Kindergarten at last!

Luke is finally in kindergarten. He isn't quite sure about it. I think it is because he doesn't like change too much but he definitely likes riding the bus.

Brady asks where everyone is after they leave for school. We've become buddies. I must say it is easier running errands with just one verses two little ones.

The teacher asked what Luke was interested in...take one guess what his first response was...Star Wars...Clone Wars Movie. Unfortunately, this teacher has only seen the old ones (4th, 5th, and 6th) a long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away! So she isn't able to keep up on all the lingo. I think some of his new school friends are Star Wars knights too.

Back to School

Yes it is that time of year again. Ethan and Rachel started back to school yesterday. Ethan has Mrs. Nevarez for 6th grade. They are already working on their paper mache monsters. Flag Football training has started too with the 6th grade. His teacher also was awarded a technology grant which means that his classroom will have 20 laptop computers in the room to use everyday. Rachel has Mrs. Larsen for 3rd grade. They've been doing a lot of get-to-know-ya games and Rachel says she is really nice.

Luke has kindergarten testing this week so he will officially start riding the bus next Monday. So, he was still home asleep when we took this pic of Ethan and Rachel. Brady made sure he came to the bus stop. It was actually a little cold but Brady didn't want to miss any of the action. For all of you who know the "stinky eye", this next photo is for you! (Brady gets the one-eyebrow lift talent from my Dad.)

Most beautiful place in America

We have had a jam packed summer with family reunions and traditional get-in-the-car-and-see-places trips. By far, our favorite "nature-made" place is Arches National Park. We were only there for a couple hours in the evening, which proved to be a great call since it was soooo hot. The kids loved running through the dirt and sand and exploring. We saw several "dead" trees on the path to hike the Double Arches.

Brady definitely didn't want to be left behind and often tried to lead the way. This picture, taken by Jared, cracks me up. It looks like Brady was superimposed/photoshopped in front of the Arches. Brady was actually standing on a wood post fence and Jared took the pic.

It's a beautiful park and the kids want to go back to visit.

Our favorite "man-made" place that we visited this summer was Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, my camera had no battery power to take photos. I did take a couple of videos, none very good though. We took the PowerPlant tour, very interesting. We then tried to walk across the top the dam over to the Arizona side, but "wow" it was HOT, close to 105 degrees. We got about 2/3 way around and decided that was enough.

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. School starts in 2 weeks, Aug. 18th. Ethan starts 6th grade, Rachel goes to 3rd, and Luke joins them at their school for kindergarten. He is excited to ride the bus in the mornings with them. Ethan is back into soccer and will be playing in the Addidas Cup Tournament next week.

Enjoy the rest of summer,

Lar