3rd Day of School

Yeah, it's the third day of school. I missed posting on the first day -- ran out of time! I used to enjoy doing this kind of thing in the evening after the kids were in bed, but now I'm too tired so I shall have to do it while they are at school.

Monday was the first day -- Chloe's going back to public school, 2nd grade, and Sophie is now in 1st grade, gone all day! This is quite an adjustment for all 3 of us. Chloe's never been to school all day, Sophie's never been all day, and I've NEVER had a whole day alone (that I could count on). I know I should feel very depressed about this new venture, but after the year we've been through I'm thinking this will be my anti-depressant. We could all use a little break from each other -- but I am very glad that my girls come home at 3:25. It's fun to hear about their day and all the wonderful stories they have to tell.


So far, their favorite thing seems to be lunch. I let them pack a lunch on the first day, but I really want them to eat school lunches just to expose them to some new foods. So, the second day I didn't pack lunches. Sophie came home and told me she had a peanut butter sandwhich! WHAT?? That's not exactly what I had in mind, so I may give in and just make them myself.

Chloe loves her teacher -- Mrs. Renie. She TOLD the kids to call her "Meanie Renie"! That must be easier than waiting for the kids to come up with it, and thinking they're so clever for it. I talked to her yesterday and she told me how great Chloe is doing. I had also spoken to the principal that morning. You can really see the concern they have for this poor homeschooled child. At least she's getting some attention I don't think was there when she was in kindergarten.
Sophie has Mrs. Cook. She hasn't talked a lot about her teacher, but I hear every other detail from her. Who she sits by, who was not obeying the teacher, what they did at recess, the rules for the computer lab, what they did in art, her new friend (Kaia), and on and on and on. That girl loves to talk -- nothing new, just new things to talk about.

Are you dying to know what I do with ALL this time I have on my hands? I really have no more time than I used to, it's just UNINTERRUPTED! So far, I'm just working on my grandma's albums. She gave them to me months ago to get all her pictures scanned. I don't know why, but it really takes concentration -- something that I haven't had until Monday, but I'm getting them done now and you can have your albums back soon, grandma!

After doing some scanning Monday morning I got on the treadmill -- popped in my Ipod (it's not really, but I don't know what else to call it) and while I'm working out that Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This" came on. Beautiful lyrics that really apply to this new chapter of my life. Then after my workout, I had turned on the radio (I'm so excited to get to listen to music again -- something best not done when you're trying to pay attention to your kids) and guess what song came on -- AGAIN? Yup. Yesterday it somehow missed me, but then I heard it again this morning, so I figure I better blog about it. You can click the link above to view the video, if you haven't seen it, but for posterities sake I'm including the lyrics to the verse that apply to me right now.

Five years later there's a plumber

workin' on the water heater.

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin',

One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'.

And she keeps apologizin'

He says "They don't bother me.

I've got 2 babies of my own.

One's 36, one's 23.

Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this,

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days

hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times,

So take a good look around.

You may not know it now,

But you're gonna miss this.

Yeah, I'll miss it. But just for a few days I'm going to enjoy my peace and quiet.

Let's Get to the Haircut

Saturday was a very full day for us. We got up really early to be down to Sandy to buy a table saw. Brandon's working on a new project (he's going to learn how to make shutters!) and so he needed some new toys. After buying the table saw we went over to another place to buy a router (he found these on Craigslist). Brandon started his own blog where he's going to post instructions on various projects he does, in hopes of helping others out. Last year we had a major problem with our van. The mechanic had priced it at $600 to get it fixed. Well, after looking online, we found a step-by-step guide someone had made to fix this problem. We bought the kit to repair it on Ebay for $90 and fixed it ourselves! So... a couple months ago when a new problem with the van arose -- we discovered it to be a very common problem with our van -- and there were no good tutorials out there, Brandon decided to make his own, and that was the start of his blog. http://brandonsprojects.blogspot.com/ I'm so excited to get my shutters, and he probably is too considering that I refused to put up my ugly, old blinds in the family room after getting our pretty, new windows.

Back to my Saturday... after getting the tools, since we were down South, we went over to Daybreak to register for a Vespa scooter they are giving away. Brandon's getting very interested in alternative forms of transportation these days, so we figured why not give it a try. And we got to look at a lot of pretty houses in the process. We only hit a fraction of what they have, but we had to get going. We stopped at Subway to grab some lunch. My little girls now think they each need their own FOOTLONGS. I let them do it, knowing we could have the leftovers for dinner -- and save me a meal to cook!

When we got home, it was time for Brandon and the girls to go clean the church. I had a photoshoot to go do -- the bridals for Wendy. She also decided to just call these her wedding pictures, so she drug her fiance along. We went up to my dad's cousin's in Layton to use his yard full of flowers, but then she decided she wanted another location for the "wedding" pictures, so we went down to Salt Lake to Memory Grove. It was a long shoot, but we had fun. By the time I got home I was pretty happy to have a leftover sub waiting for me in the fridge.

I also shot a family reunion last weekend. I've been very busy this month. And Wendy wants me to get her some business cards that she can set out at her reception next to the pictures I've taken. She's going to advertise for me! I think I better get busy on finishing up my website.

Chloe's been talking about cutting her hair again. She's been very frustrated with her bangs, so I told her we just needed to go to someone that could do a good job. I had errands to run yesterday, and she was ready to do it, so we drove over to Cookie Cutters in Bountiful (a hair cutting place just for kids). I had taken Sophie there a few weeks ago and she loved it, so we went back. We walked in and there were two employees standing behind the counter and nobody else in the place. They told me they didn't have anytime for walk-ins right then. I thought the lady was kind of rude, so we left and called Brandon to have him help us locate some other places nearby. We went looking for Fantastic Sams, but I couldn't find it, but I had seen a Super Cuts on my way there, so we went back to that. We go up to the door and the place is empty. I asked Chloe if we should just try this another day, or if she wanted to keep looking for a place. She chose "keep looking". Back to Centerville, she had her choice of Great Clips or Dollar Cuts. I didn't feel good about either one of those, but she chose Dollar Cuts. I was happy that they were cheap, and I think they did a nice job. Chloe's been spending a lot of time in the bathroom since, and even though she made such a big deal about the bangs, she's still pushing them off to the side.

Goodbye, Dallas

Wednesday night we got a surprise visit from Jason, Shalee and Eli. I was expecting Jason early Thursday morning, but I guess plans changed without my knowledge. It's always fun to see Eli, so I had to get out the camera. Plus, this was the first time any of them got to meet Makiah so I HAD to document it, right?

Dallas, Jessica, Evan and Makiah are off to Indiana. Jason went with Dallas to help him move. That's the reason for this whole get-together. And I guess my house was just an easy meeting spot. Jason and Dallas left bright and EARLY in the morning, but Jessica's sticking around for a while to spend some time with her family before she has to leave. She asked me to do a photo shoot of her kids before they leave, so we did that Thursday morning. Evan was not so into having his picture taken, so it basically turned into a Makiah shoot. I did get a couple of Evan I included, but there was no way he was going to have his picture taken WITH his sister. I posted those pictures on Picasa, but here's a few that I took Wednesday night while we were just hanging out outside.

Week With No Dad

Brandon left last Sunday evening for the Black Hat convention in Las Vegas. He was gone until Friday. I think I under estimated how much time that is. We tried to keep ourselves busy, but we were a little too busy. I did not get the house organized like I wanted or got any yardwork done for him. What we did do:

Monday: I took the girls swimming all afternoon. I had a coupon for a free burrito from Chipotle's, so I went and got that. They weren't interested in eating anything there, so I took them to McDonald's. We picked up a movie while we were there and watched it that night.

Tuesday: Chloe had a dress rehearsal for her Liberty Girls "fiesta." I took her to that and hung out with them. I gained some new insight from watching all those girls -- insight that I hope will help me see Chloe in new light, and refresh my gratitude for having such a "shy" girl. Afterwards I had to go do some shopping. We needed some treats in our house to fully enjoy our week alone (plus some other stuff). While unloading the groceries after getting home, I dropped a gallon size bottle of apple juice onto my bare foot (I had sandles on). It killed! Chloe was so sweet to finish bringing the groceries in. She even got the hatch to the van put down, and did a few things to help me get comfortable.

Wednesday: In spite of having a maimed foot, it was the only day in our scheduled that allowed for a shopping trip to Park City. I did ok hobbling around, but I don't know what I was thinking trying to buy shoes for myself. But as you know, I did get 2 pair -- simply by trying on only the right shoe. It was still a fun day. We had lunch there and I let the girls play on the play set at the mall.

Thursday: This was my day to clean! All my great plans about organizing everything were long gone, but I knew I had this one day I could accomplish SOMETHING. I chose the family room. I thought that would make Brandon the happiest. I don't think he really liked the food storage that I had lying all over the place ever since we had to replace the furnace. I got that all put away, furniture put back, a box unpacked that was still sitting out from our move over 2 years ago! (and it's not the last one). It's still not perfect, but it's a huge improvement.

That evening we had Chloe's Fiesta! They did a little play and had a talent show, followed by refreshments.

Friday: I wanted to take Sophie down to Build-A-Bear to use her birthday coupon, but we just didn't have time. We had to go to the grocery store so we'd have some food for Brandon to come home to (he's not so happy when the cupboards are bare). And, yes, going to the grocery store takes me an ENTIRE morning. Then we had to leave for the airport to go pick him up.

Once he got home he had a few minutes to relax, but then we had a company party to go to. It was a luau! I got to talk to one of his co-workers wives about digital scrapbooking, Photoshop and photography. That was a highlight for me. They had a drawing and gave away a bunch of prizes -- Brandon got a gift card to Applebees! Yeah, another date night in store!

Now we're past the week with no dad, but on to other things: Saturday we had another party to attend -- a birthday party for one of Brandon's co-workers. Brandon made his famous squash bread to take. It didn't even last until it was time to eat! Sunday my family all came to town. We had a houseful. My mom's birthday present to Sophie was a trip to Lagoon (Chloe's was the trip to Cherry Hill). We spent Monday at Lagoon. I was exhausted before we even got there. We did a little swimming at Lagoon-A-Beach and rode lots of rides. It was a fun day, even if it was tiring.

 
 
 

Baby Blessing

Do you remember the sister of the groom who wanted me to shoot her wedding? Well, last Saturday I had the opportunity to go do her engagement photos. She was a lot of fun -- her fiance was not so into the picture thing, but I guess that's a guy for you! I finished her pictures this morning and called her to see what she wanted to me do with them. She asked me to deliver the CD to her mom, but she wanted me to email them to her so she could see them right away (a little excited!) So, I sent them to her just before heading out the door to go to Park City -- a little shopping spree for the girls & I. On our way to Park City I got a phone call from this lady. Being a responsible driver, I just let my voicemail get it. She left the nicest message praising my work. I wish there was a way I could preserve it, but I did the only thing I could think of and forwarded it to Brandon. I needed someone else to hear it! Oh, and she's asked me to do her bridals, so that will be coming up soon -- another new experience for me. There's a first time for everything!

So, what does this have to do with a baby blessing? (if you happened to glance at the title) We drove up to Logan on Sunday for the blessing of my brother's new baby. I would have loved to post pictures sooner, but I was a little preoccupied with my paid job, so I haven't had a chance to get to them until today. I'll just post a couple of them, and I guess I'll show you a couple from the engagement shoot.






p.s. While in Park City today I got my new shoes -- they had such a good deal I even got 2 pair!

Garden of Plenty

Our garden is looking mighty nice this year. Last year we planted pumpkins and they just took over the entire thing. We kicked them out this year (although they like to keep cropping up in the compost pile). This year BRANDON (I don't mean to imply that I've done ANY of this) planted squash, corn, and butter beans. We've enjoyed a few meals of squash (fried squash and squash bread) already. This past week we harvested our corn. Ummm-yumm! We had it 4 days in a row. Brandon wanted to have it with whatever meal we had planned. I thought some of the combinations were a little weird, like last night we had corn and french toast. That's a different one. Well, it still tasted good. It looks like we're getting a break for a few days, though. We ate all the ripe ones, and Brandon's off to Vegas for a week. I'm going to be a nice wife and weed the garden for him while he's gone. Oh, and I'll try to remember to water it!

Nicholls Reunion

This was our big summer vacation. On Friday we left for Cheyenne. We made the customary stop at Little America. Last year I remember the dinosaur was missing, and they had raised the price of ice cream cones to .50 cents, but this year there were some new changes as well. The cones are now self-serve (so I can make them as big or as little as I'd like!), and they put in a new playground. That's definately an improvement over the dinosaur. We left early enough in the morning that we hit Little America at 10:00 AM. Brandon was a little too excited to be getting ice cream that early! Here are the girls playing on the slide:

We got to Cheyenne and hung out with the grandparents for a while. We got the tent set up in their backyard and everything ready before heading over to Nicole and Doo Sung's. We tried to go outside, but it started to rain just as we went out, so I only got a couple pictures, but the lighting was awesome. I love shooting in overcast weather. So, we went inside and Chloe had a blast playing with Cora. Her boy cousins (Evan and Eli) don't respond to her quite like she wants, but Cora was so happy to have her to play with. I was happy for Chloe that she had that opportunity. Then we were treated to dinner before heading back to Brandon's parents.

The next day we drove over to Vedauwoo for the reunion. It's always been held at Grandma Rosemary's house before, but they thought they'd give her a break and move the location. It was a nice spot and gave us a little more to do than just sit around. The girls had fun chasing chipmunks and climbing the rocks. I took lots of pictures. Here is one of Nicole's family, but for those who are interested in seeing the rest of the relatives you can check them out at my picasa album.

After the reunion we headed over to the Snowy Range. We camped at Ryan Park. Brandon was grateful he didn't pay the extra $9 reservation fee, because there weren't that many campers there. They had half of it closed off due to a pine beetle problem that's killing all the trees and they're cutting down a lot of them. Sophie is posing here with a bunch of the piles of dead trees.

Our camphost came over and talked to the girls about Smokey the Bear. He gave them a comic book about him, some activity books, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, buttons and stickers. We roasted marshmallows, but I forgot to get the other stuff for smores. We just camped there one night and headed home Sunday morning. Now we're on the last leg of summer before school starts again. We'll try to make the most of it.