Happy Fourth!

(2 months ago!)
Keeping my promise and continuing to blog our summer. Well, here's our 4th of July.
The 4th here in Utah rocks!
We start with the Freedom Festival Parade:
DonutsWeird friends
flags
Anticipation
Cousins

Dancing to the marching bands


Lots of princesses



Although it's humiliating to post this picture, I just have to share. John desperately wanted me to deliver the baby on July 4th. He thought it would be such an awesome birthday. My good friend had taught him some pressure points to induce labor, so he busted them out during the parade (It didn't take until the next night)
Provo, Utah missionaries
BYU cheerleaders

In another attempt to induce labor, we went boating in the afternoon with our good friends, the Marx. I wouldn't let the camera get in the boat with me while I was in a bathing suit.

In the evening we hit up the "Cul-De-Sac of Fire." My parent's neighbors put on a great BBQ and firework show and we crash it each year.


Even though I went into the labor the next night, we still filled our summer...More to come!

Saint George

As promised, here comes what we did this summer!

It started with Claybaugh family vacation in St. George. You know those vacations where you have so much fun you don't get pictures of half the stuff you do? This was one of those. With that said, you may be surprised about how many pictures are in this post. That means we did A LOT!
The week started with Cafe Rio and Nielson's Custard poolside. Then progressed to a hike at "The Crack"
Papa lead the wayHere's said Crack. I was 8 months pregnant and didn't even try to fit!
Everyone at the top

Exploring
Check out that blue sky



On another day we went to a splash pad. This is the only picture we got.
And played at the park. Papa leading the way again
We visited a ghost town with an old Wells Fargo building
And something else old
And an old mine
We hiked
And swam

And jumped off rocks

Then slid down natural slides

We missed Jonny (the only family member not there- good reason- serving The Lord in Bolivia)
Here's the whole group
I love my family! Such a great week. I can't even list all we did, but I will tell you that after the kids went to bed, the adults got in trouble by hotel workers who had complaints!

More summer adventures to come...

The Theme

Each year our family has a theme for the school year. If you remember, last year we focused on forming good habits with the important things needing to be done EVERYDAY!

This year's theme came from much thought and prayer. It is something that I have gained a strong testimony of through slight trail and error. I think it's important to learn early in life that:

OBEDIENCE
BRINGS
HAPPINESS

We have revised affirmations for this year too. Affirmations are said every morning before school. I think hard about truths I want my children to learn and personal things our family can work on, that's how I come up with them. Here are this years:

• I am happy when I obey
• I love to serve family
• I think of others first
• I am kind and share with my family and friends
• I am smart, healthy, and clean
• I love to go to school to learn and work hard
• I don’t complain about my hair or clothes
• I always talk politely
• I have good manners
• I love to read, reading is fun
• I chose friends who are kind and good
• I can do hard things
• I always choose the right
• I am a child of Godm a child of God

Here's to a great school year!

First Day Back

Here we go again! My first grader, Adeline. I have had major anxiety about this gal going to school all day. Thank goodness I have dropped trying to make her look cute and just let her wear what she wants or my head may have exploded!

But she's still so cute!

Austin is my 3rd grader. He's such an easy kid even though he thinks I'm a bad mom because I make him brush his teeth, comb his hair and wear clothes that fit.

It's so sad to have them gone all day now, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine.

On a side note- Bailey starts pre-school in 2 weeks. Lila is such a sweet little baby and still adored by all. I am getting back to exercising and feeling like a real person again!

On another side note- You probably think all we did this summer is have a baby, but it's not! I'm going to start posting about it soon...

real soon