Big Changes!

For those of you that haven't heard, as of August 24th Ardis Academy will be closed for the year. Yes, the Ardis kids will be going to public school for this year. I can't believe I am really saying that, but it is true. My reds are excited about the new adventure, but Bryce has very mixed feelings. He has some fond memories of when he went to school before, but his main problem (besides he doesn't do well with change) is that they don't play enough in school. He is toooooo funny! My main concern is that Bryce has consistantly tested a year behind. When I pulled him out of public school 1 1/2 years ago (he was in 1st grade) he tested like he was in kindergarden. They tested him yesterday and he test like someone going into 2nd grade (which he should be a 3rd grader). SOOOO after much prayer I have decided that I am going to have them put him in 2nd grade. I don't want him to start out, back in school, wayyyyy behind.

So, you are probably asking WHY are they going back to school. Good question! It isn't because I gave up, hated it, etc. It is because after MUCH prayer, fasting & going to the Temple Bryan and I felt like I really needed to help out at the clinic, during school hours. The office is really getting busy, which is good, but we aren't at a point (because of how much it cost to move a clinic & start over) to hire someone to help him out. And since I know his business better than anyone & I come cheap (haha) I am the only option right now.
So, for now the Ardis kids are going to public school. WOW! Pretty crazy, I really never thought they would go, but sometimes things happen different than you plan.
I have worked a few days this week & it was pretty fun. Kinda nice being able to work with your best friend - the man that I love!
Well, I don't know what else to say. Except I will keep you posted on our new adventure!
Lots of love!

Sierra's BIG 4th Birthday!

I can't believe my baby girl is 4. To celebrate her 4th birthday she got to have 2 parties. (She isn't spoiled or anything!) She had a birthday party in East Texas with 2 of her cousins that were also celebrating birthdays in July.
My dad bought a large blowup water slide for all the grandkids to play on when they are over so he thought it would be fun to get out for their birthday party. It has a large slide & then a small slide, both of which come out in a pool of water.
Sierra enjoyed the little slide. She didn't like the big slide because when you get to the bottom the water splashes in your face. She doesn't like that at all! So, she stuck to the small slide all night.


As you can tell, Savanah doesn't have a problem with the big slide AT ALL!


I tried to get Sierra to go up the big slide but she wasn't have any thing to do with it. Well, she tried it once & that was all she wrote.

Her she is with her cousins. My nephew Jaykob had a CAR MOVIE cake, my niece Callie made her own cake (She did an awesome job!) & my girl Sierra wanted a Barbie cake.

Kids are so funny! I tried to get her to pick a different Barbie to put in her cake but she wasn't having it. She wanted this Barbie with PINK hair & that was that! Since it was HER cake I gave in. I'm glad I did because it turned out pretty & she LOVED it, so that is all that matters.

I loved this one of her licking the icing off her Barbie! TOOOO Cute!

We then had a party, at the pool in our subdivision, with her friends here. They had alot of fun swimming & eating cake.

We had such a busy week with Bryan's work & also a ward party that I was in charge of, that I decided to just do cupcakes at this party. But we had to have Barbie things on top of each cupcake.



Sierra LOVES Barbies! So, she had been wanting a Barbie house to go along with all her Barbies. One day when I was going over to my mother-in-laws I came across a garage sale with a Barbie house for $30. It was in great condition so I ran up, paid for it, then had my father-in-law go back and pick it up for me. It has been at their house for months without her knowing. She was so shocked & so excited. We have hardly seen her since. She loves playing Barbies with her new house. It is so cute! Growing up I loved Barbies too. I played with them til I was atleast 12. My sister had a Barbie house, but I didn't. And she didn't like to share it either. SO, it was so funny getting her a Barbie house. So far she is sharing it with Savanah pretty good.

My sweet girl is so excited to be 4 & tells me all the time that she is getting GIANT now. We love Sierra & the sweet little girl that she is. She has always been such a sunshine to me. The Lord knew we needed her in our family. She lights up a room with her sweet spirit, her sweet smile, and her little laugh! I love you Sierra! Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Summer Fun!

I'm back Staci! I am still laughing that you started your blog out telling me that you missed reading my blogs. So, here I am! We have had a really busy summer, but a fun summer. SO, I thought I would share of few photo's of what we have been up to.

We went camping at my cousins lake a few weeks ago & had lots of fun. Yes, I do mean lake. He has about 400 acreas & their was a natural spring on it that was dammed up. They took the dam out & after a few rain storms it formed a lake. It was alot of fun!



He had a paddle boat their & we went for a ride. Deuce didn't actually go out on the lake with us, but he jumped in with the kids so I got to take this cute photo! My 5 babies, aren't they cute!


He has a dock that the boys enjoyed fishing! My kids have become quite the fishermen since we moved to Texas. We go fishing alot!



The girls getting ready to go out in the paddle boat with Bryan & I. I haven't been in a paddle boat in over 10 years. It was alot of fun, but I forgot that it was alot of work on my legs.



Bryan took the kids out in the boat! Everyone but Sierra had fun! She did not like it at all! She is crying in this picture. She liked the paddle boat better because it didn't rock back and forth.

We also spend alot of time swimming. We have 2 pools in our subdivision so we are their almost everyday. The kids took swimming lessons again this summer, from my friend, & the 3 oldest ones are really becoming little fish.

When Bryan goes with us to the pool, Bryce, Brayden & Savanah hang all over him & have him throw them in the pool. They love it!

I thought this one was cute of Bryce! He LOVES swimming & has taught himself to do front & back flips. He also loves to dive for things in the pool. The kids are not going to like it when it gets to cold to go swimming!

Sierra loves the pool, but won't get out of the ring if she is in the big pool. We have a great baby pool that she is usually in. She took swimming lessons for the first time this year, but doesn't like to put her face under water. Maybe next year!

Brayden is a really good swimmer, also. The only reason he is in a ring is because he loves to jump from the side of the pool into the ring.



More swimming!

I just realized that I didn't post a picture of Savanah! She is an amazing swimmer. For those of you that know Savanah well that probably doesn't surprise you. She is such a little fish. (I'll find a picture of her & post later.)

Did I mention that we fish ALOT! We have a pond in our subdivision & it is a great place to fish. EVERY time the kids throw their line in they catch a fish. Then we throw them back in. Bryan's job is the help them get the fish off the line, if it is hard. But, most of the time they bait their hook & get the fish off by themself.

I love this picture of Bryan! He is toooooo funny!




The boys have become quite the fishermen! They have even gotten really good at catching catfish. They love it!

Here is my little Sierra! She even loves to fish & doesn't mind touching the fish. In most things she is alot like me, but I can't handle touching a fish! You go girl!

My girl Savanah! She is great at anything she does. Swimming, fishing, & even riding her bike. She decided one day that she wanted Bryan to take off her training wheels. Bryan set the wheels on the ground & before he could turn around to help her she just got on & took off. That's my girl!



Brayden (or little Bryan as I call him)! I love this picture because it really shows his personality. He is just so funny & so much like his dad. He keeps us laughing.


I hope everyone has had a great summer, like we have. I have more to post like our Hawaii trip, my brothers wedding, Sierra's birthday, & school. BUT dinner is calling so I will try later this week.

I'M GOING PRIVATE!

After much consideration I have decided to make my post private. So, with that said PLEASE send me your address (if you are family & close friends) so that I can make sure you can log into my blog. It will remain open for a few days, but I plan on making it private at the first of next week!

LIFE IS TOOOO SHORT!

Today has been a really hard day for me & for so many others. Today we mourn the loss of Alan Denton who was an awesome friend to many, a wonderful husband, an awesome father, & a terrific son . My friend & big brother, growing up, was killed last night in a tragic accident. Alan was 38 years old. He was killed while driving to his parents house. He was RIGHT in front of his parents home (he almost made his destination) when a 21 yr. old kid fell asleep driving his truck & came into Alan's lane & ran over him. His 3 yr. old son, Logan, was in the car with him. He is banged up, has a broken leg & is an emotional wreck - but he survived. Alan's poor parents were the first on the scene. (Alan's younger brother, Chris, died of cancer 4 years ago.) I can't even imagine what his parents are going through losing 2 of their children.
To Alan, my friend. Thank you for being my big brother & taking care of me in High School. We had so much fun (Alan, Joe, Sarah, & I) riding to school together after seminary. Our everyday ritual, after seminary, was to either go to McDonalds or the Donut Shop for breakfast, before heading to school. You always gave me a hard time about how proper I would eat & how it took me soooo long to get my bisquit ready to eat that everyone else was already finished with their breakfast when I got started. We also had so much fun, the four of us, going to Stake Dances in Longview. Thank you for always taking care of me, for all the laughs, & for being such a great friend! You will be greatly missed.
To Alan's sweet wife, to his 5 children, his parents, & his brother & sister, I love you & my heart goes out to you.
Today made me realize that Life is too short! You never know when it will be your time or when someone you love will be taken from this earth in an instance. Life is tooo short to stay mad at your loved ones and friends. Life is toooo short so we need to Live, Laugh, & Love EVERY day. Never let a day pass that you don't tell your family how much you love them. Never let a day pass that you don't kiss your spouse & children.

Great Kids!

Sometimes you have moments that make you realize how great your kids really are, and that they even listen to you. I'm sure all moms (or parents) wonder if their kids even listen & then realize one day that they really did. Last week was an awesome week & I just wanted to share a little of our week with you. (This isn't a picture from last week, but I thought it was cute).

Anyway. We have a friend that lives on our street & is over almost every day with her son. She is not a member of our church, but gets to hear about our church all the time from the kids & I. My kids are being great missionaires to her & her son. On Monday, when they were leaving I heard Bryce telling her that "At our church we have a Prophet of God. And he teaches us to have Family Home Evening, so we have Family Home Evening every Monday Night". He then went on to tell her what we were doing that night for FHE. He didn't know I was around but he was sharing a little of his testimony of FHE. Bryan & I are so proud of him. He is always inviting them to church (they haven't come yet, but Bryce hasn't given up). He has also taken other friends, on our street to church with us. It is so awesome so see my kids sharing their testimonies & being good missionaries to others.

On Thur. when we were coming home from the store the kids saw alot of workers at a house (that is being built right behind us) working. It was pretty hot that day & they decided that they wanted to take water bottles to all the workers. There were over 20 guys at this house. So they each took 3 bottles at a time until each guy had some water. These guys were so grateful for the water & it was so sweet to watch my kids being of service to others. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness at 8, 6, 5, & 3. I am so thankful that they care about others enough to share their testimonies & be of service to others.

The next day Bryce decided that we needed to go over & clean up (& recycle) where the guys just drop their trash. In scouts Bryce learned about recycling, so he is always going to the lots where houses are being built to clean up after the messy workers.

This week as I sat in Sacrament meeting I just felt so blessed for the wonderful children that I have. Bryce, for his sweet spirit. He always makes sure that we read our scriptures & is always sharing his testimony with others. Brayden, for the way he keeps us laughing. He is always being funny & making us laugh. He also has a way of making you feel better when you are upset or hurt. He loves to get the girls going at times, but when they need comfort or love, he is always there. Savanah, for her helpful heart. She really loves to help lately & loves being a big girl. She at times will sneak up to her room & clean it before you even ask her & helps her little sister with her bed. Sierra, for her loving & funny spirit. She loves to make people laugh & her giggle is contagious. She also is a great comforter to those in need.

I just feel really blessed to have 4 wonderful children that end up teaching me at times!

I got Tagged

Well, it happened to me also. Cindy tagged me! My letter is M. Hopefully I can come up with 10 things.
1. Mother of 4 crazy children that I love!
2. Man is my life busy right now with 4 kids, homeschooling & trying to start our new office in Texas.
3. Mountains - I love being in Texas but miss the beautiful mountains of TN!
4. Memories - I love all the memories that Bryan & I are making with our children. One of the best things about homeschooling is that their is so much time to make wonderful memories!
5. Music - I love to listen to music when I have a minute without the chatter of children.
6. Money - Uncle Sam is about to take all my money next week on Tax day. I definately would rather keep MY money than give it to him!
7. Monk Seal - One of my favorite things about Hawaii was seeing all the monk seals lying on the beach snoozing. It was AWESOME!
8. Mormons - I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Wasn't conference awesome! We are so blessed to be members.
9. My Family! I know that is cheating a little bit, but I LOVE being by MY Family in Texas. We love that we are able to be by Grandma & Grandpa & Uncle Adam and see them all the time. We also get to spend alot of time with Howard, Cheree, Kaycee & the boys. And then we get to see my family in Gilmer alot also. Living in TN & never getting to see Grandparents very often was hard on the kids & I. SOOOO, we love being by family.
10. I saved the best for last - My Man! I LOVE my man & I am soooo thankful for the awesome husband that I am blessed to be married too.

Well, there it is. I don't know who to tag. So unfortunately I am going to let it end with me.