In school for a week

The kids have been in school for over a week now. They are in their second week of school. They have really loved school. Jacob still gets up in the morning excited. They both come home really happy.

Jacob still doesn't tell me much. He did tell me that he got yellow carded. I had to ask what it was and I guess it is a warning for talking to much. That does not surprise me very much. Jacob is extremely smart but loves to talk and take him time working in the classroom. I am wondering if his teacher has moved him yet from the table with all the girls. Jacob leaves for school almost a half hour before Rachel. His bus pick him between 7:45 and 7:55 in the morning. His school starts at 8:20. Jacob is them home at 2:40 fr0m school. Jacob has homework every day. It is usually a math sheet. It takes him a while after he gets home to be motivated enough to do it right a way. I am hoping he learns fast that homework gets done quick so he can then play. It is really easy for him so I think that he is just bored when doing it.

Rachel loves school and can't tell me enough about her teacher and her friends. She loves it. She did come home the other day and told me how they separated the boys from the girls and had talks with them. They talked to the boy about no longer teasing the girls and being nice because they are more sensitive. The girls they pretty much told them that they have feminine hygiene things for them if they need them and if you don't know what they are talking about go talk to your parents. Sad that they have to address this matter for girls so young. Rachel has no homework well yet. Her teacher has told her that they will only have homework if they are messing around and don't get their work done in class. I love that. It was the same last year for Rachel as well. She never had homework. Rachel goes to school at 8:15 and then come home at 3:00.

I have really loved having just Kaelen and me at home during the day. We have been out running errands by 9 am most days. I have been able to get a lot done most days. I still don't feel like I have time for all I want but it sure has been nice. I have started to finish a lot of projects that I have wanted to finish all summer. I like too that I can be lazy for a few hours if I want during the day and I still have hours before the kids come home. It has been nice to just play with Kaelen as well. Kaelen is very happy though when the kids get home. When he hears them coming home he runs to the door screaming and smiling. It is very cute.

First Day of School

Rachel and Jacob both had their first day school today. It was exciting but a little nerve racking. I was nervous for Jacob. We didn't get the teacher that we requested and I didn't know the teacher that he did get. She is new in the school.

Jacob and Rachel woke up bright and early and had breakfast and got dressed and then I loaded everybody up into the car to take Jacob to school first. Jacob is attending 1st grade at Rimrock elementary where Rachel is attending 5th grade at Ammon elementary. Jacob was so nervous to go. When I looked at him in the rear view mirror he had this funniest face because he was so scared. He kept telling us how nervous he was.

When we got to school and took him into his classroom we was greeted by what was more of a jungle than a classroom. His whole classroom was a jungle theme. It was wall to wall covered in jungle paper with animals everywhere and fake trees. He found his seat right a way at his table and started to color. He was excited to see a few boys from his class last year. I think that he was really excited to be the only boy at his table. Jacob loves to hang out with girls. He loves to giggle and talk with them. His poor teacher. His teacher is Mrs. Rammell. Yes Rex Rammell who is running for Governors wife. Very funny that the class has relations to somebody running for governor and congress. When I asked Jacob's teacher if she needed any instruction before I left she said that she was great and that everything was going to be fine. I left the class with her asking the kids who was nervous about today and her saying that she was very nervous. Jacob's teacher gave this awesome note about how she wants first grade to be their favorite and most memorable year like her first grade was as a child. She also gave a note that is written phonetically not spelled correctly. The note talked about how this year they are going to write lots and she (Mrs. Rammell) didn't care if it was spelled correctly she just wanted them to write phonetically. I liked that. I really think that Jacob is going to have a great year. I am not worried at all about his teacher.

After dropping Jacob off I rushed to Rachel's school to drop her off. We made it just as the class was lining up outside. She looked so awesome in her shirt and tie. She is very into fashion and has to look cool all the time. Rachel let me take pictures but wouldn't let me come up to her classroom to take pictures. She is too cool for that. Luckily she lets me kiss her goodbye still at the house before she runs for the bus each morning. Rachel's teacher is Ms. Mackintosh (like the caramels. hmm yum) The kids call her Ms. Mack. We requested her and luckily me being a past PTO president at Rachel's school I get priority. Lucky me.

I still can't believe that Rachel is in the 5th grade. She is so big to me. She looks so much older this year as well. She has matured a lot over the summer.

So after dropping the kids off I went home with Kaelen to a quiet house. It is crazy to only have Kaelen home. I know though that i am going to like it. I am excited to get things done during the day especially when Kaelen sleeps.

After school when the kids came home I actually didn't get much from them. Jacob said the best part was lunch because one of the lunch ladies came up to him and told him "that if he didn't smile she was going to have to kiss him and hug him and then eat his lunch." He thought that it was funny. That was pretty much all I got out of him.

Rachel talked a little more about her day. She said that she had so much fun and that she loved her teacher. She sang this song to me that she learned. Go figure Jacob I don't think learned a song in the 1st grade but my 5th grader did. Very funny. Rachel also has a couple of really good friends in her class so she was really happy.

I think that this year is going to be a really great year for my kids. I am excited. I think that they both have great teachers whom they will love and learn a lot from.

Family Pictures at the Oregon Coast.

While we were at the coast (July 25-Aug 1st) we had family pictures taken. They turned out so beautiful. I am excited to get them printed and put on the wall. Here are just a few of the many that were taken. We had the pictures taken at Hug Point by Cannon beach. It was an amazing beach with tons of caves to go and look at while the tide is out. Once the tide goes in you can't see them anymore. This was one of my favorite places at the coast this year.

Gloria has mentioned that this is the whole family photo that she is going to order. I agree it is by far the best.

Okay these grand kid's ones are funny because of all the face expressions of all the kids. They were so unhappy at the time. IT was such a challenge to get them all to sit. Lindsay had to sit and hold Evie down in the pictures. I love looking at them. Oh so funny.

I love these family pictures. I am going to get a large one for my big frame in my living room and then a smaller one.

This is one that we'll have done in an 8x10.

I like this picture of Gloria and Chuck. I think that this is the most I have seen Chuck smile in a picture before.

This is the picture that will be blown up and put in my large frame in my living room.

Kaelen's First Hair Cut

On August 7th Kaelen got his first hair cut. He was so much older than Jacob was with his first hair cut. Kaelen was in much need of one. He had some crazy long pieces. I had been meaning to cut it for months now never found the time. I knew that it would take some time and I never felt like spending the time and energy to do it. It was so long though that I finally decided that it had to be done. I cut his hair on Enoch's lap. It was so hard because he would not sit still. He didn't cry but he didn't like me grabbing his hair and then cutting it. I was so worried about cutting him. Enoch kept having to move him around and distract him. It was so hard to do. It ended up turning out great though. It is so cute. I cut off about 2 inches in some places. I liked how it turned out. He looks more like a little boy now.

Before with his long hair near his ears.

Cutting the top of his hair.

Cutting around his ears and man he moved a lot.

Cutting the back of her head.

Cutting the back. Good thing Dad had fun things to play with.

Afterwards. Notice that there are no fly a ways on the sides. I love it.

My New Baby

I wanted to show you all my new baby.

Oh I love this car. It is so fun to drive and me makes me so happy. Okay yes it is a material item but man when you sit and drive in it you can't help but smile. I have never liked Ford Mustangs since being in Florida because everybody in Tallahassee drove them but the ones they drove were ugly compared to this but wow I love this car. I love the smell of the new leather and I love the feel when driving it. It is so smooth and driving 80 miles an hour feels like 35 miles.

Me getting ready to drive my baby away. Don't I look hot. It just fits me.

All of the kids wanted to get their picture in it after they got to drive in it.

Rachel

Hailey

Adam

Jacob and of course he is acting crazy.

Kaelen loves the car too.



Okay no we did not buy the car even though a part of me wishes we could. Chuck (my father in law) borrowed it from a friend of his who is a car dealer. He lent it to Chuck for a parade he was in. Enoch drove to Rexburg to pick it up. The best part though was that when he went and picked it up they drove it right out of the show room. It had no miles on it. Woody, Chucks friend was not there at the time but the guys at the dealership were told to just give it to Enoch. So they just handed over the keys and he drove off. He didn't sign anything.

We took the car out with the kids in it screaming around the neighborhood and then Enoch and I took it to run some errands and go to the movies in it. I am shocked that Enoch did that because he was so worried about the car. If you notice the picture of Hailey she looks likes she is doing the chicken dance because she isn't even touching it. He was so worried about something happening to it. He did let me drive it though up to Enoch's parents house at 2 am after seeing Harry Potter (let me say it was the best movie I have seen this summer. Loved it.) Enoch was so happy to get his loud beat up car back because he was so nervous of something happening to it. I have never seen Enoch freak out so much if the kids got too close to it. Very funny. I do love this car though and everything I said about it up top is true. I love how it drives, smells and man I did get a large smile on my face when I rode in it. There is something about riding around in a car with the top down. Oh I miss the car even though we didn't have it for very long. Maybe I should ask for one for Christmas from Santa. :)

Oh Happy Day

I have some wonderful news. Wal-mart which I hate shopping at but still buy stuff their now has a gluten free section. I am so excited. I buy my spaghetti noodles from Walmart because it is cheaper than other places but now they have a whole section. Oh I am so happy. Anything to make shopping for gluten free easier is the best.

Other great news is that Rachel passed swimming lessons. Rachel and Jacob took swimming lessons for two weeks and loved it. Rachel has been in the same class since she was 6. Don't get me wrong she is an amazing swimmer. She is almost done with swimming lessons but she has never been able to tread water so they have never let her pass. Well she finally did it. She passed and I am so excited because she now has one class left of lessons and then she is in lifeguard training. She passed fish and the last is flying fish. Shark is after but that is more about lifeguard stuff. Oh I was so happy when she showed me her card and it said that she had passed. I had told her that if she didn't pass I was still going to move her up. I tried to move her up last year and she only lasted about ten minutes in the class and started crying and she never got in the pool again that summer for lesson. They really push you. You have to swim a mile at the last class. I am happy to know that she will be ready for it. It may take time to pass but she got their on her own without me moving her up.



Jacob loves swimming lessons. He has a harder time because he can't kick his legs like most kids can but he loves it and has so much fun. He is always making his teacher laugh and the other kids. He is such a jokester. He would always come home and talk about how he swam the whole length of the pool even though he never did. I sure love him. His favorite part those was jumping off the diving board. He looks forward to it every time he takes lessons.

Take me out to the Ball Game

Rachel and Jacob both played baseball this year and loved it. Rachel has improved so well in the last year. She got really good at hitting and catching. Rachel's team was the gray dolphins .

Rachel hitting the ball.

Rachel on 1st base.

Jacob played t-ball this year as well. He played on a team with all the kids from the neighborhood. Jacob's coaches were two 14 year old boys from our neighborhood. They were wonderful. The kids loved them. Jacob had a great time. I was really worried about Jacob and how he would do. Well the first game Jacob got up to bat and right after he hit the bat his coach picked him up and ran him to 1st base. It was the sweetest and coolest thing. From then on every time Jacob went up to bat somebody would pick him up and run him to 1st base. Jacob said to one of his coaches after one game that they played a good game but they needed to run him to 1st base faster. It was so cute. Jacob's team was the orange gators.

Coming to home plate to hit the ball.

Running home.

Jacob sitting with a bunch of the boys that helped with the team.

Jacob's baseball team

Kaelen has actually gotten great at hitting the ball as well. Kaelen loves balls and has since before he could walk. He learned in the last month to hit the ball. He has the ball on a tee and then he hits it. He is really good at golf and soccer too. He will hit balls with a golf club and is very accurate too. He also loves to run around the yard kicking a soccer ball. I have never seen somebody so young hit and kick a ball so well and accurately. It is so fun to watch him play. He plays all the time too. He is always outside wanting to play ball.

Kaelen golfing

Holy Hail

On Friday June 26th we had a crazy storm come through Idaho Falls and surrounding areas. We had hail the size of a water bottle lid. It stormed for quite a while too. We were so worried about our garden. Everything that was smashed with the hail was able to come out of it. We have one plant in my herb garden that didn't do too well but luckily it didn't die. Enoch sent the pictures into the paper and they were actually in the article about the weather. Pretty cool. I think that pictures tell it all.

The whole side walk was covered with water.

Hail pile at the side of our house.

Water covering the whole street

Hail on our trampoline.

Large hail.

Hail on lid of water bottle.

More water in the street.

Another hail pile in neighbors yard.