More of Our Crazy Summer

My baby turned 5 back in July. I guess at some point I should stop calling him my baby, but you know what .... how about I don't worry about that for now. This little guy is growing up way too fast. It's hard to believe he starts kindergarten TOMORROW!!! What?!! The boy who will STILL snuggle on my lap and fall asleep in my arms is headed off to school in less than 24 hours. He's not much of a baby anymore, but he's still my baby, and that's just the way it is.
Thanks to Pixar and their most fantastic idea ever ... we had yet ANOTHER Toy Story birthday in this house. We tried to count up how many Toy Story birthdays we've had between all our kids ... how many Toy Story action figures, vehicles, costumes, books, pajamas, random toys, cakes, sheet sets, hats, banks, stuffed animals, and clothes we've had in this house. NOT POSSIBLE. We are a Toy Story kind of family. The kids love it. We love it. Happy Toy Story Birthday T.J. .... again.
T.J. is just way too cute. He knows it. We know it. He is just so handsome, and I love it. His smile melts my heart. His big blue eyes are just enough to make my day. He's happy and fun and silly and we all love our T.J.
Maybe he's not so grown up after all. Love you T.J.

Austin turned 12 on August 11th. 12 years old ... WHAT IN THE WORLD?!! Talk about time flying by. 12 is a big one ... especially for a boy. He was so excited to turn 12 and get the priesthood and be in Young Mens. He was literally counting down the days. Like any other 12-year-old on earth, he's obsessed with shooting things, video games, Legos, and peanut butter. And of course there's cartoons, music, and football. I'm not sure how I feel about him being my size, but I guess I'll have to get used to it ... I better hurry before he's actually bigger than me.
I realize that I am quite the homemaker with my fantastic cake-baking skills. You'll note that T.J.'s cake was a quick buy from Walmart bakery (fabulously decorated I might add), and Austin's is well ... you know what, they LOVED it, so who cares? I'd much rather spend the day playing at Seven Peaks with Dave and kids and some of our friends which is EXACTLY what we did. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I forgot our camera for that part, so there are no swimming suit pictures. Be grateful people.
We had a really special day with Austin getting ordained on August 15th. Our family joined us, and we're so glad they were here. I'm so proud of Austin for being worthy to receive the priesthood and for taking his responsibility so seriously. He's passed the sacrament a couple of times now, and he does a great job. Very serious. No messing around. He's enjoying scouts and Young Mens as well. He doubled the size of the Deacons quorum in our ward, so his leaders are really glad to have him in there as well.
Seems like a good occasion for a family picture.

We're so grateful for two sets of amazing grandparents and one set of amazing great-grandparents in our kids' lives. They're always here, and they make such an effort to make our kids feel special. It means a lot to Dave and I that our kids know they are surrounded by people who love them.
Great-Grandma and Grandpa Tischner came all the way from St. George for Austin's special day. I'm so glad they were here ... we all are. Austin was very excited to be taller than Grandma Tischner. This is apparently a huge milestone, or in Austin's words, "I've been waiting for this my whole life." Haha.
Austin has some great examples to follow and big shoes to fill.
Thanks to all our family for being there. We had Austin ordained at our home instead of in Bishop Hunt's office just because of all the amazing support we had. There's no way we would have fit. What a blessing to have so many people around us who care. We're all so proud of you Austin. I'm grateful to have two worthy priesthood holders in our home. Austin sets a great example for the other kids and is trying hard to honor the priesthood. I'm so glad that as a 12-year-old boy, being worthy of the priesthood matters to him. We love you Austin!