---Food Drive---

getting back

So my week long trip to Nashville was highly educational! I now know that staying at the hotel where the convention is is the smart thing to do. We were about 10 miles away at an overflow hotel, and had to take a shuttle to the main hotel. Which basically limited our options everyday. The Opryland hotel was awesome! Decorated for Christmas, with a huge nativity scene outside. I will post pictures after I download them from my camera. I did get to go the opry house, not to a show but in the gift shop. Overall, I would say it would be fun to go there on a true vacation. But guess what this same conference next year is in Disney World! Hmmmmm.....wondering if I can find some people who would want to go and bring Hank to me at the end of the conference.

More updates soon I promise! Gotta go decorate the awesome Christmas tree that we picked up last night.

---Vacation?----

Everyone at work was so excited about this five day vacation we all were getting. Too bad I didn't get a vacation! But on a happier note-

Garage is cleaned out
Full truck load of stuff went to the DI
Hanks Room is clean
Washer and Dryer is connected and working
Living room is almost empty of boxes
Bathroom is clean
Hank is all packed for the week to stay with Grandma

NOW I just need to finish laundry, dishes, the living room, and pack myself for my trip to Nashville. Too bad that is not a vacation either! But I enjoy the annual conference because I come back to work with a lot of great information.

So that is what we have spent the last five days doing. Now time to get back to the cleaning, unpacking, and packing for the trip.

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things and for so many people who are in my life. I never find the time to let the people know, and I never take the time to be thankful for the things I have. So my goal is to become more thankful. Here is a short list of the things I am grateful, thankful for!

• An awesome 6 1/2 year old
• A place to call home
• A smile to wake up to in the morning
• A great job (that I LOVE)
• A great school for Hank to be in
• A great sister
• A great brother
  
• Great extended family
• Spending time with family
• My few new friends who are so supportive

Obviously there are many many other things that I am thankful for. But like a said a short list.

Not going back....Just going forward

Taken at the carnival on 9/11/09

So I have decided that I am not going to try and keep going back to update the blog. I am just going to go forward. It was way to discouraging every time I logged on to try and go through what happened over the summer. So I am sure that I will throw a few pictures up from over the summer but mostly will just try to actually update the blog every so often.

Tuesday Thoughts

I try to do too many things in one day, in one hour, in one minute. I need to learn how to slow down and enjoy the things that I am doing and the things I have in my life. I have the most amazing child, a wonderful extended family, a good job, a nice car, a roof over my head, food on the table, and many other things that I take for granted.

Sine it is almost October and the holiday season will be starting soon I figure blogging will be a slow process. We are moving this week, just into a little bit bigger apartment, which will be so nice. I am hoping that we can declutter a little bit with this move and begin to enjoy being home more!

Thats all the thoughts for this minute.

..J u n ior Ranger? What?

If you have ever been near a National Park with Hank then you know all about the Junior Ranger program. On the way home from the first trip to Perkins, we stopped at Craters of the Moon. A fun National Park in Idaho. Hank became a Junior Ranger while there visiting. Complete with being sworn in and getting a badge. Video below of him being sworn in. He had to complete three things, one was the hike up the hill, another was to pick up three pieces of trash (they gave him a bag), third was to see another one of the sights. Bonus was that when we got back to the buildings they were sitting outside with the stuffed animals and so he completed a third thing. I am so PROUD of him and how seriously he took his swearing in. He KNOWS he has to obey the park rules, never take anything from a park and to leave it cleaner then when he arrived.

NOW the goal is to complete a whole bunch more parks before he turns 12....

...Camp Perkins..1st Trip..June 09

Tuesday Thoughts

So I am actually posting on a Tuesday so figured I would do the Tuesday thought post (that I only kept up with once!)

How would you feel if you were the chosen parent to go speak to your childs teacher? This was me today. While I stressed a little about it today at work and wrote down a whole list of things that parents wanted me to discuss with her, the meeting went remarkeably well.

My main thoughts today are simply...I need to learn how to say NO and that I am too busy already.

as promised...the 1st update...

Cast was removed on June 11th....just in time for camping with Grandma Janet at Jordanelle that weekend. AND in time to fully enjoy his first trip to Summer Camp.

First day of 1st Grade.....

First grade has started! It was a fun first day. He was only a little nervous but the day went great.

This was the first day of Kindergarten. Notice how much taller he is this year! Amazing how he has grown.

Be Back Soon!

I will post soon! About everything that has gone on since the start of June. We have been crazy busy.

Highlights -
Cast Removal
Vacation Bible School
Camp Perkins
Junior Ranger
6th Birthday - In Salt Lake
6th Birthday - At Lego Land

And it is only the first of July!

Hank and his great fall....

I realized that I never even posted about Hank's arm. He fell off the Monkey bars at school and broke his arm. He had a soft splint for a week.

Then we went in and he had surgery. He needed two pins placed in his arm to hold the bone in place.

In the PACU (post surgery area), they let me go back there to be with him when he came out of the anesthesia. It was sad and hard, he just kept crying out.

There were four options of beverages. Grandpa Ed was a great help in trying to get Hank to drink. They had told us we couldn't go home until he kept 4 oz of fluid down.

New Discovery........Hank has a bad throw up reaction to anesthesia

Sleeping on the floor after surgery, it was about 1AM when we finally got home and I didn't want him to fall down and get hurt.

Hanging out the day after surgery. He is so awesome!

One week later........we are able to get a real hard cast! This was an exciting day because he could now play and have fun instead of having to be very careful.

He thought he had to lie down to wait.


Then realized he didn't and started drawing on the paper table cover

The orange circle like thing is Hank's drawing of his borken arm

The pins, which don't hurt unless you look at them.

Really cool sock they put on before the cast is put on.

Then right back to school. Hank really hates to miss school. Grandpa Ed was the first to sign the cast. (Hank finally was able to see the bulls eye after the cast was removed)

Many more people signed the cast, well 19 other Kindergarten kids, two teachers, his mom, and all the family members he could find.

FINALLY! The cast is removed, exactly four weeks form surgery.

Bear Lake - Hank Mowing

Just a quick post - Proud Mom!

The background sound is pretty loud. He was so proud of himself. We were able to see all of his artwork in one folder, which was great! The music program was also very good we were only able to stay for his portion. But you could tell that there was some improvements this school year in the bands. This was the first day Hank really did anything since his surgery. (will post about that soon)

Last frozen pizza.....Habit breaking

So I ate the last frozen pizza from the freezer and will not buy any more for awhile. I have been slowly gaining weight and it has to stop!

So we made a menu for this week, where we will both eat better.

I asked Hank what two vegetables he would pick to eat this week. Neither one of us eat veggies very often. His answer was tomatoe's, the little ones from the garden. Since we do not have a garden yet, and I don't eat tomatoe's not sure what we will do about this one. We didn't end up grocery shopping today anyway so tomorrow we will have to decide.

I am also going to spend thirty minutes three days a week working out. I know it is not much but it is better then nothing.

I also have set a quit date for smoking on May 22nd. I will be reaching out for support from everyone! I have called the Utah quit line and they are available from 6am - 1 am if I need to call for support. They are also sending me a months worth of the Patch so I am going to try that way. I paid for the Zyban and tried last month and it just wasn't working for me. So for now my options are open but I am determined to make it work.

Awesome Uncle Bri & Ceramics

Uncle Bri has always been great with Hank, and that didn't change now that he is a dad. We had a great time doing ceramics with Aunt Kim Uncle Bri and Heather and Eric.

Posing for the photos

Painting the hands....works for five and 3/4 year olds

My new plate. My hand is in Blue Hank's is on top in red.

Do NOT dip an infants hand in paint...it does not turn out very good

Protecting Ayson's face from hitting the counter

Mom and Dad trying to fix the hand paint glob.

Feet work much better for infants.

Funny little guy....

Here is a quick video of my favorite little man!

I know....Easter update

Ok so I have not blogged forever! As many people keep reminding me...
Here are some easter pictures of us decorating eggs. We had a great time even if it was 10 at night when we finally got around to it.

Fun day at the park

Ok here are some fun pictures of Faultline park. On one of the nice days Hank and I took a walk over to the park so he could play.

Waving for Aunt Carole

Some strange play equipment. Adults should not try this one, good thing Hank didn't know where the camera was when I showed him how to work it.