Sunday, February 21, 2016

Some pictures

I have a few minutes to post some pictures from our happenings. First I will post the week before school started. I wanted the kids to have something fun to do every day of the week so summer would leave with a bang. On Monday we went swimming at the Apple Athletic Club where I work. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures there, but here is the rest of that week.
On Tuesday we went bowling

On Wednesday the kids went horse back riding


On Thursday we went to a place called Squealers (Go-Karts, bumper boats, etc.)

On Friday we went to a Chukars game - the local Minor League Baseball Team

And Monday they were ready to head off for the first day of school.

The summer was full of T-ball games for Evan, Girl's camp for Molli, Pine Basin (a school sponsored camp for a week) for Michael and Hannah, and Hyrum finished soccer at the beginning of May.

We stayed in Idaho Falls for the fireworks over the 4th of July and Michael got to walk down the parade route. This was the first year we have ever seen the parade. I was entertained the whole time.

Our trip in the RV in June was the highlight of the summer. Here are some pictures:
We went through some cool tunnels on the way to South Dakota

We stayed one night at a state park by a lake. It was really pretty.


Approaching Mt. Rushmore from a distance - first sighting

Michael, with a broken arm, climbing a rock wall at the KOA

Standing in front of Mt. Rushmore

Zoomed in

In front of Crazy Horse Memorial

Enjoying a pic-nic lunch

Another cool tunnel

Some kids went to the dinosaur museum and others went to The Declaration of Independence Hall

Independence Rock


Our first and last place we stayed. The weather was better the second time.

A picture inside the RV before we had to return it.

This was Pine Basin, about four days after we got back from Mt. Rushmore.
 Okay, so I started this post a long time ago and now it is the middle of February. In December we spent some time in Salt Lake and in Logan. It was fun to be with family and make memories. When we got back from Utah, Molli and Hannah got their hair cut about 10 inches each to donate to Children with Hairloss. Here are some pictures as a more recent update.

Molli and I (in the pit) were in Peter Pan. Molli was a lost boy.
Molli with Wendy


Molli and Hannah did their own hair :)

Michael's first trip to the Temple for Baptisms for the dead


Sledding at Grandma's house with the cousins

Visiting Temple Square



The Nativity





I decided to highlight my hair and straighten it. It takes a long time to straighten it..
Michael gets to be Principal of the Day on this Thursday, so that is pretty cool. Molli is The Rat Queen in her school's production of "The Pied Piper." Michael, Hyrum, and Evan enjoy Chess club once a week. Michael is doing well at his flute and tried his luck at ski club twice. I am now a shift leader at my nursery job at the athletic club, so the whole family now has memberships there. Robert comes swimming with me about three times a week. Hannah is tolerating her piano lessons, but I can see some improvement. Jacob will be two on Friday and that is still weird to think about. Jonathan does really well with his colors and corrects Jacob every time he says a wrong color.

Well, that should be long enough now to catch everyone up and ease my guilty conscience for not posting sooner.  Hope you enjoyed the read :).

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Four Score and Seven Years Ago..

Okay, so it wasn't that long ago from my last post, but I sure feel like a slacker :). I can't believe that a whole school year has gone by, and the summer as well and I posted nothing (except to say a post was coming soon). I will post pictures to go with this update later.

I  think I was going to post about our RV trip to South Dakota, or perhaps it was anything in general. I now have time to write and play a bit of catch up thanks to Robert taking the kids to St. George this weekend, all but Jacob. That is why I didn't go. Jacob is a horrible traveler. He cries non stop and will not sleep in a moving vehicle, at all.

The kids had an eventful school year. I didn't help much as far as PTO goes. I can't even say I feel guilty about that. I was worn out! But, now that the new school year is upon us, I am ready to get down to business.

Molli loved the 7th grade and I think her favorite class was World History and then choir. So this year in 8th grade she dropped orchestra (I basically told her that was causing her a lot of stress and I would rather have her focus on something else, so I am okay with that decision), and has a full year of choir as well as an advanced History and Science class. I think she will like this schedule better than the first one she got this year. Orchestra wasn't the only thing she switched around.

Michael had fun as a 5th grader and there was never a dull moment of conversation between the two of us. During his 5th grade year he did many things and came out of his shell a bit. He also started 11 year old scouts and is not sure if that is fun or not, yet. He was initiated (?) in by getting a huge black eye at their first camp-out. It took about a month for it to heal, which when it did heal, he promptly broke his arm in two places (on Hannah's birthday of all days).  He and Hannah went to a school sponsored camp over the  summer called Pine Basin. I think they both had a great time there.

Hannah tolerates school. She likes math and art, but really can't find a reason to be there. She gets headaches constantly (maybe 3x a week) and she misses out on a lot when those come around.
I took Hannah with me to California for a weekend in July and she loved the ocean and collecting sea shells. I can see her living on a coast when she gets older.

(I wish my kids were around so I could ask them what their favorite  part about summer was...)

Anyway, Hyrum had a rough go at 2nd grade but he persevered. It is not a good day when the teacher calls and says that she and Hyrum are in a battle and he is winning. Apparently he had a good friend in that class that he talked to constantly. It didn't matter how far apart they were in the room they would still talk. Towards the end of the year the teacher told them they would not be in the same class next year and now Hyrum and his friend aren't really friends anymore. On his baptism day this friend came to his baptism and he went to hers in May. They had some good times. I did end up taking Hyrum with me to Boise for a night so that he could have some away time from everything. I think it was good timing. Doing pitching machine over the summer was not for him. I think their team lost every game and Hyrum only hit the ball once and it was a foul, then the ball hit him and that was the end of him liking the sport. 3rd grade is off to a good start and I have only had one phone call from his teacher and that was to tell me that he did a kind deed at school that day.

Evan loved kindergarten and everything about it. His teacher is in our primary presidency so she got to see him six days a week. He did T-ball over the summer and thought that was great.  His favorite thing to do is play on the computer.

Jonathan and Jacob I will combine because their year and summer was about the same together. Jonathan cried when the kids headed off to school last year, but this year he was just fine. Jonathan is a very happy kid. They both love to play outside and go for rides in the bike trailer or the wagon. Jacob is legal in nursery now and he actually did okay today even without Jonathan there.

For the summer we went to My. Rushmore in a rented RV and had a fun time (despite Jacob hating long rides and not sleeping in a car). We stayed at some KOAs along the way and other campsites. I even felt relaxed a lot of the time. We went to Independence Rock and Martin's Cove. The two youngest were asleep for Martin's Cove so Robert took the other kids and I took a nap :).

A week before school started I filled it up with activities around town to end the summer with a bang. On Monday I took the kids swimming at the athletic club where I work. Tuesday we went bowling. Wednesday we went horse back riding. Thursday was to a place called Sqeelers that has go carts, bumper boats, rock climbing walls, and things of the like. Robert came with us to that place. And Friday we went to a hometown baseball game. What a week. but, you know, after all that I was still not ready for school to start, but start it did. Now Molli has play practice for Peter Pan and Hyrum has soccer. Michael is going to take up the flute and Hannah really wants to do that as well. I have Symphony performances and that about sums up our life.

I didn't ever write about our trip to Guatemala during Christmas break, but I did write about it in my journal, so maybe I will post about it some day. So, if you have read this far, Congratulations! I hope you learned something new about us and you weren't too bored. I bet I can keep up better on this now that Evan is not dominating the computer and I can actually use it. Until next time :)

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Stay tuned for an updated post soon :)  ..........

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Life is Good in Idaho

School started a few weeks ago and the kids are adjusting well. At back to school night 5 days before school started Molli got a new schedule that included Spanish. She didn't sign up for Spanish and we were a bit worried as to how she would get from one class to another having to switch buildings and what not, but it all worked out and she is actually having a good time in Spanish. However, if anyone is willing to help her out every once in a while, don't hesitate to let me know. I open my mouth to speak Spanish and Tagalog pops out.

Evan loves Kindergarten and loves the computer even more. I need to find learning games on the computer so I at least feel he is understanding what is being taught in Kindergarten. He will run home and tell me what letter he learned about that day so he can play on the computer right away. The other day he couldn't remember the letter but he knew it started the word Iguana. I wouldn't give in, he needed to give me the right letter. After many tears, his siblings helped him and he was able to play on the computer.

The others are doing fine, I guess. I haven't heard too much complaining. I am no longer PTO president (YEA!) so I don't hang out at the elementary school as much. I spent a few days helping in the middle school orchestra instead. I really enjoyed it. I am playing my violin more and I am officially a member of the Idaho Falls Symphony, not a substitute anymore. I also play in the Teton Chamber Orchestra and in little things here and there.

Robert is busy at work and is heading to Washington DC next month for about a week. He is still enjoying his time as a member of the Iona Bonneville Sewer District. We went on a four wheeling trip a few weeks ago and had a good time. I was the driver so he could take pictures. He took a lot of pictures, but I am sure most of the time he was hanging on for dear life :) . The pictures below are not in chronological order, but it is things we did in the past few months.

PS - In the last post I mentioned about Michael's broken foot, Well, he did break it, but the specialist was not worried about it at all. Michael expressed how angry he was when we left the dr's office that he had psyched himself up for surgery or a cast or something... but nothing. He had mentally prepared himself and now was angry that it didn't happen. I understand where he is coming from, but I am sure glad he didn't need a cast or surgery.

We live in this beautiful part of the country, we might as well enjoy it


Getting ready to float the river in the rain
Molli's first time at the Temple doing baptisms for the dead


At the Zoo


Jacob is a happy baby



First day of school 2014


Jonathan didn't like the idea of them all leaving for school


My first thumb sucker


Jonathan is happy, too


Michael really was stuck, but he got free
A present from Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Rebecca
Tired after a day of 4 wheeling in Island Park and West Yellowstone
Molli with her hair all braided
He wants to go to school, too