First Day of School

Bailee, Lincoln and Jackson started school today!!!!! It was a very bitter sweet day. The kids were very nervous going to a new school, meeting new friends and having new teachers. They were super excited to wear their new clothes, shoes and pack their backpacks for the day.

Harrison desperately wanted to go to school today also.

 

 Bailee's first day of 4th grade ( There are certian things that make me stick out like a sore thumb... one of them being how Canadians would have said grade 4.... I believe that scientist would call this adaptation)

 Jacksons first day on Kindergarten. All day kindergarten might I say. Harrison missed him so much today. Jackson was to tired when we picked him up from school that he was asleep within minutes of getting into the car. (He made sure I got a picture of his "doggy" backpack)

 

 Lincolns first day of  second grade. He was very nervous and anxious, but his teacher is amazing and calmed his nerves right away. He was so brave today.

 

 The kids outside of their new school. It is A LOT bigger than Cranston school. Right now their are 700 children in the school. but they have room for double that!!!!!!!!

 

Jackson in his Kindergarten class. Your growing up too fast buddy.



My observations

So everyone here is always saying how brutal the weather is right now... are you kidding me!!!!! This is amazing. It really feels like summer. Now that being said no one here will ever complain about the winters.... in fact they all say that we don;t really get a winter. They will tell you that they have about 6 months of summer 3 months of Fall and 3 months of Spring.... sounds pretty good huh?????

Our Real Estate agent informed us that when we start to llok for Halloween cosutmes to make sure to pay attention to how heavy the material is in the costume because the kids can get too hot in them..... ummm really????? I informed her that for the past 9 years I have been buying Halloween costumes 2 sizes too big so that I can fit snow suits under them :)

People are VERY aggressve drivers... If there is an inch between you and the person in front of you, someone will squeeze their way in....with no warning might I say. People either drive with their blinkers on continuously without switching lanes, or they don't use them at all The roads are very busy...very well planned out though. Right by where we are staying is a 9 level over pass (that would be 9 overpassess stack ontop of eachother). There are a lot of people going in a lot of different directions. Betty (my GPS) has become our families new best friend. Sundays are the best day to drive on the roads here because everyone is in church. I'm not joking. There is no one on the roads before 12. .Everyone goes to church on Sundays here!!!! We really are in Bible country. Every church that we pass have cars in the parking lots.... and the road are clear.

All in all, this move has been really good. Of course there are things that I miss (friends and family mainly), but we are really trying to embrace this and try to always look for the good in things. I can always find things to complain about... but that isn't going to do me our anyone else any good. So we are going with a glass half full out look and seeing where it is going to take us.

On another note....The kids start school tomorrow. They are nervous and excited (understandable). They are starting at a brand new school. We have told them that it is perfect timing because everyone in the school will be new. I know that they will make a whole bunch of new friends and have many amazing experiences. It will be a bitter sweet day for Ben and I tomorrow. Jackson starts kindergarten. There is no stagered entery and no half days. He will be gone from 820am-340pm Monday thru Friday and eating lunch in the cafeteria with everyone else...starting tomorrow. I am really going to miss the kids. I was so lucky to have them ome home for lunch last year and get a little snipit of their days mid day. It is going to be hard for me not to have them home. I have really enjoyed our time together this summer. I feel as though we have made some really great memories and formed some really great relationships. Good luck tomorrow Bailee, Lincoln and Jackson. Mommy and Daddy love you very much.

The Aquarium

 

Today was the kids last offical week day before school starts on Monday, so we thought that we would try to make it an extra special day. What better way to start a special day than with breakfast at I Hop right??? 

 

After we stuffed our selves with pancakes, bacon and eggs we headed downtown to the Houston aquarium.

 

 

Jackson hanging out with the sting rays.

 

 Ben touching the sting rays. The other kids were too scared to touch them. They loved watching them though.

 On the train to see the sharks.

 London and daddy

 

 Bailee and Lincoln on the farriswheel.

 

 London didn't really like the merry-go-round. Do you see the fear in her eyes.

 

 The three boys... I mean Ben and two of the boys.

 

There was a white tiger at the aquarium. London loved it, can you tell?



Our new home

Ben and I came to Texas the begining on July and in 2 1/2 days looked at many beautiful homes. In our search we found the perfect floor plan for our family. We went to the builder and he said that he had a spec home that would be ready the middle of September. We put our deposit down and it has been a fight ever since to get it done (not because the builder has been difficult, but because there are no trades people to do the work... sound familiar Calgary). Needless to say our possesion date has been moved to end of Septemeber to end of October. Not going to happen. I have said it before, we have been blessed many times over in this move and this next opportunity is no different. The builder notified us that he had a house come on the market that is the exact same floor plan as the one that we were building... who's buyer has fallen through and we could have it in 10 days.....AMAZING!!!!!! So (sound the trumpets please)..... THIS IS OUR NEW HOME!!!!!!

 

 The back yard

 Bens favorite room in the house... the media room

 The master bed room

 The master bathroom that has the biggest closet I have ever seen in my life. Honestly my kids rooms were smaller than this closet. I don't understand how people could possibly fill it all.

 Bailee's room

 Lincoln's room

 Jackson and Harrisons room

 My favorite room in the house.... the kitchen

 View from the front enterance.

 

London does have a room also, but she wouldn't cooporate for a picture.

The front view of our home

Let the adventures begin

Me and the kids arrived in Houston on Friday. We surrvived the trip. I am eternally grateful for my mother-in-law who was willing to fly with my to Houston for the day. Our final tally for travel gear was:  10 suitcases/ 2 carry ons/ 4 car seats/ 1 stroller/ 5 children and 2 adults. It is amazing that we arrived with everyone and everything in tow.

Our Summer adventures

As a lot of people may know the kids and myself spent the month of July and August in Nampa Idaho visiting my in-law. The kids and I spent the days swimming and playing with their cousins and hanging out with granma and grandpa. Jackson became an avid farmer, helping grandpa collect corn and pick tomoatoes from their garden and Bailee helped to gather beans. They all became very good at shucking corn. Harrison was very helpful to grandma in cutting the corn off of the cob to freeze too.

When we arrived in Idaho Jackson could not swim on his own and Harrison was terrified of the water and wouldn't even get in. When we left a few days ago Harrison was jumping into the water and Jackson was swimming laps. Amazing what daily dates with the neighbourhood pool does :)

We also celebrated Lincolns 7th birthday with grandma and grandpa and all of his cousins.

London is growing up before our very eyes. She has fallen in love with shoes, lip gloss, purses and babies. She is quite the ham and makes us laugh on a daily basis.

We have had a lot of fun, but also miss all of our friends and family in Calgary. We have spent many hours infront of the computer skyping and trying to stay in touch with everyone what we can. I am hoping that this blog will help everyone keep up with us and we will be able to keep up with everyone else.

Here are a few pictures of our summer adventures.

 Harrison and Ali swinging at a park in downtown Boise.

 London and her shoes

 London feeding her baby

 Cousins at the zoo

 Bailee's very sore thumb. She gave evryone the thumbs up for weeks while it healed.

 Happy 7th birthday buddy!!!!

 The kids all in the most amazing tree. You can't see it in the picture but there are 2 tire swings on this tree. Every kids dream come true.

 Jackson shucking corn with papa.

 London getting ready to go swimming

Our new begining

For all of our friends in Calgary and Idaho and Utah.... I promised that I would start my blog again when we arrived in Texas... so here I am living up to that promise.

The internet in the apartment that we are staying in is extremely slow. I tried to load some photos, but I think that was a little too much for it to handle because it froze up on me. So I promise that I will add photos as soon as we get into our own place..... which will be in 10 days by the way (YES!!!!!!!).

We have already had many adventures in Houston. My mother-in-law flew with me to Houston and I am extremely grateful for her. I really don't think that I could have done it by myself (Final tally: 10 checked pieces of luggage, 4 carseat, 3 carry-ons, 5 children, and 2 adults). Thank you Charla!!!!!

Ben and I have had many blessings lately. We are very lucky to have such amazing friends and family. I don't know where to even start to thank everyone for the support that we have recieved. Thank you Calgary for taking such good care of Ben the last 6 weeks. Thank you mom and dad for being there to do everything that I was not there to do myself and to take care of Ben for me. Thank you to the Cranston ward for loving our family so much. Thank you to Charla and Dan for letting our 5 children and myself take over your house for 6 weeks. Thank you Andy, Kelly and girls for being our best friends and to Scott and Nicole and Lucy for playing with the kids and giving London a little cousin to learn to play with. I can say with 100% certainty that our Heavenly Father has had his hand in our lives, guiding my family, giving us strength when we thought that we had no more, for carrying us when we could go no further, for making us stronger through our triasl and triumphs. I will miss everyone that has touched my life over the last 7 years. We have learned that it is never good bye, just see you later. So I hope that I will see you all later (we will have plenty of room in our home for any passer-byers). I have told the kids that we are going on one big adventure hunt...so here is to many adventures and a new begining for our family. Thank you all.