1st Day of School

First day of school has come and gone. Megan started Fifth grade and is the top dog at the school. It only goes to grade 5 so she feels special this year. She can't wait for all the fun things that 5th graders get to do. Andrew started main stream 2nd grade and was super hyper for the first day.

So far Megan loves this year. She loves her teacher and classmates. We haven't had any drama and she is doing great. She is even a helper after school with getting the little kids to their parents or bus. Andrew started off a little rough. He had a laid back teacher last year and this one is a bit more strict. She was having a difficult time with him. We started a behavior sheet again this year. Each day they give him stars for how he acts and it has to be reported to me for signing. We reward him as he gets mostly all stars. Since we started this he has done great and we are back on track. I was a bit concerned but we seem to be doing well. I'll learn more at parent teacher conference in October.

The kids are settling in very nicely so far this year. We've made a few adjustments and things are beginning to look great. I'm excited for the progress we'll make and to see how the kids grow. It always amazes me how much they change from year to year. I hope this year will be awesome.

Our last summer hike @ Denny Creek

We had our final hike to the slippery slab @ Denny creek. This one was over an hours drive one way but the kids were so pumped they didn't even care. It also helped that we carpooled so I had a full car of kids who played with each other. It made the time fly on the way up.

Once we pulled in and the car parked it was a mad rush out of the vehicle. They all couldn't wait for the adults to get loaded with stuff to get going. They immediately started to explore the surrounding area while they waited. We did find we had to relocate the car but once we were settle the fun got going.

This time I decide to have each of my kids carry a cinch bag with a towel and their water shoes. Nothing heavy but I had lunches and other stuff and I couldn't get it all to fit so I had to have a little help. In hind sight I probably would have done that a little differently. My kids seem to get tired out quickly and with that extra bag it gave them one more thing to make it difficult.

Andrew had the hardest time. I'd say about half way up he was in the back and dragging. It was a tough little hike even for us adults. I think we were all sweating and had to take breaks along the way. I loved every minute of the hike it was great exercise. My kids just seem to hate walking lately and thus began a bit of the whining.

Megan was a trooper and did really well. She got stuck carrying more than just her bag at one point. Another boy handed off his huge backpack to her. She was loaded down and we had to make a change. Everyone had to carry their own and that was the way it had to be. After that she seemed to enjoy herself.

Once we reached the slippery slab it was like a pot of gold for those kids. All that hard work and life was wonderful. They loved being in the water and just soaking it all in. They did stop every once in a while to nibble on their lunch but for the most part all they wanted to do was play.

We finally made it to a waterfall and my kids were in heaven. It was the one thing they really wanted to see of all things from any of the hikes. We all got nice and dirty and just had a great time exploring. We did have a few falls and scrapes but after a few tears and resting the kids all bounced right back up. We did have three boys which when you have a set of three someone always gets left out. All in all though I think everyone had a great time. We could have stayed for a long while but we were with a group and did have to pack it in eventually.

Our exit was a bit scattered and rushed for my taste. My kids were still playing when I got the call we're leaving. I had stuff every where and had to make a mad scramble to get us packed. My kids were still in water shoes as we began our hike back. I eventually had to just stop and separate so I could get myself and the kids put back together. That little break helped a ton and my kids felt much better after we were organized. We had a great time and really want to take Jeff back sometime. We'd have a blast exploring with him. It was an awesome hike and a great way to end our summer hiking expeditions.

Eight is Great, again

Andrew finally turned 8 and he couldn't be more excited. He had his special day all planned out and knew exactly what he wanted. We did help add a few suggestions and of course we celebrated over several days as is the norm for us.

First on his birthday list was golfing with Dad. Jeff and Ken go golfing around 6am during the summer while the weather is nice so taking Andrew was simple enough. Andrew was so excited to get to go he was up at 3am and ready to go. We had to tell him to get back to bed for 3 more hours. He went to his room but I don't think he slept. Jeff said he had some good shots and had a lot of fun with the big boys.

Next up was roller skating. This is his new favorite thing to do. He hated it at first but has grown to LOVE to skate. Every chance he gets he asks to go out skating. We invited Grandma and Papa along. Grandma thought she'd skate with us but found that her balance has changed. She only made it one lap around with Jeff's help and turned in the skates. We still enjoyed having her and Papa there to keep us company.

Andrew took frequent trips to get water and decided to let other people around know that it was his birthday. He was pretty cute but he even interrupted a paid birthday party for someone else to let them know it was his special day too. Andrew got nice and sweaty and enjoyed skating it up.

We let him open his presents later after dinner out. My Dad sent a birthday box that included a fishing vest from 4 generations. I loved the sentimental part of it and Andrew thought it was cool too. He got stocked with toys and got everything he ever wanted.

We ended his actual birth day with cake of course. We thought about making one but all he really wanted was to go pick one out at the store. We showed him several options and he settle on a chocolate chocolate cake from costco. They had regular sheet cakes but he said those were too kiddie looking. He picked the more adult looking cake and loved it.

As an actual birthday party we really don't usually do these for him as he has a summer birthday. It's tough because we can't invite school friends and he only has 2 church friends from his class. We decided to invite those 2 church friends and make it a party at Wild Waves. Andrew was over the moon with this and couldn't wait to have his friends come just for him.

Only one of the boys could come and we decided to go for it. We made it a party day and had a great time. We did both wet water rides and dry regular rides. We packed it all in to our party day. Andrew loved having a friend along. I think it made him feel really special.

Lastly since Andrew turned 8 he was able to get baptised in our church. I'm not sure how he felt about the whole thing. He was soooooo hyper it was hard to tell. Several days before the baptism we met with our Bishop to just interview Andrew and make sure he was ready. The Bishop told us that in the 5 1/2 years of being a Bishop Andrew's was the strangest interview he has ever had. Let's just say we took a wrong turn during our visit when they kids busted out knock knock jokes. It was interesting to say the least. The Bishop gave us the go ahead so it must have been okay.

Andrew had seen Megan get baptised so he knew what to expect. Jeff still tried to prep him and he did great. He was a bit hyper while we waited but once it was over he did just fine. I was really proud and relieved it all went well. Andrew was so cute after giving hugs and just being a whole new boy. Eight is definitely great for him.