Karter DID it!!

Yep, that's right Karter made the club basketball team!!!!! After enduring tryouts all last week, Karter will play for the club Dixie Shooters!!! He was so excited!! He has a huge love for basketball and loves to play. We are so proud of him!!! We love you Karter!!!

I know it's been quite a while since I have done a thankful thursday post. It's not that I am not truly thankful for so much it's just that as usual life seems to always get in the way:)

*I am thankful that I went to Texas and was able to be there for my brother. I am proud of him and all of his accomplishments.

*Thankful for the time I got to spend with my sisters in Texas.

*Thankful that Brynlei has survived her "freak accident" with her foot proving once again that she is one TOUGH little girl. (Much, much tougher than her mom)

*Thankful that my children love school so much and make the transition in going back so much easier.

*Thankful for the time I got to spend with my children and Nate this summer. There truly is nothing better than time spent with them.

*Thankful for mindful parents who love me so much and continue to be there for me when I need them.

*Thankful for the blessings that our family receives continually from our Father in Heaven.

*Thankful that everyday I still am soooo in love with Nate and that I get to be with him forever!!

I still have a lot to blog and I promise that I will try to update this a lot more so that I am not so far behind.

Peyton and Brynlei's 1st days of School

On Monday (16th) Peyton started his second year of Pre-School. He is now in the 4-5 year old class. He loves school and was pretty bummed that he still has one more year to go until he goes to the big school with his brothers. He loves Miss Julie and Grandma Smith at Watch Me Grow and had a fun time making new friends. He said that he is going to have a fun year this year!!!

Brynlei started Pre-School on Tuesday (17th) and loves it!!! She is in the 3-4 year old class. She has been waiting for the time when it would finally be her turn to go. She had a blast and absolutely loves Miss Julie and Grandma Smith. Did you notice her sweet foot? That is another story altogether that may or may not be posted. But she is doing better for those that are curious.

It is so weird that all my kids are in some form of school this year. That just means I need another baby:)

*BTW I still have more things to post to catch up, so stay tuned.

First Day of School (August 13th)

Well, the three older boys started school last Thursday (13th)!!! They love school and are so excited to be back in it. We met with their teachers on the 11th and felt that they would all be pretty good this year!! Karter is in 4th grade this year and has Mrs. Bertuzzi. Wow, just saying that he is in 4th grade kills me. Where has time gone? Traevn is in 2nd grade and has Mrs. Heath. She is really young and cute!! He loves school and was counting down the days like it was Christmas!!!! He thrives much better with the structure and schedules of school. Brekken is in 1st grade this year and has Mrs. O'Malley. He was excited that him and Cutler (one of his best friends) are in the same class. Also, he was excited that he gets to go the full day!!! I cannot believe, and I know I say this a lot, how much time really flies by. It seems like Karter was just in Kindergarten and I was having Brynlei, but skip ahead four very fast years and here we are today. Anyway, I miss not having all the kids around during the day, but I am glad that school has started again! Plus they all look so handsome/cool/cute in their new school clothes.

TEXAS

Alright so I finally made it to Texas and back again!! Chad graduated with his doctorate from Texas Tech and my parents and sisters and I flew down to celebrate with him. (Jeremy couldn't come due to work obligations but he was missed) So we flew down on Thursday 6th and got there in time for dinner at Fuddrucker's with Chad and the kids. The next day, while Chad worked, we took Jaxon, Makayla, and Mya school shopping. So it was a morning and afternoon of shopping and eating!!! After Chad got off work, he wanted to take us up to Canyon, Texas to watch the play TEXAS in an outdoor amphitheater. It was a lot like Tuachan, the stage was set up the same way. Before the play, we ate Thai food (Chad's favorite, he served his mission in Thailand). It was a late night and we didn't get back to Lubbock until about 1:00 AM and we had to wake up way early to get ready for the graduation and get Chad's kids ready. Saturday morning we headed over to Texas Tech to watch the graduation with the kids and Chad's friend Kim. Chad looked awesome in his robes and attire!!! After the graduation, we ate some more, shopped again, went to Jaxon's basketball game, took the kids go-cart racing, and of course ate again!!! After dinner Chad took us to his work and showed us around, it was pretty cool to see his office. Then we went and had the best concrete's ever!!!! (my one and only splurge:))

On Sunday, we went to Chad's church, ate at Olive Garden, and headed to the airport to wait for the plane. Our plane on the way home was painted like Shamu from SeaWorld. My kids thought it was so cool that I got to fly on Shamu!! We had a lot of fun in Texas. I will say that as we were flying back into Vegas I was so grateful to see mountains!!!! In Texas there are no mountains, it is flat, flat, flat!!! I didn't realize how much I take the beauty of Utah for granted until I was without my beloved mountains:) Also, the Lubbock Temple is beautiful. It is a smaller temple and is actually right behind his church. The Moroni on top is huge!! It was good to finally be able to see where Chad and his kids live, see their house, visit them, and see where Chad has been going to school. I had a lot of fun but I will say that I missed my kids and Nate tons!!!! They called me everyday and filled me in on all the fun they were having with dad!!! It was good for me to get away and get a break but it was hard to leave my family. And Nate did survive and actually surprised me by doing housework, cooking Sunday dinner, and basically surviving with all five kids by himself!!! Thanks babe for letting me go and be there for Chad!!! Once again, Congratulations Chad on everything that you have accomplished. We are so proud of you!!! and thanks Nate for being the awesome dad/husband that you are!!!

I am back and waaay behind (again)

I am back and have pictures from Texas that I need to post. I am also way behind on a ton of stuff. I am organizing my pics today and hopefully I will be able to post by tomorrow. Check back soon.

and away I go.....

Okay, so tomorrow morning (Thursday) I am off to Lubbock, Texas! I am a little nervous though because I am leaving Nate and the kids at home.  Nate has never had the kids by himself for more than a few hours, let alone four days!!!  My oldest brother Chad is graduating from Texas Tech with his doctorate, so we officially have another Dr. Graff in the family!  I am flying down with my sisters and my parents.  Not only will I be out of town but Nate's parents are also out of town, so Nate actually has to go totally solo!  I know that he can do it and that it will be good for him.  I think it's me and that I don't know what I will do without my kids for that long.  I love them and haven't been away from them for longer than an overnight trip to grandma's and grandpa's or when just one of them goes on a trip.  Hopefully I will be able to survive:) I am definitely excited to see Texas and see my brother graduate!! I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments.  So if you are in the neighborhood check on Nate and make sure that he is still alive (and not tied up:))  I love you guys and will miss you every moment that I am without you.  Take care of dad!!!