1st Day of School 2011

Today is the 1st day of school. We laid out our outfits last night and everyone woke up happy this morning. Cross your fingers that this habit lasts all year!

Miriam ready for Pre-K.

Luke ready to make a great start in 1st grade.

This is Luke's 1st year riding the bus. Luckily there are plenty of neighborhood children that will be waiting with him each morning at the bus stop.

Miriam's school starts shortly after Luke's bus leaves, so we just walked over afterwards. She couldn't wait to get inside and start making friends.

This morning I was reminded of how much our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to help ease our fears. Last year I drove Luke to school because I wanted to know that he got to the building safely each day and I wanted to protect him from the older kids on the buses. However this year, driving Luke to school was not an option. The closest elementary school was full and Luke is enrolled at another great elementary school, just further away. We just felt that bus was the best option especially with the new baby on the way.

So this morning we prayed that everyone would get to school safe and that they could start making friends. Morgan gave each child a very tender father's blessing and then we headed to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus, Luke saw a little girl that he had met at Registration a few weeks earlier. They had played together on the playground and really hit it off. I then met her mom and found out that they live just a few houses down from us. They are even in the same grade...and the same class. They will be riding the same bus and going into the same classroom each morning. I just felt so relieved knowing that Luke wouldn't be alone on the commute to school and that he has someone that is familiar with the school to help show him around. When the bus arrived, Luke and his new friend Tressa climbed aboard together and then found seats together. I think Luke is going to be OK this year...and so will his overprotective mother.

I am so grateful for life's little blessings. I was reminded today that our Father in Heaven is concerned even about the little details in our lives and wants to help resolve our worries. Such a good lesson to learn this morning!

Jelly Belly & Lake Geneva

Morgan just started working in the ER this week and had some time off on Monday afternoon. We decided to take a small trip as a family before our lives get crazy with a new baby and school starting. We first went to the Jelly Belly Warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, WI.

Everyone had to wear these cool paper hats as we went on a train ride through the warehouse.

Eve was not as excited as the others about keeping the hat on. It stayed on her head long enough for the photo and then quickly was ripped off.

After the train ride, we spent some time in the Jelly Belly gift shop. We were able to sample the many different flavors of jelly bellies and then we let the kids pick out their own favorites. Luke and Miriam both chose the candy corn jelly bellies. Eve was happy to have the free assortment bag that we received at the end of the train ride. However, Morgan and I couldn't help ourselves! We are huge Jelly Belly fans and had the hardest time deciding on which flavors to select.

On the drive back to Janesville, we decided to stop at Lake Geneva and walk around for a while. The water was so beautiful and it reminded us of the Redondo area in WA just without the salty smell.

The kids look happy in this picture but boy, did they complain about walking along the water! We must of heard a hundred times how bad their legs hurt!

Eve posing by the lake.

We found a playground for the kids and talk about miracle healings! Luke and Miriam's legs were instantly healed and they suddenly found the strength to climb and swing again! I think Luke will one day take the Olympic gold medal in monkey bars!

Eve is our master climber.

Miriam is our little social bug. This is a shot of her playing before the other kids showed up to play. As soon as there were other kids, she was off trying to make friends.

We had such a fun afternoon together. Morgan has been working so hard since June. He has been on call every other weekend and working long hours throughout the week. So this little time off was such a blessing. We finished the day off with pizza slices at Sam's Club and the kids were ready for bed! Now time to get the backpacks ready for school to start on Thursday!

Girls Room

This week I have been working on getting the girls' room decorated.

Here are a few of the projects I have completed thus far...

Bow Board

Curtains


The room so far...

Before leaving Georgia, Morgan painted an old brown dresser white and gave it new hardware. It looks so great!
When Grandma and Grandpa Fife came to visit, they helped paint the bedroom pink and repair the walls.

Morgan also painted our plain bunk beds white and we hung a castle on the wall for our princesses.

Now for Luke's room and the baby's room...

Luke & Miriam Swimming Lessons

This week Luke and Miriam started taking swimming lessons through the local recreation center. The lessons are 2 weeks long, 4 days each week and for 40 minutes each time.


Since my kids have terrible phobias of getting water in their eyes, goggles were a must!


Luke working on his kicks...

Miriam trying to get her legs going....

Eve is quite the handful for the 40 minutes each lesson. After the sweetness of the treats wear off, and the books from home get boring, Eve is ready to dive into the pool. I spend the majority of the lesson time keeping Eve from falling into the pool. However on Tuesday when we brought the camera, she did enjoy taking these silly shots of herself and looking at the saved photos.

Eve our silly little monkey...

Sold!

Going once, going twice, SOLD to the Fife Family!

We finally closed on our first house on June 3rd.

Here's our little family after our first Sunday in the new ward in Janesville.

We will post more pictures as we complete our painting projects, yard projects, and prepare for our little baby that is due to arrive in 10 weeks. Just a little busy these days... :)

Morgan's Graduation Party

On our last Saturday in Georgia, we had a Medical School Graduation party for Morgan. Morgan made a special Ross University pinata for the kids to smash and then ceremoniously burned his white coat. The poor white coat had definitely served its purpose and needed to be laid to rest. There were tears, holes and stains throughout, not to mention the fact that it never fit Morgan well. I can't wait to see him in his new white coat as a real Doctor!

Preschool Fire Station Visit

Miriam's preschool class went to the fire station this week. During class a few days before, we learned about how to escape from your home if it were on fire and then how to stop, drop and roll. The firefighters then gave us a tour of the station and talked more about what to do in a fire.

Our Preschool Class

Miriam driving the fire truck.
Eve checking things out.