First Day of School

Wow! Gavin's first day of Junior High! Every year I take the kid's picture in front of our house. The door makes it easy to compare their growth from year to year. I think Gavin has grown about 6 inches from last year. He has about 3 inches on me now. Anyway...before he left for school I asked him what he was most nervous about. He said, "not being the tallest kid in school anymore." He has gotten used to that I guess, but being as tall as he is I don't think that he'll have any problems with kids bugging him. When we went to the orientation he actually tried to fit himself into his locker, but it just wasn't happening. One of his friends, who is about Ryker's size, was also trying to squeeze himself into his locker. (He got everything in but the lower half of one leg.) Apparently, that is a pretty big concern when you are a 7th grader. I told him not to worry, that he would probably fit in a garbage can if someone really wanted to get him.

For the most part he is really enjoying jr. high. At his school they have A & B days, so that he only goes to 4 classes per day. "A" day is mostly Quest classes, so he is with the same group of students all day. He is enjoying his French class, but P.E. is his favorite. He made the cross country team, so he is really excited about that. He loves to run. He is thinking that he will try out for the Boy's Volleyball team, Basketball and Track (maybe he'll learn how to do hurdles, though, I'll probably still try to tell him how to do it right).

Ryker is in Mrs. Baker's 4th grade class this year. We really like her so far. When I asked him what he was most excited about this year he said "wearing my new clothes and shoes". He loves the color pink, which I think is totally cool, because he doesn't care what other people think. I love it when boys wear pink (in a masculine, non-girly way) and Ryker can totally pull it off. Ryker is my fashion guy. He loves to look good. When Ryker was in 2nd grade he would come home and tell me all about his "girlfriends" (he had about 9 of them) and he is still trying to impress them. He loves it when his best friend, Jared, will ride bikes to school with him, that totally boosts his image of coolness. I think he is a total "Hottie".

Saige is in Mrs. Sutter's 2nd grade class. Ryker had her when he was in 2nd grade and we really liked her. Saige is into all things "Hannah Montana". This year we got her a Hannah messenger bag, water bottle, 2 shirts, pajamas, a wallet, a purse, 2 hats, notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, and just about anything else you can think of. What a spoiled child! When you're the only girl and the youngest, I guess that's what happens. As soon as Saige gets up in the morning Hannah can be heard rocking the house from her room. She is so much fun. I love it when I can hear her singing at the top of her lungs to the music. (The girl can sing.) Saige was most excited about having 3 recesses this year. Her 1st grade teacher only let them have 2, so she is totally excited for that extra 15 minutes of play time. Hopefully, she doesn't use it to break another arm!

My kid's are so cool. I am totally proud of them. They make me laugh. (They frequently make me crazy, but with them back in school I am enjoying them much more.)

I started my Physiology class this semester. It has been really interesting, so far. I have a really good and entertaining teacher, who makes class fun, so I'm excited. 

Lake Powell

We had a great time at Lake Powell this year. We had a couple of mishaps - the wheel flew off the boat trailer just outside of Price, crossed both lanes of the highway and climbed 8 feet up a tree at least half a mile down the road - one of the houseboat motors snapped in half - and we couldn't get the electrical power on the houseboat to work until the last night, but we didn't let that keep us from having a blast! The weather was beautiful (very hot, perfect for spending lots of time in the water). Here are some of the highlights:

Ryker playing in the water.

Gavin tried to ski, but his gigantic feet were too big for the kid size skis.

Trent did some skiing.

Saige and Ryker in the boat.

Tony taught me to drive the boat, which was cool.

(I only almost hit one big rock below the surface.)

Gavin and Ryker after a swim to "Ryker's Island".

Saige playing in the sand.

Saige in her glamourous sunglasses.

Climbing around on the cool rocks.

Saige and I went for a little walk.

Miracle

"The Lord would want you to be successful. He would. You are His sons and His daughters. He has the same kind of love and ambition for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Wow! I totally have proof of that today! I have been so incredibly stressed about my chemistry class and the final that I took on Monday. I went and took the test after saying about a million prayers that I could get a score good enough to earn a B in the class. That was really the most that I could hope for. I had figured out the score I would need to get an A and knew that it was out of my reach, so I was praying for a B, though I really wanted an A. I took the test and then, contrary to what I have done so far on chemistry tests, I looked back through it. On one particular question I suddenly realized that, though I had followed all the rules exactly, this question was an exception to the rule. I fixed the answer and went home, feeling relieved to have finished the class, but not feeling great about how I did in the class overall. Last night, very nervously, I checked on my grade. I was seriously terrified, thinking that I may have done so poorly that I would have to retake the class. When I saw the score I got on my final I just started sobbing. I got the exact score I needed to get an A. By 0.4% I got an A in a class I truly hated. How grateful I am to a Heavenly Father who wants me to succeed! I did not earn that score on my own, I only did it with His help (also some help from my Dad who helped me get a grasp on some concepts that I was struggling with). I don't have to retake Chemistry! Hallelujah!

With my finals over, Trent & I finally got to celebrate our 14 year anniversary, which was July 30th. We haven't been able to celebrate until now, because of school. It was really nice to be able to go out and relax, with nothing else to worry about. We kept it simple and just went to a movie (The Dark Knight) and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.