9.29.2015

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7th: We got back from our Texas trip in time to catch the last few weeks of summer before school started.

13th: Paul and I joined Stewart, Lorraine, Merrilee and Steve in an 18 mile run down Big Cottonwood canyon in preparation for our Marathon in a month. This was the longest I'd ever run and I loved the downhill nature of the course. I felt really good after running and it gave me a lot of confidence going into the marathon.

We swam a few more times, went the the museum, fun things with cousins and visitors. We also said goodbye to our favorite babysitter Lauren Hunt who is headed to college. Lauren has been babysitting for us since Nolan was a baby and she has been such an answer to prayers. The kids love her and she will be missed!


14th: We spent the day in Ogden for Sarah Callister's wedding to Blake. We attended a luncheon, the sealing and their reception. In between the sealing and reception we took the kids to the "Treehouse Museum" and it was so much fun! The cutest kids museum and the perfect way to pass the time during a busy wedding day! Their reception was at the Callister's and it was absolutely gorgeous!



15th: We went for a RZR ride up the canyon to the secluded Forest Lake and had a picnic. We soon found that the lake was completely full of salamanders! The kids had brought their net and bug catcher and buckets in hopes of finding something and with dad's help we caught 61 salamanders in our bucket! The kids loved scooping up their slimy bodies. That night we went to the Andrus' in Midway and got to hang out with Jeff and Melissa and their family!




That night Maddie and Caitlin got to have a sleepover and Caitlin was in heaven. The girls were absolutely adorable all snuggled up in Caitlin's bed and they actually slept really well! They had so much fun and even wore matching dresses to church the next day.

17th: We had a "meet the teacher" day in preparation for school and both kids' teachers seem great. Then we went to the Gottfredson cabin for the day.

19th first day of school: the kids were really excited for their first day. The night before we had our "Back to School Brinner and Blessings" We had breakfast for dinner and then Paul gave Caitlin and Nolan each a special blessing to start the school year and then we did a fashion show of our new school clothes and picked out outfits. Caitlin came down the next morning at 8 AM dressed and ready to go. School doesn't start til 12:00. Nolan woke up in the best mood. So we spent the morning getting ready and eating good breakfasts and then we stopped by Dad's work beforehand to show off our outfits and then stopped by the grocery store for treats and then it was finally time! the kids reacted exactly how I thought they would:
Caitlin got a little nervous in the car before walking in about being there and said she was sad to be away from me. I reminded her that she's done this before and she knows what school is like and knows how to do it and I'll be back in just a little while. We reapplied her lipstick and she felt good to go. We took Nolan to his class and she helped him find his name and we saw our cousins on the way over to her class. She walked in and her teacher remembered her name and complimented her necklace and dress (perfect for this words of affirmation gal) She got her name tag on and then turned to me like I was dismissed. I got a hug and then I left. She seemed a little unsure but putting on her brave face. Afterward she was all smiles. She said she had a great time and they did lots of fun things. She said her teacher was nice and she liked her class. She'll be great!
Nolan was SO excited to go to school and couldn't wait to get out of the car when we pulled up. He unbuckled and opened the door and said "let's go!" I asked who wanted to get dropped off at their class first and he said "me!" He walked ahead of us to the door and walked right in and to his class. He slipped inside and waited patiently as his teacher was helping a few other boys. Then Caitlin helped him pick his name tag and his teacher helped him put it on. Then he turned and said "Bye mom!" I made him give me a hug then he said "Bye mom love you!" And ran to go play with the toys. Afterward he gave me a detailed report of what he could remember that they did. He said they looked at a flag but only his teacher could hold it (i'm assuming the pledge of allegiance) and they sat in a circle. I asked "did you sing songs?" and he said "no. I didn't sing. Norah sang." "oh so everyone else was singing but you didn't want to sing?" "Nah I didn't wanna sing." I asked if he played with the other kids and was nice and he said, "yah i was nice. The green shirt boy wasn't sharing" "did you yell at him or were you still nice." "I didn't yell. I just told him 'you need to share' he's gotta work on that!" He has his little friend Norah in the class and his teacher is really nice and happy. I asked him if he wants to go back again and he said "YES!"


22nd: We spent with weekend between the Gottfredson cabin and bear lake with friends and had a lot of fun playing in the water, rive, catching animals and spending time together.

25th: The kids had their first soccer game! Caitlin, Nolan, Cason and Corinne are all on the same team and Paul is the coach! The kids love having him coach and they had a lot of fun their first game. Paul hyped up scoring a lot and Caitlin was SO determined to get a goal. She scored one and she was SO SO happy. She threw her fists in the air and turned around and ran into Paul's arms on the field yelling, "I did it!!" As Paul was holding her I could see her face and I saw that she was literally crying tears of joy!! It was hilarious and adorable.  
*Unfortunately my phone broke at the end of this month and I lost quite a few pictures.
*Another unfortunately: Paul was supposed to go on a caribou hunt in Alaska this month, had been planning it for a year now and the guide called about a week before and told them the animals aren't moving and they should cancel their hunt. He was very disappointed after all his excitement, planning and preparation.
Caitlin's actual birthday was on a Thursday so we had the whole day to ourselves! We had colored pancakes for breakfast then she and I got to go on a special date: photoshoot and a treat, then we had lunch with friends at McDonald's then we did crafts together during quiet time, then opened more presents. That evening we went on a scooter ride around the neighborhood (on her new scooter from Grammy and Papa) and then had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and had a movie night! It was a great day!

She got to take treats to her school class to celebrate her birthday and she was so excited to pick them out. It took a long time at the store to decide but we eventually settled on chips ahoy cookies and she was really excited to pass them out.










For Caitlin's party we had a "My Little Pony" themed party at the kids' gymnastics place. Caitlin gets REALLY into her parties... when you are five your "birthday party day" is pretty much just as good as your actual birthday. She had been looking forward to her party forever. We had about 15 kids, they played all over the gym and had a blast then we gathered for cake and ice cream and presents upstairs. Caitlin is the funnest to watch open presents... she's incredibly animated and ecstatic over every gift she gets. Her best reaction (as in screeching for joy) was for her goldfish and fish bowl she got.

Caitlin: 5 years old

I can't say enough good things about Caitlin. She is truly such a sweet and good girl. She is such a blessing to our family brings everyone so much joy.
She has the most tender heart. She deeply cares about those around her, the things she does, and anything she comes in contact with. She loves her family: She is a daddy's girl and she lights up whenever he is around. She is my mini-me, and she is the best big sister ever. She cares for her brothers, keeps them in line, and is such a huge help to me. She loves everyone and always want people to feel included. She doesn't  really play favorites, she just expects everyone to get along and have a good time. She has a soft spot for animals: she loves any animal she sees (just in the past few weeks she's encountered frogs, crickets, fish, dogs and even a snake) she always want to give them a name and always ask to keep them, she's even had flies as pets! 
She is very smart. She can carry on an adult conversation with anyone. She has a great vocabulary and lots to say. Occasionally she'll be quiet at first but once she's comfortable she is a chatterbox! She asks a lot of really good questions and lots of times she'll say that you just want to "chit chat”. I love our never-ending conversations. She is excellent at coloring and being creative. She loves making crafts and she always wants to share her creations and give them to people. She also loves playing dress up and is constantly changing her clothes and always loves an excuse to dress to a theme or wear a costume. 
She is expressive, animated and theatrical. She absolutely wears her heart on her sleeve. She wants everything to be a production and a show and makes every day into a special occasion. She LOVES surprises and getting gifts. She likes things to be fancy and special. Even with all her outward emotions, she always has a lot going on inside her head. She analyzes things and she remembers everything. She deeply wants to understand why things happen and she has a sensitive spirit. She loves words. you love to be praised and hear nice things about herself. She would love it if I would just follow her around all day and compliment her on every single thing she did. She also loves to give praise. She makes up names and songs and silly phrases all the time. Just the other night when I was tucking her in she said, "goodnight cookie that i just baked in the oven and put some sprinkles on! Good night turtle bean robot waffle sniffer!"
We love her to pieces. We love everything about her and we are proud of the person she is becoming. 

Here are my birthday interview questions with Caitlin. I was laughing while we did this because some of her answers were really surprising to me. I would have very different answers if you asked me these questions about her but as I mentioned before she doesn't really play favorites. She changes what she likes and goes with whatever is on her mind at the moment.  
-Favorite color: mint (I would have said pink)
-Favorite thing to do for fun: go to Provo beach resort  
-Favorite thing to do at home: play games like candy land (I would have said coloring, or crafts or playing in the backyard)
-Favorite food: Mac n cheese (I would have said pizza)
-Best friend: Nolan, Dax, Cason, London (she couldn't really decide on her very best one)
-Favorite song: I am a Child of God
-What do you want to be when you grow up: a chef (other popular ones are a mom and a dentist or a doctor)
-Who do you like to spend time with: mommy while we paint nails
-Something you are really good at: coloring
-What makes you laugh: when someone tells me a joke
-Do you know any jokes? What does a snowman eat for breakfast? Snowflakes and milk
-What's the best time of day? quiet time bc I get to do my iPad
-What's something you're afraid of: when tubes pop when your riding in them, and dragons
-Favorite animal: cheetahs bc they go really really fast
-Something you like to learn about: letters
-What are you best at at school: being good
-Favorite book: Pinkalicious (I would have said Fancy Nancy)
-What's one wish that you have: Christmas would be all the time
-Favorite holiday: Halloween because we get lots of candy
At 5 years and one month old (September 29th) she: weighs 39 lbs. (43%tile) and is 42" tall (37%tile)