So, yesterday I got my haircut. It is shorter than it has ever been but I am liking it. I keep surprising myself whenever I pass a mirror. It is a big adjustment. I haven't even washed it yet and I know it is going to feel so super short when I dont have to use hardly any shampoo. Byron hasn't really weighed in yet, though he did say, you have been threatening me for years you were going to cut your hair. Yes, I have been and it is about time. I gave him plenty of time to get used to the idea.
You are wondering....what's the deal with Byron and the plate of food. Is he so surprised that I actually cooked a real meal so we took a photo, maybe....is he shocked to see fruits and vegetables at the same time, most likely....but really the photo is about the meat. Or should I saw fowl? Byron went hunting and shot two chuckar's...This is a photo of the hunter eating the hunted. Congratulations on the successful hunt honey. We cut off the breasts, pounded them out, (found a few be-be pellets from the shotgun), and marinated it in teriyaki sauce. So we ate Teriyaki chuckar and wild rice. It tastes better than you would expect it too. The hunting dog does continue to dig and destroy my backyard....I still don't know what we are going to do about her. Is the damage to the yard worth a couple of meals....not adding up for me.
So, school has started!!! Below is my boys photos on their first day of school. We have switched to a charter school this year. Our kids got in, luckily, in a lottery with 900 other kids. Whew! We feel very blessed to be at Legacy Prep Academy. I am the Assistant Builders Coordinator this year, it is what Legacy calls their PTA leadership. I have jumped right in at the new school and am right in the thick of things. It is interesting to learn how a charter school is operated. I have been to a couple of board meetings and love it that the administrators answer to the parents, (the board is made up of 8 parents from the school). Our school is expanding into a high school so there is a lot going on. I also started a chess club this fall. We hired a chess master from the Utah Chess Association who comes and teaches the class for an hour after school once a week. The kids are loving it and with the research that backs the participation in chess club you should all get your kids involved in a chess club. It is not that just smart kids play chess, it is that playing chess actually makes kids smarter. Look into it I was surprised by the research. They are actually making chess into a core curriculum in a lot of lower income communities because the benefits of chess are astounding.
Don't you just love the boys uniforms!!! They look so handsome and it is so sweet that my boys match what they wear every day to each other. It is so cute, are we wearing red or blue today, should we wear shorts or pants???
The photo above is from our family Lagoon day!! We went to the BYU Idaho Rick's day at Lagoon. My sister got us some discount tickets and we met the cousins and grandparents there. It was fun, way fun!!! I finally rode on Wicked and it was WICKED. I loved it. It is so fun to be able to be near our family and share in the joys of familyhood!!! I know I just made up a word but we have such a great time when we are with family; both sides.
Here is Ali with our sweet kitty Lucy. We went on a vacation and left our cats with enough food and water in the garage (they have a kitty door) to get them through the three days. When we got home Lucy was gone. We looked at the pound for her and nothing. She was gone about four days and then she came back home. We don't know where she was but I was so happy to see her again. She is such a sweet thing and is so nice to Ali. Plus we had lost Tiger Lily, our little wild cat earlier in the summer, (she got ran over.) I just couldn't deal with Ali loosing another pet. She still talks about Tiger Lily and makes me hold her hand whenever we approach the street so she won't get dead like Tiger Lily. We were all so happy when she just showed up!!!
If any of you out there know my family you will get a laugh at this photo. This is my Dad wearing a BYU-Idaho shirt....why you ask would a red blooded Ute wear a BYU t-shirt??? His grandkids won it at Lagoon and gave it to him. Being the good grandfather that he is, he always wears everything he is given by his kids/grandkids at least once so they can see he appreciated the gift. Well, we got a photo of him in the BYU shirt so we could always remember the day he switched sides. His granddaughter, Amanda is laughing and having a grand old time teasing him about the shirt as she is heading off to the Y herself. She is there now actually, loving every minute of it, as she should. So, I am no longer the black sheep in the family as my niece has finally joined me in my Y alumni status!!! Well, she is not alumni yet but she will be soon enough.
So, Ali joined a soccer team. As you can see from the photo she is really into it! No, just kidding she actually is really fond of soccer. She runs around out there until sweat is literally dripping down her cheeks. At her last game she even scored her first goal. It was a break-away and she made it all the way down the field and into the other team's goal. Dang it! We all cheered her anyway and she ran over for hi-fives and hugs. It was right after half time and they had just switched sides, dang those rules. We got her turned around and she was no less excited about her goal so mission accomplished. We even went to 7-11 for slurpees after the game.
Nana Pollan came for a visit! Byron and I were supposed to go out of town in August so we flew in Nana to come and have Nana Camp. She came loaded with stamps and paints and treasures and lots of ideas. While the trip fell through due to Byrons work the kids still had an amazingly fun week with Nana. They did more painting projects than the rest of their life combined. We have beautiful windsocks hanging in the backyard, I have cute hand stamped planter pots on my front porch, and personalized aprons for the kids in the kitchen. The kids made the banner above them in the photo to welcome Nana to town, it says We Love You Nana. They are delighted about seeing the Pollan's again this fall. We are once again on the countdown to Nana time.
We are so thankful for all the blessings we have had this year. I am so happy our kids are in a better school and are thriving!!! They are learning so much and actually really enjoying it. Byron still has a job, cross your fingers on that one. He works for CIT bank and if you read the wallstreet journal you will know it is nothing short of a miracle we are still getting a paycheck. Byron likes to say, "We have lived to fight another day." I am just so relieved every time they make it through what seems like an impossible obstacle. I am still managing the art at our friends restaurant. We just did a complete and total art rehang. It was a big job but hopefully art will stop jumping off the walls. Let's just say the sticky things really can't hold much weight. :-( School is keeping me crazy, chess club is not less stressful that it is up and running. Preschool is in full swing for Miss Ali. The Enrichment calling I have at church is challenging me but hopefully we can get that under control fairly soon as well. Life just keeps rolling along. Sometimes I handle things well and some days I have meltdowns but on we go anyway. For some reason the world never stops turning even though I wish it would, just so I can catch my breath at least. If there was a way I could figure out how to fast forward through the Utah winter that is now bearing down my neck I would. I keep planting bulbs and thinking....I am doing this because I know spring will eventually come and it will be warm again. If I can just live through the cold winter months we will be okay.....oh, that reminds me. Ali is going to learn to ski this year. Watch out Alta....here she comes. She may look small and sweet but really she is a tiger in a cub's body. Clear the way she is coming through.
