You Know Your Old When...

You know your old when the music you rocked out to in High School is being performed at the Middle School band concert! Casadie is playing the guitar this year and one of the songs they played (and sang to) was Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses (it actually came out AFTER we graduated from HS). It had Brett and I cracking up! Any how, I guess we are now OFFICIALLY old!

Pictures

Aunt Nicole was great enough to take pictures for us. They turned out fantastic, I couldn't be happier. Thanks Nicole!

A Teenager!

Casadie's turned 13! She is officially a teenager. (It's been unofficial for some time now!) It was kind of a hectic day. I tried to talk her into postponing it until the weekend, but she wouldn't got for it! Brett's mom came up with a friend to help us celebrate. When we got home from school and work that day we made a cake and fixed dinner. The girls always request a 3 layer chocolate raspberry torte. It is super yummy, but no matter how hard I try, I can't make it look very nice! After dinner we hurried to open presents and then rushed out the door to Parker's soccer game. When we got home, we had about 15 minutes to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles before we had to rush out the door to Casadie's volley-ball game. We didn't even have time to eat the cake, that had to wait until we got home.

Over the weekend Casadie had a birthday party with her friends. We had a house full of 13 year old girls running around. They had a great time and I'm happy that she has so many nice friends. Happy Birthday Casadie, we love you!

The First Day of School

This year is a big change for Savanna. She started as a Sophomore at a new High School. It's a big change for her, she's been in school with the same kids since Kindergarten (a totally foreign concept for me!). She is the same age that I was when we moved to Germany! I can hardly believe it. Casadie is in 7th grade this year and Parker is in 3rd grade and I started as a new computer teacher.

The Zoo

This summer we had the chance to go to the zoo with Michele and her family while they were here visiting from Tuscon. We met Todd and Jillian in Salt Lake City and went to the zoo. The 14 of us had a great time exploring zoo and enjoying the animals. It was a really fun day and it makes us wish that we lived closer to our family.

Bear Lake

We love going to Bear Lake. It's just over the mountain from us. We are always amazed at what a beautiful spot it is and how lucky we are to be so close! This year we were able to go up on several different occasions. Our last visit was in August with Brett's sister Jolyn and her family. We always have so much fun with them and we try to go play with them whenever we can!

Mom and Dad

In August I had the opportunity to go back and visit my parents. My mom has Breast Cancer and had recently had surgery. I went alone without any of my family. It was nice to have some alone time with my mom and dad. I really enjoyed my visit and it went by way to quickly. I wish that we lived closer!

More Cousins!

Casualty at the Bike Park

This weekend in Saratoga Springs Savanna went to the bike park with her friend Brady. After spending some time as a casual observer, Brady talked Savanna into getting on a bike and trying out the ramps. Needless to say, it didn't go well. Brady called and told us that Savanna fell. That was an understatement! She "super-manned" it and went flying through the air before she bit the dust! She told Brady she was OK (although she had blood all over her face) and toughed it out while they waited for their dad's to get there. She managed not to cry, but as soon as she saw her dad, she burst into tears. I didn't get any before pictures because she looked so bad that we were focused on getting her cleaned up and checking to see if she needed stitches or not. She had blood all over her face and she was covered from head to toe in dirt. Apparently when she bit the dust she screamed "Brady, I hate you!" All is forgiven now, but Savanna still looks pretty rough and is pretty sore. This picture was taken after 2 days of healing and it doesn't show how bruised up her hips are. I don't think anyone will be able to talk her to trying that again!

More Park City...

We had a great time on the Alpine slide in Park City. Unfortunately we didn't really get any slide pictures (we were to busy flying down the mountain). We did have a fun time. Casadie has never been before. When we went a couple of years ago she was to nervous to try it. I'm glad that she tried it this time although she wasn't exactly what you would call a dare devil. Parker and I almost ran into her towards the bottom of the mountain because she was going down so cautiously!

I'm throwing in the picture of Savanna because I've been noticing that I don't have very many pictures of her. In typical teenage fashion she seems to be missing in action quite often or she refused to have her picture taken! Don't you love the sunglasses???? :)

Summer Skiing in Park City

We went and spent a couple of days in Park City for the Pioneer Day Holiday. It was really fun. We stayed at a great condo at the Canyon's resort. I love Park City in the summer time. We took the kids to the Olympic Park for a long jump skiing competition. It was fun to sit in the sun, listen to the band and watch the skiers "fly" off the ski jump! The jump is made of astro-turf and they wet it down for the competition. When the jumpers get to the bottom of the jump they hit the real grass that slows them down. We were also able to catch the aerial show at the pool. It was really cool! Nicole and Jake and Keith and Katelyn came up and watched with us. It was really a different way to spend a hot summer day.

Grandma Mable's Backyard Swing

In Brett's mom's backyard she has this really great tree with a swing that the kids love. Parker and Casadie were having such a great time swinging and laughing and giggling that I pulled out the camera. As soon as I started recording they went totally silent! Figures!

Look who's 40!

OK, it was my turn this year and I celebrated the big 4 - 0! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think the fact that Brett is older than me and I get to see him go through everything before me makes it a little easier! It was a really fun birthday! Brett through me a surprise party and we had a Luau at the lake with friends. It was really fun and very sweet! On my birthday we had Nicole and Jake up for dinner and cake. It's fun to have them around for all the birthdays.

Water balloon fight with the cousins

Todd and Jillian were able to come and visit for a day in July. It was so great to get to see them and their kids! We just love them. It was also our first chance to meet Zachary. We had a great time (well, mostly) having a water balloon fight and playing in the back yard. Cooper wasn't really thrilled with getting wet and he managed to watch from a distance! In all the craziness of the day I didn't take any pictures of the new baby!

Missing in Action

It's been a while since I've posted, not because their hasn't been anything to post about, but because there has been so much! Stay tuned for the conclusion of summer at the Cumming's house!

On a side note to update you on my job, I turned down the P.E. position and will be teaching Computers at our school instead. It's been a really great transition for me!

The Cruise In

Every year Brett and the kids go to the Cache Valley Car show. It is a really huge car show and people bring their cars from all over the place. Brett's brother-in-law Mike and his boys always come up. Jolyn and I go to lunch and spend the day shopping while the "boys" go to the car show and drool over all the cool cars and motorcycles. It's tradition! We've been doing this for over ten years now. We always have a great time and love having them come and visit with us. Every year the guys buy tickets to get into the show (sometimes more then one), the tickets are entered into a drawing for a car give away. Every year they go with a real hope that one of them will win the car! Well, guess what! This year Brett's nephew Travus won the car! Way to go Travus! This year the car that was given away was a custom 1937 Ford Coupe.

A Boy's Best Friend

Parker loves his dog and the dog loves Parker's bed! She doesn't know that she is the dog and I really think that she believes that the bed is hers as much as it is Parker's!

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon and had a great time! The weather was perfect and the lines weren't too long. We were able to hit most of the rides. Some were braver then others and a little more adventurous, but we still had fun! The girls were able to bounce back two weeks later with some friends. Best ride of the day - WICKED!

Happy Anniversary!

Brett and I were married on June 18th, 1992 in the Salt Lake City Temple. It's hard to believe that it has been 17 years already! After a few brief months in Provo, we moved up to Cache Valley where we have been ever since! We've been blessed with three beautiful children over the years. Happy Anniversary Brett, I love you.

New Hair Cut

Savanna has been wanting to cut her hair really short for a long time. She has naturally curly hair and I was afraid that if she went as short as she wanted to that she would look like she had a "fro"! We finally came up with a compromise and she had it cut this week. It's really cute and it looks great when she wears it curly also.

Pretty in Pink

Thursday was my mom's last Chemo treatment. My sister Nicole had a great idea to have all of us wear pink to show our support. Although the boy's wardrobe is sadly lacking in the pink department, it was fun to show our support and how much we love her. We love you mom and we're so happy that the chemo is over!

Bug in the eye!

New Job!

I have finally finished up all of my requirments for my Ameri-Corps contract. Although the last two years (3400 hours) have been challenging, it's been a rewarding experience. I was honored at the Utah Commission on Volunteers Service Conference and presented with the Presidential Service Award last month.

Next year I will be moving on to new and exciting things! I will be teaching P.E. at Parker's Elementary School. I guess if I wasn't motivated to get into shape before I definitely am now!

Top 5 Things We Love About Savanna!

1. Savanna has an extremely kind heart. She is always worrying about other people and making sure that everyone has friends and feels included.

2. Savanna is so smart. She amazes me with her wealth of knowledge and her depth of understanding. She is a bright shining star.

3. Savanna is extremely easy going. (I love this when it isn't making me crazy!) She is extremely laid back and probably would have made a great hippy!

4. Savanna is a great sister! She get's along great with her brother and sister and enjoys spending time with them.

5. Savanna is our adventurer! She has always been brave and is up for new and exciting things!