School Begins

School started!  Here is a picture of our first day.  Clarissa is about to leave for seminary so it is very early!!  But look how happy she is about it.  Desi is going to public school for the first time.  She looks happy but a little scared.  Liberty loves having something new to accomplish so she is happy.

Hyrum, Morgan and Carolina are in pajamas.  The joys of homeschooling!!  Hyrum, who just finished the 7th Harry Potter book and is such a quick learner, is in mourning about the new year.  Morgan, who has a much harder time academically, is a much more pleasant student.  Carolina is just Carolina.  She told me this week she forgot how to read.  I'm trying to remind her.

Desi has done well in her new environment.  Today a kid said, "Weren't you homeschooled before this?"  When she said yes, he said, "Well, then why are you smart?" 

Another event in our week was Liberty's 11th birthday.  Her sisters gave her a sewing box filled with pink scissors, a pink seam ripper, a pink measuring tape, etc.

Here is Liberty's birthday party.  Everyone brought a doll and we made the dolls mini cakes and icecream cones and pizzas and skirts.  It was very girly.  The two girls holding the sign made it for her.  She has such nice friends. 

Tomorrow is Carolina's birthday!  My baby will be six.  I can't believe it.  Liberty is going to band for the first time tomorrow.  She is terrified!!  She said, "But it's Carolina's birthday.  I better not leave her on her birthday!"

I assured her that Carolina could make it one hour without her on her big day. 

That's our first week of school.  Only 35 more to go!

Thoughts of the Past Week

We've had an exciting week around here.  The biggest news is that Deseret is going to public school as an 8th grader.  I have mixed feelings about it but mostly feel sad.  Liberty is heartbroken.  Clarissa is thrilled.  Desi is nervous.  Robert is sad.  I hope she has a great time.  School starts around here on August 22 but Robert has to be back tomorrow.

Another excitement is that Hyrum is studying for Hunter Safety.  I'm excited about it because there is a book and a workbook.  Before he can take the class, he has to fill out the 32-page workbook.  I can't think of anything else that would have Hyrum do a 32-page workbook of his own free will and choice.  Here he is with his workbook.  There was a page with pictures of guns and he was supposed to label if they were bolt action or lever action or whatever-action and Hyrum just knew what they were without even looking.  I don't know how he knows this stuff!

 The other exciting news is Clarissa.  Clarissa has a new look.  Clarissa has worn a headband every waking moment since she was 8.  That isn't much of an exaggeration.  On our pioneer trek, she took five headbands! When I was her basketball coach, she would keep her headband handy and put it in for a 30-second time-out.  Last week she got bangs cut and no longer wears a headband.  Here is a picture of her painting the trim at the Starr Valley Community Hall.

Clarissa also found out yesterday that she made the National FFA Chorus!  She will go to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention and be in an 80-person choir there.  She is very excited.

That is what we have been doing.  I don't know if I'll ever blog again because I'm starting school next week.  Busy, busy.

The Past Month

It is hard to believe that I haven't posted for a month!  What a month it has been!  First, we hosted Robert's sister Aurelia and her 8 children.  We enjoyed getting to know her little ones we hadn't seen before and getting better acquainted with the older ones.  Morgan showed his enthusiasm by sending a rock from his sling through the window of her 12-passenger van.

The next week we visited Tabor and Katie in Boulder, Utah.  They live in a scenic and lovely place.  We saw Indian ruins and enjoyed them and their children and swam in a pond that was very nice.

Then we went to Orderville for a family reunion.  Robert trimmed trees for his mom with his boom truck and we visited and enjoyed the 24th of July parade in Orderville.  I love that parade!  They stop traffic on Highway 89 for two Primary floats, two Young Women floats, two Relief Society floats, Young Men carrying flags, and several family floats about pioneer heritage.  Some of us hiked to Sugar Knoll.  It was more like rock climbing than hiking and I chickened out and hung out with a like-minded niece and nephew at the bottom.

The next week was the Missoula Children's Theater which is the perennial favorite of our summer.  Thelma's family came and Olivia's kids were in it too.  We had Naomi Ashby, Desi's good friend from Idaho, staying with us and we greatly enjoyed the week.  The play was Pinocchio.

Here is Olivia's Ruben and my Morgan as adorable toy soldiers.



Liberty was a cute little urchin.

 Hyrum is a member of Candlewick's crew.  You can also see Braeden, Thelma's son who was Candlewick himself.

 Carolina was an adorable baby doll.

 Here is Emma, Thelma's daughter, as the Blue Fairy, Deseret as Pinocchio, Clarissa as the Evil Stromboli, and our friend Camberlin Uhlig as Jiminy Cricket.  It was a fun week.

The next week we went on a trek to Martin's Cove.  It was amazing beyond words.  I felt the Spirit so much.  It was incredible to cross the Sweetwater right where those boys you hear about who carried people across did.  It was great to be with Robert 24/7.  Our youth were so wonderful and it was a never-to-be-forgotten experience.

 Here am I with my biological daughters.  I had to call them that because I also had trek daughters.  Clarissa and Desi sewed their dresses.  Aren't they cute?  I thought some enterprising Scout should plant trees there for an eagle project.  But, I guess the pioneers didn't have trees there, so why should we?  It was hot!  98 degrees.

 Here is Robert with our trek sons crossing the Sweetwater.

 Here is Desi crossing with her family.

 This is Clarissa crossing with her family.  While we were gone and didn't even have cell service my other children were in the loving hands of my mom, Olivia, and Jennifer.  Jennifer even made us dinner on the day we got home!  My mom took Liberty to the 4-H fashion revue which I was sad to miss.  Liberty modeled this outfit she made.

She didn't win but they had a drawing for $100 gift certificates to Elko Sew and Vac and she won one of those!  I missed them and appreciated their babysitters.

That is the last month in a nutshell.