One year older for Ryan Jane

Our 'Bopsy Boo' is 9 years old!  When Ryan was a baby we called her the "baby" and it kind of evolved into the "Bopsy" then "Bopsy Boo" or the "Bops" and it has just stuck!  She actually likes the nickname and I am glad.  We love our Ryan girl.  She has so much personality and is very quick-witted so she keeps us laughing all the time.  She can almost always be found with her nose stuck in a book.  In fact, most days the kids will pile into the house after school and after a while I will begin to wonder where Ryan is.  Sure enough, she is in her bed, under her covers reading, reading, reading.  If she's not reading she is emptying the dishwasher with her MP3 player in her ears while she serenades us all at the top of her lungs.  We love our Bops.  

One of the best parts about birthday celebrations is getting to meet the kids at school for lunch.   That didn't happen last year since her birthday was on Saturday so she was pretty excited this year.  Her pick?  Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets and a strawberry milkshake.  Mmmm. 

We had a nice little family party at home.  She didn't really want a big party.  But, then again, with our family of 7 it's always a PARTY!! 

If you'll notice...Don has a very interesting mustache drawn on his upper lip.  Since Ryan's birthday was on Monday, we had our traditional Family Home Evening but instead of having a lesson, we created a short video all about Ryan.  We were all interesting characters and Don was the interviewer with a very thick accent.  His questions were centered around why we love Ryan and how she has blessed our life.  It was actually a really funny video and Ryan loved it.  So...then it was time to gather for pictures.  I was busy trying to get the automatic timer set up on the camera and didn't even notice that Don still had his mustache!  

Ginger made her this cute, very sweet card that made Ryan feel special.  I love sisters.

I made her a new tied fleece blanket since her old one was used to catch her throw-up on the way home from our trip to CA.  I was ready to wrap it in a bag for the 23 hour drive home and wash it when we got home, but I liked Don's idea better.  Throw it away!!

Hope you had a good birthday, Ryan!

Back to School 2011

The carefree, endless days of summer are gone and now it's back to alarm clocks, packing lunches, reading logs, bus schedules, and homework!   Oh how I love summer break.  But, I have to admit that by the time we are halfway through August, I am ready to get back to early bedtimes and a more disciplined schedule.  The kids were ready, too.  And pretty darn cute...

Ethan was a little sad to be going back to school without his FAVORITE teacher from Kindergarten, but once he met his new teacher he was excited!  

1st grade here we come...

4th grade for Ryan this year 

Gilli had to be there to walk Davis to his new class and see one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Brown.  Davis rules the school this year in 6th grade...

Gilli was no longer a "SEVIE", as she was often called last year, but now she's a big, bad 8th grader!  And Ginger was off to the Freshman Center starting high school.  Yeah, don't get me started.  How can I possibly have a child in high school?  She started the wonderful world of early morning seminary as well, which means she is up at 4:40 every morning to get to the church for her 6:00 class to study the scriptures with all the other youth from church in our area.  Early, yes, but what better way to start the day than that?  

My house was eerily quiet as it always is on the first day of school, but that doesn't last long.  :)