Mike and Rachel Guymon Family

Hello Everyone!!!  We are loving it here in Minnesota!  It has been very rainy here this month but that is ok because it makes for cooler weather! 

August seemed to be filled with play dates, appointments, shopping, and watching a lot of Little House on the Prairie!  We were also able to go to some fun swimming places this month.  The kids had a blast!!  Especially the wave pool, slides, and sand of course!

One of the highlights for the kids was the High School Musical 2 premiere.  Amber went to a HS Musical B-day party that night and the rest of us went to our next-door neighbor’s house to watch it on Disney Channel since we don’t have cable.  Funny thing is, our neighbors weren’t home but they insisted we still come over and watch it anyway.  The girls and Mason really liked it but Mike and Rachel thought the first one was better.

Mason turned 6 on the 6^th and he had his first “friend” party.  He had 10 little kids over so total 15 kids playing in the backyard for a water party.  Talia and Sarah helped out a ton.  One of the fun things they did was face painting.  They learned a cool trick from a party they went to.  If you soak the tips of colored pencils in water for about ½ hour, they work great to draw on kids faces for “painting” and it washes off pretty easily.  Mason got a few Star Wars transformers, which he was very excited about.  He also got a Target gift card which he LOVED using. He stood in the aisles checking out all the toys he could get and after about 40 minutes he decided on another Star Wars transformer.  He was very happy.  Mason will start Kindergarten on Sept. 4^th and is a little nervous but very excited. 

Amberly helped out her Music teacher from school by being an example student for a music seminar he was teaching.  She enjoyed showing all the teachers what she had learned last year and the cool things her teacher had taught her.  She is excited for school to start in September.

Talia and Sarah had dentist, orthodontic, and physical check-ups this month.  They each had to get 5 shots and when Mason watched one of the needles going in, he screamed, “Ouch” and hid under the doctors computer desk.  They are excited and nervous to start 6^th grade at the middle school.  They had a “WEB” (Where Everyone Belongs) orientation on the 22^nd and felt a little better after being able to go through the building and see the classrooms, lunchroom, lockers, etc.  At open house night we were able to help them with their locker combinations and after 6 tries or so they were able to open them.  There are 4 levels and they have classes on 3 of them.  Crazy!!  They will ride the bus this year, which is awesome, especially for mom and Braden.

All 3 girls have enjoyed watching the Little House on the Prairie DVD’s from the library.  We are now on Season 4.  No Albert yet and Mary is still seeing fine.  Thank goodness we haven’t seen anything of Manly yet.  What kind of name is that anyway, especially when he seems just the opposite…oh well. 

Braden is still being Braden the Superman.  His potty training is awesome.  The only accidents we have are when he shoots it out of the potty.  Braden loves to be in just his undies and Superman cape. 

Rachel’s childhood friend, Annette Jones (Ricks), who lives 20 minutes from her called her up a few weeks ago and told her they are moving back to Rexburg because her husband got a teaching job at BYU-I. 

Mike is staying busy with work and has taken up a new hobby—running!  We have been running together once but it is hard because of the kids and schedules.  He started a couple of weeks ago and runs almost everyday.  R u n, Mikey, R u n!!!

Rachel has been wondering why she feels so stressed and frazzled.  As I am looking back over August to write this newsletter I realize why.  I don’t know how we fit everything we did into 31 days.  No wonder I am always playing catch up.  My new motto:  I will survive!! J  Rachel also survived a big Enrichment Meeting, which turned out great. 

We love you all!!!  We miss you and LOVE to read about your families!! 

Love, Mike and Rachel

 

Liz and Corky Clark Family

 

August brought an end to a visit from the Berks family (Karen) and swimming lessons for the girls.  Both girls passed the 1st level of

swimming lessons and were rewarded with a fun day to the waterpark.  They really came a long way this summer.  Jim

came to visit this month for a couple weeks while he had an externship in Chicago.  He and Corky rode the train everyday

and Jim learned quite a lot about traveling around Chicago.  I think he used every kind of transportation possible...train, bus, taxi and on

foot.  We really enjoyed having him and are hoping they are able to move here next year.  Even if for a short time.

Liz enjoyed being able to watch all of the Jane Austin movies while Jim was here.  He was also very handy around the house including

killing a HUGE spider, with our ladder, that had spun a gigantic web right outside our back door.  The 16th marked Liz and

Corky's 10th wedding anniversary and was celebrated by dinner at Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora.  It is the oldest

standing limestone roundhouse in the U.S.  turned into a restaurant/comedy club/museum/music club.  The girls began school

this month...Haley 2nd grade and Donelly Kindergarten.  They were excited to be able to go to school together.  On the

first day, Reese insisted that he were his backpack too.  Then after we dropped off the girls he kept asking, "Where's Haley?

Where's Donelly?"  We hope you are all well and happy.

The Clarks

 

Rebecca and Rich Jarvis Family

 

Dear Family,

Well, August flew by!!!  We played as a family, went on a ward campout, went 4wheeling in Silver City, got the kids ready for school and have just had fun! 

We are grateful that Brooklynn and Richy love their teachers!!!  We do too!  She started 4th grade, Richy 2nd, and Michael is in preschool for the first time and LOVES it!!!  His teacher is a gal in our ward who is soooooo good!  Oh yes, and a new adventure for us is that we are driving Brooklynn and Richy to and from school every day.  The bus was becoming quite an undesirable environment.  It has really been a blessing to be together talking and singing about good uplifting things just before and right after school. 

Richy and Brooklynn each got to pick an after school program for this semester and are paying for them all by themselves, yippee!  Richy picked martial arts, and Brooklynn is in the Boise Children's Theater.  She is also in orchestra this year at school.  They have to pick either choir or orchestra.  She shocked us all and picked the latter, choosing to play the viola, which she is also earning an extra $20/month to pay for her rental. 

Joseph wants badly to go to school with everyone else, but is happy to have mom all to himself and is loving that he gets to go to the park by Michaels preschool twice a week.  He is busy making friends wherever he goes.  He is such a joy in our lives!  He will be 3 on the 19th.

Rich is doing well and is staying busy.  He is being "Mr. Mom" for a week or so while I am in Baltimore helping Jim and Rachel.  Mary is also being superwoman and watching Michael and Joseph for 5 of those days!!  Thanks Mary!!!!!  Couldn't be here w/o you!

We are ALL very, very, very excited that Grandma and Grandpa Guymon  are coming home and can't wait to see them!!!!!!  We are grateful that at some point they will eventually come home to Idaho where we hope to see them on a regular basis.  What great examples they are to us all!!! 

P.S. Pics are from Jarvis reuinion.

The first 3 pics are from Yellowstone and Dinosaur tracks, then Mel in

our kitchen sportin' some cool overalls he used to help Rich change

the wheel lines in the field,  Brooklynn and Richy with the waterslide

in the backyard, Michael and Joseph out by the horse coral, and Mary,

Amy, Shannon and Robyn and Becca at a little girls night at our house.

Love to all,

Bec and fam

 

Mary and Mike Ferguson Family

 

Here is a quick update on our family!  I don't know where the last month went.  Everyone started school the week before labor day.  We had a fun first day of school and are now back into it full swing.  I am happy with all of the kids teachers...I still miss the Texas schools but I feel like they each will be ok this year.  We had a few more trips to the lake over labor day weekend with our friends.  We have enjoyed boating this summer:)

Brandon starts his flag football this week and is very pumped!  He and Mike watch a little sports each night and then in the morning Brandon will check the scores with his dad to see if his favorite teams have won. 

Katie decided to try a clogging class this month and her first night went pretty well.  Although she collapsed in tears afterwards because she was so stressed about trying something new and not knowing anyone.  I am very proud of her for saying she will stick it out.  She loves her clogging shoes!  I love that we found a used pair!

Lizzie was so proud of herself that she didn't cry the first day of school.  In fact she is the first one to try and eat a cafeteria lunch.  She was explaining how to do it to Brandon after her first go at it.  She says that all Twin Falls has for excitement is some "stinky, pee yew county fairs".  her class got to go to the fair and see all of the animals.

Jacob likes being the big man at home with Ben.  he is in two different playgroups with some other kids from the ward.  He is learning his letters and is so excited to be going to school like everyone else.  We just had Michael and Joseph Jarvis for about a week.  Jacob loved playing from sunup to sundown.  It was a busy week with four little boys at home each day but we headed to the park everyday and had a great time.

Ben is still only saying the same four words...Mama, daddy, bubba,bye bye...but he looks like he is trying to say more.  He started going to the nursery this last week at church (a month early with mom) and he seems to enjoy it.  I am excited about the opportunity to go to class finally.

Mike had to dress up as Chuck Woolery for a 70's awards night at work.  They were doing a skit about the newlywed game.  We had fun picking out his outfit and fluffing up his hair (picture included)  I think he is very glad that it is over but we got a good laugh!

The Fergusons have another one in the oven due to make an appearance around the 7th of May:)  Wish us luck!

Love,

Mike, Mary, and the gang