First Day of School 2013

Summer is over at the our house. Waaaaa!!! But we did have a long summer filled with lots of fun. (maybe someday i will blog about it!) I felt very ready for school to start again. It was just time to get back into a regular routine.

So, school started last Wednesday. Yay! Michael was excited to finally start middle school. Michael is a really good student, and will enjoy having different teachers for each of his subjects. I think it's going to be a good year for him.

First Day of 6th Grade

You only bring a pencil the first day :)

It's hard to believe that our youngest child is in middle school! It is nice though. One of my favorite things is that I don't have to write parent pick up notes anymore or walk in to pick him up. If I want to drive Michael home after school, I just drive up to the curb and he walks out. Easy peasy. Another interesting thing about this year is that Michael is the only child representing our family in the public schools. He is the only one going to school! Now THAT is weird.

Matthew is doing home school again. It is so wonderful for him. There is so much more flexibility and way less stress for him. We really enjoy doing school together, and it makes for a much happier Matthew. The classes are great, and he does well in them. He does miss his friends a bit and wishes he could go to school to be with them, but the benefits of home school far outweigh seeing friends during school hours. And besides, he does still see his friends! It's great that Matthew has a core group that have been friends for years. They are good kids, and really enjoy hanging out together. 

First Day of 10th Grade

BYU Independent Study High School Program

And, on a side note, have you seen Mike lately?? He goes through these phases sometimes where he grows a beard or grows his hair a little longer. It doesn't usually last that long. Not as long as this time! A friend of ours said he is starting to look like Robert Downy Jr. I think he's right! He just needs someone to do his hair in the morning. Hahaha

Back to school stuff ... We are taking Lauren to school tomorrow! Moving into the dorms!!!! Stayed tuned for that. :)

West Coast Summer Vaca: Unfortunately ... FORTUNATELY!

It has been just about three weeks since we left on our crazy West Coast adventure. Mike really wanted to go to the mountains this summer. Doesn't he always? The idea was to do a tour of the Pacific Northwest in about 10 days. I talked him into starting at the cabin in Mineral King. We haven't been there in a few years, and I thought it was important to go. Then the boys and I decided we wanted to go early and do all of the So Cal stuff we like to do. Then we had to add in three days for Lauren's leadership camp. That's how this vacation ended up to be so long. A little too long...

Anyway, there is no way I am blogging about all of it now, so I will show some highlights. All three of the boys have been playing this game in the car called Unfortunately, Fortunately. Here is an example: 

UNFORTUNATELY there is a tsunami coming that will wipe out the entire city. 

FORTUNATELY I am Superman. 

Collin says that it should be more realistic, but they've had fun with it. 

So, here are a few funny highlights:

UNFORTUNATELY Lauren had EFY and work and RAM Academy

and could only come the last few days of our trip.

FORTUNATELY she didn't want to do anything but the last few days!

UNFORTUNATELY Grandma Shepherd doesn't like too many amusement park rides.

FORTUNATELY she went on Tower of Terror TWICE!

UNFORTUNATELY the boys and I were ready to leave the cabin a day early.

FORTUNATELY we could play cards all day and Mike could take a nap. :)

UNFORTUNATELY it was incredibly cold and gloomy the day we went 

to see Crater Lake and it was gray instead of a beautiful blue.

FORTUNATELY we learned about how huge and deep it is, and liked it anyway.

UNFORTUNATELY it was even colder and super foggy in Newport, OR

and we couldn't even see the ocean in our oceanfront hotel room.

FORTUNATELY Mike freaked out about "the bridge to nowhere" and

we laughed about it the entire time we were there.

UNFORTUNATELY we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on a Sunday

and nobody was working that day and I was sad.

FORTUNATELY they had yummy ice cream to console us.

UNFORTUNATELY when we drove a little out of the way to see the Lewis and Clark

Salt Works we saw that this was all there was to it.

FORTUNATELY Mike was thrilled to see it, and the rest of us died laughing.

UNFORTUNATELY our half day fishing trip was the stupidest thing ever.

FORTUNATELY everything else seems like the most fun ever after that.

UNFORTUNATELY they took the professional river rafting pictures after Matthew

got out of the raft, opting to not do the crazy waterfall.

FORTUNATELY we had extra time to admire his skinny wetsuit legs.

UNFORTUNATELY it was also very cold at Mt. St. Helens,

and half of it was covered in clouds.

FORTUNATELY we were used to disappointment and chalked it up to par for the course. 

UNFORTUNATELY most of us are ready to go home four days early.

FORTUNATELY Lauren is meeting us in Seattle tonight and she makes everything fun!