Back to School

The boys (and Josey) started school after Labor Day.  Jordan is in 2nd grade this year and came home the first day and said, "I love 2nd grade.  It is awesome!"  I'm so glad to hear this.  He has a great teacher who will make 2nd grade fun.  Jarrett was a little apprehensive about starting kindergarten, which is all day here.  On back-to-school night he wouldn't even look at or talk to his teacher, who is super nice.  I asked him if he could be brave and on the first day of school he had no problems.  He rode the bus with Jordan and then I met him at the school just to show him where his backpack went and make sure he made it to his class.  He did great and seems to be enjoying school.  Jarrett is really smart (of course I would say so because I am his mom, but he is seriously a really good thinker and is curious about everything; he gets that from Josey), but he's not quite as social as Jordan.    I'm so excited for him to be able to learn so much because he LOVES to learn.  He is really excited to be able to read.

I admit that I was a little worried having just one kid at home, but so far Jaycie and I have been very happy with no big brothers to bother her.  It is fun for me to spend time with her and for her to be able to do things without getting bugged.  The other day she performed a cute song and dance number for me while she stood on a stool and twirled her baton.  It really made me laugh.  But as soon as the boys got home from school and she tried the same performance, they immediately got out the pillows and tried knocking her off the stool.  It is no wonder we are enjoying a little peace!  It is very quiet, but we can definitely handle that for a few hours. :)

Josey got a new classroom this year because the high school is being remodeled.  He is excited about a classroom with windows and a new lab.  The start of the school year is always a good change for me because I seem to thrive on more organization and a stricter schedule.  I have been getting up early to run and even have a running partner so that is fun for me.  Getting up at 5:00 a.m. just works so much better for me than getting up whenever I want to during the summer.  And Jaycie still takes a good nap every day, so if I do start to crash I can get a little rejuvenating rest (or blogging, or reading) for awhile.  I do feel a little spoiled (blessed) right now, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.      

Yellowstone

Our last big adventure of the summer was taking our kids camping in Yellowstone with Lyle, Jan, & Jesse.  They loved it!  The boys are very much into geology (thanks to their dad) and were very fascinated by everything.  They were troopers and didn't complain about all the walking we did.  Even Jaycie hiked up about 200 stairs and called herself a "tough guy" for doing it.  It was such a fun and relaxing weekend.  The weather was great.  The only thing that we would have changed was to not have Josey get sick.  He caught a  stomach bug from the kiddos and then passed it on to his whole family.  I think they have come to expect getting sick after spending any time with us.

I really wanted to see a bear or a wolf, but we didn't see either.  Just some elk, buffalo, and coyotes.  The buffalo were way too close for my comfort.  One was standing right outside my window pawing the ground and making noises and Josey said that meant it was going to attack.  I admit that I was very panicked because we had just had our car repaired from hitting a deer on our last trip up to Montana.  I did not think his joking around about it was very funny, but luckily the buffalo decided to move on.

Best. Uncle. Ever.  

Taking a break at Norris Geyser Basin

I have never really been afraid of heights, but my heart was pounding on this walk down 385 stairs.

See, I said it was close!  And very scary!