got his first haircut!

I mean - our big boy got his first haircut of the year!!

The first thing Austin did walking out of the barber shop was to flip his hair.

It's a new habit he has to break. :o)

~Garrett's Arrow of Light!

We are so happy and excited for Garrett recieving his

Arrow of Light award!

*Click video on youtube below*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYqvtbbfe94

~May Pix

Well to sum up the month of May

besides many baptisms, weddings and another Missionary

leaving these are some of the things that happened

in our FAMILY...

Garrett turned 11, went to the Angels game & received his Arrow of Light.

Austin received an award for Student of the Month, won his bet by making ASB president for next year. So now he gets do decide when he gets his hair cut (I sure hope it's soon)!
Blake went on his first field trip and school bus ride (he had a blast and told me I was taking too many pictures)! I don't remember the last time this kids ever wore a t-shirt. He only wears collard shirts but rips his clothes off the minute we get home and wears his underware all day? He will either sleep in them, his pj's from when he was two or no shirt at all! He even likes his socks up to his knees and he's only in kindergarten. But he is happy as can be so I just have to leave it and not worry!
We finally got grass so the boys have been having fun mowing the lawn and going on the father and sons outing (even though they took the picture on the way back home)!
Ashely received her Patriarchal Blessing, went on her first date and wore my wedding dress in a fashion show!
Kelsey has been having lots of fun spending time with friends. We forgot to post her pix from last year of the Race for the Cure (can't wait for the next one)!

I love being a mom and wife!!!

They are the best things ever and make me so proud!