Who took my pictures?

For everyone who was curious, my sister Devri took my pictures when she came to visit last week. She is trying to get a photography business up and running.

Kindergarten Adventure

I always get excited for fall. It means football games, drinking hot chocolate, beautiful leaves, wearing sweaters, making soups, and school is back in session. I don't attend school, but always feel a little jealous of those who do. Well, not this year. I have been preoccupied with the thought of my daughter beginning kindergarten. My little girl has started school.
I took her to school today expecting her to seem little in this big elementary school. When we got there, I realized she isn't too little for kindergarten. She didn't seem small. She fit right in. The thought almost made me more sad. I was happy for her but I just realized she has grown up.
All in all, it went well. She loved her first day. She thought her teacher was nice and really pretty. She made two new friends and is really excited about it. Hopefully the rest of the school year will go just as great.

Our Last Hoorah!

We have had a great summer - busy days and late nights. For our last hoorah, my sisters came into town. It was a fun packed week. By Sunday, my kids were exhausted from 4-wheeling, parties, and just playing. I was pretty tired too. Being with family was just what we needed to say good-bye to a great summer. My niece celebrated her birthday while visiting. The kids loved Uncle Brad's treasure hunt.
The party was a water party with water balloons, slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, and sprinklers. The kids had a lot of fun.

Our Family

Our little princess...

Gabriel and Parker

Richins Reunion

Today was the Richins' Reunion. Mom was in charge of it. She did a great job. I think everyone had a good time. We went to a little park in Idaho Falls. The kids played in trees and loved it.

The adults talked about favorite memories. It was fun to hear stories of their childhood and what their families are doing now. I was actually surprised I remembered so many of mom's cousins.

I did enjoy hearing their stories, but mostly Matt and I traded off taking care of Parker (who was not happy) and I tried not to let bees get me. Matt got stung, but he survived without much swelling. After that happened I was so paranoid of the bees. One really seemed to be after me - well, my salad but I was carrying it. Luckily I got away safely.

Mom did great with the reunion. We all had such a fun time.

The Next Good Book

And Harry Potter comes to an end. I spend my Monday and Tuesday speed-reading to find out if Harry would live or die. To any who don't know the ending, you won't find it here. Though I will say I loved the book. I am not an obsessed fan that reads and rereads the books before each new book or movie, but I am a big enough fan to blog about it. I have had a terrible cold and Harry provided the relief I was searching. My mom was also sick those days and I told her the remedy was Harry Potter. I was so concerned about his life I was completely oblivious to my own ailments.

The end of Harry Potter leaves me searching for my next good read. I have read Eragon and Eldest, just finished the Women of Genesis (waiting on more to come), have most LDS series, Orson Scott Card books and a lot more. What is next? I don't know. I have a list of must reads. I guess I could look there. I would like to read another series, but I don't like waiting every year for a new book. I want a series that is close to completion. I might read the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books.

Softball Summer

Softball is officially over. Matt plays city league all summer. It is a lot of fun to get out of the house, but it wears me out. A lot of late nights with kids doesn't mean a happy morning. His last game was Monday the 23rd. I love this picture of Matt and his brothers headed back to the field. Matt is #11 in blue shorts, Brad is #7 in black and red shorts, and Travis is the other one. I can't tell his number. It is always fun to have Matt on a team with his brothers. He loves it. We will also miss our softball friends. We only see them in the summer. Next summer I will see their new babies that will be close to a year old and hear all the fun the year has brought. So I guess until next summer, we say good-bye to softball.