Moldenhauer Reunion

We got back from our convention late Saturday night, went to Sacrament Meeting Sunday morning, and then headed up to Island Park for the Moldenhauer Reunion!  We were so excited!  The last time we have all gotten together was five years ago, so it was great to be together again, especially in a place that holds so many wonderful memories.  

We played in the water all day long and played games inside for hours at night.  It was a great couple of days!  I pretty much never had my phone on me so I didn't take any pictures...bummer...but I did get a few!

Splash Pad

Towards the middle of July we headed down to Salt Lake for a homeschool convention.  I was actually kind of nervous.  I had no idea what to expect but thought it might be good to get ideas and be around others who are on this path with us.  Mark won husband of the year award because he went with me - no questions asked!  He did make me laugh...HARD...when we first sat down and were waiting for the opening session and noticing that there were very few men in attendance and wondered if he would leave with the same face as Matthew McConaughey as he leaves the Celine Dion concert in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  Haha!

It ended up being such a great weekend and such a confidence booster for me.  Plus, it was lots of fun for me to have Mark see what we do every day and be a little more involved.  I was definitely glad we went!

While we were off at the conference for two days, our kiddos were getting spoiled rotten playing with Gramps and Grammy.  They played at the splash pad and probably did a whole lot of other stuff that we will never know about ;)

Fourth of July

Fourth of July found us waking up early once again to get up and going to Soda Springs.  Also, as a side not, Mark had to work the ENTIRE reunion.  Boo.  Luckily he got to be with us at night but we definitely missed getting to have him share in the memories with us.  

I piled the kiddos into the car and we headed on over.  My kids look forward to the parade in Soda SO MUCH!  It is definitely one of their ultimate highlights!  They could not wait.  And the parade did not disappoint.  They got loaded up on WAY too much candy and had an awesome time.  Ben was not a fan of the sirens at the beginning but I think even he was enjoying it by the end.  

After the parade we headed over to the park and walked around a little bit and then headed over to Grandpa and Grandma Clegg's.  I love getting to just relax in their backyard and catch up with family.

After lunch I drove over to Grace with my Mom and Sarah to visit the family buried there.  When we came back, Ben and Sarah took a nap with Gramps and I took Jacob down to the shooting range.  

I didn't grow up shooting guns at all.  My Grandpa Moldenhauer took me out once when I was maybe ten-ish but that was all.  In college I took a class that required me to take a hunter education class and I discovered I was a pretty decent shot and I do enjoy shooting targets.  Going shooting seems to be a rising Fourth of July tradition though on the Clegg side.  We have never gone before but Jacob and I thought we would tag along.  

I must admit I was a little nervous about how to do it with Jacob.  I first thought that we would sit back and just watch but I also kind of wanted to give him a talk.  We don't have any guns in our house either (but our street is absolutely loaded!  As are probably most homes where we live!) and I feel like taking the curiosity out of it helps eliminate a lot of problems and I wanted Jacob to have a good understanding of it.  There is no one that could have done a better job of that then my Uncle Jim.  He is a former marine who loves to build guns and is great with Jacob.  He took Jacob aside and showed him and really explained everything in such a perfect way.  I was so grateful to him for doing that - especially since Mark wasn't there.  

Seeing your barely turned six year old holding a gun was a little unnerving.  I was a jumble of emotions inside!  But Jacob really enjoyed it and I think it was actually a really good experience for him. 

Afterwards we went back and got Sarah and Benjamin and then headed over to Grandma Dixie's house.  We love going and spending time with her.  It never seems like there is enough time.  The kiddos had a blast playing with all of her toys, helping make the homemade root beer, and sorting through the fireworks. 

Sadly, Benjamin got REALLY done though.  The poor little guy was tired and crashed loud and hard.  Once I finally got him down I realized that I was not feeling very well at all myself.  I kind of gave myself a little time out for awhile and luckily there was plenty to keep Jacob and Sarah occupied.  

The fireworks were unbelievable this year.  Melina really went for it and put on quite the show.  The whole town just seemed to erupt in fireworks that I felt totally okay with leaving at 10:00 (when the city fireworks started) because we had quite the show already.  The kiddos all crashed hard on the drive home after a fun-filled day. 

Clegg Family Reunion

Yep...I don't think I have EVER been so behind in blogging.  I must admit the thought even came to me, "is this even worth it?  Should I just end it now?"!  NO!  It's worth it to me, and it took me like 10 seconds of looking at our yearly scrapbooks that I make for me to remember that.  So I am DETERMINED today to get caught up...or at least make a good dent ;)

This summer was definitely our wildest and it definitely felt a little crazy but it was bursting with lots of fun activities and memories.  

To kick of July, we had our annual Clegg Family Reunion.  We all look forward to this every year and this year did not disappoint...although I think we needed another day (just sayin').  

The first day/night (Monday) everyone was filtering in sporadically but the next day we hit the ground running.  We always plan our reunion around Fourth of July and since it was on a Wednesday this year it just felt weird all around.  

We got up early, grabbed some breakfast and headed off to the beach.  We wanted to get set up and "established" before things got too crazy.  It was a breezy and cold morning and when we pulled in I thought we had entered the twilight zone.  There was not a SINGLE car in sight.  It was so crazy.  Definitely not what we expected!

The morning was a chilly and sprinkly one.  The kiddos tried to make the best of it but they all ended up shivering and snuggled up in their towels.  The day ended up getting warmer but it was just cold that morning. 

Finally after about three hours we decided it just wasn't our day at the beach and headed home.  Instead we hopped into our warm indoor pool and had a good old time.  Well, maybe not Gramps who thought it was still too cold ;)

Later that afternoon we all got ready to have Gramps' Retirement Party!  My Dad is one of the hardest working people I know and he has worked for the same company for 31 years!  That's pretty unheard of nowadays.  He has so much to be proud of in his professional life and I am so excited to see what he does in the future.  This next chapter for him and my mom is going to be awesome...I just know it!

And, of course, we ended the day with shakes!

First Day of School

Today was our first day back to school and we were all SO EXCITED!!!

We've been doing some school stuff throughout the summer but we took the last week and a half completely off and even that felt like a huge break!  Plus, we are ready to really get into the swing of things and get going in our full groove.  BUT the most exciting thing is that Miss Sarah is starting preschool.  She's been counting down the days for months!  She can't wait!

Jacob is going to be in first grade!

And our little lady is starting preschool!

NEW YEAR...HERE WE COME!

Back to School Feast

I am painfully behind in my blogging...but we will catch up on that another day. 

TONIGHT was one of my favorite nights.  Tonight was our 2018 Back to School Feast.  I love this tradition and I feel like every year we get more and more into it and it becomes more and more impactful.  

We had a yummy fancy feast and then Mark and I shared with the kiddos our new theme for the year.  The theme we chose this year was a scripture, in Matthew 5:16:

"Let your light so shine before men, 

that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

I love this theme.  It is all about LIGHT!

Also, I promise Benji does wear pants on occasion ;)

A couple weeks ago, Jacob and I were talking about light in science.  We talked about natural and man-made sources of light.  And then our conversation turned to how Jesus Christ is like the sun.  The sun lights the world so that we are able to see all that is in the world.  Christ lights the world with the joy and knowledge of the Gospel, helping us all to see and understand God's plan for us.  The sun brings life to the earth.  Without the sun, life would not be possible.  Through the creation, Jesus Christ made life on earth possible.  The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, giving us direction.  Christ provides us with direction in our lives by helping us know how to live good lives.  And the sun provides the earth with heat and warmth.  While knowing of and following Jesus Christ fills our hearts and minds with warmth.  

Isn't that amazing?!  I love having these conversations in our home.  I really love it.  

After having this amazing conversation about light with Jacob, I couldn't get it out of my mind.  Mark and I started reading talks about light and came to this talk from President Thomas S. Monson called "Be an Example and a Light".  It's a beautiful talk and I would definitely recommend it.  

Tonight we shared with our kiddos the scripture that will hang in our family room and we will recite every day in our family scripture study.  This will be our focus.  We shared how we can be a light to the world, to our communities, to our ward, and to our family.  I love how every year these conversations get deeper and deeper.  

After our conversation, we all gathered together to receive a blessing from Dad.  Jacob and Sarah were practically bursting to hop off the couch and have their turn.  They were so excited.  There spirits are strong.  I know our Heavenly Father has a work for each of them to do...and I cannot wait to see it.  

We all are so excited about this upcoming year.  I still can't believe sometimes that we are on this journey together.  I never thought I would homeschool and yet we know it is right for our family.  When I think about how much growth our family has had this last year, I am amazed.  We still have so much to improve on but I feel the Lord refining us.  I love being home and surrounded by my kiddos.  It brings me peace.  I love all that we learn and explore together.  It is a blessing and one that I am so grateful for.  

So here we embark on another year!  We are wiser than the year before and excited for more.  What more could you ask for?!