First Day of School

22 August 2014

We have internet connection!  So I will be able to send out my past letters I wrote but couldn’t email or blog post.  It is nice to be connected to things again at home.  Plus, I can type so much faster on a regular key board rather than trying to type emails on the iPad.  I have been thankful for the iPad the last month, since I could take it with me to places around town and use free wifi.  It will be nice to look things up at home now.  We should have phone connection soon and then we will be all connected to the world again.  I have been thankful for my cell phone that it works here and we have been able to use it a lot to be connected that way.

This week has gone quickly.  Last week the boys went on a over night back packing and fishing trip.  Neal bought the boys fishing gear for their birthdays.  Then Thursday afternoon they headed up the mountains to a lake that Neal had already visited when he was here in Colorado alone.  The boys managed to pack their gear about 1 1/2 miles to the camp site by the lake.  They had a lot of fun exploring the lake and trying out fishing.  The weather wasn’t right for good fishing conditions and they only caught moss on their lines.  But they had a blast.  They got home Friday late afternoon so happy, tired and full of things to tell me.  Ruth and I enjoyed some quiet girl time.  We went shopping for some school clothes for her and got Sonic for dinner.  We also watched the movie “The Music Man” together.  We had a nice time.

Friday evening we loaded up our family camping gear and went to the ward camp out.  It was a beautiful place for it.  We got there late and had to set up our tent in the dark.  As soon as we got up it the boys were in their bags sleeping.  They were worn out from the hiking they had done.  Saturday morning we woke up to beautiful mountain scenery.  We enjoyed the morning visiting with other ward members and the kids were exploring the mountain side with the other children there.  We had a nice time.  We got back home and we were all worn out.  We had a quiet Saturday afternoon, just cleaning up and doing quiet things.

At the camp ground.  I forgot to get out my camera until we were ready to leave!

It has been nice on Sunday to just relax and do quiet things as a family.  We don’t have church callings yet.  I have enjoyed having a break.  It is nice to go to Relief Society and not worry about anything, but just sit back, visit and enjoy the lesson.  It has been nice to have Neal home with us too.  After church the boys decided to try walking home from church.  Neal, Andrew and Spencer walked the almost two miles and enjoyed the pretty afternoon.

Monday evening I took Andrew and Spencer to the school for the meet the teacher night.  They were a bit nervous, so was I.  We ran into other ward members who helped answer some of my questions about the school and it was nice to visit with them.  The boys were happy to meet the teachers and feel like they were ready to start school Wednesday.  

Tuesday evening I took Ruth to her school for the open house.  We heard a presentation from her core teachers about what they would be doing in 6^th grade and then we walked around the school making sure she knew where her locker was (and how to open it) and all her class rooms.  

The kids have enjoyed the first couple of days of school.  Andrew was so happy and excited yesterday afternoon telling me about his classes.  He was happy that there are 3 boys from the ward in his class, so he already knows someone there.  Spencer has enjoyed getting to know new people.  The first day was Wednesday and it was an early out day.  When I picked up the boys they both said we needed to hurry home so they could use the bathroom.  When I questioned them they both said they had gone all day without using it, because they didn’t know where it was.  I guess getting use to a new school can be a bit stressful.  Ruth has really enjoyed going to school and meeting new friends.  She has made friends with some girls in our ward who are at her school, but not in her classes.  She has also told me about other girls she has met in class who are nice.  I am glad that she is feeling so confident about it all.

First day of school. Caleb wanted to be in the pictures.  

Ruth starting 6th grade

Spencer starting 2nd grade

Andrew starting 4th grade

It has been different for me to take the kids to school each day.  It will be a different routine.  The boys go to school from 7:45 to 2:30.  Ruth is in school from 8:30 to 3:45.  So the times are different.  They are both about 2 miles from school, but in different directions. They do offer busing in our neighborhood but the stop is almost a 1/2 mile from our home and it costs money for them to ride.  So I will take them back and forth.  Ruth is enjoying more time at home each morning.  She is getting back into piano practice before school too.  She is excited to be in band and start learning the clarinet soon.  They are doing some music review before starting the instruments.  I miss the organized drop off/pick up of the schools in Texas.  Here it is a bit crazy but we will get use to it.  I decided to have Ruth get out at a corner near the school.  It is working very smoothly to let her out before I get into the congestion of the school.  And she has enjoyed the independence of walking up to the school on her own.

Caleb is going through the transition of being without the older kids again.  He is enjoying time with me but keeps asking when it is time to pick up the boys.  I decided to not do any official preschool with him.  He told me he was done with preschool “I did that.  I already know my letters.”  So we will just do things together and work at learning other things at home.  He is a bright kid.

I am enjoying the weather this week.  It is so nice outside.  I enjoy taking walks each morning. We have discovered five different play grounds that we can walk to easily. Caleb doesn’t mind our walks if he can get out and play for a few minutes during the walk time.  There have been some walks he has ridden his trike while I walk.  We are liking having side walks in the neighborhood. We have been getting short rain showers almost every day that keep things cooled off in the afternoon too.  I am sure it will start to get colder as the seasons change but for now it is really nice.

I am thankful for all the kind people I meet everywhere.  It is a nice place to be and I will continue to get to know more people here to make our transition a positive one.