Jarvis Family Reunion

The Jarvis family reunion was in Flagstaff this year and it was a lot of fun. The last time my family went to a Jarvis reunion I think I was like 10 years old or something. I didn't know anyone there except my immediate family so it was fun meeting new relatives and getting to know them.

We played survivor games to see which family was the ultimate Jarvis survivor. This is my cousin who had to eat the disgusting things pictured below. I don't know how she did it!

We stayed at my Uncles cabin with them which was nice. Steven and I were only there Friday night so we took advantage and stayed up late playing games and watching movies.

We went to a little craft show at the park and this is my Aunt Tina feeding my brother JD some yummy ice cream...

First Day of School...

Where does the time go. Katon is now in 2nd grade. He is growing up to be such a handsome wonderful boy. He was excited to go to a new school and meet new friends.

My little Mikelle is now a 1st grader. She is the biggest helper in the morning. She gets dressed and does her chores right when she wakes up without being asked.

I can't tell you how adorable it is to watch these two go to school together and walk home from the bus stop together. I am so glad that they are such good friends and that they watch out for each other.

Kayla sure gets lonely with her brother and sister gone.
The first day of school was July 28th. The kids were super excited to go. They woke up bright and early at 6:00 all dressed and ready. I only had positive reports when they came home of how great it was and everything they did in detail. It looks like this will be another great school year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JD

My brother JD turned 18 on July 22nd. We all went out as adults to dinner and bowling. JD is a great brother not to mention just a great person all around. He has always had a good head on his shoulders and has always stood for whats right. He will help us in times of need and even babysit if we need him to. He is a great uncle that my kids love to play with. Something I love about my brother is that he will always give me hugs. They sometimes are to tight and some have been when he is sweaty and dirty but non the less I love the hugs! We love you JD and hope you had a great birthday!!!

What better place to start off the summer

Our kids only had 4 weeks of summer until they started school. Bummer for them. So we decided we needed a vacation. There is no better place to us then the beach. We took off last minute and had a great time. We spent every day all day at the beach. Our kids loved it. The water was a little chilly for my liking so I just basked in the joy of watching my kids explore the waves and built sand castles with them. Steven of course had to try out the waves too. We had fun eating sandwiches on the beach, going to In and Out Burger for dinner, swimming at the hotel, laughing hysterically at our kids trying to imitate the Chinese radio stations, Steven and I getting the worst sun burns of our lives (so that really wasn't fun but it was memorable) just being together as a family and making memories was the most fun.

Holding back the Tears...

Last get together with some PT friends before we moved

This is Kamala. I started babysitting her right when we moved to Flagstaff. She was 8 weeks old when I started and turned 2 right before we left. I was sad to leave her. She felt like one of my own. I watched her grow and saw all the fun mile stones that took place. We sure miss having her around!

This is Sis. Rowley. She lived around the corner from us and was our kids adopted grandma. It was a blessing to know her. She was my Flagstaff mom.

Something I am going to miss terribly are my kids friends. The fact that they could just walk or ride their bike down the street to play with friends was so great. They made many great friends that will be missed.
Katons best friends were Aaron Payne and Rhett Scott
Mikelles best friends were Olivia Larson and Sara Goodman
Kaylas best friend was Claire Larson

Moving Day arrived and despite my efforts to be prepared it was still stressful. We couldn't of done it without my mom and brother JDs help.

We moved on June 28, 2008. I can't tell you how much I will miss Flagstaff. These past two years have been some of the greatest.
Things I will miss...
Friends
Our ward
The WEATHER
Movies at the square
PT parties
Picnics at the park in JULY
Waking up to it snowing
Cuddling on the couch with a blanket and drinking hot chocolate
Opening my door during the summer time breathing in the fresh air
Snow days
All the small town festivities
Leaving my doors unlocked and not freaking out about it
Having family and friends come visit
My kids school
Our regular Sunday walks
BBQ's
Okay seriously I could go on forever. The point is I really enjoyed our time spent in Flagstaff and I will miss it terribly but the fact that we are moving on and Steven is in his last year makes it worth it.

Mikelles Birthday

Mikelle had a great Birthday!!! At least I hope she did. She got to choose the activities for the day. She picked out breakfast which consisted of waffles and bacon, then we went to the park for a picnic. Steven was able to meet us at the park for a little while and that was a fun surprise. She wanted to go to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner and the birthday girl got her wish. I have to add in here that Mikelle is the luckiest girl in the world. I am so serious. Anytime she enters a contest or presses her luck she wins. It is amazing. When we were at Peter Piper Pizza the kids obviously wanted tokens to do some games. Mikelle wanted to do the games all by herself and Steven tried to talk her out of it thinking that it would be a waste of money because she wouldn't win many tickets. I told him that I have watched her do the games by herself and trust me she will win tickets. So we went around with the kids to watch them and sure enough Mikelle played one of those impossible games and won the bonus. She got 200 tickets. SO naturally Katon and Kayla wanted to play thinking they would get that many tickets too. Not the case. They each got a couple. Mikelle wanted to try the game again and Steven kept trying to tell her not to because she wouldn't win the bonus again. We forget how lucky this girl is and would you believe it on her first try she got the bonus and won 200 tickets again. That is just one story of how lucky she is. She is definitely someone I would take to Vegas. Mikelle came home with a few fun toys from Peter Pipers and then we went home to open presents and have cake. She loved all her presents. She got a lot of art stuff. This girl will sit for hours and color or paint or do anything artsy. Her patience amazes me. She is just an amazing little girl who is growing up way to fast!! We love you Mikelle! Happy Birthday!!