Pre-Fall Break (Random) Happenings

*Happy 88th Birthday to a very special lady!  She qualified for a free gator ride!

 *Mrs. Peacock, with the Wrench, in the Library- the kids have become big Clue fans!

 *The kids continue to have a good school year which is such a blessing!

 *Extra sweet teachers help!!!

 *Rapunzel...I mean, Natalie got a hunk of hair chopped.

*Home, home on the range...

*Scott was working his way through 10 long, multi-step math problems for homework.  I encouraged him to make it to number 7 and then take a break for awhile.  Once he made it to 7, I said, "You're so close now...why don't you just finish the rest?"  

He protested, "That's like running a 5K, and then saying, 'Why don't you just run one more mile'...I was really looking forward to stopping!"  

Good point, Scott!  Take a break.  What was I thinking??!

 *Super Hero Day in First Grade!  So much fun!

My boy is growing up!  He recently went with his class on a 2 night outdoor learning experience.  I was tempted to break the rules and slip a cell phone in his back pocket so that I could hear how he was doing.  I survived, however, and Scott did well.  He had a lot of stories to share upon his return and has a neat class!

Scott has a teacher who likes to use the line, "I'm not going to answer that."  When classmates ask questions that are obvious or unnecessary, Mr. D responds with his monotone line.  Scott has picked up on this, and now uses it on me sometimes when my mom questions become too much.  The other day, Natalie asked him, "Scott, if you had to have earrings, what kind would you get?"  To which Scott rightly replied,  "I'm not gonna answer that."   :)

End of Summer- Part 2

The month of August was a blur!  School started on the 6th.  Prior to the big first day, Kate was drawing a picture for her new teacher.  She brought her creation to me and said, "It's a bit awkward because I wrote some things that aren't actually true on here...like I LOVE SCHOOL!" 

While Kate probably wouldn't say she LOVES school, it is going better than she expected.  Her teachers are great, and they don't give any homework, so I think they are extraordinary!!  She was even sick recently and missed some school.  Instead of a pile of make-up work, I got sweet texts from her teachers saying they were praying for her and letting her know they had a prize for her when she returned.  I'm a fan!

My grandma recently celebrated her 90th birthday!  What a milestone!  My parents had a little party for her, and it was nice to see my cousins who I hadn't seen in awhile.  Derek even flew into town for her special day!

The selfless caretakers pictured below...

Jon, Scott, and I ran a 5K in early August.  Scott told me "NEVER AGAIN!" as we were nearing the end of the course, but has since come around, and I might be able to talk him into running another one.  It was a good bonding experience training for it with him this summer!  Jon did really well in the race, and obviously left us in the dust!

Kate before a playdate one day..."I know you're not a crafty mom, but could we make sock bunnies?"

 If only dogs could speak...what have you been up to, Scout?!

Jon just returned from a guys' trip to Idaho.  He hiked and drove and camped like he was a 20 year old.  None of his stories made me wish that I was there with him...(besides the stop at the Pizza Ranch)...but I'm thankful he was able to take this respite from his daily grind and spend some manly time in the mountains.   

We all missed Jon while he was away, but had some great visitors to help brighten our days.  Molly & Anna journeyed here, and we loved spending time together.  Anna has the opposite personality of my kids at that age (outgoing and friendly as can be!), and so it was hilarious to watch her in action. 

Natalie & Kate enjoyed being little mommies, and Anna had all of us laughing with her expressiveness and exploding language skills.  She's adorable!!

This girl just lost her first tooth!  I handed her a paper towel and told Kate to wiggle her tooth.  She pulled it out and then looked at it and said in disbelief , "Did I really just do that?!" 

In a bad mom moment, I accidentally threw her tooth in the garbage can.  Thankfully, after a little digging, I was able to retrieve it and handed it to Kate.  She then prompty dropped it on the floor, and we all spent the next several minutes crawling around looking for it.  Finally, it went safely into her brand new Tic Tac container where she can treasure it forever and gross out her future husband with it someday.   I was shocked to learn when I got married that not everyone keeps their tooth collection in a Tic Tac container.   

One more funny Kate story that she told me about a chant she just learned in class.  She said, "In first grade, we keep having to clap our hands and say, 'Collaborate & Listen!' ...although I'm not even sure what that means!"  

Made me laugh:)  Kate- I'm not really sure the point of that either, but you don't have any homework, and that's all that really matters!:):)

End of Summer, Part 1

 We had fun including Scout in our annual Fourth of July pictures! 

 The bakers got a little carried away with the flour!

First IMAX experience- They had the theater to themselves and were big fans!  Turtle Oddesy, anyone?

Speaking of turtles, look at this interesting turtle that Scout brought to our back porch.  No worries, once Scout came inside, the turtle escaped.   Those hard shells are a lifesaver!

The girls and I ventured to Ohio one day to meet up with Molly & Amy and their kiddos.  It was a fun little reunion.  The kids took our picture, and the pic below ended up being my favorite.  Reminds me of what often became of our study sessions during college. 

Meanwhile, Scott and Jon had a guys day at a cool park.  Scout had big adventures with them too, and they all came home exhausted. 

There were several ladders, and Jon had to carry Scout up them.  They were both thrilled to make it to the top rung each time!

Scott took a special trip downtown with Grandpa & Grandma.  The 11 year old is about to pass all of us in height!

To be continued...

Didn't We Just Do This??! Life, Slow Down!

Wagons West- Day 6

Before our long trip home, we were able to spend the day with our amazing Wyoming friends.  We always leave feeling encouraged after visiting with them.  So thankful for their friendship!

Right when we pulled in, Melinda told us that a cow was about to give birth and that it needed some help.  We watched as Lucas helped to deliver a calf!  Welcome to life on the ranch!

The girls got a kick out of this noisy new goat!  The girls all picked right back up from our visit a couple of years ago and played so well together. 

The kids of course loved riding some amazing horses!

Jon had such a fun time going prairie dog hunting! Scott was torn between going shooting during the afternoon or riding horses, but the horses won out. 

Our special time with them was a sweet way to end our trip.  After that, we had a couple long days of driving to return home.  I am lobbying for giving our children the wonderful experience of flying next time!  :)  It was a long way home!  All in all though, we're grateful for a safe trip and for a fun time together.