Now it's time to learn!!!!

First day of school here in Idaho!

Dean (11th Grade...Nampa High School)

Classes: "A-day"--U.S. History, CP Physics (I guess that's like "AP"), Spanish 1, English (American Literature....yay, hopefully no "crappy" novels this year!) "B-day"--Seminary, Speech (as in Speech and debate...it's a required course here), Economics, Concert Choir (bummer because he had made Chamber Singers at CHS in Flagstaff!)
Emily (9th grade at Nampa High School)
Classes: "A-DAY"--US History, Physical Science, English, Seminary
"B-DAY"--Orchestra 1 (she has to take a shuttle to another High School for this class....weird!), Algebra, Desktop publishing, Concert Choir (Yes, she and Dean will be in the same class!)

Amy (6th Grade at Lone Star Middle School)

Classes: Beginning Orchestra, Social Studies, Advisory (basically a junk class), Language Arts/Writing, Math 6, Science, Language Arts/Reading

Amy wants to join Cross Country this year, but I told her she should probably try out the running club first (it meets 2 times a week) to see if she likes running so much (besides, it's pretty hot here....97 degrees right now at 7pm.....and running in the heat might kill her! At least the schools have air conditioning!)

Amy's School (not a good picture...this school is actually very huge!). It's almost brand new...only a couple of years old.

Nathan (1st Grade at Willow Creek Elementary/Teacher: Mrs. Finch)

Yes, the poor child needs a haircut....hopefully tonight!!!!

We decided to go ahead and have him move on to 1st grade instead of repeating Kindergarten, due to different circumstances and learning time lines here. We have an evaluation meeting to go over his IEP, etc. on Wednesday.

Mrs. Finch said that Nathan did SO WELL in school today! He had a staff member following him around today to gauge how much help he needs from a Paraprofessional Aid, but he didn't really need much help (don't know if that will continue to be the case, but it would be nice if he could function independently as much as possible!)

Nathan's School!

Sarah (Grade: 0/teacher: Mom). She wants to go to school SOOOOOOOO badly!!!!

Amy's glad she doesn't have to go to Sinagua this year!

Dean and Emily are sad to not be at Coconino, but they like Nampa High. It is set up more like a community college campus...separate buildings for different subjects instead of everything being indoors with hallways (kinda like schools in the Phoenix area).

I think that Nathan's just excited to have a new lunchbox and Cars 2 shoes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! (from Grandma)

OK Grandma, these are for you!

Nathan with his presents from Grandma that came in the mail: He was SO excited! (he really needs a haircut!!!)
Yay....Cars 2 stuff!

Cars 2 shirt!

Cars 2 book!

Very pleased and happy boy!

Sarah had just woken up from a nap so she doesn't look too thrilled, but she really was!

Yay--"Tangled" stuff! (o:

She was really excited when she saw the clothes! She immediately hugged them to herself.

Yay....a coloring book with stickers! The stickers are now all over the inside cover (better than on the walls on furniture!) (o:

THANKYOU GRANDMA CAROLYN--They loved everything!!!!!!!!

Happy, happy, Birthday to you!

Nathan's Birthday is on the 18th, Sarah's is on the 28th, but we celebrated them both on the 14th!!!!.......(?) Nathan couldn't stand it any longer (there's no reasoning with him), and Dad doesn't work on Sunday so we went ahead and did it early!

Nathan with his presents....just chomping at the bit waiting to tear in!

He wanted a Zurg (pictured), Finn and Holly cars from Cars 2, and Dinosaurs....and that's what he got!

Sarah wanted "Rapunzel stuff".....

She got a Rapunzel doll, some Rapunzel hair........

..............and "TANGLED"!!!!!!!

She also got a Barbie

(maybe she'll leave Amy's alone now...maybe)

and a princess game.

3 years old (almost) and afraid to blow out the candles! Nathan's a pro at 6 years old (he's got experience!)

Excitement! Fear!!!!!!

Yum...cake! (Where's Amy?)

HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY CUTIES!

The week in pictures (mostly)!

WELL! This was a somewhat productive week. All the kids are now registered for school (we'll save school pics for next week!). We got some yardwork done, and our sprinklers FINALLY got fixed. The lawn is starting to green up (no picture of that yet).

Chanon mowing the lawn (before sprinklers were fixed): My front door/entry project:

The bushes were already there, but when we moved in this area was a bit of a mess! I cleared out the weeds, tidied up, added rock borders, the white rock and three urns. The pink flowers in the back were planted in the tall urn AFTER this picture was taken. This morning when I went outside they looked like they are dying. I do not have a green thumb. In fact, I think I have a black thumb, which is why I have silk plants in my house. I may even plant some silk flowers in that urn if the pink flowers don't perk back up!!!!

Who would've guessed (other than a botanist) that this pretty little tree in our front yard was hiding a secret?

Yep, in addition to finding an abandoned bird's nest, this week we discovered that the tree grows fruit! I looked it up online and discovered that this is a cherry plum tree. It grows plums the size of cherry tomatoes, and these ones are very tasty! We picked quite a few and I wish we would've discovered this sooner because the fruit is definitely ripe...just slightly too ripe. It would've been nice to pick some a little earlier when they were not quite so soft. Most of what we picked has been eaten now. They taste just like sweet plums and look like those giant red globe grapes. They have a little pit inside. YUM! Evidently (according to a neighbor) we also have two green apple trees!

Nathan and Sarah playing in Dad's truck (aka...playpen) while I picked fruit:

Emily had three friends over Wednesday night for a video party (no pictures of that....I didn't want to freak her friends out or anything by taking pictures!). They watched "A Series of Unfortunate Events", ate snacks, and had a good time! Emily also went on a YM/YW boating/water-skiing activity (there is a lake close by--Lake Lowell).

Dean worked on his Disneyland "movie" and he says he should finish this week. Amy rode her scooter, hung out with Cora, watered flowers, got to check out her new school and played "Pixie Hollow".

Chanon's been working A LOT (p.s...he works at MICRON in Boise), but we finally had a little extra money to spare, so he got to see Harry Potter 7--2 Saturday night and go on a date with me! Here he is in his 3D glasses (pretty hot, huh?!!):

We ended the movie (and the week) with this eerie full moon at midnight~ I wish I had a better camera...the whole sky was filled with clouds that looked like the ones surrounding the moon in this picture......rather creepy!

PittyPat and TippyToe

All day long they come and go......PITTYPAT and TIPPYTOE!!!! Footprints up and down the hall, playthings scattered on the floor~

Finger-marks along the wall, Tell-tale smudges on the door~

By these presents you shall know.............PITTYPAT and TIPPYTOE.


How they riot at their play!

And a dozen times a day......in they troop, demanding bread~

Only [peanut]buttered bread will do, and that [peanut]butter must be spread inches thick with [jelly] too! And I never can say, "No, Pittypat and Tippytoe!"

Sometimes there are griefs to soothe, sometimes ruffled brows to smooth; For (I much regret to say) Tippytoe and Pittypat sometimes interrupt their play with an internecine spat;

Fie, for shame! to quarrel so---Pittypat and Tippytoe!

Oh, the thousand worrying things everyday recurrrent brings! Hands to scrub and hair to brush, search for playthings gone amiss, many a wee complaint to hush, many a little bump to kiss; life seems one vain, fleeting show to Pittypat and Tippytoe!

And when day is at an end, there are little duds to mend: Little frocks are strangely torn,

Litte shoes great holes reveal, little hose, but one day worn rudely yawn at toe and heel! Who but YOU could work such woe, Pittypat and Tippytoe?

But when comes this thought to me: "Some there are that childless be," ....stealing to their little beds, with a love I cannot speak, tenderly I stroke their heads~fondly kiss each velvet cheek. God help those who do not know a Pittypat or Tippytoe!

On the floor and down the hall,

Rudely smutched upon the wall,

There are proofs in every kind

of the havoc they have wrought,

And upon my heart you'd find

Just such trade-marks, if you sought;

oh, how glad I am 'tis so,

Pittypat and Tippytoe!

(poem by Eugene Fields)