First Day of School!

Today is the first day of school! It honestly feels like a blessing, as the last few weeks have been a bit rough at our house. Lots of fighting and tattling, whining and other discord. It didn't help that Teag was at Convention and I've been sick with what I'm sure must be the plague. It's lasted forever. Anyway, I think everyone is ready to get back into a bit more of a routine. This year is a bit of a momentous one for Teag and I, as we will have all four kids in school! Hurray for the parents! It's also momentous, as it's Maisie's last year of grade school. She'll be a big Junior High kid next year.

This year Maisie is very excited to have Mrs. Lyon as her teacher, as are we. I think this will be a good year for her. Danyn is starting third grade with an old favorite of ours, Ms. Richards. Maisie had her and we absolutely loved her.

Rory begins first grade with her teacher, Mrs. Carr. We don't know her very well, but we have high hopes.

Finn's school hasn't started yet; he doesn't begin until after Labor Day. We'll post a picture of him then with his own sign, but in the meantime, I wanted to show you how excited he is for his new fox backpack.

He's told anyone who would listen about it. He's very proud.

I'm excited for what this new year will bring, and am looking forward to watching my kids explore their new environments. I hope they'll be able to grow, and flourish and discover new things about themselves.

Rory Turns Six!

 Rory celebrated her sixth birthday last week in fine style. Waking up to a breakfast of "Rolling Pancakes" (crepes), and opening her presents immediately after. Rory is very much into Barbies these days, and requested a Barbie dream house and a couple of dolls, as well as a Barbie movie.

I managed to find a collapsible dream house that was fairly inexpensive and easy to store. She was thrilled with it, as you can see from her reaction below.

Her siblings wasted no time helping her break in all her new loot.

That afternoon we went to the Trampoline Wairhouse, a place Rory has heard good things about from Danyn. We all spent the next hour jumping our little hearts out.

Then we went out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Rogers, to Rory's restaurant of choice, Lady in the Taco. Otherwise known as Rio Grande. It's Grandpa's favorite place as well, which is why they joined us. Then we went back home so that Rory could enjoy her own mini apple pie.

Rory is starting 1st Grade this year. She is smart, sassy and a lot little bit of a diva. She's the girliest of my girls, and loves her long, long hair. She's also the tiniest of my kids, barely weighing more than her little brother. She can be very sweet, and very feisty, and she still struggles a bit with her temper. Her reading has improved quite a lot these past few months, and she mostly reads chapter books. Teag and I love her little drawings and illustrations, especially when she draws people. She is an invaluable asset to our family, and I can't imagine life without her. Love you, Rory Lynnigans!

Bayly Camp Out

Teag left the Thursday I was still at Girls Camp to go up to the property with his family. I joined him Saturday afternoon, after I'd packed up all the additional stuff he needed me to bring, finished my laundry, and made the two hour trek there. Teag isn't much of a picture taker, and as such, the only pictures we have are from when we pulled out the Bean-Boozled Challenge on the Bayly cousins. We even managed to get a few of the older boys to participate.

We were all pretty horrified impressed when Kolby managed to choke down a skunk spray flavored one. Chewed and swallowed the whole thing.

Other than that, the only other pictures we have are of a few us playing games, including some with Finny and Grayson. I've never seen him look so happy to lose. I'm sure that will only last as long as he is ignorant of the rules.

Teag seemed very stressed out, and didn't seem to be enjoying the camp out much, which was unfortunate because I had a blast! I got to play a bunch of my favorite games, and got introduced to a couple of new ones I really like. There was lots of good food to eat, and I stayed up way too late playing games with my teenage nephews, because that's a much better way to spend time than sleeping on a crappy mattress in my trailer. If you'll recall, I'd been camping all week leading up to this, and only had one blissful night at home in my own bed. It was colder this time around, so that was a bit of a downside, but I thought overall it was a lot of fun. Maybe I'm the only one though, since I showed up late, and everyone else had gotten rained on. Hope better weather prevails next year!

Baby Will!

That same Friday, a new little one joined our family, when Nate and Elle had their third boy, William Rex Rogers!

He weighed 7lbs 11oz, and looks just like his dad, and his older brother Sam. So excited for him to join our family! Congrats Nate and Elle!

Zumba Night Out 2015! Or, the night I met my Zumba Hero, Kass

So, my Zumba friend Natalie told me about this amazing Master class coming up in August that featured one of my all time favorite Zumba people, Kass Martin. The only problem was... it was the day I got home from Girls Camp. Not an insurmountable problem at all, but for anyone who has gone to a full week of Girls Camp, you know just how tired you are when you get home. But I was determined to make it happen. Natalie and I paid for a VIP ticket again, which is something I've never regretted from past Zumbathons, and we anxiously awaited the day. I made sure to take a huge nap once I got back from camp, a feat made much easier by the fact that all the rest of my family was up camping at the property with the Bayly's. Natalie picked me up, and we were off to start our night!

Kass was co-hosting the Master class with another ZES, Steve Boedt. I had never heard of him before this event, but he is an amazing dancer/instructor in his own right. Being a VIP entitled us to a question and answer session beforehand with the two of them, a fantastic opportunity.

As well as a fair few selfies, and group shots.

 Here's one of me on stage, before the event started.

And then we got the "official" photos, with the professional photographer.

After that, it was time to party! It was seriously an amazing night, and so fun to watch these two play off each other.

 If you look carefully in these next few shots, you can see my curly little head in there somewhere.

The only downside to the whole evening was a serious lack of air conditioning. I wore my heart rate monitor, and it was crazy to see afterwards that I spent most of my time up in the red/danger zone, and it was all because of the intense heat. Hopefully something they'll remedy in the future. Other than that, I felt like spent the rest of the night on a total high, feeling jazzed and happy, but also incredibly tired. So glad I have Natalie to share in my Zumba love!

Girls Camp!

The first of August brought Girls Camp, and the start of a very busy week for yours truly. Camp this year consisted of three girls and three leaders; a small but formidable group of females.

Our ward chose to be "builders", and we spent the week talking to the girls about how to build their "castles", reading them the Parable of the Three Princesses, a story that directly ties in to our life here on earth. We wore Lego necklaces, and had shirts made that reminded us that Anything is Possible, One Brick at a Time.

We went hiking, though we're pretty sure we went the wrong way. We ended up back where we needed to be though, so it was all good.

We played games, and laughed a lot, and got to enjoy some pretty spectacular scenery.

As well as some local wildlife. These rabbits have no fear!

On Wednesday, we had pretty much the entire day scheduled for ward time, so being as we're such a small group, we took our girls to Provo River falls for some quiet reflection time.

Here I am...reflecting

Then we took them to Dick's Drive In for lunch, one of my favorite places to eat since I was little.

And then we went swimming at the Kamas Rec Center, where everyone got a nice hot shower. It was such a fun day. Thursday we did some crafts and workshops, including one where everyone painted their own dot, representing our potential here on earth.

 

Thursday morning, we discovered my car had a flat tire, so after one of the priesthood brethren was kind enough to fix the hole, he gave the girls a lesson on how to change out a flat.

And then they dined on grapes as a reward.

Something that made this camp extra cool for me was having a childhood friend there with me. Heather grew up next door, and we were friends through a good portion of our young women years, attending many Girls Camps together.

It was a great week, and a great group of girls. I'm grateful for the chance I have to be one of their leaders, and to be able to interact and learn from them. I feel truly blessed in this calling.