Last Day of School

Today is the last day of school (and it is cold and windy). I am always amazed at how much the kids learn during a school year. 

The main thing Tyler learned this year was reading. He is very good at it and loves it. Tyler has also learned so much more that he amazes me at the things he comes up with.

Kaelynn's reading has improved so much this year. She went from reading picture books to chapter books. Kaelynn's math skills have also improved. One of the funnest things Kaelynn has learned is the phases of the moon. The whole family has enjoyed looking at the moon.

Tyler's first and last day of Kindergarten

 Kaelynn's first and last day of 2nd grade

Tyler's Kindergarten Program/Graduation

Tyler's Kindergarten program. They did a cute job. Tyler even had a speaking part. At the end of the program they gave each of the kids a picture of them in a graduation cap and gown and a $1 gold coin.

It's hard to believe this is all the Kindergarten kids for about 30 miles.

Caleb's Hat and Summer Time!

Caleb LOVES this hat. He wears it all day long. It says "Grandpa's 'lil Fishing Buddy".  Summer is coming. I gave the boys their "summer buzz" a few days ago.

Today the school is having a "Camp Read A lot" day. It's a fun field day for the kids that read 25 books during March and April. School is out on Friday and I am trying to come up with some fun summer activities for them. I found an idea that might be helpful
Monday - Make something Monday. I thought of play dough, bubbles, beads. (Really any craft or project. I just have to plan it out so I can be prepared.)
Tuesday - Time to Read - Go to the Library. The library does a summer reading program we are going to go on Tuesday to check it out.
Wednesday - What's cooking Wednesday. I am mostly thinking treats, but I might teach Kaelynn some basic cooking skills too. She loves "cooking school". Popsicles, ice cream (we have an ice cream maker thanks to Jeff and Sarah) or smoothies.
Thursday - Be thought Thursday. Write letters, do service.
Friday - Somewhere fun Friday - OK this one is going to be different then the things we used to do up North. I am thinking we are going to do a lot of exploring. Since we live in the middle of nature it will be great for the kids. There are lakes, canals, waterfalls, hikes, and so much more.

I also do summer reading with my kids. When I was younger my mom used to pay us a penny a page for reading in the summer. Last year I paid 5 cents. Kaelynn earned almost $20. I might have to re-think my program. But she is reading chapter books, so it might still work out at 5 cents a page. Now that Tyler is a pretty good reader I might be broke by the end of the summer, but it's all for a good cause.

On a side note: Today Ben called the contractor to see how the bid was coming on our house. He said he would call us tomorrow because he was waiting on his suppliers.

Coleman 9 months

Coleman turned 9months on the 16th. 

For some reason I kept thinking he was turning 9 months on the 19th, but if you would've asked me his birthday I would've said Aug 16th. So who knows where my brain is these days.

I haven't taken him in for is Well Child Check yet. I have talked to a lot of people in town and they all say the Doctors are really good here. So I think I will stick with the clinic here in town.

Here are a few things about Coleman

~He can crawl, stand and walk along furniture

~He laughs and babbles

~Loves playing with toys. He really likes it when the dryer and the dish washer are open.

~He is starting to eat table foods and will eat almost anything you put in front of him

~He has his top and bottom front teeth.

~He likes to be outside and doesn't mind the grass

~We don't have stairs in our house, so he doesn't know how to go down

~Takes 2 really good naps in the day and goes to bed around 8:30

~ Night Sleeping is still bad. 

~Loves his binkie!

Bike Ride Around Town

Today's bike ride was fun. I went to get the mail and a can of beans at the grocery store.

Here is the hub cap wall

A pile of deer sheds

Elementary School

Last log from Kiabab Sawmill

The Panguitch life style

So far life if Panguitch has been an adjustment. I ride my bike down to the post office on most days to get the mail, Tyler has baseball, Kaelynn has gymnastics. I am looking at signing Caleb up for a preschool next fall. We also are going to buy a lot and build a house (WOW)

Here is Tyler getting ready to bat.

 Here is my bike and me. (not the best picture) We went on a family bike ride up Red Canyon.

 Ben is mocking my bike.

 This is how we drive Coleman around. (JK)

On my bike rides I try to find interesting things. One day I found a demolition car ("just one" you might ask, "yes, only one") I also found a fence covered in hub caps. I will try to take a picture of that next time.

 Here is Ben and Caleb in an ally. It's on main street between two buildings. Caleb was scared to go in so Ben had to go in with him.

Trip to Flagstaff

Last weekend we ventured on down to Flagstaff to see Ben's sister, Juli. It was her birthday and this past year she has gone through the fight against Breast Cancer. It was really good to see her and Kalianna. We went fishing and the Juli caught a fish for us for dinner. We also had a BBQ. It was very fun and relaxing. The drive is a killer. It's about 5 hours one way of nothing but desert and Indian Reservation. On the way home I got so bored I started taking picture out the window of clouds on my phone. I was just trying out different settings.

The kids with Juli's fish

 Caleb LOVED the doggie door. That is how he would get in and out of the house. Notice JJ (the dog). I don't know what he thought of all this.

 Here is one of my cloud pictures. I had about 20. Ben got a laugh out of me.

Coleman 8 months

Coleman turned 8 months on the 16th. The same day his cousin, Carson, was born. Coleman has mastered crawling around and sitting up. He can also pull himself up to standing.His front bottom teeth have come in and his front top teeth are just breaking through. Most days he takes two naps. He eats baby food about 2-3 times a day and loves crackers. Since we have moved his sleeping through the night has been a joke. He gets up at least once. He was a really good sleeper before so it's been frustrating. I would just let him cry it out, but he shares the room with Kaelynn. I need to get it figured out, because I am bone tired of it. Overall Coleman is a happy baby that loves to observe his surroundings.

 The older kids and I made block houses and pretended Coleman lived in one. They thought it was so funny.

Easter Egg's in the park

When we were in S.G. we coloring Easter eggs and hid them at the park. We had a fun picnic with fried chicken and potato salad.

Tyler's favorite egg

Kaelynn's favorite egg

Splash Pad in April

For Spring Break I took the kids to St. George. We went the splash pad on Wednesday. It was 80 degrees out. Such a perfect day. When we came back to Panguitch we had to wear sweaters.

Since we've moved...

So far Panguitch seems to be a good fit. The kids are in school and seem to be doing well. They have also made a few friends in the neighborhood. There are a few things that I have noticed that are a little different then what I am used to. For example I think I am the only mini van driver in town. There is also a large population of people that drive around with their dog in the back of their trucks. It seems like every time I go to the post office I am greeted by a dog in the back of the truck next to me. I guess I am going to have to buck up and learn how to drive our truck.

Here we are at Panguitch Lake. There was still a thin layer of ice on it. It will be a fun place to go in the summer.

Kaelynn made Easter eggs at school. Kaelynn and Tyler have done some really fun projects in school.
I decided to make a new sheet for Coleman's crib. After 3 boys (and 1 girl) the crib sheet were kind of thin and gross. It never occurred to me that it would be so easy to make my own sheets. I had to use my mom's sewing machine because mine was still packed.
Coleman - He has started to crawl and can sit up from crawling position. He is also a very happy baby. Since we have moved he has had a hard time sleeping, but I think he is getting better.
I have also read a few books and just kept up with the kids. Today we are listening to conference. It had been very uplifting. This week is Spring Break for the kids and we are planning on going to St. George for a few days to get a little warmer.

We Made It!!!

We made it to Panguitch. Here is my take on the town so far.
Pros:
The people - very friendly and welcoming
The school- the schedule is from 8-3 for everyone and Friday is from 8-noon. Tyler is afternoon kinder and he goes from noon-3 and every other Friday morning.
Space - we have a bigger backyard and there is so much open space to ride bikes.

Cons:
Cell phones- they don't work good at our house but work great in town and in our driveway.
Shopping - Small grocery store. Have to go far for any major shopping.

So far we have felt welcome. We still miss our old home and friends but I know this is going to be good for us.