Catch Up

I know my goal was always at least a post once a week and now it's become once a month, but the life of a single working mother has taken some getting used to but I think I'm getting a handle on it.  Here's our life in a nutshell over the last month.  

It was Beck's birthday!  He is now 11!  He is such a kind, smart, hilarious boy!  He brings me joy every day!

I went to the Tim McGraw concert with Ellie and Caron.  We had a blast!

And even though it took us almost an hour to get out of the parking lot at the end of the concert, it was totally worth it! 

We went to Grandma's house for our September birthday party and a chicken strolled into the backyard!  It was the sweetest chicken ever and the kids loved saying hi.

On a related note, our dogs could not resist the temptation of a chicken dinner any longer and finally ate a chicken a few weeks ago.  We had one remaining chicken and sold her in order to keep her safe.  Goodbye fresh eggs. 

For UEA, Travis (my boyfriend) and I took the boys down to St. George.  We had so much fun hiking into the lava caves, swimming at the pool, and playing at the clubhouse.  

Owen is way too cool!

Owen never wanted to play racquetball with us.  He just wanted to play dodgeball.  He wasn't quite quick enough and got nailed in the back.  He is down for the count!

Group shot!

I took the boys to Tuacahn to see "When You Wish."  It was an amazing show and definitely the highlight of our trip. 

We celebrated Dustin's birthday up at his house the day after the deer hunt ended.  As you can see, he was successful in his quest of recreational murder. 

Happy Birthday Dustin!

Bunch of goofs!

I'm really going to try to keep this updated.  Please bear with me!

Cardall Cabin

Dustin and Caron are always so generous in sharing their cabin time with us.  We love going up there!  Here is my whole crew ready to go.

Caught in a rain storm. 

Dave's gonna catch some fish!

Grandma and Jake wanna get in on the fishing action. 

Beck and Owen warming themselves on that beautiful fire that I made ALL BY MYSELF!

Owen enjoying his S'more....a lot.

Loading up for adventures.

Finishing up our hike.  We only got lost once.

Shooting the bow and arrows.

It was a great trip!  

Back to School

This week was the first day back to school.

Beck and his two cute buddies that he has gone to school with since the very beginning.

Owen on his first day of first grade.  You couldn't find a more excited student!

Beck, in fifth grade, was not quite so excited....

All three of us, officially heading back to school.  

First grade wiped him out on the first day!

And the second day....

This is my finished classroom.

I chose to go with a superhero theme.  The kids love the lifesize Superman.

I have a great class.  There are some challenges but I can roll with them!

I am so pleased to be back in the classroom!

However, his has been a crazy year, and, as I move forward and attempt to balance a full-time job, two kids, two dogs, one house, and a boyfriend (gasp!), I hope I can handle it all.  

Wish me luck!!!

Summer Is Winding Down

As the summer is winding down, it's time to reflect back and figure out what I loved about this summer.  The boys and I have made this our summer of hiking.  We have gone on a different hike every week.  Originally, we were going to try and do Mount Olympus by the end of the summer, but we quickly realized that Owen is just not quite ready for that.  Maybe next year....

We started off with the Lake Bonneville trail.  This hike was dampened a little because Beck fell very early in the hike and hurt his shin, but the payoff was worth it as we round the corner to see the beautiful overlook of a hidden valley.

We found the Ghost Falls up Corner Canyon.

We went up to Lake Blanche which is up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

At 2.8 miles each way and an elevation gain of 2,752 feet, this was by far the hardest hike of the summer but the boys were rock stars.  We passed some high school kids who were struggling and they were completely shamed by little 6-year-old Owen who pushed on and had a great attitude about it.

We went up Millcreek Canyon to Dog Lake next.  This hike was actually longer at 3.1 miles both ways, but with an elevation gain of only 900 feet, it felt like a piece of cake. 

After Lake Blanche, every hike will feel like a piece of cake.

We stopped at Shivers with Jen and the girls for milkshakes and burgers afterwards.

Finally, we did Bell Canyon.  

Again, a piece of cake.  But, this one was fun because we hiked all the way around the lake - even through the mud and guck.

About to cross the stream.

The ducks so badly wanted some bread crumbs....we had none.

We went to Lagoon again.  This time at night so that the boys could see how beautiful Lagoon is with all of the lights on.  We also met a new friend, Mr. Peacock.

One of Owen's assignments this summer was to find a famous painting and copy it.  He found a Picasso drawing of a weiner dog and immediately thought of Jeff and Nick, drew it perfectly, and presented it to them as a gift.  He was so proud that they displayed it on their kitchen counter with all of their other weird artwork.

We have been doing lots of science this summer.  We compared pH levels by torturing some poor helpless gummy bears.  We compared vinegar, vinegar/baking soda, sugar water, lemon juice, and salt water.  Vinegar dissolved the bear the fastest. 

This was our lesson on the magical properties of polymers. 

We crushed this can simply with hot and cold water.

It has been an amazing summer and as I look forward to the new school year, it is with anticipation and trepidation as I will be trying to navigate a full-time job, two kids, two dogs, a house, a yard, two chickens, and a roommate all by myself.

I've totally got this!