Our lives lately

I did something tonight that I haven't done in a while... I laughed until I cried. Why, you ask? Well, it had something to do with beavers, apples and deer poop. Well, mainly it was because of my husband. He's so stinkin' funny. :) There are times when he drives me crazy and times when he makes me weak in the knees... But, when he tries, he can always make me smile. After our laugh fest, I drove to Circle K and got us some ice cream and we sat in the back of the truck in our driveway enjoying the beautiful evening. We talked about pretty much nothing and enjoyed ourselves. These are special days, when I get to spend time with those I love most and take the time to realize how lucky I am!

I've wanted to blog now for awhile but it didn't seem like there was anything big happening.. Anything that was worth sharing with everyone... I also haven't uploaded my photos for quite some time, and now that I've done that, I've been reminded just how much we've been up to.

For example, we found a place nearby where we can go hiking. It is pretty secluded and there is a ton of area to explore. We walked around, looking at footprints and plants and keeping our eyes open for wildlife. We didn't see anything other than a lizard or two even though we brought our binoculars along for the trip. Next time, we're going to go after the monsoon because in the desert with water, of course, comes life.
Nathan had his walking stick and his flashlight that he wears on his head... Silly little one! :) Jillie didn't like walking, she was much more content riding on Daddy's shoulders and viewing life from above. That is unless she had the binoculars... She didn't quite grasp the concept and instead enjoyed using them for a different purpose...

We also decided to send the kids to the charter school after all. It was a very tough decision but, in the end, we made the switch. This was their first week at Odyssey and they are doing well. Nathan's teacher is very strict and I don't know how he's going to do with it... He was doing really well, behaviorally in his class at Bales but now he's been in trouble two days in a row for talking too much in class. I wonder if he simply reacts better to a more lax teaching style. On the other hand, his first grade teacher wasn't strict by any means and he was very talkative there as well. He says that he has made friends at Odyssey and that is why he's talking. I guess its a blessing and a curse. :) Now he just needs to learn the self-control involved with sitting next to friends.

Chloe loves school. She's easy to please and very flexible. We went to the open house held at Odyssesy when we were trying to make our decision and when we first walked into her potential classroom, she walked right up to her teacher and hugged her. Tomorrow she has to take a little lunch bag to school that holds 4 things about her and present it to the class. Tonight as she was choosing the four things she wanted for her bag, she said that she wanted to include her teacher's name because she loves her teacher. :) Isn't that sweet?? :) I'm completely satisfied about Chloe's situation at Odyssey... It is Nathan that I'm worried about. I'm sure it will all come together in time.

Also on the Chloe front, she finally, thanks to Mamoo, got a bicycle of her own! She picked out a green and orange bike. Technically, I suppose its a boys bike, but she likes it. And then she got a very girly purple helmet to go with it. :) And she's been riding it without training wheels. Lowell is working with her, and as he explains, "She does great once she's going, she just can't turn, can't stop, and can't get off or on." So cute! :)