"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."
-Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Back to School!

The first day of school is one of the greatest days.  There is so much anticipation!  My kids are always up at the crack of dawn, dressed in new duds, shoe laces tied, and back packs on... all before I even roll out of bed.  It's a shame that it doesn't continue through the entire year.

This year Will is a Second Grader!  He is excited to have a boy teacher- Mr. Neal.  He has several good friends in his class, which we are all very happy about.
Miss Annie Kate is a kindergartener!!!  We have been waiting for this day for a looooong time.  She has Mrs. Palmer whom Annie will no doubt love and adore.  She already one a prize for being "the best student in the class" according to Annie.  She loves school, and she is going to grow leaps and bounds this year.  I made it through the day almost without shedding a tear.  Annie wanted to ride her bike home from school (all 1.6 miles!), so I pulled Paige in the trailer behind her.  Watching Annie bike in front of me made her seem so big.  How does time go slowly and quickly all in the same breath?
I love having my kids in school.  Don't read this the wrong way- I don't necessarily love having them gone all the time.  What I do love is knowing that they are engaged for the entire day.  They are socializing, they are learning new things, they are playing and growing!  School is a very, very good thing.  Love those little students of mine.

As for Paige, she is just doing her best to stay awake through her lunch.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Home for a Nicoll

We are building a house!

Deciding on where- and how!- to settle was no easy task.  I feel like we went through quite the process, research, and many, many tears on my part before we settled on where we will settle.  We are building with a group called Self Help Homes.

What does this mean?  This means that we are building, with our own two sets of hands, not only our own home, but NINE others.  There will be 10 families in our group, and we will all be building under the supervision of a licensed contractor.  Some things we will be subcontracting out- excavation, foundation and cement work, dry wall, mud, electric, rough plumbing; the majority, however, will be completed by the homeowners.

The task is daunting!  We are very excited and anxious to start the process.  We closed on our loan last month and we just got word that our permits are done at the city, and we will begin digging hopefully this week!  I will be blogging throughout the process, so stay tuned for many more updates.

As of today, we have picked our floor plan, exterior colors and finishes, and are waiting to start framing some time in the next couple of weeks.

Anyone willing to pound a hammer?  Or adopt a child for a few months?  'Cause we could use you.



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Abby's Mission Call


We are so excited and proud of Dallas' baby sister Abby.  After spending a year at college at USU, she made the decision to serve a mission.  Of the 9 children, she will be the first missionary!  We are all so thrilled to have a missionary in the family.  Abby is wonderful, and I know that she will make such a great influence in Santiago, Chile.  She leaves December 17th-- perfect timing to get out of the cold and snowy Wyoming weather and see the sun! 

We all gathered at Jenn's house to watch her open the call.  There was laughter and tears of joy when she read her call.  What a humbling experience to give up 18 months of your life to be strictly on the Lord's errand.  It is surely a life changing experience.



Saturday, August 2, 2014

Great Grandma Nicoll's Reunion!

The Great Nicoll family reunion is something we look forward to in the summer.  We camped just below Causey Reservoir again this year.  The water was cold, but our hearts were warm!  It's amazing how when you get together it seems like so much has changed, but so much remains the same.  Our family has grown since last we camped, adding spouses and babies makes things more fun as there's new people to get to know.  Grandma kept the kids busy with superhero games and scavenger hunts, and the adults enjoyed something we rarely get to do- SIT!


All of Grandma and Grandpa Nicoll's kids were able to be there!  
Top: Diane and Nancy
Bottom: David, Phyllis, Lyman, Mark and Alan

Look at our family!!!  It was almost all of us.  We were missing Jake, Misty and Austin this year.  Words can't express how much I love this family of mine.