It's that time...

Say goodbye to summer...and Hello to all things school

back to...

bikes,

backpacks,

lunches,

after school snacks,

reading EVERY day (Isaac),

piano each week,

soccer practice,

activity days and cubs,

homework,

reality.

And one week later...

Mal gets her first taste of kindergarten!

waiting in line with all her buddies from church

a pleasant surprise...seeing isaac at recess while waiting in line

last one in line...

After a long summer full of swimming at the lake, trips to idaho, camping, and general frivolity it's time to get back to real life...the daily grind...a routine.

This year Mallory gets to join the fray by starting kindergarten.

Starting a week later than her siblings has been rough but she made it through until today and she's rearing to go.

Megan is in 5th... I repeat, FIFTH!! grade. She's growing up so fast I can't believe it!! The next thing you know, she'll be married...ok, hopefully not, but you get my drift.

Isaac, a third grader... feels like he's finally in the "upper grades"--and not a kid anymore.

and Eli, little Eli. His post is forthcoming as he starts his playgroup this week.

Everyone is moving up...

and moving on...

a new mr. moroni

I have tons of belated posts from this summer but wanted to post our most recent happenings this week in SoJo--

we'll miss you burnt arm moroni

Mallory rides! FINALLY

This week Mal and her bestest across the street bud decided they would hop on their bikes and join the bike riding world--and we have yet to get them off. I've been pulling my hair out trying to get this girl to ride a bike...and to think, all i needed to do was to be 5 and have blonde braids and a blue headband.

3 down...1 to go

me thinks i'll be using this phrase a lot in the near future

idaho #3

For our third trip north this summer ( i know you're wondering where trip #2 is... but it was over a month ago and almost a blur anyway...if i can steal pictures from my sister i may get around to recapping it) we headed up with the whole of the Hawes clan. We were totally expecting a usual warm August...but were surprised with chilly, windy weather. Almost too cold to swim. Malee kept us all busy doing yard work--getting the fall cleanup under way before the house gets closed up for the summer-- and house work--vacuuming, dusting, and more vacuuming (those jergensen women love their vacuums!!!)

The girls kept busy with Malee's old barbies

and the boys with the Wii and driving the aforementioned girls crazy.

On a day too cold to get in the water, we headed to Rexburg to visit the Teton Dam Museum where we learned all about the dam breaking and the aftermath for the surrounding communities and then headed up to Uncle John's farm that borders the dam and walked right out on the overlook to see what we'd just learned about. In all these years, I never realized that my uncles farmland was part of the land used to build the dam (ie, the BLM came in and told him they were taking 16 feet of his topsoil and then he and his family proceeded in having to shovel their own farmland out of their basement when the dam broke and flooded their Rexburg home.) Doesn't that just sound like the trade of the century?

All in all...

The kiddos traded their day at the Sand Bar to a day on the farm riding 4 wheelers and crawling all over John's farm equipment. An experience in an of itself. And once home, they were filthy!!!! (and all you Jergensen's know what that means!!)

We hurried back on Sunday night to have our last week of summer before it's time to GO BACK!!

(One more picture of Mr. Eli and his attempt at helping with the yard

way too busy...

way too many distractions)

Isaac's baptism

Ok. these pictures go out of order b/c i can't for the life of me get them to rearrange.

Isaac got to share his big day with his fav cousin, Sam (whose baptism we had to hurry off to when we were done with Isaac's). These two are 3 days apart, born on each other's due dates, and shared blessing days and now baptism days and we're looking forward to a double missionary farewell in 11 years. These two, best buddies from the womb.

All of Isaac's cousin support.

We had our hands full trying to keep all these jokesters quiet for an hour,

impossible (and we're even short 6 in this picture!)

Isaac was baptized on August 8, 2009 by his dad (Who is 2 for 2 in getting overcome with emotion while performing this ordinance for his children:) He has been waiting for this day for some time as he is the last of his crew of friends to take the plunge. He was so excited to wear a matching tie with Matt and since he got his first "real tie" a few months ago, has learned to tie them himself and refuses to go back to zipper ties (as you see eli sporting here)

We had a little scare that our family was going to be in charge of the musical number

HA!! Can you imagine us giving that a shot?

But was relieved to discover a mix up on assignments where we (when i say we, i mean "I") got relegated to offer up the "talk on baptism" instead. Speeches aren't my forte, but is much more doable than a musical number.

summer fun

what we've been doing when we haven't been in idaho, camping, hanging out with cousins, or having a birthday party

AAAHHHHHH! Summer

just three more days and it's all over
'till next year

Isaac's eighth

Isaac turned the big eight this year--which means a friend party for him, too--we celebrated on his actual birthday with just us and a fancy schmancy cake-NOT created by me

He got to open his family gifts which consisted of ties, scout stuff and a new bike helmet

i can't believe i'm entering the world of scouting

His friend party was the next night where we had a "video game" party and took all his buddies to the nicklecade (a party option i highly recommend--only minimal planning required and they were super-entertained by me simply handing them a roll of nickles--no party games, no crafts, nothing to take home...ie: fabulous)

All nickled up

Eli's reaction to running out of nickles

Eli and Dad

Isaac taking a spin on some motocross thingy

Mal driving the big rig

After playing for an hour and rounding everyone up we headed back home for cake and snowcones

We got 'em all juiced up and sent 'em home to bounce off their parents walls:)

Viola!

Isaac at eight....

Lets see...

His newest job this summer has been mowing the lawn--an upgrade from last year

He's a computer/video game junkie...well as much as one can be with only one computer game and no gaming system. So i guess he's the junkiest member of our family (which isn't very hard)

He's a great reader--but he doesn't love to read like Megs--he'll only read when forced--otherwise he's playing his aforementioned video game

He played jr. jazz for the first time last winter and we could not for the life of us get him to use the backboard to bank in a shot--we have since gotten him a outside hoop and he's finally learned to use that stinkin' square! EVERY TIME!!!

He loves soccer and improves drastically every season. He starts up this week and can't wait to see what his new jersey color will be... hoping for something besides blue.

Isaac watches Matt and the young men very closely and knows which ones he wants to be like--he knows which qualities in those boys he wants to build in himself. i can see him measuring himself up to them. last month for a ym activity, matt had the ym run up to the temple while carrying gallons of water so they could pass out water to the patrons and workers there. Megs and Isaac wanted to go too so they carried their jugs of water and ran from our house up to the temple (about a mile--all uphill) with the priests. Matt said Isaac was determined to make it to the top without any help..to be just like those boys.

After school one day, i was asking him about his day..who he sat by at lunch today? and he thought for a sec..."um, today is tuesday...that means i sat by coleman. tuesday is coleman's day

Me: "What do you mean, tuesday is coleman's day?"

Him: "Well, all my friends were fighting about who got to sit by me every day so i made up a schedule, Monday is Jefferson's day, Tuesday is Coleman's day, Wednesday is Fisher's day, Thursday is Brennan's day, and Friday is Joey's day. That way everyone gets a turn and no one fights over me anymore" i couldn't stop giggling...this kid truly has kids flocking to him...which matt and i will take over being the smartest or most athletic any day...he's just a good kid. And we'll keep him. Happy Birthday Buddy!

liberty park

While Matt's sister and fam were in town for their biannual SL visit--we decided to beat the heat with a little spray park/feed the ducks action at liberty park