I Officially Have A Preschooler...

Yesterday, my Little Miss started preschool.  She has grown up so much and it seems like it happened overnight!  I wanted to make the day really special for her, so we made it an "all about Caitlin" day.  She loved it!  We got ready in the morning and skipped all our regular morning chores and went to breakfast.  She ordered a pancake shaped like a snake and then we headed to the mall to get her an outfit for her first day.  She was way more in to shopping than I thought she would be and we both had a blast!

 Next, we went home to get her ready and do her hair.  She wanted it straight down with a headband on, so that is exactly what she got.  This girl amazes me every day with how much she understands and how grown up she acts.  She loves just talking to me and learning new things and I love it.  I already miss her...and she is only gone 3 hours 2 days a week:)

Her teacher's name is Miss Jean and she said Caitlin did great and that she was "4 going on 8"...that's my Caitlin.  I love her so much and I am so proud of the little lady she is becoming.  As hard as it is to watch her grow, I really do love each new stage and look forward to the life she has ahead.

Summer...

 This is how our summer started...and that was only the beginning!

We ended up leaving for Utah on July 5, two weeks earlier than we had planned for our summer vacation.  The reason was my sweet Grandma McOmie (Little Miss called her Grandma Jean-Jean) left this earth and returned home to Heaven to be reunited with Grandpa.  She was an amazing lady and it is still hard for me to know she isn't here with us anymore, but yet I know she is:)  She wasn't afraid to do hard things and she had one of the strongest faiths I have ever known.  Her greatest desire in this life was to be a mother and raise a family.  The doctors told her she would never have children...she had 6.  And each one of them, and all their children, loved and looked up to her.  

We then headed down south and spent some time in Loa and had a blast, as usual!  Jeff's parents home is one of our homes.  We receive so much love and support from them and are grateful for them everyday.  Little Miss got to play with Kage and Miss A got to harrass little Alaina:)  We went swimming and hiking.  Did chores and farm work.  Jeff went horseback riding and Miss A and I spent a lot of time just looking at the horses:)  She loves them!  We spent a day up at Fish Lake and took an awesome little walk around the lake to the lodge.  We love the time we get to spend there and the girls adore their grandma and pa!

  

 And then we spent the rest of our summer with Grammy and Grampy.  This summer was bitter sweet for me.  The last four summers I have had the privilege of bringing my family to Utah and living with my generous parents.  It is anything but easy to try to fit two families under one roof, with everyone's different schedules and routines, but we have done it.  We have laughed and cried, there have been tantrums and breakdowns, but mostly, just a lot of love.  My mom and dad's family has been through A LOT these past 4 years and we have grown so much...each one of us.  I have always looked forward to the summers I get to spend there, and knowing this was my last one was really hard for me.  Yet at the same time, I am so looking forward to our future!  Jeff will graduate this coming May and bring a close to the student chapter of our lives.  I have loved being with him on this journey and we have really grown SO much as a couple and a family.  Our girls are our joy and our light.  Watching them grow brings me so much happiness and I am so grateful every day that I chose to be a mom.  There is nothing more important in this life for me to do than to follow the example of my Savior and be a faithful, loving and devoted wife and mother.  Nothing.  

While I was reflecting on all of this, I realized why it has been so difficult for me to transition into parenthood completely...I had such an amazing experience being a daughter.  My parents always loved and nurtured me.  They took care of me and listened to me.  They taught me the gospel and how much my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me.  They taught me how to make it home and they gave me a safe place to be.  And now it's my turn.  I get to be the mother to my children that my mother was to me.  Jeff and I get to start our own traditions, make a lifetime of memories and create that safe haven so that someday, when it's time for them to leave the house to start their own journey, it will be bitter sweet for them as well.

 There was a monsoon-type rain and Little Miss was in heaven!!  Miss A not so much.

 Little Miss was in her first parade ever in Tooele, Utah!

 

 And this handsome boy, my nephew Mason, was baptized...the same weekend that little Brielle was blessed.  It was a pretty great weekend. 

 The summer ended for us earlier than expected as well!  The week before we left, my dad came with me and we took Miss A up to Primary Children's Medical Center.  She had some swelling on her toe that lasted for a week and a half without any known injury, and then I noticed her ankle on the opposite foot was swollen as well.  After multiple x-rays and blood draws, they found that she most likely had a form of juvenile arthritis.  I came home early to follow up with our pediatrician here and he confirmed it was arthritis and that we are going to need to see a pediatric rheumatologist in Seattle to determine what type and the severity.  Until then, we are trying to change up our diet and give warm baths every morning to control her pain as much as possible.  Some days she has a really hard time walking and if anyone even bumps her feet at all, she cries.  She likes to be held a lot and I thought it was because she just really loved me...Luckily, she is one strong-willed and spirited little girl so I am pretty confident she won't let this or anything else stop her from doing exactly what she wants:)

 

Make-A-Wish...

 The girls and I were able to go to Utah at the end of May and spend a couple of weeks.  We went to celebrate Carter.  He would have turned 6 this past June.  We miss him everyday.  The Make-A-Wish foundation wanted to honor Carter as he wasn't able to receive his "wish", a trip to Disney World, before he went home to Heaven.  They have these beautiful stars hanging from their ceiling, each representing a different child and Carter's is now up there with them.  Each person in his family was able to write a wish or message on the star before it was placed with the others and it was such a touching experience to see the love his family has for him.  We spent the day at the zoo, one of his favorite places, had lunch at a park, attended the Make-A-Wish ceremony and then went to Carter's grave to send off some balloons to him.

 This boy was not an ordinary boy... he was literally an angel on earth.  Love you Carter Man.

Vet School Open House...

 Every year, since Jeff has been at WSU, we have been able to attend the Vet School Open House the clubs put on in April.  The girls love it and this was the first year we actually remembered to bring one of Little Miss's "injured" stuffed animals for her to do surgery on.  Her dad turned out to be a pretty great assistant and I was impressed with her suturing skills...a little doctor in the making:)

 And I had to put these pictures of Miss A in here because 1) she's absolutely adorable and 2) I want to remember the way she held her finger for the entire day she had that Band-Aid on.  I could just kiss that face!