School!

The last two weeks have been spent getting ready for and starting Kindergarten. We went to registration after filling out about a thousand forms and almost that many checks. Mia got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Lippa, for a minute and see her soon to be classroom. She met a couple of kids, but wouldn't say a word to any of them...not a good sign.

Mia's first day was last Monday the 20th. She was really excited and looked so confident all decked out in her new "school clothes" and ginormous backpack. I hoped her confidence would hold out for our first goodbyes. The kindergarteners meet on the playground before school each day and the parents don't even step foot inside the school. So, when the bell rang she lined up and gave me a big hug and kiss. As I let go she immediately started to tear up and looked at me like she was wounded, but she was brave for the both of us and didn't cry as she walked away with her class. I, on the other hand, cried most of the way home. After school, she said she was sad when I left her but then when she got to class she was brave because God was helping her because of the blessing Jared gave her the night before. Her only other comment I could get out of her about school was that it was boring. Luckily the second day was only a little boring and since then she has loved every minute of it and not had a single problem saying goodbye. She has already made a good friend. Her name is Bella Ames, and they play everyday before school and at recess.
I have to admit I was so nervous for this whole school thing to start, especially since we didn't know a single soul at this school and I hate driving in rush hour traffic. I am so glad that the first week is over and we can settle into our new routine. I've figured out the best routes to take in rush hour traffic, how to manuver the parking lot during drop off and pick up, and Mia has a friend...What more can I ask for.
Mason has missed Mia at home and is always excited to go pick her up.

Mia Got Her Cast Off

Mia got her cast off a couple of weeks ago. I was very ready to get that thing off after six weeks of being paranoid of the water anywhere near Mia. Jared bought a grinding plate to hook onto his drill and went to town. Mia was glad to have it off and we celebrated by going down to the pool for a night swim.

Malad

The last two weeks we just relaxed in Malad. It was wonderful to have everyone home for so long. Becky was home for a few weeks before her move to Logan. Jeff is home for five months working till he goes back to BYU-I, and Christine and Dustin are always there, so we had a lot of fun in those two weeks. Mia and Mason love playing with MaCall, Landon and Raegan, and went to bed exhausted every night. Becky and I went for a run in the rain....hence the wet t-shirt picture.
This is me and the kids up at Power House. We all went camping one night. The kids enjoyed the fire, smores, playing no bears are out tonight, playing with the walkie talkies and just running around the mountain. Jeff and I hiked up to the top of the mountain to catch the view before heading back to Malad the next day.
Mason and Raegan are in the wheelborrow, then its Will, Landon, MaCall, and Mia...My kids the farmers...well, for one month of the year anyway. They love helping Grandma and Granpa in the garden and yard. They can't get enough of the resevoir, the playset, the horses, the dirt, the big yard, being outside with cousins and just being in Idaho.
If you'll notice during our trip Mia's cast went from white(temporary) to hot pink(permanent). Plus Mason's hair went from being really long to really short.

We had a wonderful trip to Idaho and can't wait to be back for Christmas!

Yellowstone-2007

We spent a really fun few days in Island Park and Yellowstone. We stayed at my brother-in-law's cabin in Island Park. We enjoyed an IMAX movie in West Yellowstone. (I say "we", but I mean everyone but me...they make me sick). We saw the usual sites in Yellowstone,(with a few exceptions,we only saw the last two seconds of Old Faithful and were too impatient to wait for it again; and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was closed). We did get to see the Waterfalls and play at Yellowstone Lake which is the only part my kids really get into because they get to be dirty and wet for a few hours. Once again no bears, but I can always count on the icecream being great. We also floated the river in tubes, which was my favorite activity. After all that we headed to Soda Springs for my mom's Corbridge reunion. The kids really enjoy the hay ride and I enjoy the food, so a fun time had by all. We ended up in Malad very exhausted.

Becky's Graduation

Becky graduated from BYU-Idaho on July 18th. Congratulations Becky! She is heading to Logan to work at a pre-school. Good Luck Becky!

The rest of the Benedict Reunion

This picture pretty much describes the rest of the first week in Rexburg. In a matter of five days everyone in the house had the stomach flu despite Sara's attempts to sanitize the whole house every five minutes...she eventually gave up and succombed just like everyone else. Everyone was either too sick to move or taking care of the next victim. There were throw-up buckets on every couch and in every bed room. Luckily, it passed pretty quickly and the kids and I really enjoyed a relaxing week with Emily and the kids. We only wish Damon and Jared were there for the good week and not just the bad one.

4th of July

We had a fabulous 4th of July. The pictures are pretty self-explanatory. The kids had fun chasing candly at the parade...by kids, I mean mostly Jared. We had a fun barbeque with Stan, Brenda, Jason and Tifani and kids and then headed to the splash park. The rest of the evening we just hung out and did fireworks. The kids loved the sparklers....whats not to love....fire on a stick...it's the one day kids get to break a thousand rules....(don't run out into the street, don't eat too much candy, don't run with sharp objects, don't play with fire.)

Day 1 in Idaho

We headed out for Idaho to spend an entire month with family. We started in Rexburg and were so excited to see everyone, especially Damon and Emily and their kids who we hadn't seen in two years. Jared set up a repel and zip line off his parents deck and the kids (and Sara) had a blast. All the kids hit it off right of the bat, unfortunately the kids had a little too much fun the first night and Mia ended up with two broken bones in her arm. She was much braver than her mom, who literally almost passed out while the doctor described what they were going to do in order to set the arm. The doctor said that the medicine would make it so she didn't remember what happened, but that she would still scream and feel pain. When the doctor set the arm all Mia did was look up at Jared and say in her quiet little voice "that hurt". She is amazing.

Mia's last day of Gymnastics

Mia has been taking gymnastics for about six months. She has a great teacher and loves it. I'm very proud of her for trying her best even though she wasn't blessed with a naturally flexible, cordinated, or strong mother...she seems to have overcome all these genetic obstacles and done a great job.

Mason has been so axious to join in. He gets a few minutes at the end of class to play.

Brii

This is a picture of Brii Nicholas, Brittany Ferguson, me and Mia in my swimming pool. We had a swimming going away party for Brii. We see a few young women age girls move in and out of our ward, but she is the only young women in our ward that has been here for the entire three and a half years that I have been the young womens president. Most of the time she is the only one that shows up. In one word, she is courageous. I can't imagine being the only girl in young womens every Sunday. Good Luck in Oregan Brii...We will miss you.