school drool jump in a pool

yay for school! scarlett started another glorious year of pre-school. 3 days a week 8:30 to 1:30! boo yah! she was up before the sun and completely ready by 7:12. she even let me blow dry her hair. it's like she has decided to be a real girl.
as an added bonus she posed for about 10 minutes in the front yard. she insisted on standing with the bouncy ball.

she was especially excited about her new kicks and hello kitty socks. she wanted them to have their own picture. after much thought, she decided to save the keroppi socks for day 2.

drop off was easy peasy.

this was completely unstaged. i am a lucky mom to have my kids like each other this much.

as scarlett would say, BOOMSHAKALAKA!

 after we dropped off scarlett, reagan and i headed to the waterpark with a bunch of girls.  

poor scarlett. but fun for us!

reagan started 1st grade on wednesday. we all overslept and made it to school 20 minutes late. all our celebratory first day of school pictures took place in the car:

or rushing into the school:

or after shoving him into his seat and telling him a quick goodbye!

GO TEAM SIMPSON! way to start the year off right!

first things first

the next time i move it will be in a wooden box into the cold, hard ground.

we are in our new house. (for those playing along at home, this is our 9th move in 9 years. some were cross town, others have been cross country.) i really like it. dare i say it, can it be love? possibly. thomas and i were both excited about this house because of the price but now that we are in it, i think i may even like other things about it too. lots of trees, big closets, side entry garage, tons of natural light, a room just for books and a new neighbor who brought us dinner on our first night. southerners are the best. there, i said it.  

and just so you know our priorities are straight, before the movers cracked open the truck, thomas put his flag up. later this week when i find my alabama flag, i may need to pull a switcheroo. heck, we may even buy a BYU flag this year since that is both of our alma maters.

 

i've had a request or two for photos. as soon as i put away a few things, i'll honor that request.

but first, some sweaty kids with back to school haircuts:

and now i am going to ignore everything else going on in my life and make some cookies with scarlett. because i am really good at making cookies.

boomshakalaka

something else i am right about

today is my parent's 34th wedding anniversary. as my mom said, "we're celebrating, just in different places."

my parents were sealed in the salt lake temple.

thomas and i were sealed in the bountiful temple. july 9th we celebrated our 9th anniversary.

 i am happy. today i wanted to bonk the kids heads together and i'm beyond ecstatic for school to start in 10 days. i'm knee deep in the middle of packing for yet another move(thankfully the house we bought is only a few miles away) and thomas is working a billion million hours. but i choose happy and grateful for all that i have.

recently i read a quote by cameron diaz stating, "I think we have to make our own rules. I don't think we should live our lives in relationships based off old traditions that don't suit our world any longer."

well to cameron diaz i say, YOU ARE WRONG! committing with someone and working together and forgiving daily is worth more than any fleeting relationship or shallow experience. we cannot let ourselves think that simply because something is hard it is a "dying institution". being married is hard. i am flawed. thomas is flawed. i like things my way(because i'm right).  thomas and i can't take a trip without someone throwing up in the car, plan a party without a miscommunication, talk budget without an eye roll. and heaven forbid we make it to church on time(this hair doesn't just happen).

but i'll keep giving him really good back scratches and he will keep bring me glasses of kitchen(NOT BATHROOM) water at night.

“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”

-President Thomas S. Monson