First Day of First Grade

So far Jason is loving first grade. He told Kyle, "First grade is so much better than kindergarten." I'm not sure why he things that, but I'm glad he does. Kyle takes Jason to school in the mornings, and so he did the drop-off on the first day of school. Kyle was a good dad and remembered to take a picture and text it to me. Seeing the picture made me a little misty eyed, and I told that to Jason when he got home. That of course put a big smile on Jason's face, knowing he was missed, and he asked if Noah cried too. No, he did not, but the boys sure jump into playing together as soon as Jason gets home. And fighting together too.

Levi 4 Months Old

Weight: 16 lbs (67 percentile)

Length: 24 in (13 percentile)

Milestone: rolls from tummy to back

Family Pictures 2015

We had Jen Gray come take professional pictures at the family reunion. We were commemorating having everyone together at the reunion and my mom's 60th birthday.

8/16/15

Jason starts school on Wednesday. I went to the grocery store yesterday, and I spent a boat-load of money buying a bunch of individually packaged snacks for his lunches. I won't always buy those pre-packaged snacks, but I need something easy to jump-start us into the school year. It made me sad thinking about Jason being gone all day. I'm sure we'll adjust quickly, but it will be weird at first. As part of all the snacks, I also bought a can of Pringles. While I was upstairs with Levi, Noah came into the kitchen and spied the Pringles still in the grocery bag. I heard, "Pringles! Yay! Pringles! I love Pringles!" and on and on he went. It was sure worth the $1.50 on the can to hear such joy.

We went to Lagoon on Friday with Kyle's family. It was really hot (96 degrees), but we still managed to have a good time, especially since Lagoon has so many large trees. Kyle and I had not been to Lagoon since senior year of high-school, so they had many new rides, but I didn't get to ride any of them since I ended up holding Levi most of the time. I did ride 5 rides, but none were the newer roller coasters. Jason had a blast. Noah had a cold, and so he was not so fun through parts of the day. I brought along my camping chair and set it up in the handicap bathroom stall each time I needed to feed Levi. Although it sounds weird, it was the best solution I had because the bathrooms were air-conditioned, and I did not want to have sweat dripping down my back while I tried to nurse with a cover on a public bench

Goodbye to Megan and Matt

We were sad to say goodbye to Megan and Matt as they both moved their families out of Utah right after the reunion. Megan will be teaching cello in Cusco, Peru for the next 18 months. Matt got a new job in Kansas.

We'll especially miss our Tracy Aviary outings with Megan, as well as her random visits (she was our most frequent visitor).

With Matt's family, we'll especially miss having Brynn, Heidi, and Paul close by. They were fun cousins to play with.

Noah's First Cousin Sleepover

Noah had his first cousin sleepover at Grandma's house while Holly's family was still in town. Carter and Jason were going to sleepover, and Noah heard about it and wanted to join in. Kyle explained to Noah that he could do it as long as he wouldn't be sad and miss mommy and daddy, which Noah assured us he wouldn't. About 2:00 am Holly woke up to the sound of Noah wandering around, calling out for "Daddy." Holly picked him up and brought him in bed with her and Brian, but found she couldn't fall asleep with how wiggly and noisy he was (sucking on his fingers). By 3:00 am she finally moved out to the couch by Jason and Carter, and Noah spent the rest of the night with Brian! Kyle and I felt bad that Holly had to deal with all that, but we got a kick thinking about how Noah's sleepover with cousins turned into a sleepover with Uncle Brian. What a nice Uncle!

Hunsaker Family Reunion 2015

The 2015 Jesse and Diane Hunsaker family reunion was based in Alpine. The theme was "We are all on the same team" and "Make it to the Finish Line." 

Day 1

• Games for everyone in the backyard
• Family Pictures
• Outdoor movie and sleepover in grandpa's backyard

Squirt Guns and bubbles were a big hit.

One of the activities I organized was having each grandchild take a square on the driveway to write a  sidewalk chalk note to Grandma and Grandpa.

Grandma and Grandpa were blindfolded while we brought them outside, and then we had them take off the blindfolds to see the finished driveway.

Day 2 (Pioneer Day)

• Hike in Alpine
• Visit to Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum to see the Abraham Hunsaker piano
• BBQ and Smores
• Fireworks

Grandma made shirts for everyone. Each person wore the number in which they joined the Hunsaker "team."

Day 3

• Races (Half marathon, 10K, 5K, and kids race)
• Movie Theater to watch Inside Out
• Hanging out time

Kyle ran the half marathon with G and G, Matt, Heather, and Holly. Jason ran the kids race.

Levi loved all the attention he received at the reunion. He was perfectly happy being passed around from person to person. He also slept like a champ in the pack-n-play. I loved seeing all the growing grandkids and talking with my sisters.

Day 4

• Church
• Dinner
• Family Fireside

Grandma and Grandpa shared some stories from our pioneer ancestry. They also shared recent miracles in their own lives. I love how they remember to teach their grandchildren about Heavenly Father when we are all together. Grandma and Grandpa did a great job planning this reunion. I am grateful for how they help keep our family ties strong.