Kindergarten and third grade, here they come!

The first day of school for me is always a mixed bag of emotions.  On one hand, I'm excited for my kids to start a new year of learning and growing (as well as be out of my hair!), but on the other hand, I'm also sad that they are growing up so quickly.

 

Take Austin, who only 3 short years ago was starting kindergarten.  I remember that year because I was going through treatments and traveling back and forth from CA a lot.  That was a tough year, but Austin was resilient and thus, successful in school.  Now fast forward and he's in THIRD grade!  That's the middle of elementary school! He has grown tremendously over the last 3 years and it has been incredible to watch what he has learned.  Austin will be starting the Gifted and Talented program at Eagle Hills Elementary this year.  He will continue to go to the same school for 4 of the 5 school days/week, but on Tuesdays he will travel by bus to Eagle Hills for the Challenge class.  We are so excited for him because it will be good for him and he will love it.  He thrives with challenges, especially ones that require deep thinking and problem solving skills (and science!).  With this program, he will do lots of projects under the instruction of 3 teachers in different arenas.  It will be awesome, I'm sure!

(Austin and his buddy, Jonathon.)
 

And then there's Carson who, 3 years ago was only 2!  I remember him just learning to talk in full sentences, when he knocked out his tooth that year, and always wanting to snuggle with me in my bed when I wasn't feeling well from treatments.  I loved that he was so content just laying by Mom with books or cars.  He was and still is such a good-natured, sweet boy.  And now he's in kindergarten!  I have to admit, I cried a little seeing him off to school today because he's my baby!  They grow up so much when they go to school and I just want to hold onto that innocence as long as possible!

(Carson and his buddies lining up ready for school!)

 

Carson is ready though and will do great in kindergarten, that I have no doubt.  I'm excited that the boys will be going to school together, even if they won't see each other much during the day.  Next year will be tougher for me when Carson goes to first grade and is gone ALL day.  I'm not looking forward to that!

Until then, I'm going to appreciate our afternoons together!

 

Here's to hoping this school year goes smoothly, the boys thrive and grow a lot, love to learn, make new friends, and are HAPPY!

Last Summer Hoorahs: Part 2

Part 2 of our last summer hoorahs...The last week of summer we packed it with a trip to the Boise Zoo, a couple trips to Fanci Freeze, Ivywild Pool, and the County Fair!

 

 

 

 

 

13 Lucky Years

I feel very lucky, (maybe a better word is BLESSED) to have married Eric.  He always lets me know that he loves me, he shows his love in countless ways (my favorite is when he helps around the house and cooks dinner), he makes me laugh everyday, he has always been a steady and loyal support for me, and the list goes on...

 

Whenever we approach another anniversary, I always reflect on what has taken place all those years.  13 years!!  A lot has happened, that's for sure.  And we've definitely had our fair share of trials and struggles, but those trials are heavily outweighed by all the blessings and incredible and unforgettable memories that I wouldn't replace for anything in the world.

 

There have been times in our marriage that I have thought that plenty of people would be unhappy in our circumstances, or have given up over the struggles that we have dealt with.  But you know what?!  I can honestly say that through it all, even in the darkest of times, we have always been HAPPY.  And that's because we have always tried to see the "good" in our lives and been grateful for what blessings we have.  We both try to look for the "silver linings" in our lives that reassure us that, "this is worth it." And we have those moments everyday because we seek for them.  I can appreciate so much more because of what we have gone through.  My perspective has changed, and I feel like not only have we been strengthened, but we are more refined, softer, more patient, more compassionate (towards each other and to others), and wiser.  I am so grateful for those hard times to teach us.  They really are a blessing. 

 

In fact, everything in our lives, good and bad, in some way or another, has been a blessing.

 

I know that we will continue to face challenges in our path, but I know that because of what we've learned thus far, that we will overcome whatever happens in the future.  I write that with full confident because I know the secret to overcoming those difficult times...Leaning on each other and most importantly, leaning on the Lord.  When we do that, we can do ANYTHING.

 

I can't wait to see what our future holds and I'm excited to embark on it.  The last 13 years have been amazing, and so why wouldn't the next 13 years also be amazing?!

(So, we don't have a good picture of the two of us from our anniversary night, but here are some pics we took at the restaurant we ate at, which by the way, was delish!)

Last Summer Hoorahs: Part 1

These last couple of weeks of summer we are crossing off our last "Summer Bucket List" activities.  Activities have included a trip to Babby Farms, boating at Lucky Peak with friends (date night), hiking Tablerock, and floating the Boise River.

Those boys...they are crazy!  (Trying to make a pyramid. Don't worry, we threw them off the tube every attempt. ;)

Date night on the boat was so much fun!

Me hanging 10, or something like that.

We spent a very HOT afternoon at Babby Farms, this cute farm about 30 miles away that has unique animals like kangaroos, zebras, camels, sloths, and then your regular farm faire too...

The baby goats were so adorable! We loved feeding them.

 A camel on a farm in Idaho?!  Sure, why not!

Carson loved the baby kangaroos.

We floated the river with some friends.  It was a GOOD time!  Love the Boise River!

That would be Eric.  He thinks he is Michael Jordan (only very white).

Amber and I got in on the jumping action too!

Hiking Tablerock on another HOT day.  Certain kids with a name starting with 'C' complained a lot, but then I told them stories about the Pioneers and that shut them up.

We might be crazy to take our kids on a hike up Tablerock (a lot of uphill!), but it was good for them!

 

We made it to the top!  Carson was not feeling the yoga poses.

 

High School friends reunion!

It's been a little over 6 years since all of my best high school girlfriends and I got together.  With one in Switzerland, one in Arizona, one in Utah and two of us in Idaho, it's a rare occasion to coordinate our busy schedules and pull it off.  But this year we decided to make it happen and with only about 2 weeks planning!

 

We spent the entire day in SF sightseeing, eating delicious food, and catching up (with of course, lots of laughter)!  We went to the Art Museum, ate lunch at Plutos, shopped along Bay Street, ate ice cream at Ghiradelli Square, walked across the Golden Gate bridge, and had the most delicious dinner at Butterfly right on the Pier.  After that, we took the "party" to my parents' house and talked and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.  Can't wait for the next reunion!  Who knows, maybe Europe??

 



Steam train ride and beach

Dad came up for the weekend (yay!) and we spent a day riding a really old steam train through the Santa Cruz mountains and then the rest of the day Capitola Beach.  The weather couldn't have been better and the boys can always play in the sun, surf, and sand for hours!  Gorgeous day!