Soccer Saturdays

One of the things I enjoy about fall is soccer! Our son, Jaxson, might not be the star of the team, but I enjoy watching him learn life's lessons on the soccer field. Here are some pictures from our Saturday fun:

Celebrating the 1st week of school!

As with many great ideas I seem to have, this one hailed from my dear friend, Rachelle! I read her blog last year and saw how she made little candy bar posters for her girls when they came home from their 1st day of school. Since both my school-aged children began school on different days AND my pre-schooler was already going, I chose to make these little posters to celebrate the end of a successful week of the new school year!

Needless to say, the kids LOVED their posters!

1st Day of the 09-10 School Year

The 1st day of school: rituals, new schedules, tears? Not when your 5 year old son has been beating down the door for the moment! There were other moms falling apart....and then there was Jody, cheering for her son! Anyway, here are some pictures of Jaxson as he is entering Rocky Mountain Elementary!
Here is our Taylor, with her new short haircut (she cut off 10 1/2 inches and donated it to "Locks of Love!" She loves her new cut), getting ready for her 1st day of school at Challenger. I know, I know, the public school advocate sending her child to a private school? We came to a decision after a lot of sleepless nights, debate, research and prayer. Taylor is at a key point in her education and we think there are some holes that the educators at Challenger promise they can fill for this school year. We'll see how it goes!

10th Wedding Anniversary (part 2)

Here are a few pictures that made the anniversary day so special! Dave bought me 2 anniversary bands to do with my ring. You can't see it too well because apparently, diamonds are too sparkly but the I love the new addition to my ring!
Here is a picture of the beautiful roses Dave gave me for our 10 year anniversary! I loved them (Go Costco!).

Happy 10th Anniversary to me!

I don't have a picture to post and I'm too tired to scan in anything but I have to say that our 10 year anniversary was awesome yet somehow paralleled our wedding night 10 years ago!

Dave came home from work with 2 dozen beautiful roses for me! When we left our home, Dave drove me down to the Harley Davidson shop to check out some bikes for a few minutes. THen he told me we were off to the jewelry store to pick out an anniversary band for my wedding ring. I was so excited! As we were looking etc, Dave informed me he wasn't feeling too well. While we were waiting for the ring to be sized etc, we decided to cancel dinner plans and ended up stopping at Kneaders for some chicken noodle soup. When we walked through the door at home, he headed straight to bed for the night while I chatted with his mom and aunt Colleen.

So, with that said, let me add that I could never express what Dave means to me on a public blog or how much I love the man. He is my everything.....

Announcing the Arrival of Baby #5!

I know, I know, it was a surprise for us too!

For the past 2 years, I've been watching the KSL Classifieds closely, observing how people have been dumping their grand pianos for insane amounts of money! This summer, as I saw grand pianos going for 3-4K, I asked Dave if I were able to sell mine, if I could get a baby grand. He told me that would be fine so about 3 weeks ago, I listed mine for sale.

After I posted it for sale, I had an idea. I quickly created another "for sale" ad and titled it, "Looking to trade Yamaha Upright for Baby Grand" and then preceded to write that if there was anybody who was in a position where they were down-sizing and wanted to trade a grand for a nice upright (Yamaha pianos are at the top of the line for makes of pianos), to call me.

And nothing. For 18 days.

While I was in Sanpete county with my mom and uncle on Thursday, I received a phone call from a gal in St. George. As our conversation upfolded, I learned that they needed to sell their YAMAHA baby grand and had had it listed for several months (I had seen it and noticed it since it was the only Yamaha and died when I saw how cheap they were selling it). They were down to the wire. She told her husband she might as well trade for a nice piano. So we set it up and I told the I would pay 1/2 the transportation cost since they were taking a friend's grand up to SLC.

So, here she is!







I cannot, cannot quit looking at it! And playing it! Even Dave noticed how rich and deep the sounds were as I played some of my favorite pieces. This is a dream come true!

2009 Family Pictures at Albion Basin

When our dear friend, Jen Johnston, told us about Albion Basin in the summer, it was a no-brainer that we wanted our family pictures there. The good news is that we got some amazing shots of our children and of Dave's parents, Barbara and Dale. The not-so-great news was that our family picture didn't turn out like Jen wanted so we're going out in the fall for a family shot that will look good above the fireplace. :)

Here are some of my favorites:

Grandpa Hatch's 100 Birthday Celebration

Ammon Paul Hatch is my grandfather, the only grandfather I have known. He was born in September 1909 and will be turning 100 next month. We went ahead and held a family celebration in his honor in Chesterfield, Idaho last month since many families drove several days across the country and flew in from all over the U.S. to attend this event! It was amazing!

We met at the Chesterfield Townsite for a tour. We all jumped on a trailer hooked to a semi and another towed by a truck and went from place to place. We all gathered around Grandpa as he told about each of the places and special memories he had there.

Here is Grandpa being taken around

This is the house where he and grandma Hatch welcomed all 5 of their children into the world. He called it the "happiest years of his life."

Cousins Kelton and Teresa

Grandpa Hatch was the bishop of this ward for many years and preached from this pulpit. He told several great stories. My dad reminded us about the power of our choices as couples while looking at what grandpa and grandma created in their time together.

Cousin Kevin and his family

Dad and Grandpa!

We ate a scrumptious dinner in the renovated amusement hall. We sang many of Grandpa's favorite songs and watched several of the great-grandchildren perform talents. Justin's kids and mine sang, "I Like to Look for Rainbows" accompanied by Uncle Josh!

Dad, Aunt LaPreal, Grandpa Hatch, Aunt Kareen and Uncle Paul J.

Deceased is Aunt Gaylie

After an afternoon with our extended family, Uncle Justin took each kid for a ride on the horse. Fun, fun, fun!

I LOVE my family and am so proud to be part of the Hatch/Lee Families in Idaho! It feels amazing to belong to something so noble and strong where we wrap our arms around each other in love.