Fall = Football

Caleb is playing flag football again and as a returning 2nd grader he is the big man on the team! He is on the Woodland Park/Coffeen Patriots and is loving every minute of it!

School, oh school

Here are the boys on the first day of school. Both were very excited to get back and see their friends and Caleb was really excited to meet his teacher. He started 2nd grade and Ethan is in preschool. After one week they are both still happy, so I take that as a good sign!

Here's what my semester looks like...well, part of it anyway! I have a hectic and busy schedule ahead of me, but I am excited to be in my last year of DH school!

Does Summer really have to come to an end?

Why is it August always flies by? It seems once it hits August 1st the time can't move fast enough to get to Labor Day! We've tried to enjoy it as much as we can though. We had one more overnighter at the cabin where I convinced my Mom that we needed to rebuild the fire pit. A few years ago the Forest Service came in and went over all their rules and regulations in which we had to remove some trees and remove our most favorite swing and get rid of the fire pit, just to name a few things. However, we have watched the "neighbors" plant flowers and run a sprinkler to water their "lawn" and they have a dreadful totem pole and other annoyances that I do believe are against some of the rules and regulations, so I told my Mom, "we're rebuilding the fire pit!" Needless to say, we enjoyed roasting smores while a light rain fell. What a wonderful last night at the cabin!


Besides having our last overnighter at the cabin, we also took a day trip to Yellowstone Lake. I have very fond memories of Yellowstone, as we spent a lot of time there during the summer when I was a child. We would all load up in the truck and camper with the boat and our bikes and everything a family needed for a fun stay in the park. I remember doing this weekend after weekend and sometimes we would stay for a week. We would tour the park or just play for hours in Bridge Bay Marina or ride our bikes through the Bridge Bay campground. My love of Yellowstone is still strong and as my boys get older I want to share it with them. Unfortunately we only had one day this year to go, but I hope to plan a few days visit in the next couple years.

Summer Fun

The boys and I decided to get out of Sheridan for the summer and head to Worland. I've been working at my old job at Farm Bureau insurance and the boys have been spending half their summer break with me and half with their dad. So what, you ask, have we been up to in Worland? Well, unfortunately Worland doesn't have as many fun parks or a fun swimming pool like Sheridan does, so we've missed that, but we have family here and have enjoyed spending time with everyone.

I got to take a trip down to Logan with my sister and nieces to leave them at EFY for a week. It was a beautiful drive and we had a great time!

Caleb got a new bike, so he's been working on his mad biking skills. He's also lost two more teeth and I think grown another inch!

Ethan has enjoyed spending countless hours on the trampoline and being just the right size for the battery-operated tractor.

The boys have loved helping with chores on the farm.



The boys have also enjoyed spending time with some of their cousins this summer; playing in the water, shooting off fireworks, and having a sleepover in the backyard.



One of our favorite summer time activities is heading to the mountains! We enjoyed a picnic lunch with Uncle Doug and Aunt Margaret and a hike down to West Tensleep Lake falls. We had a cookout with foil dinners and a drive up above Meadowlark Lake (one of my favorite spots). Sara and I took the boys to stay the night at the cabin, we had a great time but I forgot the camera. We're hoping to get up there a couple more times before school starts.




One of the highlights of this summer was all my sisters getting together, even if it was for a short time. We just happened to be able to come home all at the same time. It's been a few years since we've been all together, so this was really fun! We also got to meet Jacque's baby, Lily, who is now 1 year old.

We've had a lot of fun so far, and hope to enjoy the last few weeks of our summer break!

My budding virtuoso

The elementary schools in Sheridan offer students the opportunity to learn keyboarding/piano, technology, or the violin. They can choose which one they are interested in and if they are picked they go to a lesson once a week for 30 minutes, free of charge! I chose for Caleb to try keyboarding/piano, because he gets plenty of technology already and I can't stand the violin. Anyway, he started keyboarding at the beginning of 1st grade and seemed to really enjoy it. A few weeks ago they had an "In-Formance" where the parents were able to come to the school and listen to each child play a song on the piano and then a group song on their keyboards. I thought Caleb did really well and have encouraged him to continue on with it next year. (I tried to upload a video, but it didn't work, so you just get a picture)

I'm Back!

I'm not sure where the last four months have gone, but today I got caught up on all the housework from that time and it wasn't pretty. I am happy to say I successfully completed my first year of dental hygiene school, with a 3.5 gpa no less!!! As sophomores in the program, we are pinned by the juniors to show we completed our first year. The pinning ceremony is mostly about the graduating class, as it should be, but it was nice to be recognized. I was also pleasantly surprised with being chosen for two scholarships. I was awarded a scholarship from the Wyoming Dental Association and one from the Northwest District Dental Society in Wyoming. I am looking forward to year two! Too bad I have to wait all summer to start!


My friend Lynsee and I with our pins.


My dental hygiene class (minus one) before the pinning ceremony.

Hello? Is anyone home?

Don't get your hopes up...this is short. I am here to tell you we ARE still alive. I know it's been nearly four months since I've blogged, but let me tell you about something called Dental Hygiene school...it's a big black hole and I have fallen in. I promise to update you with a lengthier post and possible pictures in a couple weeks when I find my way out of the black hole. Until then, wish me luck...I have finals in one week!!!

Adenoids out, tubes in

Ethan had his surgery done on the 12th. I meant to take my camera so I could get a picture of him at the surgical center, but I forgot. He wasn't real happy to be there and even less happy to take his own clothes off and put on the gown, so I probably wouldn't have been able to get a picture anyway! Everything went well and recovery has been pretty good so far too. Here's some pictures showing what's involved. Now let's hope it will improve his hearing...and speech!

Four Eyes

I know glasses aren't that big of a deal, millions of people where them everyday. But I've never needed glasses, so I think it's fun that Caleb does! Here he is looking cuter than ever!

I've been reading

I've actually had time to read for enjoyment and it's been wonderful! I never really liked to read until I read the Twilight series (yes, I'm one of those people AND I read the series three times ::gasp::). Ever since then I am looking for good books to read but only have time when I'm not in school. (School keeps me reading things like head and neck anatomy, dental anatomy, anything and everything a person wanting to become a dental hygienist would need to read. Next semester it will be dental materials, pharmacology, dental radiology, histology, my head is spinning just typing about it!) Anyway, I finished reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. It is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.



Both books are awesome and enjoyable! There's romance, adventure, and suspense, who could ask for more?! Word on the street is that book 3 will be out next summer. I can't wait!
After reading Catching Fire I decided to read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It was interesting but not in either a good or bad way. I enjoyed reading it and really got caught up in the story, however, there was one chapter near the end of the book that just about ruined it for me. It's like renting the pg-13 movie and hearing the one "F" word. Why?! Anyway, I am anxious to see the movie and hope they left out the one chapter.



Since I finished that and still have 12 more days until school starts, I have plenty of time to read a couple more books. Next on my list is The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. This book was recommended by my sister Ann, who loves to read, is in an online book club, and just got a kindle for Christmas (the brat). So I'm going to give it a whirl.



I would love to know what you all are reading and have you leave suggestions! Happy Reading!

'Tis the season & a happy new year!

Oh gosh let's see, it's been a month since I blogged last but that seems to be about my timeline. I finished my first semester and although I didn't end up with straight A's, well let's be honest, I was mostly worried about passing, which I did and I was thrilled! So the last couple weeks I have been enjoying time off from school and the stress of homework. I have 12 more days before I go back and although I'm slightly bored, I am going to enjoy them for all they're worth!

The boys and I celebrated Christmas early at our apartment then they headed to Gillette with their dad and I headed to Worland. I spent Christmas with my parents, Jessica, and Sara and her family. We had a nice, quiet Christmas. The boys joined us on the 26th and we stayed in Worland through new year's. We had a great time visiting with family, going to the farm, playing the Wii, and eating! After being gone for 12 days we came back to Sheridan. The boys are happy to be back in school, learning and socializing with their friends.

So for the start of the new year, Caleb went to the eye dr. and we found out he is farsighted and will now need to wear glasses. He picked out some very stylish glasses and is VERY excited to get them! I, of course, will post pictures as soon as we get them! Ethan is headed to the surgical center on the 12th to get a new set of tubes in his ears and his adenoids removed. He is talking a lot more but seems to have some real problems with annunciation. After having his hearing checked and finding out he has hearing loss in both ears as well as fluid, his dr.'s and I thought this was the best route to take. I will also keep you updated on him. Gosh! What a way to start out 2010!

Here are just a few pictures from Christmas...



Caleb, Ethan, and I celebrating Christmas.


Singing Christmas carols in wigs is sooooooo much more fun than without the wigs!


The boys doing boy things at the farm the day after Christmas.


I've never spent a new year's away from family and I never want to!