BRAD IS ENGAGED!

Well as you can tell...a lot can happen in a weeks time and this news certainly beats all news. Our newly returned missionary son Brad is now engaged to Michelle Chidester! Yea! We love Michelle so much and all agree that Brad couldn't have chosen anyone better to spend life and eternity with! Brad and Michelle were both missionaries in the Ukraine, Donetsk mission and became very good friends there. When we went to Utah in August for our family reunion they got together as friends usually do...and, well it quickly progressed into more than just a friendship. They have chosen December 20 as the big day so now Michelle is working hard to make sure everything goes smoothly that day and Brad is at BYU trying to concentrate on his schoolwork (hah, hah, hah!) A December 20 wedding means that our family will be in Utah for Christmas after having been away for 15 Christmas's so that will be fun as well. So much change and so much fun!

Next week our kitchen will be torn apart as we are starting on a Kitchen remodeling project so I will definitely post some pictures along the way so that we can chart the progress. Today I need to start boxing everything up and organizing it in such a way that we can access what we need when we need it! Good Luck to me!

Happy Birthday to Jane! Her birthday was on September 2 so I am little bit slow in blogging this, but we did just have her friends party last Friday so now I can put up the pictures from both events. It is so hard for me to believe that our youngest daughter is now 10 and in the double digits! Boy does that ever make me feel old! But I am also so grateful that I have a 10 year old and that I am not going to be an empty nester any time too soon! Jane is a gift to our family and makes us all laugh! I have been feeling a little sad lately realizing that my family is growing up and leaving the nest and that most likely all 7 of us will never live under the same roof again for any length of time. But then I guess that is what we strive to do as parents...teach our children to be able to live on their own and to be independent. It is wonderful to see how all of our children are making great choices and doing so well...I couldn't be any happier about what they are doing...I am grateful for that.

Anyway, Jane was able to celebrate her birthday on three different days...how does she rate? We had birthday cake and icecream and opened a few presents the night before her birthday because we knew her birthday night would be crazy with meetings at the church! But on her birthday she had her traditional Swedish pancakes in bed, lunch out with mom and then we all went out to dinner and opened up her final gifts. I think she felt sufficiently honored! Finally last Friday night we had 9 giggly girls over for a swim/ game night with pizza, fruit, cookie cake, icecream and candy...lots and lots of candy. It made me so happy to see these girls having some good, 0ld-fashioned fun together without any media of any kind. I think we need more of that in our society. We definitely rely too much on media to make us happy, but it's the games together that can bring closeness and create real memories! All in all we had a great party without too much mess! Happy birthday to our little sweetie!

BREAKFAST IN BED...AHHH THAT'S THE LIFE!

BECS AND JANE...WE MISS ANNE!

FAMILY DINNER...WITHOUT OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS...WAAAA!


JANE GOT A NICE SURPRISE IN THE MAIL FROM BRAD AND MICHELLE...YOU CAN TELL BY HER FACE THAT IT MADE HER VERY HAPPY! HER FIRST FLOWER DELIVERY!


THE BIG JUMP!

PARTY FOOD AROUND THE TABLE!


COOL SHADES WITH CLAIRE!


CAN YOU TELL JANE'S HAVING FUN?


THE HAPPY COOKIE CAKE...by the time we got to this point in the party everyone had had too much sugar and were not very excited about adding more...but at least it looked cute!

BACK TO SCHOOL!

August 26 was an exciting and sad day all at once! Sad that summer came to an abrupt halt with school starting and exciting because school started! I love summer time so I am always sad when those somewhat lazy days are over and we have to get back on a schedule again. But then getting back on a schedule feels good as well and I seem to get a lot more accomplished so it definitely is a catch 22! We only have three children left at home as we left our oldest two, Brad and Anne, in Utah to go to BYU.

Ben is a senior this year which is so hard to believe...but of course he is so excited to think that in a few short months he will be finished and be able to go to BYU to join his brother and sister (that is his goal anyway!)

Becca is excited to be starting her freshman year in high school, but with that comes a little nervousness and anxious anticipation of the unknown. She and Ben started seminary this week which means we are all getting up at 5:15 each morning so that they can be out the door at 5:55....OH THAT IS SOOOOO EARLY! Needless to say there is not a lot of talking going on when we pass each other in the wee hours of the morning!

Last to leave in the morning is Jane, our fourth grader, and she is as happy as a clam (who even knows if clams are really all that happy anyway?) to get on the bus and join her friends in Mrs. Croskey's class. She loves to do her schoolwork and she is very conscientious about it.

I am so sad that our family is growing older and I want to put a stop to it right now, but I don't think that is possible! When Brad graduated from high school three years ago, I knew that the other children were right behind him and that I wouldn't be able to stop what was already in motion. I am so happy that all of the children are making such great choices ...choices that will bring them happiness now and in the future. Even though they are leaving me too fast I can at least feel peaceful that they are prepared for life and that they will do well with whatever life brings them!