Preschool

In August Braden started Preschool at Kids Corner Preschool in Brentwood.  He loves Miss Shanon and going to school!







Open house

 

1st day of school

FIELD TRIP TO STOCKTON MUSEUM



Learning and playing with friends at school

Sharing Time

 (One of the kids had his Dad drive their tractor to Miss Shanon's house for his share, so cool!)

Last year Miss Shanon started a website where she uploads pictures from school to share with the parents.  So glad she is good at taking pictures of the fun/cute moments because all the pictures shared were taken by Miss Shanon!  Braden is doing really well at school and I love that he gets time with friends and I get time to do things with only one child!  Definitely going to use that time to do some Christmas shopping in the future!

Crazy kids

Mackenzie has begun to really love dress up.  She loves playing with Sadie and doing whatever she is doing.  Some of her dress-up outfits have been a little interesting...

Fairy dress, winter hat, bunny backpack

She has always loved make-up, and applies it whenever she is able to get her hands on it!  Our trip to Jeff and Lauren's house was the best *funniest* make-up job yet...

Braden has been a busy guy as well and enjoys preschool and especially time on his bike.   He has always been a bike fanatic and would ride it whenever he had the chance.


July 2009



He wasn't happy about going through the summer without it since it was stolen at our house, but made do with the scooter instead.  We finally bought a new bike for him in September and retaught him to ride without training wheels.  First day back on, he had a pretty bad accident and crashed when he ran off the curb of the sidewalk, smashing his head on the ground in a parking lot.

He was wearing a helmet, but that didn't really protect the front of his face.  He took of the skin above his eye, and there was a cut as well. It really upset him to see the blood dropping all over the ground, and Sadie screaming "Blood!  Blood!" made him even more upset.  I wasn't having the best luck that day though and managed to lock my keys in my car (I don't think I've ever done hat before!) and had no way to take care of his wound.  Plus having 3 kids with 3 bikes with me made it a little difficult to go anywhere very fast.  Luckily Jason was on his way back from work and saved the day.  By that time I was able to clean him up in the park bathroom and realize he didn't need stitches for the cut above his eye (it was hard to tell when there was blood all over)  Since then he has been non-stop riding and no more accidents (knock on wood!)

Happy 29th!



Mackenzie posing at
APPLE HILL



My Birthday fell on Labor Day this year, the day after my return trip from Utah.  There was no school and Jason didn't have to work so we wanted to so something fun and new.  I heard about Apple Hill a few years ago and decided we should check it out!  It is a couple hours away, past Sacramento on HWY 50.  It was so beautiful up there!  There was a lot to see and do, it turns out Apple Hill is a network of a bunch of Farms, Winerys, and massage retreats.  Each of the farms we visited had crafts and tons of things for the kids to do (games, mazes, horse rides, train rides, petting zoos, hiking trails...), amazing food, pies and treats and more.   In the winter the tree farms also sell Christmas trees, what a fun place to go to get one!

It seemed appropriate to visit some farms on my birthday and we had a lot of fun too.  We brought back a super yummy pie, some turnovers, and some apples to make more later!






Mackenzie picked a pony to ride





Braden picked a larger horse





Sadie and Braden as Pumpkin head Ghosts :)



Mackenzie the witch



This bus was the perfect size for our family!

All alone... sort of!

On Labor Day weekend, for the first time since... who knows!... I went home to my parent's alone!  Well, as alone as I could be being pregnant and surrounded by siblings and family there!  I did leave Sadie, Braden and Mackenzie home with Jason from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon.  I was worried to leave them knowing Jason had to work Friday, Sadie had school Friday, Jason was planning a boat trip which he was planning on taking out people and bringing all the kids and eating lunch on the boat, and they had church to get to.  I was worried if he would be able to find the clothes he needed for them to go on the boat and to church, if he could watch them well while taking care of the boat and driving, if he would have a hard time preparing food for them, if he would have a hard time with the diaper changing...  All the things a mom worries about, but all for nothing!  Jason was great with them, and seemed to have no problems. 

Sadie giving "slow down sign", Braden, and Justin

Wind Blown!

Brittany, Stephan, Justin - our niece and nephews visiting from Southern California

He even started giving me advice about how to plan out my mornings for getting Sadie to school, how to keep up with the housework and such when I got back!  :)  He is wonderful, and I appreciate all he does.  I know he would be a good stay-at-home dad if he could, but I am so thankful for the opportunity he gives to me to stay home with the kids while he provides for our family financially.

Anyway, so I felt kinda strange sitting in the airport alone and flying alone.  No one to keep track of, no one to point out to how amazing the view was from the airplane, only one bag to carry and no car seats to take.  I missed my family but couldn't afford to fly everyone to Utah to the funeral at last second notice.

Glenden picked me up from the airport when I arrived in Utah and I stayed at his house that night.  In the morning Patty and I went on a short but sweet shopping spree at a nearby mall.  I think we both wished we had more time since it isn't very often that we have free range on the mall without kids but my we were on a tight schedule.   I had to get to Idaho for the viewing that night, and then travel back to Utah for the funeral again the next day.  Finally Saturday night there was no where to go and time to relax.  I enjoyed seeing my parents, siblings, sister-in-laws and nieces.  That night my single siblings and my parents left to go back to Idaho, while the married siblings stayed in Utah at Glenden's house with his family. 




Me with Glenden (left) and Clint (right)

 

Glenden, Me, Aubrey and Naomi, Clint and Keila



It was fun to hang out with them and play games that night.  I'm glad Clint joined the married group this year. ;)  Although I was wishing I knew Portuguese since Glenden, Clint, Patty and Keila all could speak together in Portuguese and I was the odd one out knowing "just English".  LOL.  I'm also glad that I get to be an Aunt to little "Webbs" and got to hang out with these little girls!

Me, Naomi and Aubrey

Elva Ruth Bytheway Webb

On August 29th, Grandma Webb (My Dad's mom) passed away.  She had been suffering from poor health for a long time, especially breathing difficulties, it began soon after her husband (my Grandpa) died of cancer in November 2006.  I know she was ready to go and be with him again when she passed away and wasn't afraid in her last moments.  She even told my Uncle to make sure to look at the time so he would know the time to put on her death certificate (she died at home) 

My grandma was a very dedicated wife and good mother and grandmother.  She was the kind of grandmother that always had a full cookie container for her grandchildren, and freshly cooked bread if she knew you were coming.  She was a quiet lady who was always doing service for her family, friends, church, and anyone needing help.  She loved the church and the gospel and served a mission with my grandpa in South Africa when I was a baby.  I loved and respected her, but wish I had known her better as well.  She was somewhat reserved and didn't talk much about or like attention on herself.  It was easy for her to stay out of the spotlight most of the time because Grandpa loved attention and talking about his thoughts and life stories.  They were complete opposites of each other, grandpa big and loud, and grandma small, frail and quiet, he loved getting attention and being cared for and my grandma loved caring after him. 

The funny thing about thinking about my grandma is I can see much of her in myself, I know I have many of the same personality characteristics.  Although I still have much I can learn from her and her example.  Any regrets I have about the way she did anything are because I wish I could change the same thing about myself.

I am grateful I was able to go to the funeral in Utah.  The funeral was very nice.  I am such a cry baby, I don't enjoy funerals, but I felt I need to go to show my respect and see her one last time and say my goodbyes.  All my cousins except one that was too sick to travel were able to attend, and all my aunts and uncles were there as well as many other family and close friends.  I don't know if there will be many more times in the future that so much of the Webb family will all come together again but it is comforting to know that we can all be together in the next life.