September 2025

October 03, 2025

September 2025

This was a month of growth! Mental, physical, and emotional hardships were ongoing, and we took the time as a family to communicate, exercise, eat well, sleep better, pray, and study scriptures.

Emily's ultimate high school goal is to be a cheerleader, so she signed up for dance. She is eagerly learning choreography and says she wants to be on Dancing with the Stars someday. She is doing a jazz/ballet/tap combo, and it's hard but she's made friends and enjoyed it!

Gwen started swimming with the Mesa Aquatic Club. She has practice several times a week and is loving the physical challenge. It's good for her brain to get that physical outlet! She comes home hungry and happy, and we love to see her getting coached well.

Jake's hair is longer than ever. He has a hair goal to look like Duke Atredes from Dune. Go look him up. He has great hair. It's been hard to figure out how to "train" his hair, but he's a babe and looking good.

We got several days worth of rain and storms and it was so much fun! We loved the rain and would collect the rain water in buckets and then use it on the plants and for the chickens. Jake and I both want to get a legitimate rain collection situation! That's a goal we have for the next year.

We accidentally get more and more chickens. We got three new chicks, and they are so cute. We've figured out the best way to get them used to us, and this new crew is going to be the most gentle set we've ever added. I think they're named Oreo, Nutella, and Peanut Butter. Great names.

Jake's niece got married and had a gorgeous reception! We went to celebrate Ashlyn and had the best time playing in the church's nursery.

WE BOUGHT A POP UP TRAILER! I'd been looking for months and talking about getting one. I had taken several temp jobs and just stowed the cash away waiting for the right deal, but nothing ever came about. One day, Gwen, Emily, and I were riding bikes and happened to see a popup with a for sale sign. We rode right over and it looked in good condition--not great, but that's fine! We wanted something cheap, and knew the insides might be bad, but if it didn't leak, everything else was easy. We called the owner and they came to show us right away. I was shocked about how good it was. I tried to not smile too much, but I knew we found the diamond in the rough! We brought it home, cleaned it out and then were even MORE surprised at how perfect it is. We can't wait to take it out. All of us are so excited and want to go every week.

This is probably my last few months of activity days because I've been in for three years, and once January is here, Emily will go to the older group and I'll ask to be released. We have had so many fun activities, but the last two we did were extra special. We had an etiquette tea party. Everyone dressed up fancy and we talked about manners and how to be a friend (how to include someone new into an existing conversation, how to ask questions about new friends, etc) while eating tiny sandwiches and sipping tea with sugars and cream. It was so much fun! The following activity was a service project to Feed My Starving Children. It was so fun to prepare food packets to send overseas to families and children in need. I can't wait to go again.

I started preparing for my Disney marathon! Meredith, Nicole, and I are going to Disneyland for a 10k in January without kids and I'm so excited!!!!

We went to the zoo! Jake and I love to match.

Wade sat here and said "CHEEESE!!" and the girls rushed to sit, too!

Here is our beloved Pop Up!!! She's old and crusty, smelly and perfect :)

The girls were being hairstylists and Londyn and Wade were models.

Percy loves this. Don't be fooled by his expression hahahah Milo and Wade with overbearing love

Isabel came to babysit!!! Reunited and it felt so good!

Cutie twinsies.

We went to Home Depot and got free sodas. Wade was hiding and mad at Gwen for finding him.

Wade hiding in plain sight.

Cutest Goose I've ever known.

Wade and I went to the gym but there was a broken down firetruck, so we skipped and watched them for two hours instead.

Haircut bribery.

He wants his hair done like his sisters and I oblige.

We went to a Mountain View football game!

They had cool helmets for sale. Emily really wanted one. Declined!

Movie night with our friends/neighbors! Reggie and Cam are two of Wade's favorite friends.

"SpOoOoOoky guys!!!!"

Wade and Percy

Gwen, Londyn, and Rivers at Ashlyn's reception

Snuggling watching Paw Patrol probably

more spooooooky guys

Lowes is elite but they have the scariest spooky guys. Poor Wade. Proceed with caution especially at the clown guy. He looks okay at first but when he pops up, it's horrific. hahaha

Curtis was in town with his school playing badminton!! We cheered so loud for him! He lost right away, but we had a lot of fun and he showed us all the people he likes.

I was taking a picture of an owie I got (you can't see it, but I'm certain I broke a bone in my hand) and Wade copied me. I CAN'T HANDLE HOW CUTE HE IS.

More hairstyling from the girls

My friend bought our favorite sushi restaurant and remodeled. Jake and I got our first date night in MONTHS and ate ourselves sick. What a great thing to do.

Etiquette tea party!

Aren't these women such beauties!?

Feed My Starving Children! Some people scoop food, some weigh the packets, seal them and pack them! There's something for everyone--except littles. Young kids aren't allowed. Sorry, not sorry, Wade!

So fun!!!!

The flags on the upper banner represent the countries this food gets delivered too. Also! This morning I got an email that the food we packed was delivered to its destination! So cool! The session ended with a prayer, and Emily volunteered! She did a great job and prayed so sincerely for all of us who spent time packing, and also for the pilots who'd fly the food and the people who'd eat it. I was emotional! So proud.