Preschool Time!

Many of you know that I have decided to teach a preschool class in my basement this year thanks to a good friend who convinced me to give it a go! (Thanks Kerry) I've had such a great time getting my basement ready and thought I would post a few pics of the finished space! I think it is so cute and now that classes have started I am having a blast! I have such a fun little class! Come by and check it out any time!

Our learning table.

The library (Thanks for the fun shelf Whitney!)

Our cubbies!

The Art Center!

Projects!

Jon has had a busy month getting our backyard finished. He had started digging an inground trampoline in the spring when he made me my box gardens and he wanted the dirt. He finally got the trampoline finished and in and I think it looks great. Now he can concentrate on the kitchen!! My husband works so hard..and I love him for it!!

BACK TO SCHOOL!

I can't believe how old our kids are getting (and thus how old Jon and I are getting). Today was the start of highschool for Alex, 8th grade for Mona, middle school (6th) for Eli, and kindergarten for Isaiah! It's crazy how fast time flies. We set our alarms for that crazy 6am hour in order to get everyone up, dressed, fed, and gathered for a family prayer. Excitement was in the air and then they were off. Isaiah and I hung out and then met papa and uncle Dan at McDonald's for a special back to school treat! There were no tears that first day, but the next week proved a little more difficult separating (for him and me!). He is doing great now...Jon is convinced that we spoiled it for him by telling him how much fun it is. He is right, it isn't really all that fun, but it is good for him. Alex and Eli are doing cross-country at their respective schools, and Mona is switching from the flute to the french horn in band. I'm so proud of all my kids!

Eli wouldn't cooperate, so we'll have to just imagine how great he looked!!

Garden update!

We have been thoroughly enjoying our whole foods, fresh garden eatin all summer long! Had to post a few pictures of how the boxes look today and the delicious fruits of our labors!

Road Trip 2009

I am not going to write much, but I'll let the pictures do the talking. We took a 9 day road trip through Moab (Utah), Mesa Verde, Durango, Silver City (Colorado), the 4 corners, Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, North Rim Grand Canyon, and Zions National Park in Utah. We camped, stayed at a family reunion in Colorado, hiked, and had a great time just seeing all the amazing sights! It was great! Isaiah was a little scared our first night camping at the Grand Canyon, because our spot was the closest to the rim and he was afraid we might slide into the canyon! He later said " we should try really hard to never forget this trip"! If you've never been, you've really got to do it!

Somewhere between Moab and Mesa Verde...."The Hole in the Rock"

Ancient Pueblo Cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.

Somehow all the pictures of Durango and Silver City ended up on someone else's camera...it was beautiful with lot's of mountains and trees there.

On to the 4 corners. Eli bought a buffalo rib knife, Isaiah bought a bow and arrow, and the girls bought gorgeous Navajo made jewelry.

Buffalo greeting us as we drove into Grand Canyon National Park

The Rim can make moms a little nervous.

The Kaibab trail on our last day

This snake freaked us out because it looked so similar to a coral snake. We had to look it up...a mountain king snake (harmless)

Zions National Park in Utah.

We will Definitely NEVER forget this amazing vacation!

Ramona makes history!

We are so proud of Ramona and all her hard work! In April she won 1st place in Idaho State History Day. She had just 2 months to raise the money she needed to go to the National Competition in Washington DC. She wrote letters to companies, friends, and family. She hosted kids camps to earn money, and she babysat up a storm! In the end she earned enough to go and to take along her grandpa as well! What an experience!

Representing our state!

After making sure that the exhibit was broken down and packed in a box that the airlines wouldn't charge us an extra $100 for, it took about 6 hours for Ramona and her grandpa to reassemble it! She said it wasn't quite as nice as it had been originally, but there wasn't much she could do about it, so she just went with it!

Touring DC.


Doing some family history....we're pretty sure that Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is a relative, since her last name is Gale.

Waiting to present to the judges!

The Awards Ceremony...she didn't win, but she didn't care! The trip was worth the effort!

A picture with the president....maybe not!

Great views!

The view from the Lincoln Memorial.