Swimming in Cedar City

Brandon had work meetings down there on Friday, so we made a super quick family vacation out of it. The boys just wanted to swim, swim, swim. So, that's what we did. I will forever be thankful I invested in a camera that goes underwater. It's been so much fun.

Peter doesn't know how to swim, yet. My intent was to sign him up for home-school swim lessons right after lunch during the school year. Sadly, none of the cities teach lessons after lunch during the school year. Boo! So, I've resorted to teaching him myself (even though I am not a good swimmer).

On this trip we brought some plastic swim fish that sink. They were so much fun for the boys to play with, and it helped Peter to be motivated to get underwater. He has a cub scout requirement of swimming 25 feet that he really wants to pass off by his birthday in November. After this trip, I am positive we'll make it.

One year ago.....today

August 16th 2016 was the first day of work for this guy as Director of Procurement Services at Salt Lake Community College. A year ago, I thought we were heading into the worst decision we'd ever made. I felt like my life was ruined and that having him commute up to Salt Lake was going to be miserable.

However in the past year, the complete opposite has been true. Here are the blessings we have received as a result of this new job:

1) Brandon cashed in a whole lot of vacation and sick time, so we got new living room furniture and a huge "man" tv.

2) We were able to add a covered porch to our backyard which has enticed us outside almost every day.

3) The work environment is more professional so Brandon has had to cut down on rude language/swearing

4) He is the boss man now and he runs the show

5) He knows Salt Lake County so much better. He now can easily get himself around and in turn that makes it easier for me to have him pick up things I might need up there.

6) He gets home earlier! He leaves the house around 6:19 and he gets home at 4:55 most days. I love it so much. This for me, has been the biggest blessing.

7) He makes more money. Thus, we are able to do more with our resources. Side note - only having a mortgage to pay has been incredible. I can not emphasize the importance of staying out of debt enough. We were both very fortunate to be able to get our Bachelor's degrees with zero debt. It has been such a catalyst for financial freedom.

8) We still see our UVU friends at least once a month. I take them treats, invite them over for dinner, and we host game nights with them.

Heavenly Father knew this would be a good change for us, and I'm so glad we moved forward with the decision even though I had my doubts.

Solar System Fieldtrip

We are very blessed to live in a wonderful area with access to many fun things. On this particular day, we made a trip to the BYU Planetarium for a special show. One of our neighbors works there (he is an Astronomer and Physicist) and he gave us a tour of the solar system in their special room with star/planet projections. It was especially fun to have our BFF's, and Homeschool friends, the Taggart Family with us. The kids always love it when we can go places with friends.

Peter's recap of the trip: I went to the BYU Planetarium. I learned about the planets. I learned that the middle of the Earth is a big magnet. That’s why compasses work. I also saw a thing that moved back and forth as the earth moves. It was called a pendulum. I also learned that Mercury can be really hot some times.

Luke's recap of the trip:We went to the Planetarium at BYU. I saw the Milky Way. I saw Triton. I even saw the inside of Pluto. I also saw Jupiter, Mars, plus the rest of the planets. Plus a group of stars that looks like a Maori hook. It’s real name is Scorpio. We also got to fly to all the plants.

I was even entertained and I honestly could have stayed in there for a lot longer just staring at all the stars. Our study of the solar system has given me a renewed awe of this amazing world that we live in. I am so thankful Heavenly Father created it for me (and my family).

Building A House

Brandon was willing to be my co-teacher this year. I assigned him to be our Engineering instructor. We have already done some fun things, but I think building this replica house will be the most fun we have this year.

The boys learned all about trusses, walls, studs, floorboards, roofs, porches, and most importantly - making sure you measure and cut everything exactly. It was such a lot of fun to build this together. We have a few additional experiments to do using this house and then we'll find a fun way to display this in our home. I am so thankful for a willing hubby that enjoys teaching too.

1st day of school

We started class on August 1st this year. It's been a bit harder with friends wanting to play during school hours (typically in the morning), but that's a good sign because we have so many friends that want to play with the boys.

This year we are doing a lot of academics, and I often worry about keeping up with it all. But, somehow we will make it. By starting this early in August it will allow us to have a huge break in December where I can rest and regroup. There is no place I would rather be. I am living the dream I always wanted for myself. I love being a teacher!

Baseball practice

For Grandpaw Gordon to see:

In P.E. class this month we have been learning about baseball. Luke enjoys playing catch and swinging his bat. I was also super impressed when he actually hit the ball. I was pretty positive we would have to work on it for a few weeks before he could.

Scouts - Digging in the Past

Our first adventure for this requirement was playing a dinosaur matching game. It was harder then it looked. Thanks to the PBS show, and Jurassic World Lego video game, Peter and Luke knew all the names of these dinosaurs.

Then we created an imaginary dinosaur, decided it's name, what it eats, and where it lives. Of course, it is made out of Legos. Peter is obsessed with all things Lego right now.

Thanks to the hand-me-down school supplies from my Grandmother, we were able to create our own dinosaur dig.

His favorite part was using the hammer to smash the stone to little bits of dust after all the bones had been found. It was so funny. Here he is in his own words describing what he did: 

Then, lest we forget that scouts are always hungry, we made edible fossil layers. The Swedish fish I bought to "float" in the pudding was not a hit. But, the rest of the desert was quickly devoured and appreciated by all the boys in the family. It also doubled as our FHE treats which ended up being the perfect way to end our evening together.

Scouts - Air of the Wolf

Requirement 1a - We made a paper airplane and flew it five times. Then, we made another paper airplane and flew it another 5 times. It was interesting to see which one did better.

Requirement 1c - Peter played with a basketball. At first it didn't have much air in it. Peter used the bike pump to add air, then it worked perfectly.

Requirement 2b - Peter made a musical instrument using Popsicle sticks, two small pieces of paper, and some rubberbands. The best part is the harmonica does make music. Such fun.

Requirement 2d - Peter and Brandon worked on building a kite! They used dowels, butcher paper, black electrical tape, and kite string. It was so much fun to build and even more fun to fly.