Back to School

All three of my kids are in school this year. Corbin is in second grade, Maggie in Kindergarten, and Kent is in three year old preschool.

Green Acres Back to school night was the 18th. Maggie was so excited to go meet her teacher again. She met her at Kinder Camp a few weeks earlier. 

Corbin was excited for school to start but didn't necessarily care about Back to school night. I don't know when this kid got so old. I think most of it came with his hair cut, but all around my Corbin is getting old!

 Kent was able to meet Ms. Helen earlier that same day. He only has five kids in his class this year.

All three kids started on different days. Corbin started last Tuesday and was really excited. He was even bugged when he realized the whole first week was half days because he wanted to stay at school longer. 

 I have to say I am nervous about this year with Corbin gone all day. Kent and Maggie are not the best of friends. Corbin can easily play with either of them.

Kent started the following Thursday. On Wednesday night I was telling Matt that Kent didn't seem at all excited and I wondered if he would enjoy it. When he woke up Thursday he was so excited I couldn't hardly get him to hold still for pictures. 

After school he told me all about it and loved it! Although he was quite sad when he asked when he starts Rusty and Rosy and I told him next year when he is four. 

Maggie was the last to start. Her first day was today. It was a long week waiting for her turn, but she was thrilled this morning. She was up by seven. We did her hair, she ate breakfast and was completely ready well before eight. She waited outside for Kylee (our carpool) to come and when she finally saw her coming down the street Maggie was literally jumping for joy. She was completely independent. She ran didn't want me to take her to school. She ran ahead of Corbin and Hadley to prove that she knew where she was going on her own.

After school she told me it was the best day ever! She told me all about it, but then ten minutes later every story had changed. By the time Matt got home I didn't even want to hear about it because I had no idea what was real and what she made up. She was cute that she was so excited though. She did not stop talking about it all day.

 And so for two hours, two days a week I have no kids at home (for a whole five months!) I am the PTA secretary and I have volunteered to help in both Corbin and Maggie's classrooms. I have no doubt my time will pass quickly, but it does sound a little nice to have some freedom, no matter how short lived it might be. 

Flaming Gorge

 For the Davis family vacation this year, we went to Dutch John Resort, near Flaming Gorge. Each family left at a different time, but we ended up meeting Shannon and Jed about 45 minutes before we got there and went on a little nature walk and geological scenic drive. While on the nature walk I got attacked by fire ants. I had bites all over my feet. It didn't really hurt, but it creeped me out!

 After dinner Steph had the kids decorating rocks for a craft. 

On Thursday we went rafting on the Green River. It was super fun. Mild enough for me, but enough white water and enjoyment for the kids. We had two rafts and were close most of the time. We packed lunches and pulled off to the side of the river at one point for a little lunch break. It took us most of the day. Afterwards Matt and my kids went down again with a few other people. I hung out at the Cabin and drove to a lookout of Flaming Gorge. I was pretty exhausted. That night I went to bed at 8:00.

On Friday my dad had his boat and we found a spot on the beach to hang out. Kent loved riding the tube with Uncle Joe, because I refused to go on it. We got rained on for over an hour, but it was still fun to just hang out under the canopy. Corbin rode on the knee board and tube and Maggie did the tube. For not growing up with a tube, it sure gets the very most use with all these kiddos. Steph, Erin, and Shannon brought their kayaks too. So the kids paddled all around while we were at the beach.

 That night we went on a night hike at bear canyon trail. It was a gorgeous hike. I wish we could have started a touch earlier. The lookout was a little frightening in the dark because it was just a massive rock jetting out with a huge cliff underneath, but the view was beautiful. I love that our kids are good hikers. 

 Saturday morning we packed up and headed out. On the way out we toured the Flaming Gorge Dam. It was pretty amazing to see and to go all the way down to the bottom of it.

 We headed home after that and were home by about 2:30. Unfortunately Steph and Joe and my parents had car troubles and Shannon and Jed were the rescuers, so the didn't get home until way that Saturday night.

Thompson Family Reunion

 Erin and I decided there needed to be a Thompson Family reunion, since we have never had one. We don't get together with the Thompsons very often at all any more. Matt barely even knows anyone it our family. So we planned a little reunion. And Matt missed almost the whole thing, but oh well, I enjoyed it. We ate lunch, had a photo booth and played games. It turned out really good. We had a pretty decent turn out too.We had people from six of the nine families. 

The games were super fun. We had games for kids to play while we visited and ate. Then we did some group games all together. I did the t-shirt freeze game and the human pinata. The pinata game was the best. We had three different age groups and they got to chase Gage around while he wore a shirt covered in candy. When it was the older groups turn I had my cousin Morgan's husband, Darren wear the shirt. It was a size 14 in boys, a tight fit. Candy was popping off as he was trying to put it on. He was a good sport!

 

 

Water Slide

 Mark and Marianne rent a water slide to put in their back yard every year. This year it was on the 24th of July. My kids had swimming lessons in the morning and then we went and played the rest of the day. Corbin said he was nervous on the way there because the big kids are too rough, but as soon as we got there, he went crazy! He loved it, all my kids did. It was an all day affair. We stayed from about 11 to 6. My kids were exhausted by the end of the day.

 

 

 

There was the slide, two pools, water balloons and water guns. It was quite the eventful water day. 

 

 Maggie begged me all day to go down the slide with her. I was being lame, mostly just unsure of sliding while pregnant. So when Matt got there she was super excited to go down with him. This was the best picture of the whole day.